American Morning
Big Afghan offensive in 'clearing phase'
Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) - Resistance is waning in a major NATO offensive against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, the nation's officials said Monday, a day after 12 civilians died in a rocket attack by coalition troops.
"Coalition forces are clearing mines and roadside bombings, and facing only scattered resistance" from the Taliban, said Zahir Azimi, the Afghan defense spokesman.
The troops met almost no resistance on Monday, unlike Sunday, said Hanif Atmar, the Afghan minister of interior affairs.
"Progress is being made on all fronts," he said.
However, CNN's Atia Abawi, who is embedded with Marines in Marjah, said the coalition forces were still battling militants, facing sporadic gunfire.
About 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces are taking part in Operation Moshtarak, the biggest offensive since the Afghan war started in 2001. The assault aims to wrest control of the town of Marjah and surrounding areas from the Taliban.
WSJ: Militants used $26 software to hack U.S. drones
There's a new report out today that says militants were able to hack one of the most effective weapons in finding and killing al Qaeda members. Insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan were reportedly able to intercept live video feeds from U.S. unmanned drones, allowing them to see on the ground what the drones were seeing in the air.
On Thursday's American Morning we spoke with the reporter who broke this story, Wall Street Journal Intelligence Correspondent Siobhan Gorman.
WSJ: Insurgents hack U.S. drones
By Siobhan Gorman, Yochi J. Dreazen and August Cole
From The Wall Street Journal
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/12/17/predator.drone.art.gi.jpg caption="U.S. enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan have used off-the-shelf programs to intercept video feeds from Predator unmanned aircraft."]
WASHINGTON - Militants in Iraq have used $26 off-the-shelf software to intercept live video feeds from U.S. Predator drones, potentially providing them with information they need to evade or monitor U.S. military operations.
Senior defense and intelligence officials said Iranian-backed insurgents intercepted the video feeds by taking advantage of an unprotected communications link in some of the remotely flown planes' systems. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber - available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet - to regularly capture drone video feeds, according to a person familiar with reports on the matter.
U.S. officials say there is no evidence that militants were able to take control of the drones or otherwise interfere with their flights. Still, the intercepts could give America's enemies battlefield advantages by removing the element of surprise from certain missions and making it easier for insurgents to determine which roads and buildings are under U.S. surveillance.
Inside Afghanistan's largest military post office
For the more than 180,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a package from home is the next best thing to being there, especially this time of year.
In a CNN exclusive, our Barbara Starr takes us inside a massive post office in Afghanistan, where soldiers are working around the clock to deliver cards, letters, and presents to America's homesick troops.
Bigger IEDs threaten troops
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen arrived in Kabul earlier today for a series of meetings with the Afghan government on the president's new war strategy.
Meanwhile, here at home, President Obama is rejecting criticism that he shouldn't have said he'd begin to draw down some of the 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan by the summer of 2011.
For the 30,000 additional troops headed to Afghanistan, the fight is a lot more complex than just good guys versus bad guys. Our Barbara Starr traveled to eastern Afghanistan for this AM original report.
Gates in Afghanistan: 'We're in this thing to win'
Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Tuesday. He's there to assure our troops, "we're in this thing to win."
Secretary Gates arrived overnight – six days after President Obama announced he's sending in 30,000 reinforcements. The secretary is also there to reassure the Afghan president that America will not abandon him. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the report from Afghanistan.
Read more: Defense secretary visits Afghanistan
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