The Agonist - Afghanistan

My Guantanamo Interview

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:18:07 -0700

In January, 2006 outraged that her country was illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, Mahvish Rukhsana — a journalist and recent law school graduate — volunteered to translate for the prisoners and eventually began representing an Afghan detainee. She has since published the stories of the detainees she has met in the newly-released book, My Guantanamo Diary. For more information, please visit http://www.mahvishkhan.com.

The work that lawyers like Rukhsana have done to advocate on behalf of these detainees contributed to a recent Supreme Court ruling to grant habeas corpus to all Guantanamo prisoners. That is why I felt so privileged to be able to talk to her about the importance of upholding the Constitution and restoring our international reputation. My interview with Rukhsana was conducted just before the Supreme Court's landmark ruling, and has been edited down to narrative form. [cross-posted from www.progressivefuture.org]

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:29:27 -0700

July 2

Elite Sadr unit hopes to vanquish US

Commanders of the Mahdi Army are still finalising plans for an elite resistance unit that will target US troops in Iraq.(h/t Juan Cole)

U.S. spies on Iraqi army, sources say

Caught off guard by recent Iraqi military operations, the United States is using spy satellites that ordinarily are trained on adversaries to monitor the movements of the American-backed Iraqi army, current and former U.S. officials say.

The stepped-up surveillance reflects breakdowns in trust and coordination between the two forces. Officials said it was part of an expanded intelligence effort launched after American commanders were surprised by the timing of the Iraqi army's violent push into Basra three months ago.

Afghan Death Toll Up as Iraq’s Falls

More American and coalition troops died in Afghanistan last month than during any other month since the American-led invasion began in 2001, the latest evidence of a strengthening Taliban insurgency that has menaced NATO forces and reclaimed control over some southern and eastern parts of the country.

US agrees to scrap immunity for hired guns

The Iraqi foreign minister said on Tuesday that Washington has agreed to scrap immunity for foreign security guards in Iraq, moving the two countries closer to signing a long-term security pact. “The immunity for private security guards has been removed. The US has agreed on it,” Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told AFP after briefing Iraqi MPs on the controversial US-Iraq security pact which is being negotiated. The US embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad, Mirembe Nantongo, declined to comment.

** West made Pak a petrie dish of international terrorism, says Zardari
** Pentagon streamlines waiver policy for recruits
** U.S. helicopter shot down in Afghanistan
** Tommy Franks: From Soldier's General To U.S. Citizen

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (Prior Updates here)

US Senate approves Iraq, Afghanistan war funding

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:59:32 -0700

Washington | June 27

AFP -

The US Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a compromise Bill to free up 162 billion US dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the final congressional step before the Bill goes to President George W Bush for his approval.

The legislation, passed 92 votes to six in the Senate after its approval by the House of Representatives on June 19, topped weeks of haggling between Democrats and Republicans and would finance the military operations through mid-2009, when Bush's successor is in office.

Bush has indicated he will sign the legislation.

The deal was reached after Democrats agreed to drop a withdrawal timetable from the Bill. The majority party has repeatedly failed to force Bush's hand on Iraq since taking over Congress in 2006 elections.

Afghans Sees Pakistan Role in Karzai Plot

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:46:05 -0700

Abdul Waheed & Graham Bowley | Kabul | June 25

NYT - The Afghanistan government for the first time publicly accused the Pakistani intelligence service on Wednesday of organizing the plot to assassinate President Hamid Karzai at a parade in Kabul in April.

In a news conference in Kabul, Sayeed Ansari, the spokesman for the Afghan intelligence service, said Afghan authorities had evidence of the direct involvement of Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, in the assassination attempt.

He said the evidence was based on documents uncovered during the investigation into the assassination attempt, confessions from 16 suspects detained after the attack, and cellphone contacts. He gave no further details or specific names of officials within the Pakistani agency that may have been involved.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts(closed)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:01:09 -0700

A US soldier searches a house during a patrol of Paktika province in 2007. The US-led coalition has killed 55 militants including three "extremist leaders" in fighting near the insurgency-hit Afghan-Pakistani border.
(AFP/US Army/File)

June 24

Germany to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan

Germany plans to increase its military contingent in northern Afghanistan by up to 1,000 soldiers, Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Tuesday.

But Jung confirmed the reinforcements would instead shore up reconstruction efforts in the more stable north, where the majority of Germany's 3,500 soldiers in Afghanistan are deployed.

Pentagon, GAO see good news and bad in Iraq

Two new government reports, one by the Pentagon, pointed Monday to encouraging security improvements in Iraq, but were decidedly pessimistic about prospects for political and economic progress and warned that costly military gains would remain fragile.

** Islamic militants attack rival tribesmen in Pakistan's volatile northwest, army, witness say
** Must read: McClatchy's Guantanamo: Beyond the Law series
** 2 U.S. civilians, 2 GIs killed in Iraq blast
** No blood for ... er ... um ... ~ Tom Engelhardt

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (Prior Updates here)

Afghanistan/Pakistan: Blame Games

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:45:02 -0700

Q: What do we do when current strategies fail to produce progress in Afghanistan?

A: Continue to smash our heads against the wall.

Gordon Brown's announcement that Britain will be sending more troops to Afghanistan may come as good news to some, but the fanfare obscures the fact that the basically cosmetic increase will net the NATO forces at most 230 posts. And all other news from the region looks bad.

After every NATO military victory comes a new Taliban offensive. Last week closed with a chaotic suicide bombing/prison break in Kandahar where over 1,000 prisoners escaped; today saw Taliban forces capture ten villages north of Kandahar city. Hundreds of militants are amassing near Kandahar, worrying a government already humiliated by its lack of control in the face of the Taliban's increasingly "sophisticated attacks in recent months, [such as] raiding a five-star hotel in January and opening fire on a televised military parade attended by Karzai in April."

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts(closed)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:39:42 -0700

Team Agonist

Afghan Villagers Flee After Taliban Assault

Residents of Arghandab district, northwest of Kandahar city, began leaving their homes after hundreds of Taliban fighters took control of nine villages. Hundreds of Afghan and NATO troops were on the move in the area in preparation for a counteroffensive, said Ahmed Wali Karzi, brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and head of the Kandahar provincial council.

"NATO and Afghan forces are moving forward and ready and about to attack, but I don't know when," Karzai said. "People are still . . . leaving the villages, but it is not clear how many families there are because they are not coming to a camp or a place that we can count. They are coming to their relatives' houses."

He Returned Empty Handed

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Barham Salih, calls for an Arab role in Iraq. He referred to it in in Davos, the Dead Sea, and Sharm el Sheikh. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari calls too for an Arab role in Iraq and warns that Arabs will pay the price if they adopt a wait-and-see approach to the events unfolding in Iraq. Ever since Americans occupied Iraq five years ago, Washington and Tehran have been jostling for influence in Iraq, while Arab states stood watching. They do not want to help the occupation; some have problems with Iraq, problems that date back to the pre-occupation era. But the moderate Arab nations lack coordination, which clears the way for Iran.

Michael Klare, The Pentagon as Energy Insecurity Inc..

The U.S. military has come to serve as a global oil protection service, guarding pipelines, refineries, and loading facilities in the Middle East and elsewhere. According to one estimate, provided by the conservative National Defense Council Foundation, the "protection" of Persian Gulf oil alone costs the U.S. Treasury $138 billion per year -- up from $49 billion just before the invasion of Iraq.

** Car Bomb at Baghdad Market kills 51
** Karzai threatens to send troops into Pakistan to hunt Taliban
** Sadr won't Oppose US Crackdown on Militia

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (Prior Updates here)

Easy To Conquer, Impossible To Hold

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:20:15 -0700

Afghanistan is easy to conquer, but impossible to hold.

That is the inescapable conclusion of mine regarding Afghanistan. As we get the grim news that American and Allied deaths in Afghanistan climbed above those in Iraq for the same period. Afghanistan is the forgotten war or our time--and nothing could have been more easily avoided. I had grave misgivings even before we invaded Afghanistan. Not that it wasn't justified. It was. But that an invasion and nation building exercise seemed imprudent, which is the gravest failing any statesman can ever make.

Do I have a solution? Well, I once offered one, but that's by the by now. All we have to look forward to now is failure and what form it takes. Will we withdraw declaring victory, leaving the Afghans to their own devices? Or will we be humiliated as the Russians were and the British before the? Only time will tell.

Militants attack near Pakistan-Afghanistan border

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:08:18 -0700

Anand Gopal | June 4

CSM - Despite ongoing violence in the North West Frontier Province, Pakistan's new government vows to continue peace talks with the Taliban.

Peace talks between the Pakistani government and insurgents continued this week despite a series of violent attacks. Analysts and government officials say that the violence will not affect Islamabad's resolve to reach negotiated settlements with the rebels.

Wednesday, militants blew up dozens of video and music stalls near the Afghan border. On Monday, a car bomb killed six people outside the Danish Embassy in the country's capital. Over the past week, the Taliban have attacked a series of checkpoints in tribal areas, and government forces are stepping up security in some cities to prevent the Taliban's intimidation of locals. much more, media roundup

Indicted Saudi Gets $80 Million US Contract

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:11:55 -0700

Gretchen Peters | June 4

ABC News - The US military has awarded an $80 million contract to a prominent Saudi financier who has been indicted by the US Justice Department. The contract to supply jet fuel to American bases in Afghanistan was awarded to the Attock Refinery Ltd, a Pakistani-based refinery owned by Gaith Pharaon. Pharaon is wanted in connection with his alleged role at the failed Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), and the CenTrust savings and loan scandal, which cost US tax payers $1.7 billion.

The Saudi businessman was also named in a 2002 French parliamentary report as having links to informal money transfer networks called hawala, known to be used by traders and terrorists, including Al Qaeda.

Interestingly, Pharaon was also an investor in President George W. Bush's first business venture, Arbusto Energy.

Thoughts on Afghanistan for Memorial Day

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:21:47 -0700

According to Wikipedia's numbers, as of May 17th of this year 432 American troops had lost their lives in Afghanistan, and 742 total for the coalition forces as a whole. Not surprisingly, the numbers are already out of date; just today a NATO soldier died after a bomb blast yesterday, where two others were wounded. Afghan troops also face often fatal danger; on Friday four government soldiers fell victim to a suicide bomber in Khost.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:58:23 -0700

Team Agonist

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani fatwas says armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible

Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible — a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad.

The edicts, or fatwas, by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani suggest he seeks to sharpen his long-held opposition to American troops and counter the populist appeal of his main rivals, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.

So far, al-Sistani's fatwas have been limited to a handful of people. They also were issued verbally and in private — rather than a blanket proclamation to the general Shiite population — according to three prominent Shiite officials in regular contact with al-Sistani as well as two followers who received the edicts in Najaf.

Iraqi court resumes trial of Tariq Aziz

Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's best-known lieutenants, asked an Iraqi court on Wednesday to help annul an arrest warrant against his lawyer so that he can defend him in his trial on charges of crimes against humanity. Aziz and seven other defendants could face the death penalty if convicted in connection with the 1992 executions of dozens of Baghdad merchants accused of driving up food prices.

Aziz, the only Christian in Saddam's mostly Sunni Muslim regime, often represented Iraq at the United Nations and other international forums.

** Marines Land in Afghanistan — With Biometrics
** Afghan anti-US protest leaves three dead

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Propaganda and Afghanistan

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:35:04 -0700

Joshua has an excellent take-down of some recent swill from Afghanistan, give it a read.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts May 13-20

Wed, 14 May 2008 02:15:21 -0700

May 14

Beaten Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa who died in UK custody in 2003

British Iraqi custody death inquiry hailed

Lawyers for the family of an Iraqi civilian who died in the custody of British troops claimed a victory after the Government announced a public inquiry into his death.

Four-and-a-half years after Baha Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, died while detained by soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, Defence Secretary Des Browne said holding an inquiry was "the right thing to do".

Shiite Muslim factions sign Sadr City deal

Representatives of Iraq's main Shiite Muslim factions signed a deal Monday clearing the way for Iraqi soldiers to operate throughout Sadr City, a vast Baghdad slum that is largely under the control of militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Muqtada Sadr.

The signatures put an official seal to a truce brokered over the weekend by Sadr's political representatives and members of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's governing alliance.

** Violence flares in Baghdad's Sadr City despite truce

The U.S. Quietly Slashes the Reward Posted for the Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq

The U.S. government has quietly withdrawn a $5 million reward it was offering for the killing or capture of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, named by Pentagon officials as the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

In an unannounced change, the bounty for a most wanted terrorist is reduced from $5 million to $100,000

It is a startling development given that U.S. military officials have frequently touted al-Masri's danger ever since they revealed his identity with great fanfare at a briefing in June 2006.

US paid bounty to Pakistan to arrest Canadian terror suspect

A US intelligence agency paid a 500,000-dollar bounty to Pakistan's military for the arrest of the Canadian son of a suspected Al-Qaeda financier, said court documents.

** Bush administration is accused of overlooking rampant corruption in Iraqi government
** US troops to help 'deluded' British in southern Iraq
** 2 Humvees missing from US base in Afghanistan
** Suspected Taliban end hunger strike in Afghan jail

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (Prior weeks' Updates here)

Tough Talks: Pakistan and Afghanistan

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:42:48 -0700

I advocate all the time for talking as a means of resolving conflicts. Somehow this has become a somewhat radical idea, but like Roosevelt and Reagan I believe that we can talk with people even in the midst of conflict.

Talks encounter all kinds of hurdles. But that doesn't make it a bad idea to talk. When talks break down, the pessimists - and the hawks - will be quick to gloat over that fact, arguing that it reinforces the need for heavy-handed military solutions. And when that happens, sane people should remind everyone that shutting down channels of communication rarely works.

With that said, recent talks between Pakistan's civilian government and hardline pro-Taliban elements are breaking down. About a week and a half ago, the Taliban decided to suspend talks, citing the government's continued military presence in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan as an obstacle to an agreement, despite the fact that all parties seemed interested in the draft proposal that was then on the table.