Afghan News Roundup: February 2013 compiled by Elayne Jude for Great North News Service

Going home and what to carry, dib-dib in Dari, behind the veil and on the catwalk, electronic update for Kabul.

New stories about Afghanistan centre on the logistics - and foreign policy implications - of shipping home the matérial of a decade of warfighting, and the uncertainty and anxiety left behind. Finding good or even just ‘normal’ news away from the frontline feels more and more like mood music on the Titanic. Most news agencies are giving huge attention to the success of the low budget documentary, Buzkashi Boys. Of which, absolutely nothing below.

By George Friedman

It is August 2010, which is the month when the last U.S. combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq. It is therefore time to take stock of the situation in Iraq, which has changed places with Afghanistan as the forgotten war. This is all the more important since 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq, and while they may not be considered combat troops, a great deal of combat power remains embedded with them. So we are far from the end of the war in Iraq. The question is whether the departure of the last combat units is a significant milestone and, if it is, what it signifies.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 with three goals: The first was the destruction of the Iraqi army, the second was the destruction of the Baathist regime and the third was the replacement of that regime with a stable, pro-American government in Baghdad. The first two goals were achieved within weeks. Seven years later, however, Iraq still does not yet have a stable government, let alone a pro-American government. The lack of that government is what puts the current strategy in jeopardy.