WASHINGTON: Afghanistan's former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is pursuing a strategy to reclaim power, the top U.S. intelligence official said , identifying a key administration concern as the White House prepared to unveil a new plan to step up combat operations and stabilization efforts.U.S. spy agencies lack a detailed understanding of the regional dynamics across much of Afghanistan, said Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence."We know a heck of a lot more about Iraq on a very granular basis than we do in Afghanistan," Blair said, describing an intelligence imbalance that could hamper the Obama administration's efforts as it shifts troops from one War Theater to the other. Omar is believed to be based in the Pakistan city of Quetta.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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