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Holy Crap
Actor 212 February 21, 2012 - 12:34pm
US and Nato apologise for Afghan Qur'an burningFeb 21 Some carried ancient hunting rifles and others used slingshots to pelt the outer walls of the airbase with stones for several hours, shouting "down with America" and other slogans, despite the bitter cold. The crowd swelled to between two and three thousand, and police stationed on roads leading to the base turned back other would-be protesters from further away, according to Parwan provincial police chief General Mohammad Akram Bekzad. Any destruction of, or damage to, Islam's holy book is an extremely sensitive issue in Afghanistan, and has sparked violent and sometimes deadly riots in the past. As details of the apparent burning emerged, a speedy and unusually heartfelt statement was issued by the top US and Nato general in Afghanistan, apologising and promising an inquiry – seemingly designed to try and contain the spreading outrage. "I assure you … I promise you … this was NOT intentional in any way," General John Allen said in a statement addressed to the "noble people of Afghanistan". Copies of the Qur'an taken from prisoners at the airbase had been handed over for incineration late on Monday, and were spotted by Afghan workers, according to Afghan and western officials. It is routine practice to burn waste documents on military bases in Afghanistan, and police chief Bekzad said the copies of the Qur'an were discarded together with many other papers. Tina February 21, 2012 - 11:40am
US-Afghan Pact Hung Up On Night RaidsGareth Porter reports that any deal to allow the US to keep a presence in Afghanistan after 2014 is hung up on the US tactic of night raids, part of the special-forces run "assassination" phase that Bacevich identifies as the latest phase of the perpetual war America has waged for over a decade. Afghan president Karzai wants the US to hand leadership of the raids to Afghans, complaining about infringements of Afghan sovereignty, while the US flatly refuses. One military source told Gareth that "They're not going to give them up,"..."This is the last offensive tactic we will have available." Steve Hynd February 20, 2012 - 2:36pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Brand Recognition QuizIs there anyone in the world who thinks the people in this photo didn't know what they were standing in front of? The Nazi SS symbol has to be one of the most recognized of all time, certainly rivaling CocaCola and the McDonald's Golden Arches, but the Marine Corps tried to spin the facts anyway.
And for $10 at CPAC you can buy a T-shirt immortalizing Marines pissing on corpses. Hearts and minds, dude. Steve Hynd February 10, 2012 - 8:47pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Generals Lied, People Died. And?Having now read the entirety of Lt. Colonel Daniel Davis' 84-page unclassified report (PDF) on Afghanistan which Michael Hastings at Rolling Stone says is "damning", I find myself distinctly underwhelmed. His thesis is that General Petraeus and other senior military figures have consistently lied to lawmakers and the public about positive "momentum" in Afghanistan. Really, who knew? I get that the significance of this report is that it is by "a 17-year Army veteran recently returned from a second tour in Afghanistan" rather than a journalist or anti-war activist who can more easily be written off as not having the full picture by the powers-that-be. Still, the bulk of the report is a compilation of open-source articles by journalists, and it's badly drafted to boot. I fail to see why the Pentagon refused to release it themselves and can only think they've made a tactical error by doing so, giving the report a cachet it would otherwise not have had. Steve Hynd February 10, 2012 - 7:59pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Top official: drone critics are Al Qaeda enablersGlenn Greenwald | Feb 9
Also see how our piloted flights are continuing to win hearts and minds: Tina February 10, 2012 - 1:15am
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![]() CIA digs in as Americans withdraw from Iraq, AfghanistanGreg Miller | Washington D.C. | February 7 U.S. officials said that the CIA’s massive stations in Kabul and Baghdad will probably remain the agency’s largest overseas outposts for years, even if they shrink from record staffing levels set at the height of American efforts in those nations to fend off insurgencies and install capable governments. Steve Hynd February 7, 2012 - 10:10pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Afghanistan )
Serving Officer Says Leadership Lying About Afghan ProgressLt. Col Daniel L. Davis has caused a bit of a stir by taking to the pages of the Armed Forces Journal to accuse America's political and military leadership of lying about how well things are going in Afghanistan. His public statements are unusual in the extreme for a serving officer. During his deployment last year, he writes:
Steve Hynd February 6, 2012 - 3:39pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
This Is The War That Never EndsIt just goes on and on my friends.
Three things. 1) You just knew this whole new "combat mission ends in 2013, troops out by 2014" was election-year spin, didn't you? Steve Hynd February 5, 2012 - 1:52pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Driven Away by a War, Now Stalked by Winter’s ColdRod Norland | Kabul | Feb 5 Mirwais, son of Hayatullah Haideri. He was 1 ½ years old and had just started to learn how to walk, holding unsteadily to the poles of the family tent before flopping onto the frozen ridges of the muddy floor. Abdul Hadi, son of Abdul Ghani. He was not even a year old and was already trying to stand, although his father said that during those last few days he seemed more shaky than normal. Naghma and Nazia, the twin daughters of Musa Jan. They were only 3 months old and just starting to roll over. Ismail, the son of Juma Gul. “He was never warm in his entire life,” Mr. Gul said. “Not once.” It was a short life, 30 days long. These children are among at least 22 who have died in the past month, a time of unseasonably fierce cold and snowstorms. The latest two victims died on Thursday. The deaths, which government officials have sought to suppress or play down, have prompted some soul-searching among aid workers here. After 10 years of a large international presence, comprising about 2,000 aid groups, at least $3.5 billion of humanitarian aid and $58 billion of development assistance, how could children be dying of something as predictable — and manageable — as the cold? “The fact that every year there’s winter shouldn’t come as a surprise,” said Federico Motka, whose German aid group, Welthungerhilfe, is one of the few at work in these camps, which aid workers call the Kabul informal settlements — since describing what they actually are, camps for displaced persons or war refugees, is politically sensitive. The Afghan government insists that the residents should and could return to their original homes; the residents say it is too dangerous for them to do so. The deaths occurred at two of the largest camps, Charahi Qambar (8 cold-related deaths), and Nasaji Bagrami (14 such deaths). Both camps are populated largely with refugees who fled the fighting in areas like Helmand Province in the south. Some people have been in the camps for as long as seven years; others arrived in the past year. “There are 35,000 people in those camps in the middle of Kabul, with no heat or electricity in the middle of winter; that’s a humanitarian crisis,” said Michael Keating, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan. “I just don’t think the humanitarian story is sufficiently understood here. You’ve got a lot of people who really are in dire straits.” Tina February 4, 2012 - 10:32pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Afghanistan )
Another Year, Another Terrible Record
Here's the rub: the fact that most civilian casualties are caused by the insurgency doesn't matter. NATO and its allies are supposedly still there because they are protecting the Afghan populace so they get the blame from Afghans for failing to do so. That means they become ever more disenchanted with the coalition and ever more likely to aid the Taliban and other groups, enabling them to make more attacks that kill more civilians and thus driving the cycle ever further down. It's been that way for several years now. That's just one of the reasons why "Hastening the day Americans stop dying for a lost cause is the right call". Steve Hynd February 4, 2012 - 3:06am
( categories: Afghanistan )
"Hastening the day Americans stop dying for a lost cause is the right call"Romney charges that the Obama administration's announcement of a 2013 end to combat missions in Afghanistan and 2014 pull-out date "makes absolutely no sense." One of the few moderate, sane Republicans left, James Joyner, responds:
Steve Hynd February 2, 2012 - 5:43pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Look, The Exit's Over There!
Excuse me if I'm skeptical about the sudden cessation of combat duties, the ability of Afghan security forces to guard a henhouse or indeed about all of Panetta's statement in this election year. Steve Hynd February 1, 2012 - 5:58pm
( categories: Afghanistan )
Taliban, US Negotiators Meet in QatarDoha, Qatar | January 29 Former Taliban official Maulavi Qalamuddin, who once led the group's religious police, says about five Taliban negotiators are there for the preliminary talks. He says the talks include the possible release of Taliban prisoners from the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Qalamuddin says the Taliban delegation currently in Doha includes several former Taliban officials and a former secretary to the Taliban's leader Mullah Omar. Raja January 29, 2012 - 12:53pm
Jack Idema, jailed for torturing Afghans, reportedly dies in MexicoJay Price | Fayetteville | Jan 25 His death at age 55 marks the end of perhaps the most colorful, unpleasant and self-dramatizing character to tread North Carolina soil since Blackbeard. Idema was a former soldier who reinvented himself repeatedly as he ran cons from Fayetteville, N.C. to Uzbekistan. At various times he claimed to be a businessman, author, “superpatriot” terrorist hunter, drug and gun smuggler, bodyguard, security consultant, CIA paramilitary operator, Pentagon-backed special operator and, finally, charter boat captain. The cause of death was complications from AIDS, according to local newspaper reports in Mexico and a former girlfriend, Penny Alessi, who was in contact with him until days before his death. He apparently succumbed several days ago, but a U.S. State Department official in Washington said the government has not been able to confirm his death. A consulate official in Merida, Mexico, said the office is being careful because they’ve had trouble confirming his identity. They are hardly the first. Tina January 26, 2012 - 11:44pm
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![]() Four French soldiers die in Afghanistan shootingKapisa province, Afghanistan | January 20 Another 16 French soldiers were injured, some seriously, in the incident in Kapisa province. An official told the BBC that an Afghan non-commissioned officer got into a "verbal clash" and opened fire. President Nicolas Sarkozy said France was suspending its training programmes in Afghanistan following the attack. Raja January 21, 2012 - 1:32am
Are You Interested In Learning . . .. . . how and why coalition troops have died in Afghanistan? Too bad. You don't need to know. Sean Paul Kelley January 19, 2012 - 8:28am
( categories: Afghanistan )
Negotiations and great games in AfghanistanBrian M. Downing | Jan 14 The war in Afghanistan involves Pakistan against India, China against India, the Pashtun Afghans against the northern peoples, Saudi Arabia against Iran, and Russia against China. So arcane and intricate are these conflicts that the US is allied with enemies and at odds with allies. continue reading here Tina January 14, 2012 - 10:51am
( categories: AgonistWire | Afghanistan | Asia: Central | Asia: South-West | China | Global Politics and Culture | Pakistan | Russian Federation )
US marines accused of war crimesChris McGreal | Washington | Jan 11 The US military command in Kabul, which was severely embarrassed last year by revelations that Americans soldiers were running a "kill squad" murdering Afghan civilians, said it will investigate the undated video but that if proves to be authentic then desecration of corpses would be regarded as a serious crime. In the graphic short video, four soldiers in combat gear and carrying weapons are seen acting in unison as they urinate on three bloodied corpses. One of the soldiers sighs with relief, another says "yeah" and a third laughs. One remarks: "Have a great day, buddy". Another says: "Golden, like a shower". A fifth soldier films the incident. The video was posted anonymously on Wednesday along with a caption that said: "scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans". Military officials confirmed that the soldiers appear to be carrying rifles of a kind issued to sniper teams in Afghanistan. A US department of defence spokesman, Captain John Kirby, told CNN: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is egregious, disgusting behaviour. It's hideous. It turned my stomach." Tina January 11, 2012 - 9:48pm
Fun FactIn 2010 the Defense Department spend $20 billion on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's the same amount as NASA's entire budget. Sean Paul Kelley January 11, 2012 - 10:21am
Afghan Soldier Shoots Americans, Killing OneGraham Bowley & Sharifullah Sahak | Kabul | Jan 9 It was the third time in just over two weeks that a man wearing an Afghan Army uniform attacked NATO personnel. In the earlier cases, the Taliban claimed responsibility, although there was no immediate claim in this case that the Afghan soldier had Taliban sympathies. The attack took place on Sunday afternoon in Qalat, the capital of Zabul Province. The Afghan soldier approached the volleyball game and appeared to watch the soldiers play before opening fire with an M-16 assault rifle, said Ghulam Jilani Farahi, deputy police chief of Zabul Province. Another American soldier who heard the firing shot and killed the attacker, he said. The coalition released a brief statement Sunday saying that a service member “was killed today in southern Afghanistan apparently by a member of the Afghan National Army.” Afghan soldiers have repeatedly shot NATO counterparts in recent years, and there is concern among NATO and Afghan commanders that insurgents may be infiltrating the ranks of the Afghan security forces. Mohammad Ashraf Nasiri, the governor of Zabul Province, had a slightly different account of Sunday’s shooting. He said only one American soldier was wounded, in addition to the one American who was killed. Deputy Chief Farahi said the police were investigating what had caused the Afghan soldier, whom he identified as Shafiullah, to open fire at the camp. Tina January 9, 2012 - 11:54pm
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![]() US reliance on Afghan paramilitaries in rural areas worries European alliesJulian Borger | Jan 8 A split between the US and its European allies has emerged over the role of rural Afghan paramilitary units, seen by American commanders as critical to the military exit strategy. A year after the Afghan local police (ALP) was launched, the US military has announced a plan to triple its numbers from a current strength of 9,800 to 30,000 by the end of 2013, with further expansion beyond that. According to the US strategy, the lightly-armed groups of men hired to protect their villages are expected to help contain a Taliban resurgence as the US and its Nato allies withdraw combat troops over the next three years. General John Allen, the American commander of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) sees the ALP as the key to success in Helmand, from where some 14,000 US marines are departing in the next few months, leaving a 9,000-strong British garrison and some Georgian and Danish troops to manage until Afghan regular soldiers and police can be deployed. British officials, however, have voiced anxiety over the strategy, particularly over the capabilities of the ALP, described by Allen's predecessor, General David Petraeus, as "a community watch with AK-47s". In northern Afghanistan, German officers have warned their American counterparts the local forces could run out of control once their US mentors and paymasters leave. Tina January 8, 2012 - 3:22pm
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![]() ( categories: AgonistWire | Afghanistan )
Afghan inmates 'abused' at US-run Bagram prisonKabul | January 7 The findings come days after President Hamid Karzai called for the facility at Bagram air base to be handed over to Afghan control within a month. The move surprised the US, which had been working with the Afghans on a phased handover over two years. The US says it will examine the claims. Raja January 8, 2012 - 12:24pm
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![]() Afghan travellers use Taliban disguise to stay safeKabul | Jan 2 Setting off on Afghanistan's roads can be a dangerous business, with the threat of roadside bombs and the presence of armed insurgents who often stop cars and buses. Those carrying dollar bills, documents written in English, or phones with the numbers of foreigners, can expect to be dragged out, interrogated, and even beaten or killed. So cautious travellers have taken to moving in Taliban-friendly disguise. One 30-year-old, who gave his name as Abdulwali, sits nervously on a bus in Kabul waiting to set off on a six-hour journey for Kandahar, the country's southern heartland and the birthplace of the Taliban. He has a turban on his lap, black kohl around his eyes, and a few days' growth of beard. And when his phone rings it unleashes the sound of gunfire before a male vocalist launches into song. "We will continue our jihad against the enemy! If we die during jihad we will enter paradise!" it sounds. Abdulwali says he is "not really a Taliban-supporting kind of guy" but is travelling in disguise because he has to go to Kandahar for work. "People say the Taliban are psychologists, that they read your face, and learn whether you are a supporter or not. That's why I've uploaded Taliban songs on my mobile, and now I'm ready to play them if the Taliban stop our bus," he says. "I also started growing a beard days ago and put kohl on my eyes. The more you look and sound like them, the more safe you are. Hopefully nothing will happen to me." Tina January 2, 2012 - 2:46pm
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![]() ( categories: AgonistWire | Afghanistan )
Karzai welcomes Biden’s ‘Taliban not our enemy’ remarksDec 31 Biden’s comments to Newsweek magazine last week caused uproar in the US, which has been fighting a 10-year war against the Taliban-led insurgency, but reflected an increasing focus on finding a political settlement. “We are very happy that America has announced that Taliban are not their enemy. This will bring peace and stability to the people of Afghanistan,” Karzai said during a ceremony in Kabul. Karzai has agreed that if the United States wants to set up a Taliban liaison office in Qatar to enable peace talks he will not stand in the way, as long as Afghanistan is involved in the process. Tina December 31, 2011 - 3:20pm
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