Is talking to Taliban the right approach?

President Obama says the United States is open to reaching out to some moderate voices in the Taliban, but critics say that’s not the right approach. In an interview published in the New York Times this weekend, Obama said some military leaders believe that part of the success in Iraq has come from reaching out to Sunni militants there. The president said while the situation in Afghanistan is much more complex, there may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Mexico pours troops into border city stricken by drug war

Nearly 7,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police arrived in the U.S.-Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez this week to restore security to a city plagued by a long-standing, bloody drug war. Random vehicle checkpoints, patrols of masked soldiers and police in SWAT gear are some of the signs of the massive military buildup ordered by Mexico’s president, Ciudad Juarez police spokesman Jaime Torres Valadez said Thursday. Another 1,500 soldiers are expected to join the 3,500 that rolled into Juarez earlier this week to support municipal police in street patrols and ultimately take control of their operations, Torres said

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Report: Pakistan agrees fresh Taliban truce

Pakistani security forces will observe a four-day cease-fire with Taliban militants in another region of North West Frontier Province, Pakistan’s state-run news agency reported Tuesday. Tribal leaders in the Bajaur region had asked the government forces to observe a truce that had been unilaterally called for by local Taliban militants, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)

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Thai PM admits boat people pushed out to sea

Thailand’s prime minister suspects there were "some instances" in which Thai authorities pushed Myanmar’s Rohingya boat people out to sea, a frank admittance of a practice drawing worldwide condemnation. In an exclusive interview with CNN Thursday, Abhisit Vejjajiva said he could not pinpoint who in the government approved the practice, but said he was working on rectifying the problem.

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