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U.S. reviews Afghanistan mission amid concerns

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Amid rising concerns about lagging progress in Afghanistan, the top U.S. commander in the region has launched a review of the American mission there with a major focus on counterterrorism efforts, a senior U.S. military official said Sunday.

Adm. William Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, has ordered senior staff to conduct a thorough review of the six-year-old war against al Qaeda and its Taliban allies in Afghanistan, the senior official confirmed to CNN.

The review has been under way for several weeks, and Fallon is not considering any new recommendations until its completion, the official said.

The study, first reported by The New York Times, is focused on efforts by U.S. troops along Afghanistan’s rugged border with Pakistan.

U.S. intelligence concluded early this year that al Qaeda has carved a new safe haven since the overthrow of its Taliban hosts after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The news comes as officials tout progress in Iraq, saying the country is experiencing its most significant dip in violence since the first year of the invasion. On Sunday, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the second-ranking U.S. general in Iraq, told The Associated Press that fewer weapons and fighters entered Iraq from Iran and Syria over the past month. And Iraq’s Interior Ministry said civilian deaths caused by war-related violence in Iraq dropped for a third straight month in November.

But in Afghanistan, U.S. commanders have seen an increase in attacks by the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic militia that ruled most of Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks.

While the U.S. military feels it maintains a battlefield advantage over the Taliban, the senior official emphasized that the there are far too many bombings and far too many IEDs.

He emphasized that the Taliban movement has become more diverse, with religious ideologues joined by local fighters hired for pay, warlords, drug bosses and those simply fighting over local disputes.

In addition, he said, a number of al Qaeda fighters have moved into Afghanistan unexpectedly in 2007. He declined to say how many had been detected, but said they included Arabs, Uzbeks and fighters from North Africa.

The senior military official said much of the data being collected about the fighters and attacks do not show overwhelming clear trends. For example, at the same time more foreign fighters have appeared, U.S. analysts believe the number of cross-border infiltrations from Pakistan may have declined because of military operations by the Pakistanis, who have attempted to crack down on the largely lawless Northwest Frontier territories under U.S. demand.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed for greater support for NATO allies in Afghanistan during a weekend conference in Scotland, urging European allies to bolster their contributions of troops and helicopters to the region.

And reconstruction aid and NATO combat efforts aren’t as coordinated as they should be, the U.S. military official said.

That lack of coordination and NATO support is one of the reasons for the review, he said.

About 26,000 U.S. troops and another 20,000-plus allies are involved in the battle for Afghanistan. In a House committee hearing last week, Gates called for a reconstruction effort led by a civilian representative to bolster support for the NATO-backed government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Two Bush administration sources told CNN that Paddy Ashdown, the former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democratic Party, is a leading candidate for that post. Ashdown also served as the U.N. high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina from 2002 to 2006, overseeing implementation of the peace accords that ended that country’s civil war in 1995.

In October, Ashdown told a British newspaper that the allies were at risk of losing the war in Afghanistan and said major instability in the region would be inevitable if the Taliban regained the upper hand.

Gates has been increasingly critical of some NATO allies’ lack of support for the effort in Afghanistan, urging the alliance to provide additional troops and helicopters for the mission.

Two senior State Department officials say that agency also has begun a review of its diplomatic and aid assistance efforts in Afghanistan to complement the military review. That study is being coordinated by Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs.

The officials say this review centers on finding additional soft power efforts — non-military aid that could be added to current levels in an effort to augment ongoing military efforts.

NATO has already been reviewing its long-term commitment in the country even as the alliance has come under growing criticism from the Bush administration for failing to deliver troops and helicopters that it had committed to combat operations.
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Tattooed faces a dead giveaway: Gangs go for new look

CHIMALTENANGO, Guatemala (AP) — Tattoos, baggy pants and tank tops are out. Smart blazers and university recruits are in.

It’s an extreme makeover for Central America’s gangs. Facing harsh crackdowns by government security forces and citizen vigilante groups, they are trying to lower their profile.

The Mara 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs are known throughout Central America and the United States for their brazen tactics, including beheading their enemies and covering entire buildings and even their bodies with gang symbols.

Now, according to anti-gang operatives, these traditionally uneducated and aimless youth have begun recruiting high school and college students, and are expanding their criminal repertoire from minor robbery to large-scale extortion, prostitution, car theft and kidnappings.

The gangs first formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s, attracting Salvadorans who fled to the United States to escape civil war. A decade later, after many of the members were deported for crimes committed in the United States, the gangs established themselves in Central America.

The Maras are believed to number about 100,000 in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. As many as 30,000 also operate in the United States, mostly in Los Angeles, according to U.S. federal authorities.

Setting themselves apart by tattooing themselves head to toe with threatening symbols and hanging out in large crowds on street corners, their goal was to intimidate law-abiding citizens and rival gangs alike, experts say. See a gallery of tattooed Maras

That has changed recently, after El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras adopted tough anti-gang policies, including graffiti-removal campaigns and harsh punishments for gang-related crimes. Many youths have been arrested or killed, allegedly in operations by police or citizen’s groups.

These days we can’t even go out onto the street, where the police look at us and we end up dead, said Giovanni Estrada, an imprisoned gang member with tattooed face who goes by the nickname of Little Crazy. That’s why we tell [new gang members] not to paint their faces.

Both Sammy Rivera, a security adviser for the Narcotics Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, and Jose Luis Tovar, deputy police chief in El Salvador, say the gangs’ increasingly lucrative pursuits have attracted high school and college students looking to make a buck. It’s a breed apart from the dropouts and other gang members whose main aim was a need to belong.

Before they would rob a bus and could take away some cell phones and a little money, Rivera said. Now they have a steady income from the extortion they carry out in their territories.

Ingrid Vicente left her husband, two children, government job and law studies to join a gang in 2002. As a secretary at the Finance Ministry, she earned 2,000 quetzales a month. She doubled that in one day as a gang member.

Because she didn’t look like a typical Mara, she easily smuggled guns from El Salvador, earning about $650 a day. She also helped uneducated gang members figure out how much they could extort from a storekeeper without bankrupting him.

These guys don’t know what is possible, Vicente told The Associated Press. They didn’t even know how to drive a car or a motorcycle, so I showed them how to drive.

But then she discovered the price. After having two more children with a gang member, she decided to quit. In retaliation, her gang killed her brother and her boyfriend. She is now a witness, testifying against the others.

Gangs have been forced to recruit people like Vicente to stay ahead of the government’s zero-tolerance policies, which have forced them underground — and into new areas of crime.

No longer able to conduct brazen robberies, the gangs have turned to other activities that require a better level of organization, Rivera said.

And although the graffiti is gone and the walls are blank, said Guatemala City resident Aura Escobar, we still hear gunshots every day.
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Singer Dan Fogelberg dies

NEW YORK (AP) — Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits Leader of the Band and Same Old Lang Syne helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was 56.

His death was announced Sunday in a statement by Anna Loynes of the Solters Digney public relations agency, and was also posted on the singer’s Web site.

Dan left us this morning at 6 a.m. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife, Jean, at his side, it read. His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him.

Fogelberg was found in 2004 to have advanced prostate cancer. In a statement then, he thanked fans for their support: It is truly overwhelming and humbling to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years. … I thank you from the very depths of my heart.

Fogelberg’s music was powerful in its simplicity. He didn’t rely on the volume of his voice to convey his emotions; instead, they came through in the soft, tender delivery and his poignant lyrics. Songs like Same Old Lang Syne — in which a man reminisces after meeting an old girlfriend by chance during the holidays — became classics not only because of his performance, but also for the engaging storyline.

Fogelberg’s heyday was in the 1970s and early 80s, when he scored several platinum and multiplatinum records fueled by such hits as The Power of Gold and Leader of the Band, a touching tribute he wrote to his father, a bandleader. Fogelberg put out his first album in 1972.

Fogelberg’s songs tended to have a weighty tone, reflecting on emotional issues in a serious way. But in an interview with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Journal Sentinel in 1997, he said it did not represent his personality.

That came from my singles in the early ’80s, he reflects. I think it probably really started on the radio. I’m not a dour person in the least. I’m actually kind of a happy person. Music doesn’t really reflect the whole person.

One of my dearest friends is Jimmy Buffett. From his music, people have this perception that he’s up all the time, and, of course, he’s not. Jimmy has a serious side, too.
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CNN Student News Transcript: December 17, 2007

(CNN Student News) — December 17, 2007

Quick Guide

Agreement in Bali - Discover what deal emerged from a U.N. conference on environmental issues.

Making News - Learn about a snow storm in the U.S. and an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

Stressed-Out Students - Hear how some U.S. schools are hoping to reduce student stress levels.

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It’s Monday, and you’ve found your way to the start of a brand new week of CNN Student News. Thanks so much for joining us. I’m Monica Lloyd.

First Up: Agreement in Bali

LLOYD: First up, a good beginning. That’s how the United Nations secretary general is describing an international agreement on climate change. The deal was made over the weekend at a conference in Bali. Representatives from dozens of countries gathered in the Indonesian province to discuss problems facing our environment. At one point, it didn’t look like a deal was going to happen. Dan Rivers explains what turned the tide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN RIVERS, CNN REPORTER: The U.S. was booed as it asked for more commitments from developing countries, provoking this from Papua New Guinea.

KEVIN CONRAD, PAPUA NEW GUINEA DELEGATION: There’s an old saying: If you are not willing to lead, then get out of the way. I ask the United States: We asked for your leadship; we seek your leadership. But if for some reason you are not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us; please get out of the way.

RIVERS: And then this, a total change from the U.S.

PAULA DOBRIANSKY, U.S. DELEGATION: We will go forward and join consensus in this today.

RIVERS: It’s been a day of high drama in this room in Bali, but finally there is a deal, and many are praising the contribution of Papua New Guinea, whose whithering criticism of the U.S. apparently led to a 180-degree u-turn. Afterwards, one of the U.S. delegation said they’d shown leadership.

JAMES CONNAUGHTON, CHRMN., COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: No question the U.S. has led and is leading. And let’s be clear: This meeting is talking about a negotiation that is going to produce an outlook. But as we stand here today, President Bush in his State of the Union address last year asked Congress to produce bi-partisan legislation that will improve our energy security and cut our greenhouse gases.

RIVERS: But green groups say they were bounced into a change.

PHILIP CLAPP, PEW ENVIRONMENT GROUP: Papua New Guinea’s criticism was the most stinging on the floor; it was the nadir of the event for the Bush administration.

RIVERS: And many here agreed Papua New Guinea played a crucial role.

JACQUELINE CRAMER, NETHERLANDS ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: Oh, that was very very important. Because of that, we could make the deal.

RIVERS: And that deal marks the beginning of two more years of talks, with a firm commitment for a global deal on emissions by 2009 at the latest. Dan Rivers, CNN, Bali

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD: Ok, we know the conference led to this deal. But the agreement doesn’t outline specific actions that will cut down on greenhouse gases. What it does set up is two more years of negotiations. The hope is those could lead to a plan to curb emissions. As the talks move forward, the key issue will be what role developed countries, like the U.S., and developing countries, like Papua New Guinea, play in cutting emissions.

Is This Legit?

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? Carbon dioxide is considered a greenhouse gas. Yes, this one’s legit. CO2 and other gases, including water vapor, contribute to the so-called greenhouse effect, or warming of the Earth’s surface.

Making News

LLOYD: Here are a couple other stories making news today. The weather outside, oh, it’s definitely frightful. Parts of the Northeast and Midwestern U.S. have been hit by a winter storm packing a triple-punch of snow, sleet and freezing rain. One Maine official’s advice: Just stay home. And in Chicago, conditions weren’t fit for man nor beast. All right, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But nearly a foot of snow fell on the Windy City, cancelling hundreds of flights.

And Muslims from around the world are in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca right now taking part in the hajj. The annual event lasts for five days. It’s a fundamental part of the Islamic religion, which says every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able should visit the holy city at least once in his or her lifetime. About 2 million people participate in the ritual every year.

Shoutout

RAMSAY: Time for the Shoutout! What language does the word yoga come from? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Latin, B) Aramaic, C) Mandarin Chinese or D) Sanskrit? You’ve got three seconds — GO! Sanskrit is the language of origin of the word yoga. It’s also the classic literary language of Hindus. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!

Stressed-Out Students

LLOYD: Yoga originally began as an Eastern philosophy. But when it moved west, it became a popular way to exercise. It can develop strength, increase flexibility, even help with relaxation. That’s why yoga is now mandatory for students at a school in California. It’s part of a nationwide program to help high school kids reduce their stress level. Betty Nguyen looks at how it works, and at some other anxiety-alleviating techniques.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN REPORTER: When did yoga become a required course to reduce stress among students? When freshmen like Natashia von Kaeppler started spending fours hours a night on homework. That’s after three hours of basketball practice and a full day of classes, preparing for final exams. The pressure can be intense.

NATASHIA VON KAEPPLER, FRESHMAN: It’s like, okay, have you studied for your test? Yes, mom, I’ve studied for my test. But it’s like, did I study enough? Because if I come home with bad grades, they’re not going to be very happy.

NGUYEN: It’s enough to send some students to the breaking point. Stanford professor Denise Pope has seen the effects. She created a program that’s helping reduce stress in 45 schools across the nation. It’s called SOS, for stressed out students.

NGUYEN: Does the stress among students these days scare you?

DR. DENISE POPE, SOS FOUNDER: It scares me because of the suicide rates that we’re seeing and because of the real sense of hopelessness in kids. They are experimenting with drugs on a much higher basis. They are binge drinking not because they want to experiment with alcohol, but because they’ve had such a stressful week they need to get completely drunk this weekend. So much about this scares me. And as a parent — I have three kids — I don’t want my own kids to have to go through this.

NGUYEN: But how do you prevent cheating, sleep deprivation, depression, even eating disorders among some of the nation’s top students when there’s enormous pressure to get into the elite colleges? Castilleja is an all girls’ school in Palo Alto, California, that subscribes to professor Pope’s SOS plan. Along with required yoga classes, the school’s building has a new wellness center. It’s also staggered classes so there are fewer each day, creating less homework. Sonja Swenson is a Castilleja senior who is thrilled that finals are now in December instead of January.

SONJA SWENSON, SENIOR: I think that moving the finals up to before winter break has not only made the exam studying period less stressful, it’s also really made winter break a true break.

NGUYEN: Lauren Schryver heads up the schoool’s SOS Task Force.

LAUREN SCHRYVER, SOS TASK FORCE: About 80% of our students said that both the calendar change and the schedule change were definitely decreasing stress.

NGUYEN: There’s even homework-free weekends and holidays. Not to mention…

VON KAEPPLER: We have free periods also, which really help. If I don’t get to finish one thing, then I can finish it up the next day during my free period.

NGUYEN: The school also eliminated the stress of bells ringing between classes. Some argue this is just a way to coddle students who need to be prepared for the real world. Pope disagrees. She says the current system is turning kids into robots, only interested in spitting out the right answer no matter what it takes, which ends up hurting them in the long run.

POPE: They’re little robotrons. They’re very good middle managers, but they’re not good at being creative, they’re not good at thinking out of the box. They’re not good at actually listening to criticism and accepting it, and they’re not good at working in a team. And all these things are needed to succeed in a global economy.

NGUYEN: So can the SOS plan succeed in schools without sacrificing those all-important grades? According to Castilleja High, the stress rates have dropped, but the grades have not. Betty Nguyen, CNN, Palo Alto, California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

LLOYD: Lots of different things can cause stress, even the time of year. In fact, the holidays can be just as stressful for young people as for adults. We’ve put together a Learning Activity that helps students learn about how people respond to stress and ways to manage it. You can find the free resource at CNNStudentNews.com!

Before We Go

LLOYD: Before we go, Pier 39 in San Francisco is under invasion from the North Pole! Dozens of Santa-suited San Franciscans took to the streets on Saturday as part of SantaCon 2007! The annual event got started back in 1994, and it’s spread around the world, with Kris Kringle congregations converging all across the country. They’re not marching in protest or making a statement about the holidays. They just like to get together and hang out in Santa suits. No sleighs when it’s time to go though. The Santas just sail away.

Goodbye

LLOYD: Which is probably for the best. Because there’s no way Rudolph and his buddies could haul off that whole holiday crowd. That’s where we wrap things up for today. I’m Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend

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Furious snow storm blows north, blankets Great Lakes states

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) — Motorists slid off roads Sunday across the Great Lakes states as a storm already blamed for three deaths cut visibility and iced over highways with a wind-blown brew of snow, sleet and freezing rain in New England.

The National Weather Service posted winter storm warnings from Michigan and Indiana all the way to Maine. Around a foot of snow had fallen on parts of the Chicago area and Ann Arbor, Michigan, with 10 inches in Vermont.

Meteorologists said that 18 inches was possible in northern New England and that there was a chance of 14 inches in parts of Michigan.

Meteorologists said 18 inches was possible in northern New England and there was a chance of up to 14 inches in parts of Michigan.

Our biggest advice right now is stay home, said Maine State Police Sgt. Andrew Donovan.

Visibility in the blowing snow was less than 200 yards, and in stronger gusts if there’s a car in front of you, you can’t even see it, he said.

Every available plow truck was at work in Vermont, said Reggie Brown, highway department dispatcher in Montpelier. Everybody’s out and running, he said.

Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said 1,000 trucks were out clearing snow Sunday.

Snow depths in some places were uncertain. They can’t tell how much because it’s blowing so hard, Brown said.

The storm canceled hundreds of flights at airports in Chicago, where Midway Airport measured 10 inches of snow Sunday morning. In Maine, most of Portland International Jetport’s inbound and outbound flights were canceled, said city Transportation Director Jeff Monroe. Numerous flights were canceled at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. See how winter storms form

Many churches called off Sunday services because of the hazardous driving conditions.

I don’t want folks to venture out because we’re having church and they feel obligated, the Rev. Glenn Mortimer said after calling off services at Wakefield-Lynnfield United Methodist Church in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

He noted that some people still hadn’t completely dug out from Thursday’s storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of Massachusetts. Watch a ‘winter wonderland’ in Boston

Both Eastern Michigan University and the University of Connecticut postponed winter commencement ceremonies scheduled for Sunday. Watch the snowy scene in Manchester, Connecticut

The storm didn’t keep fans away from the New England Patriots vs. New York Jets game at Foxborough, Massachusetts, but they had to shovel off their seats in the stadium. A video of a fire roaring in a fireplace was shown on the scoreboards at both ends of the field.

And in Buffalo, New York, the weather didn’t deter Bills fans who rose early for a bus trip to Cleveland for a game against the Browns.

Rain, snow, sleet, whatever, we’ll be there, Brian Kras said, boarding a chartered bus at 5:30 a.m.

During the Bills and Browns game Sunday a severe storm pounded the Lake Erie shoreline with heavy snow and intense winds. The temperature was 30 degrees at kickoff, and with wind gusts hitting 40 mph, Browns Stadium was transformed into a super-sized snow globe. Browns huddled for warmth near space heaters by their bench.

Unable to get any traction, players slipped and slid all over the field and officials had difficulty spotting the ball in the blustery conditions. Punts and passes were adventures as anything not grounded was quickly blown off-target.

During the first quarter, stadium groundskeepers did their best to keep the yard lines, sidelines and hashmarks visible, but as soon as they completed one attempt, they had to start another to keep up with the snow.

The storm also didn’t stand in the way of dedicated Christmas shoppers.

The reason we came out in the storm early, early, is that we knew there would be no lines, Michael McGrath, 48, of Boston, said as he stomped along partly shoveled downtown sidewalks. It was true. The stores were empty.

Betty Gould and Rocky Castellano drove about 20 miles from Pittsfield, New Hampshire, to Steeplegate Mall in Concord, New Hampshire.

Asked if she considered staying home, Gould said: Never.

We like the snow, Gould said. He thinks he’s invincible. He has four-wheel drive, studded tires, the whole bit.

Instead of church, Paul Milner of Chittenango, New York, went to a neighborhood grocery market to stock up.

The roads weren’t bad. But they say there’s more on the way. Guess that shouldn’t be any surprise in upstate New York in mid-December, he said.

Slippery roads were blamed for two traffic deaths in Michigan and one in Wisconsin.

More than 100,000 customers were blacked out Sunday in parts of Pennsylvania, utilities reported. Scattered outages caused by heavy snow and freezing rain also were reported in Vermont, state officials said.

The storm came less than a week after an ice storm blamed for at least 38 deaths, mostly in traffic accidents, in the middle of the country. Thousands of homes and business still had no electricity in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
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