Summary: Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict “will likely result in failure.” … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 12th day after losing his 2008 primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman, in line with his focus on national security, reported on a truck-bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, that killed more than 50, and violence in Iraq, including an assassination and bombings.

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Summary: The week ends on a deadly note for NATO troops in Afghanistan, with military officials announcing the deaths of nine international (ISAF) troops killed in a single day. … An Afghan immigrant under investigation in a terrorism probe in New York and Denver has reportedly admitted a link with al-Qaida. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 10th day after losing his 2008 primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman, in line with his focus on national security, reported on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash that killed seven U.S. soldiers in Iraq; posted a daily summary of security incidents in Iraq; and reported that North Korea was preparing to restart its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.

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Summary: The Washington Post reports in its Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 edition that a NATO fact-finding team estimates that about 125 people, many of them civilians, were killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan guided by a lone informant. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 53rd day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman reported on his campaign stops the previous day north of the St. Paul metro in the cities of Wyoming and Forest Lake in Washington County on his way to the final night of the Republican National Convention, where he observed the action outside the convention hall. He also featured information from the St. Paul Pioneer Press voter guide regarding his campaign platform and issue positions.

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Summary: Kandahar, Afghanistan shows signs of slipping back under Taliban control as August 2009 becomes the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. troops in Afghanistan — a setback for President Barack Obama’s war strategy. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 46th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman, in line with his campaign focus on national security issues, addressed links between the Iraqi government and Iran and the role of the Iraq war in empowering Iran.

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Summary: A coordinated multiple-vehicle bomb attack in Kandahar has killed more than 40 civilians in one of the largest insurgent bombings since the start of the Afghanistan war in 2001 while four U.S. troops and a British soldier die in separate bombings. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 43rd day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman completed his second walking tour, a 50-mile campaign swing across the Sixth Congressional District down Highway 23 from Foley in the east to Paynesville in the west. In line with his campaign focus on national security, he also reported multiple bombings in Iraq.

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Summary: As public support for the Afghanistan war erodes, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen says the security situation in Afghanistan is serious and deteriorating. … Fifty-nine-year-old grandfather becomes oldest U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 40th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman continued his 50-mile walking tour across the Sixth District from Waite Park to Rockville, Cold Spring, Richmond, and Roscoe, stopping by the Rockville Rock-Fest festival and parade.

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Summary: A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 37th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman focused on national security issues, including the increasing sophistication of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to mount complex, coordinated attacks; and the precarious security situation in northern Iraq.

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Summary: Five days before Afghanistan’s presidential election, a suicide car bomb explodes outside the main gate of NATO’s headquarters in Kabul, killing 7 and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 32nd day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman resumed his Sixth District walking tour, setting out on foot from Anoka and proceeding to Blaine, Lino Lakes, and Centerville.

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Summary: One week before the August 20, 2009 presidential and provincial elections in Afghanistan, U.S. Marines surging into southern Afghanistan to protect citizens are meeting with fierce resistance from the Taliban. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 30th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman continued his 100-mile Sixth District Walking Tour, setting out on foot from Salida and proceeding south along Highway 10 to Big Lake, Elk River, Ramsey, and Anoka. ECM Capitol reporter Tim Budig chronicled the day’s events.

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Summary: At least 40 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan in July 2009, by far the heaviest monthly toll in the 8-year-old war. The worst previous month for U.S. forces was September 2008, when 26 were killed. … Three U.S. troops were killed Aug. 1, 2009 in southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when roadside bombs ripped through their patrol. … Three U.S. troops were killed Aug. 2, 2009 in eastern Afghanistan in a complex ambush involving a roadside bomb and gunfire. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 18th day of his 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman addressed the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, where violence had begun to spread to once-stable regions. He also reported economic indicators that the U.S. had begun to slide into recession.

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