ISW News Roundup - May 20, 2009

May 19, 2009 Roundup                                                                May 21, 2009 Roundup

Iraq

Washington Post - Lower Oil Prices Put Iraq's Security Forces In Bind at Crucial Time, by Ernesto Londono

RFE/RL - Lawmakers to Question Iraqi Officials on Corruption

Associated Press - U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq War at 4,297

Associated Press - Judge Drops Suit Over Iraq War's Constitutionality

Afghanistan

Reuters - Roadside Bomb Kills Two Americans Outside Kabul

New York Times - Arms Sent by U.S. May Be Falling Into Taliban Hands, by C. J. Chivers

New York Times - U.S. Rejects Afghan Civilian Death Estimate, by Carlotta Gall and Alan Cowell

Washington Post - Khalilzad Said to Be in Talks With Karzai, Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Karen DeYoung

Department of Defense - Central Command Team Releases Interim Findings on Farah Battle

New York Times - A Vow to Cut Afghan Civilian Deaths, by Carlotta Gall

CNN - Afghan Dies After Incident with Contractors, U.S. Military Says, by Mike Mount and Adam Levine

Associated Press - U.S. Says Contractors in Afghanistan Violated Gun Policy

Pakistan

Associated Press - Pakistan Army Wrests Town from Taliban, Killing 80, by Zarar Khan

New York Times - Clinton Pledges More Aid to Pakistan, Mark Landler

New York Times - Urban Battle Looms Ahead for Pakistan in Swat, Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah

Reuters - Pakistani Army Says Make Headway in Area Near Swat, by Robert Birsel

Christian Science Monitor - Pakistan Can Clear Taliban Territory, but Can it Hold it?, by Ben Arnoldy and Rehmat Mehsud

BBC - Pakistan Denies Nuclear Expansion, by Syed Shoaib Hasan

Region

Iran

New York Times - Iran Says it Test-Fired New Long-Range Missile, by Nazila Fathi and Alan Cowell

Reuters - Iran Council Approves Main Presidential Candidates

Israel

New York Times - Palestinians Reappoint Prime Minister Who Had Quit, by Isabel Kershner

Saudi Arabia

New York Times - Saudis' Local Elections Delayed for Two Years, by Michael Slackman