On air: Is President Karzai the biggest barrier to peace in Afghanistan?

The US Ambassador to Kabul is advising President Barack Obama not to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, until President Karzai’s government proves it will tackle corruption.

On air: Is it time to let Afghans sort out their own country?

Five British soldiers have died in Afghanistan, shot in their own compound, after an Afghan policeman they had been training apparently turned on his mentors.

The policeman, who had been living with the soldiers as part of the training programme, reportedly opened fire, then fled. It has sent shockwaves through the military not only in Britain, but in all countries with troops there.

On air: Those who’ve lost the most in Afghanistan

 UPDATE:  GUEST DETAILS BELOW

The players in Afghanistan politics are setting about giving Hamid Karzai their opinion on how to make his second-term more stable and less corrupt than the first. But we’re going to leave the politicians to one side today, and talk to people who’ve suffered the unimaginable upset of losing a loved one in this conflict.

On air: Is this the election where everyone lost?

In the last few minutes, Hamid Karzai has been declared the president of Afghanistan. The second round is also off which is no surprise after Abdullah Abdullah pulled out over the weekend. So there we go – over two months since the first poll, we have a winner. But is that really a word you’d use to describe any of the interested parties?

On air: Round two in Afghanistan

UPDATE: The second round has been confirmed and will take palce on November 7. Pres Karzai has called it a ‘step forward’ and Pres Obama has welcomed the news. Are you so positive?

Mark’s original post:
Hamid Karzai didn’t get enough valid votes to win the Afghan election.

His share of the vote drops below the 50 per cent mark and this means he could now face a run-off against his opponent Abdullah Abdullah. Dr. Abdullah’s party have expressed cautious optimism at the results and we could be looking at a power sharing arrangement between the two – but would this work? And what should happen now?

Who’s Winning in Afghanistan ?

Here are just a few of the stories about Afghanistan this week :

* Robert Gates asks the Germans to send more troops… 

* A top Al Qaeda leader is killed in Pakistan… 

* A think tank says NATO isn’t winning…

* The Bush administration says progress is being made- others disagree…

* President Karzai says local forces not foreign troops are the key to success..

* An Afghan journalist is sentenced to death for “blasphemy”…