US Marine 'female engagement teams'

http://ping.fm/4rfmB

Afghanistan to investigate aid groups for 'spreading Christianity'

Follow-on to an earlier post on the Afghan government asking over 150 NGOs to shut down:

http://ping.fm/9uk03

U.N. Official to Ask U.S. to End C.I.A. Drone Strike

An expected outcome: increasingly bad press for civilian controlled drones operating in active combat roles-

http://ping.fm/2Dmvi

ISAF collaborating with Super Mario?

ISAF seems to be taking the winning of hearts and minds to new levels- http://ping.fm/9wG6V

Security Council votes to end UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic

The trend of reducing peacekeeping missions continues:
http://ping.fm/FoaEA

CIMICweb.net- resource

Not sure who is behind this, but an interesting looking resource nonetheless:
http://ping.fm/zXDE6

Eight U.S. Troops Will Remain in Haiti, Down From 20,000+

Looks like a textbook draw-down of the US support to Haiti- captured well in this quote:

'As Nancy Youssef notes in an excellent piece today for McClatchy, the U.S. military, faced with tightening budgets and a lingering economic crisis, seems to be quietly stepping away from large-scale commitments that require lots of money and manpower. Smarter and smaller seem to be the new watchwords.'

http://ping.fm/2JPjs

Darfur blue helmets to take ‘robust’ defensive action if attacked, says UN-AU envoy

Interesting statement- that attacking peacekeepers 'is a war crime':
http://ping.fm/poSxh

Licences of 172 NGOs in Afghanistan revoked- lack of accountability

http://ping.fm/xH9Bb

Safety of Darfur peacekeepers tops talks between UN, African Union and Sudan

http://ping.fm/wu9DY

UN Peacekeepers airlift Congolese gorillas

http://ping.fm/Juk8H

NYT - Shootings of Afghans on rise at checkpoints

http://ping.fm/lihYM

The new bloggers: security contractors

Have to admit this isn't a source that I've been following: http://ping.fm/vHUUx