NEWS FLASH

U.S. And Afghanistan Agree On Strategic Partnership | The United States and Afghanistan have reportedly reached a strategic partnership agreement that pledges American support for Afghanistan for 10 years after U.S. troops withdraw in 2014. Top U.S. officials agreed on the draft, which will now be sent to Afghanistan’s parliament and President Hamid Karzai for review and approval. The New York Times reports that “officials from both countries have said they hope that it will send a signal to insurgents and other destabilizing forces here that the United States is not going to abandon Afghanistan as it did in the 1990s after the Soviets were driven out.” Separate agreements were drafted on the controversial issues of night raids and American operation of detention facilities.

NEWS FLASH

U.N. Approves 300-Member Observer Team To Monitor Syria Ceasefire | The U.N. Security Council yesterday agreed to expand the small team monitoring the fragile ceasefire in Syria to 300 members. Kofi Annan, the U.N./Arab League envoy, said the decision was a “pivotal moment in the stabilization of the country.” Meanwhile, the fighting in Syria continues. Activists said Syrian troops shelled a Damascus suburb and rebels reportedly attacked a government military convoy in the north. “This U.N. observers thing is a big joke,” said Douma-based activist Mohammed Saeed. “Shelling stops and tanks are hidden when they visit somewhere, and when they leave, shelling resumes.”