Afghanistan: The Road Ahead

Katie Couric will anchor The CBS Evening News from Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday and Friday as part of our continuing coverage of Afghanistan: The Road Ahead.

Couric will get an aerial tour of the battlefield from General David Petraeus - the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Couric will also have a sit-down interview with the General.

When we first met him three years ago, Petraeus was the top commander in Iraq - where he turned the tide in what had appeared to be a losing battle against a growing insurgency.

Now, President Obama is counting on him to do the same thing in Afghanistan - while sticking to the planned withdrawal date of U.S. forces next year.

CBS News correspondent Terry McCarthy recently spent time embedded with the Marines in Afghanistan. He will have a 2-part report on the dangers facing bomb disposal teams as they make their way through the former Taliban stronghold of Safar Bazaar. As the Marines gain ground, McCarthy will give us a close look at the mounting human costs.

McCarthy also got a first-hand look at the MICLIC - Mine Clearance Line Charge - a sophisticated weapon to counter the threat of IED's (improvised explosive devices.)

CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark interviews the so-called "King of Kandahar," Ahmed Wali Karzai. Over the years he's been accused of doing business with the CIA, the Taliban and the drug lords. He's also the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

We'll have all this and more on the CBS Evening News this week. CBSNews.com will have complete coverage of Afghanistan: The Road Ahead.