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September 17, 2010

Militants Abduct Election Workers Ahead of Afghan Vote
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In Afghanistan, officials say Taliban militants have abducted at least
nineteen officials and workers involved in Saturday’s parliamentary
elections. Militant groups have vowed to launch attacks to disrupt the
vote, where 249 seats are up for grabs. At the Pentagon, Defense
Secretary Robert Gates offered a tempered defense of the Afghan war
effort, saying it could take months before the US will be able to show
it’s "moving in the right direction."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "I don’t want to mislead anybody. This
is a hard fight. There are many challenges ahead. We will lose more
kids. But I think General Petraeus has the feeling we’re on the right
track. It’s early, and we just—we need to have confidence in and
be able to demonstrate, I would say in four to six months, that we are
moving in the right direction. We are moving toward the accomplishment
of our goals."



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