Announcement: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the American Process of Elections to Mislead the Afghans
http://www.anti-imperialist.info/vb/showthread.php?t=12584
"Afghans should boycott the upcoming election process of deception and fraud. Mujahideen should take every measure to impede this squalid process.."
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8180289.stm][color=purple]Nine foreign troops killed over weekend[/color][/url]
[T]hree US soldiers were killed on Sunday in an incident in eastern Afghanistan, Isaf says. Their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb and then came under gun attack from militants.
It has now been confirmed that six soldiers died in various incidents on Saturday:
- Three US soldiers died in roadside bomb blasts in the southern province of Kandahar
- A French soldier was killed in a gun battle in Kapisa province north of the capital, Kabul
- Two more soldiers, whose nationality has not been disclosed, died in the south
Two more soldiers, whose nationality has not been disclosed, died in the south
They were mercenaries who happened to be born in Canada.
Quite right, jingles:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/08/02/afghanistan-canada.html][color=... Canadian soldiers killed in roadside blasts[/color][/url]
Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23, and another unidentified soldier, both based in Valcartier, Que., were killed Saturday in the blast, which occurred around 3:20 pm. local time Saturday, 15 kilometres west of Kandahar city.
They had dismounted from their vehicle to secure an area west of Kandahar after an earlier blast when another improvised explosive device detonated, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said.
Another soldier was seriously injured and is in stable condition in hospital, Vance said.
If only those cowardly insurgents would stop planting those ultra-high-tech explosive devices, this war would be a cakewalk!!!
The war on terror in Afghanistan is going terribly and has been since 2006, as recently acknowledged by Robert Gates, U.S. defence secretary, and Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
The policy of eradicating poppy production has also been "a failure," says Richard Holbrooke, special envoy for Afghanistan. "We wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, put farmers out of work, alienated families, and drove them into the arms of the Taliban."
Casualties, civilian and military, including Canadian, are at a record high. So are Taliban ambushes.
The situation is to be turned around by having more troops take on the Taliban; training more Afghan soldiers; minimizing civilian casualties from air attacks; letting poppy crops be, for now, since they are the largest source of income for farmers; and engaging "moderate Taliban" in negotiations.
Haven't we heard this before? - [url=http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/674945]Source[/url][/q...
Quite right, jingles:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/08/02/afghanistan-canada.html][color=... Canadian soldiers killed in roadside blasts[/color][/url]
Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23, and another unidentified soldier, both based in Valcartier, Que., were killed Saturday in the blast, which occurred around 3:20 pm. local time Saturday, 15 kilometres west of Kandahar city.
They had dismounted from their vehicle to secure an area west of Kandahar after an earlier blast when another improvised explosive device detonated, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said.
Another soldier was seriously injured and is in stable condition in hospital, Vance said.
If only those cowardly insurgents would stop planting those ultra-high-tech explosive devices, this war would be a cakewalk!!!
LOL totally. Man how stupid can they be to not even find IEDs what with all their training and high tech gear.
Stupid!
The two soldiers were from an engineer unit. It is the engineer's job to locate and dispose of IEDs and land mines etc., among other tasks.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32258924/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
Where the poppy blows
The Taliban grows.
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8182730.stm][color=green]5 rockets land in Kabul, one near U.S. embassy;[/color] [color=blue]bomb attack on police convoy in Herat[/color][/url]
British Lance Corporal Joe Glenton Refuses to Go to Afghanistan:
http://www.redress.cc/global/cking20090803
"The war in Afghanistan is not reducing the terrorist risk, far from it improving Afghan lives it is bringing death and devastation to their country. Britain [and Canada] has no business there. I do not believe that our cause in Afghanistan is just or right...It is my primary concern that the courage and tenacity of my fellow soldiers has become a tool of American foreign policy. I implore you sir to bring our soldiers home.."
Never underestimate the resourcefulness of the Afghans.
"Do you think maybe [the insurgents] do the same thing we do because we were the ones who armed, trained, and funded them to drive out the Soviets? And do you think maybe some of those Afghan guerillas who drove the Soviets out remember how they did it?"
"In 1978 Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter's national security advisor, manipulated events in a way that turned Afghanistan into the Soviet Union's Vietnam. 'The West should not repeat the mistakes that the Soviets made,' he now says. 'We are now running the risk of unintentionally duplicating what the Soviets were doing.'"
http://original.antiwar.com/huber/2009/08/03/wham-bam-bananastan/
"The reality of Afghanistan in August 2009 is analagous to a father teaching his kid to ride a bike without training wheels. We now have an Afghan government that has gained its balance (after a sort) and thinks it knows how to ride the bike in the race. And in fact they probably do know how to ride, at least well enough for the road they are on against their current competitors. Our hand on the back of the seat is holding them back and causing resentment. We need to let go before we both tumble to the ground."
http://original.antiwar.com/breyman/2009/08/03/beginning-to-smell-in-afg...
Truce offer still stands:
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/03/zawahri-al-qaeda-truce-offer-to-us-st...
"Though the popular opposition to the war is growing in Britain, the ruling Labor Party and the opposition Conservative Party both seem reluctant to pull their support from the endless conflict. As with the U.S., the political momentum seems to be continuing the war in spite of popular will."
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/03/tory-leader-would-appoint-minister-fo...
Japan's opposition says it's ready to stand up to the U.S.
"In another sign of what the Democrats' more independent posture could mean, last week, party chief Yukio Hatoyama said that a refueling mission in support of U.S.-led military operations in the Indian Ocean - which partially supports U.S. forces in Afghanistan - would not be extended if his party takes power."
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/08/03/japan-opposition-says-its-ready-to-st...
Here are the "experts" behind McChrystal's Afghan surge:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/08/04/calgary-attack-canadia... soldier gravely wounded in [s]Afghanistan[/s] Alberta[/color][/url]
A British soldier is in an Alberta hospital with a life-threatening head injury following an assault on a Canadian Forces base.
Not sure why we didn't think of this before. Moving the mission to Medicine Hat could save loads on transport costs, besides stimulating the local economy.
NATO OKs new operational command for Afghanistan. You know things are going wrong when...
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/08/04/nato-oks-new-operational-command-for-...
Afghanistan's Dien Bien Phu? Khe Sahn?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5907830/Repor...
http://www.military.com/news/article/what-went-wrong-at-wanat.html
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8185222.stm][color=blue]Outrage over Afghan child deaths[/color][/url]
Three children and a man have been killed in an overnight air strike by international forces, angry villagers in southern Afghanistan say.The bodies were taken to the city of Kandahar to be displayed in front of officials. US and Nato-led forces said they were investigating the reports.
A reporter for the Associated Press news agency witnessed residents of Kowuk bring the bodies of three boys and a man to the guesthouse of the Kandahar governor from their village, 20km (12 miles) north of the provincial capital, Kandahar city.
The villagers shouted [b]"Death to America! Death to infidels!"[/b] as they displayed the corpses in the back of a pickup truck.
The father of the dead boys, Abdur Rahim, told AP that he heard a pair of helicopters circling over his compound early on Wednesday before they fired two missiles that hit his home.
His brother and another son were wounded, he said.
The Killing Will Continue Unabated
http://embassymag.ca/page/view/inside_defence-8-5-2009
"As history has shown on innumerable occasions, that tribal resistance to a Kabul tyrant - in this case the corrupt but democratically elected government of Karzai - is dramatically intensified when foreign soldiers are involved. My prediction is that the elections will proceed largely uninterrupted, Karzai will be re-elected, and the killing will continue unabated.."
The Myths of Afghanistan
http://www.counterpunch.org/blum08052009.html
"It's also rather difficult for the United States to claim that it's in Afghanistan to help the people there.."
DU Ammunition in Afghan War
http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/283.html
"a classified German Army manual has thrown doubt over US and UK assurances.."
Father of slain children asks, "What was the fault of my innocent children? They were not Taliban."
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/05/protests-as-us-air-strike-kills-four-...
(Afghan) government map shows dire Afghan security picture:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090805/ts_nm/us_afghanistan_map
Here is some good news:
http://washingtonindependent.com/53908/feingold-set-to-oppose-further-tr...
Who is Hamid Karzai? Here's an interesting article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/magazine/09Karzai-t.html?partner=rss&e...
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8188446.stm][color=blue]Afghan bomb kills 4 U.S. troops[/color][/url]
A separate statement confirmed another US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan on Wednesday. [...]Five policemen were also killed by a bomb in the Nadali district of Helmand.[...]
Taliban fighters make roadside bombs, known as IEDs (improvised explosive devices), from mines and explosives.
They are activated by pressure plates, trip wires or mobile phones.
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/08/06/afghanistan-rasmussen006.html][... should stay in Afghanistan past 2011: NATO head[/u][/color][/url]
Watch for the above NATO sentiment to get picked up by the pols here..
the killing will have to escalate now dramatically - the Afghan puppets' own map (#66) tells why
Yeah, I heard the story on CBC Radio. Afghanistan is a test for NATO. If NATO fails this test, (which it will) NATO will "fail". Failure in Afghanistan will mean the destruction of NATO. Naturally, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rassmussen is is going to come out with a bunch of cheerleading statements. He wants to keep his job (
). It's the same old bullshit we've all heard before. The Netherlands is going to militarily disengage from Afghanistan in 2010. Is it a case that the Canadian media only reported his remarks concerning Canada, or did he also direct remarks concerning the Netherlands as well?
In the article, they can also add that in the U.S.A the majority of Americans are opposed to the Afghan war:
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/06/cnn-poll-points-to-growing-us-opposit...
Here is another incident of U.S. forces killing civilians. I guess the U.S. doesn't want farmers to stop cultivating opium crops after all:
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/06/us-kills-five-afghan-cucumber-farmers...
And, just to even out the score:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=84433
Here's something I always suspected, top U.S. officials in Afghanistan look to Vietnam War for 'how not to' lessons:
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/08/06/us-looks-to-vietnam-for-afghan-tips/
"We'll fight for two years and then a successful transition, or we'll fight for two years and we'll lose and go home."
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/08/06/adviser-us-has-2-more-tough-years-in-...
Then on the other hand -
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan -- Anyone who thinks the Afghan troop "surge" is a temporary, one-time deal should watch the construction here of a vast new $17 million barracks building. It's not temporary. It's three stories of concrete:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/06/barracks-and-burger-king-u-s-bui...
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: Resistance Statement
http://anti-imperialist.info/vb/showthread.php?t=12689
"The Afghans and all the public of the world know that poltical processes conducted in an atmosphere of occupation, oppression and on the order of America and her allies does not reflect the needs of the Afghans nor realizes their aspirations...The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the current political drama a sacrilege...They should avoid casting their votes and should not strengthen the ranks of the infidels, their mischief and the invaders.."
Mounting Popular Opposition to the War in Afghanistan
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/pers-a07.shtml
"a series of recent polls have shown growing popular opposition in Europe to the US-NATO war in AFghanistan..Popular anti-war sentiment, however, finds no expression in the policies of governments or, for that matter, those of opposition parties within the bourgeois political establishment.."
First it was, "We (the U.K.) could be in Afghanistan for up to forty years."...
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/07/britain-looks-at-40-year-afghan-war/
...Now it's, "We are not going to be in Afghanistan for that long."
[url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/08/AR200908... Expect Long-Term, Costly U.S. Campaign in Afghanistan[/url]
As the Obama administration expands U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, military experts are warning that the United States is taking on [b]security and political commitments that will last at least a decade and a cost that will probably eclipse that of the Iraq war.[/b]
...
"We will need a large combat presence for many years to come, and we will probably need a large financial commitment longer than that," said Stephen Biddle, a senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the "strategic assessment" team advising [Gen. Stanley A.] McChrystal. The expansion of the Afghan security force that the general will recommend to secure the country "will inevitably cost much more than any imaginable Afghan government is going to be able to afford on its own," Biddle added.
"Afghan forces will need $4 billion a year for another decade, with a like sum for development," said Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine who has chronicled the Iraq and Afghan wars. Bing said the danger is that Congress is "so generous in support of our own forces today, it may not support the aid needed for progress in Afghanistan tomorrow."
...
"We are looking at two decades of supplying a few billion a year to Afghanistan," said Michael E. O'Hanlon, a senior fellow and military expert at the Brookings Institution, adding: "It's a reasonable guess that [b]for 20 years, we essentially will have to fund half the Afghan budget.[/b]" He described the price as reasonable, given that [b]it may cost the United States $100 billion this year to continue fighting.[/b]
"We are creating a [long-term military aid] situation similar to the ones we have with Israel, Egypt and Jordan," he said.
Chomsky's Address to the United Nations General Assembly Thematic Dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect, the United Nations, New York, 23 July 2009
The discussions about Responsibility to Protect (R2P), or its cousin "humanitarian intervention," are regularly disturbed by the rattling of a skeleton in the closet: history, to the present moment.
Throughout history, there have been a few principles of international affairs that apply quite generally. One is the maxim of Thucydides that the strong do as they wish, while the weak suffer as they must. A corollary is what Ian Brownlie calls "the hegemonial approach to law-making": the voice of the powerful sets precedents.
Another principle derives from Adam Smith's account of policy-making in England: the "principal architects" of policy -- in his day the "merchants and manufacturers" -- make sure that their own interests are "most peculiarly attended to" however "grievous" the effect on others, including the people of England -- but far more so, those who were subjected to "the savage injustice of the Europeans," particularly in conquered India, Smith's own prime concern.
A third principle is that virtually every use of force in international affairs has been justified in terms of R2P, including the worst monsters. Just to illustrate, in his scholarly study of "humanitarian intervention," Sean Murphy cites only three examples between the Kellogg-Briand pact and the UN Charter: Japan's attack on Manchuria, Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, and Hitler's occupation of parts of Czechoslovakia, all accompanied by lofty rhetoric about the solemn responsibility to protect the suffering populations, and factual justifications. The basic pattern continues to the present. The historical record is worth recalling when we hear R2P or its cousin described as an "emerging norm" in international affairs. They have been considered a norm as far back as we want to go.
The founding of this country is an example. In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was granted its Charter by the King, stating that rescuing the natives from their bitter pagan fate is "the principal end of this plantation." The Great Seal of the Colony depicts an Indian saying "Come Over and Help Us." The English colonists were thus fulfilling their responsibility to protect as they proceeded to "extirpate" and "exterminate" the natives, in their words -- and for their own good, their honored successors explained. (...)
Malalai Joya: The Woman Who Will Not Be Silenced
By Johann Hari
Source: The Independent
Joh
I am not sure how many more days I will be alive," Malalai Joya says quietly. The warlords who make up the new "democratic" government in Afghanistan have been sending bullets and bombs to kill this tiny 30-year-old from the refugee camps for years - and they seem to be getting closer with every attempt. Her enemies call her a "dead woman walking". "But I don't fear death, I fear remaining silent in the face of injustice," she says plainly. "I am young and I want to live. But I say to those who would eliminate my voice: 'I am ready, wherever and whenever you might strike. You can cut down the flower, but nothing can stop the coming of the spring.'"
The story of Malalai Joya turns everything we have been told about Afghanistan inside out. In the official rhetoric, she is what we have been fighting for. Here is a young Afghan woman who set up a secret underground school for girls under the Taliban and - when they were toppled - cast off the burka, ran for parliament, and took on the religious fundamentalists.
But she says: "Dust has been thrown into the eyes of the world by your governments. You have not been told the truth. The situation now is as catastrophic as it was under the Taliban for women. Your governments have replaced the fundamentalist rule of the Taliban with another fundamentalist regime of warlords. (That is) what your soldiers are dying for." Instead of being liberated, she is on the brink of being killed.
The story of Joya is the story of another Afghanistan - the one behind the burka, and behind the propaganda. (...)
the U.S. and NATO occupiers instructed Joya that she must show "politeness and respect" for the other delegates. When Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Ambassador, said this, she replied: "If these criminals raped your mother or your daughter or your grandmother, or killed seven of your sons, let alone destroyed all the moral and material treasure of your country, what words would you use against such criminals that will be inside the framework of politeness and respect?"
She leans forward and quotes Brecht: "He says, 'He who does not know the truth is only a fool. He who knows the truth and calls it a lie is a criminal.'"
(...)
From Martin's link:
If she were president of Afghanistan, she would begin by referring all the country's war criminals to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. "Anybody who has murdered my sisters and brothers should be punished," she says, "from the Taliban, to the warlords, to George W Bush." [b]Then she would ask all foreign troops to leave immediately.[/b]
...
The Afghan public, she adds, are on her side, pointing to a recent [b]opinion poll showing 60 percent of Afghans want an immediate NATO withdrawal.[/b]
Here's the latest on the current Afghan President:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6000455/UN-Ha...
"Kai Eide. UN special representative to Afghanistan, said: 'If you are talking about free and fair [elections] in terms of an established democracy, then I think that goes beyond the expectation of a country like Afghanistan.'"
Escalate or disengage?
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/09/top-adviser-calls-for-45000-more-us-t...
"In this case, the administration has been openly talking about adding to the 21,000 commitment before the end of the year, and has suggested that it will almost certainly escalate even further in 2010. Despite the continued worsening of the violence in the nation, the White House continues to deny the war is a 'crisis.' Far from being advice which challenges the political consensus, today's revelation may be just the excuse the administration has been looking for to sell an even bigger escalation to a war-weary American public."
"Let's not 'Rumsfeld' Afghanistan."
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/08/09/gop-senator-warns-against-pulling-a-r...
A Corrupt Election in Afghanistan
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/pers-a10.shtml
"the result will not be credible and the new government will lack any legitimacy..The corrupt character of the Afghan election serves only to demonstrate that the official justifications for the Afghan war are cynical and threadbare lies. Like Vietnam, the Afghan war is a neo-colonial enterprise. Its aim is to secure Afghanistan as a base of operations for the growing great power struggle for economic and strategic dominance in resource rich Central Asia
Taliban Now Winning
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124986154654218153.html
"The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said.."
Italy seeks to drop "peace" from its definition of Afghan mission
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1494577.ph...
"Italy's government aims to scrap the definition of "peace" mission currently used for its involvement in Afghanistan amid concerns about the role of civilian judicial magistrates in restricting Italian military operations, a top official said.."
Afghanistan: McChrystal Wants Huge Boost in US Civilians
http://www.newsobserver.com/1573/story/1641928.html
sounds like a job for satan's little Canadian helpers..?
The Afghan drug war we are "winning":
http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/1814-...
"As The Times reports, and Pentagon brass confirmed, the continuity government of the Obama Administration has drawn up yet another 'hit list' of people to be arbitrarily assassinated: 50 'drug lords' allegedly associated with the Taliban. No doubt the many drug lords associated with the American-installed Afghan government -- and those cooperating directly with the Western occupation -- are exempt from this dirty laundry list."
Seeing no results, U.S. mulls pulling troops from Af-Pak border:
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/12/seeing-no-results-us-mulls-pulling-tr...
"Despite repeated increases in the number of US and international troops in Afghanistan, the situation continues to worsen and the levels of violence in the nation appear to set new record highs every months. So far the administration's strategy appears to be to continue the escalation and throw more money at the problem."
Karzai and Taliban reach election day ceasefire deal:
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/13/report-karzai-taliban-reach-secret-el...
Here is a refreshingly sober and honest description of the reality in Afghanistan:
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: Resistance Statement
http://al-darb.blogspot.com/2009/08/who-controls-13-districts-now.html
The Wall Street Journal is so desperate to support Obama's troop surge, that they're running headlines like this:
[url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124986154654218153.html][color=blue]Taliban Now Winning[/color][/url]
The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency's spiritual home.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that means U.S. casualties, already running at record levels, will remain high for months to come.
thank heavens the mujihideen fight so well against such formidable odds - good thing they're not expecting any help to end the war from the oh so peaceful (silent even) peace movement..
Interesting latest news out of Afghanistan: Bomb kills 3, hurts 70 at NATO HQ in Kabul. The Taliban claim responsibility:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32426033/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
Frmrsldr, I have no doubt that there is discrimination in the forces there (as here). But surely L/Cpl Glenton is not under attack simply for being critical. He is being court-martialed because he made a public declaration of mutiny - insubordination - saying he would refuse to return to Afghanistan.
Anyway, Major Miller's "criticism" seems to be an attack on the Labour government for not being vicious and committed enough to win:
In concluding his essay, Maj Miller wrote the "British Army must believe that it can win wars again".
He added: "Politics needs to be squeezed out of the military campaign. The point of going to war is not to then save ministerial discomfort by avoiding casualties and buttering the media.
"Wars cost lives and the media better get used to it. The British people understand this. They are far tougher than a worried government PR man imagines. We need to win a war, not spin one."
Not a very "subversive" viewpoint. He'll probably end up with a medal.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Afghanistan-British-Captain-...
"A British Army captain who anonymously wrote a scathing attack about the Afghan war has been removed from his unit..."
"The officer, who has been in the Army for eight years, is likely to be brought back from Afghanistan and faces disciplinary action and a possible court martial."
"An MoD press release read: 'Service and MoD personnel are being encouraged to talk about themselves and their work online within new guidlines which give advice on how they can protect their security, reputation and privacy.
But the guidlines also clearly state that any communication with the media 'must be referred, through the line manager/chain of command.'"
It is my personal experience that this is the same policy of the Canadian military.
In terms of what the article covers, it looks like the Captain went through all the b.s. any combat soldier goes through in Afghanistan and is just trying to 'sort it out'. I don't see anything that is a 'big deal' in what he wrote. Unless the Independent article leaves out his more controversial statements.
More on the [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8202758.stm][color=red]bomb attack[/color][/url] right in front of ISAF HQ in Kabul:
This is one of the most heavily guarded streets in Kabul. You have to go past huge concrete blast walls. There are men with guns almost everywhere, Afghan forces, international forces. There are barriers and chicanes. It is not an easy area to get into.
Security sources are telling us there isn't enough co-ordination between the different security agencies, the Afghan security forces, the police, the special forces and the international forces and that has created a real sense that they are not on top of the security situation.
It is very surprising the attackers were able to get into this area. Normally you have to show a pass, the car is looked at, the passengers are questioned. But it seems they were able to get past the first checkpoints and approach the Nato headquarters where the bomb exploded.
In the report I heard, the insurgents said the real intended target was the U.S. embassy, about 100 m. away.
Getting close...
"Great" Britain has lost every single war of conquest that it has waged against the Afghan people over the last two centuries. It is losing this one too. The only question is, how many young Britons and Afghans will be slaughtered before Her Majesty deigns to withdraw her troops:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/crossroads-afghanistan/story/2009/08/15/britain-afghan...'s Afghanistan toll rises to 200[/color][/url]
unfortunately many more Afghans most likely
Afghanistan War Resister Sentenced
http://www.truthout.org/081609Z
"He insists that it would be unethical for him to deploy to support an occupation he opposes on both moral and legal grounds and has filed for conscientious objector (CO) status."
...still no indication of similar resistance from CF ranks alas
Sorry, connection problems are causing multiple posts.
-
NDPP"Google" the name Corporal Paul Demetrick.
thanks for this - it's a start..
"Google" the name Corporal Paul Demetrick.
Here is a link that provides further information on American war resistance:
http://original.antiwar.com/letman/2009/08/17/soldiers-who-just-say-no/
"While we don't have an organized GI resistance movement today that is anywhere close to that which helped end the Vietnam War... the seeds for one are there, and they are continuing to sprout amidst a soil that is becoming all the more fertile by the escalation of troops in Afghanistan, the lack of withdrawal in Iraq, and an increasingly over-stretched military."
A documentary that covers American veteran resistance to the Vietnam War is the DVD "Sir! No Sir!". The DVD "F.T.A." is a "USO tour" where GI resistance to Vietnam is the subject and is fun to watch.
Frmrsldr, I think Karzai and his foreign protectors are terrified of the growing insurgency and uncertain about the upcoming elections. Everyone is scrambling to: 1) try to divide and weaken the insurgents; and 2) build alliances with warlords and powerbrokers to stave off military and/or electoral defeat. The U.S. and UK will dump Karzai in two seconds flat if they can manage to build a coalition without him, and he knows it. That's why everyone is talking to everyone, though not necessarily at the same time. The only ones not at the table are the insurgents themselves, and I would invite you to provide some - any - evidence that there are or have been negotiations with "Taliban and other insurgent leaders".
Here's an update on Mr. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/17/afghanistan.militants/in...
General Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan angel:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6043751/Hamid...
Great, we are going to hunker down in "Festung Kandahar" and make our last stand:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64232
"Canada has handed over about half of its battle space in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province to newly arrived U.S. soldiers, allowing Canadian forces to concentrate on counterinsurgency and reconstruction efforts in the provincial capital, according to a senior officer."
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&fee...
The suicide car bomber targeted a NATO convoy on the outskirts of Kabul, killing one NATO soldier and seven other people, and wounding about 50 people.
The explosion also killed two Afghans who were working with the United Nations staff, and wounded another.
So the bomb killed one NATO soldier but killed 7 innocent civilians and wounded 50 more?
wow
So the bomb killed one NATO soldier but killed 7 innocent civilians and wounded 50 more?
wow
Where in the report did you see the mention of innocent civilians?
Here's a link that shows how we're "winning" in Afghanistan (and Iraq) and the Generals who are all making it possible:
http://original.antiwar.com/huber/2009/08/17/look-whos-not-talking/
Will Afghanistan hurt Obama like Vietnam hurt LBJ?
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/08/17/obama-blasts-defense-establishment-wh...
"Domestic support for the Afghan war has been plummeting in recent months, and Obama's own popularity is beginning to sag with it. As with President Bush before him, however, Obama seems unwilling to back off his hawkish position, and the war shows no signs of ending."
Peace talks with Taliban are a top issue in Afghan vote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/world/asia/18taliban.html?_r=1&partner...
"Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani and Ramazan Bashardost all oppose the Taliban, but they also promise if elected to do better and to make peace a priority. The candidates differ on how to pursue a settlement: by negotiating a comprehensive peace with the Taliban leadership; or by trying to draw away midlevel Taliban commanders and foot soldiers, an approach that has been tried with little success over the past seven years as the ranks of fighters have swelled."
Afghanistan: Why are we there?
http://original.antiwar.com/scheuer/2009/08/17/questions-on-the-eve/
