pictured at http://www.motifake.com 9/5/10 Afghans protest U.S. church's plans to torch Koran KABUL (Reuters) – Several hundred Afghans chanting "Death to America" rallied outside a mosque in the Afghan capital on Monday to protest against an American church's plan to burn a copy of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Taliban vow to disrupt Afghanistan election KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan's Taliban said on Sunday they would attempt to disrupt elections this month and warned Afghans to boycott the vote, the first explicit threat against the poll by the hardline Islamists.The threat came just a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he would soon announce members of a peace council to pursue talks with the Taliban, another step in his plan for reconciliation with the insurgents. 9/4/10 Analysis: Special-ops on show to woo war skeptics KABUL, Afghanistan – The new top commander in Afghanistan is talking up a weapon that has been kept in the shadows for years — special operations missions to kill or capture key insurgents — to try to convince skeptics the war can be won.More than previous commanders, Gen. David Petraeus has released the results of special operations missions — 235 militant leaders were killed or captured in the last 90 days, another 1,066 rank-and-file insurgents killed and 1,673 detained — to demonstrate the Taliban and their allies are also suffering losses as NATO casualties rise. (so 'war' is 'peace'?....so maybe we will finally have 'peace' after 'they' are all killed'? Logic escapes us. To demonstrate America's greatness by killing more and more people is worth all the billions of dollars spent on this, the lives of American's , the lives of innocents in Afghanistan, etc is only achieved after all the 'bad' guys are dead?.....and we have found out that a lot of the time...we don't even know 'who' the bad guys are!.........seems like the 'leaders' of the world are just about in 'leading' in bigger and better ways to 'murder' .....not in teaching love, peace, forgiveness, leadership, cooperation, etc....we just don't get it!) Afghans withdraw funds amid fears Nervous Afghans on Saturday continued pulling funds out of the nation's largest bank despite assurances from government leaders that their money was safe. Crowds gathered at Kabul Bank branches around the capital to withdraw dollar and Afghan currency savings, with customers saying they had lost faith in the bank's solvency following a change in leadership and reports that tens of millions of dollars had been lent to political elites for risky real estate investments. ''Kabul Bank has lost the trust of the people. Even the chairman resigned so all the people are concerned,'' said Mohammad Nawaz, head of an Afghan aid group who had been trying for three hours to withdraw the $US15,000 ($NZ21,328) in his account. 9/2/10 Revealed: How strategy to train Afghan forces is in deep trouble The strategic plan of creating an Afghan security force to replace US and British troops fighting in Afghanistan is in serious disarray with local forces a fraction of their reported size, infiltrated by the Taliban at senior levels, and plagued by corruption and drug addiction, an Independent on Sundayinvestigation can reveal. And the way in which their capacity has been assessed over several years, during which time tens of billions of dollars have been spent on building up Afghan security forces, is so flawed that it has been scrapped. Less than a quarter of the army and less than one in seven police units are rated as "CM1" – meaning they are capable of operating independently. Yet the true picture is worse. An audit of the Capability Milestone (CM) rating system used to rate police and army units has revealed a misleading picture of the true level of progress.....the rest of the story at the link 8/30/10 7 US troops die in bombings in violent south KABUL, Afghanistan – Roadside bombs killed seven American troopers on Monday — including five in a single blast in Kandahar — raising to more than a dozen the number who have died in the last three days.The spike in deaths comes as President Hamid Karzai has publicly raised doubts about the U.S. strategy in the war, saying success cannot be achieved until more Afghans are in the front lines and insurgent sanctuaries in Pakistan are shut down. 8/29/10 Afghanistan's dirty little secret Western forces fighting in southern Afghanistan had a problem. Too often, soldiers on patrol passed an older man walking hand-in-hand with a pretty young boy. Their behavior suggested he was not the boy's father. Then, British soldiers found that young Afghan men were actually trying to "touch and fondle them," military investigator AnnaMaria Cardinalli told me. "The soldiers didn't understand."All of this was so disconcerting that the Defense Department hired Cardinalli, a social scientist, to examine this mystery. Her report, "Pashtun Sexuality," startled not even one Afghan. But Western forces were shocked - and repulsed. American colonel sacked after Afghan rant Col Lawrence Sellin was sent home after generals read an opinion piece he had written revealing "little of substance" was done at the coalition's joint command in Afghanistan. He went on to paint a picture of a bloated organisation, swollen by the vanity of commanders, where endless slide show presentations are given to brief "cognitively challenged" generals. A spokesman for the joint command confirmed Col Sellin, an army reservist with a PhD who was on his second tour of Afghanistan, had lost his job because of his remarks. 8/28/10 Afghan militants in US uniforms storm 2 NATO bases KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. and Afghan troops repelled attackers wearing American uniforms and suicide vests in a pair of simultaneous assaults before dawn Saturday on NATO bases near the Pakistani border, including one where seven CIA employees died in a suicide attack last year.The raids appear part of an insurgent strategy to step up attacks in widely scattered parts of the country as the U.S. focuses its resources on the battle around the Taliban's southern birthplace of Kandahar. Also Saturday, nearly 50 female pupils and teachers were rushed to the hospital after an apparent toxic gas attack at a Kabul high school, the government said. It was the second case of poisoning at a girls' school in the capital this week. Officials suspect the Taliban, who oppose female education. (obviously the Taliban males are so afraid of women being much smarter then themselves, that they take such extreme measures to deny women and girls the educational opportunities that they have. They are to be 'pitied' some say that the men are so insecure and think so little of their own abilities that they must go to these extremes. Allah must not be pleased with his male creations at all!) 8/25/10 US Drone Strike Destroys House Full Of Children In Pakistan The Obama Administration’s policy of escalating drone strikes took another hit today, after the explosion from a drone attack against the house of “suspected militants” in North Waziristan also destroyed a neighboring house full of women and children.The combined toll from the blast was 20 people killed, with at least four women and three children among the slain. At least 13 other civilians were also reported wounded, including a number of other children. Clinton ‘Charm Offensive’ Yields Growing Distrust in Pakistan Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s three day visit to Pakistan was supposed to be a “charm offensive,” where America’s top diplomat could shore up Pakistani support for pro-US policies (which chiefly translates into massive wars across the nation). But in the end it ended up underscoring just how widespread distrust of the US government is across the nation, and that criticism of America’s policies are not the exclusive domain of insurgents in dusty tribal areas. Clinton got an earful from Pakistanis. Students and journalists condemned the US for the large number of civilian casualties in its drone strikes. The secretary shrugged, “there’s a war going on.” from antiwar.com Spaniards shot dead by Afghan police recruit Three Spaniards were shot dead by an Afghan police recruit in a “premeditated attack” at their training camp officials have said. The recruit opened fire during a training exercise, killing two Spanish Civil Guards and a Spanish-Iranian interpreter before he himself was shot dead. Dozens of civilians were then wounded when a rock-throwing crowd besieged the Spanish camp in protest at the Afghan’s death and 200 riot police were ferried to the scene. Afghan exit is unrealistic, says US marines chief Gen James Conway warned that local soldiers would not be ready to assume security responsibility for "a few years". His comments were the strongest sign from US military leaders that a major troop withdrawal remained a long way off, despite President Barack Obama's commitment to begin pulling out troops next July and David Cameron's hopes that British troops could start returning next year. 8/23/10 Karzai urges U.S. taxpayers: end security contractors WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged U.S. taxpayers on Sunday to stop paying for outside security contractors in Afghanistan that he said were in contact with "Mafia-like groups" and possibly with insurgents. 8/20/10 Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 oppose war in Afghanistan LAWRENCE, Mass. – A majority of Americans see no end in sight in Afghanistan, and nearly six in 10 oppose the nine-year-old war as President Barack Obama sends tens of thousands more troops to the fight, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. 8/17/10 Why Are So Many Afghan Women Killing Themselves? More bad news out of the Middle East: Fresh off Time magazine’s cover story on the state of Afghanistan (with accompanying extremely disturbing cover photo), a new report from Afghanistan’s Health Minister found that more than 23,000 women and girls attempted suicide there last year—a “several-fold” increase on previous years. Around 48 percent of Aghanistan’s 23.6 million people are women—so that means around .2 percent of the country’s female population has attempted suicide. Compare that with the U.S.—where 2005 statistics found that 6,730 women committed suicide—or .004 percent—- and you’ll see how shocking that really is. (Attempted suicide statistics are unavailable but most reports say there is one death for every 12 to 25 attempts.)   8/15/10 Why Petraeus Can't Make The Sale As Gen. David Petraeus kicks off an extended media blitz intended to make Americans feel better about the war in Afghanistan -- or at least give him some more time to fight it -- he faces a foe more implacable than al Qaeda, or even the Taliban: Reality. That reality, increasingly obvious to national security experts and the general public alike, is that no amount of good intentions or firepower is going to advance our fundamental interests in Afghanistan -- and that as much as Petraeus might be able to achieve in the next six months, or a year, little to none of it is sustainable and most of it is, even worse, counterproductive. 8/14/10 Officials: US missiles kill 12 in north Pakistan MIR ALI, Pakistan – Intelligence officials say suspected US missiles have killed 12 people in a Pakistan tribal region along the Afghan border. Saturday's missile strike in Issori village in North Waziristan was the first such attack since intense floods hit Pakistan in late July.The U.S. has tried to improve its public image in Pakistan by sending flood aid. Missile strikes, however, are a tactic that has fed its unpopularity here. .....................(ya think bippy?) 8/9/10 Afghanistan: a War Correspondent's Viewpoint Anand Gopal is a correspondent who has been covering the war in Afghanistan for several years.  He has worked for The Wall Street Journal.  and The Christian Science Monitor.  He is currently working on a book about Afganistan. I met Gopal a couple of years ago and check in with him occasionally to get his viewpoint on the Washington-led occupation and war in South Asia.  Most recently, I sent him a few few questions via email. The exchange follows....at the link --Ron Jacobs 8/7/10 6 Americans on medical team killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan – Ten members of a medical team, including six Americans, were shot and killed by militants as they were returning from providing eye treatment and other health care in remote villages in northern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the team said Saturday. 8/2/10 Afghanistan war logs: How US marines sanitised record of bloodbath War logs show how marines gave cleaned up accounts of incident in which they killed 19 civilians Leaked war files no surprise to Afghans AFP ~Afghan defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak has played down the fallout from the Wikileaks scandal, saying the information released was "not a big surprise". "Actually for us Afghans, and especially some of us dealing with intelligence, we knew it all along," he said during a visit to Malaysia on Monday. 7/30/10 "Helmand Afghans Want To Be Governed By Taliban" says the BBC News (in a moment Of madness?) Credit where credit is due. Fair play the BBC News! For once.  Miracles never cease. Mind you there, in a word (from the horses' mouth, as it were), is the reality on the ground. A reality that demolishes most of the government's endless witterings about the War in Afghanistan......the improvements we're making in the economy, the increase in education prospects for girls etc., etc. The people we are protecting from the Taliban and their tyrannical Islamic agenda..... ....WANT THEM AS THEIR GOVERNMENT (IN HELMAND AT LEAST). Let nobody say again that this war has ANYTHING to do with the wellbeing of the Afghan people.   US casualties in Afghanistan soar to record highs KABUL, Afghanistan – In a summer of suffering, America's military death toll in Afghanistan is rising, with back-to-back record months for U.S. losses in the grinding conflict. All signs point to more bloodshed in the months ahead, straining the already shaky international support for the war. Most Pakistanis view US as enemy A new opinion poll has found that most Pakistanis view the United States as an enemy and are opposed to the US-led war in Afghanistan.  The poll conducted by Pew Research Center suggests 65 percent of Pakistanis want US and NATO soldiers out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.  7/29/10 'Brit army unwilling to join Iraq war' Former head of the UK army says the military had "no desire" to join the 2003 invasion of Iraq with a war machine coming to a halt over different engagements 7/27/10 "Horrifying News About Afghanistan": Obama's Latest Political Headache In 1971, The New York Times published a top-secret Defense Department report dubbed "the Pentagon Papers". The report - which the Times describes as "a documentary history tracing the ultimately doomed involvement of the United States in a grinding war in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia" - proved to be a watershed moment for relations between the U.S. government and the press, as well as public opinion about the war. Even before the cyber-ink was dry on the once-classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks about the Afghanistan War, some experts were comparing it to the Pentagon Papers. Missing U.S. sailor's remains found in Afghanistan KABUL (Reuters) – The remains of one of two U.S. sailors who went missing in Afghanistan last week have been found in the east of the country, the NATO-led force said on Tuesday, and troops were still searching for the second man. 7/26/10 View Is Bleaker Than Official Portrayal of War in Afghanistan A six-year archive of classified military documents made public on Sunday offers an unvarnished, ground-level picture of the war in Afghanistan that is in many respects more grim than the official portrayal. The secret documents, released on the Internet by an organization called WikiLeaks, are a daily diary of an American-led force often starved for resources and attention as it struggled against an insurgency that grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year. 7/25/10 Leaks provide ground-level account of Afghan war WASHINGTON – Some 90,000 leaked U.S. military records posted online Sunday amount to a blow-by-blow account of six years of the Afghanistan war, including unreported incidents of Afghan civilian killings as well as covert operations against Taliban figures. 7/15/10 Afghanistan's 'Oprah' helping to heal country's wounds (CNN) -- She's a sexy celebrity with millions of fans, including U.S. President Barack Obama. With flashy music videos and a performance at the White House this past March, Mozhdah is a singing sensation and a model. And her latest achievement is becoming the host of a popular -- though controversial -- television talk show. But if you don't know who she is, you're probably not an Afghan. Mozhdah Jamalzadah is an Afghan superstar in a country still struggling with war and a battle between ideologies and cultures. Born in Kabul, Mozhdah was only five when her family fled to Canada. (She has since then moved back to Kabul and is trying to make a difference) 7/13/10 Rogue Afghan soldier attacks NATO troops, killing 3 A rogue Afghan soldier donned a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher and fired a grenade into a group of international forces today. Three British troops were killed and four others wounded in the attack.The Afghan soldier, whose name was not released, escaped after the incident and is currently being sought by NATO troops in the Helmand province. His motive is also unknown at this time. 7/11/10 LA police teach Marines how to train Afghan police LOS ANGELES – A tough-talking, muscular Los Angeles police sergeant steadily rattled off tips to a young Marine riding shotgun as they raced in a patrol car to a drug bust: Be aware of your surroundings. Watch people's body language. Build rapport. Marine Lt. Andrew Abbott, 23, took it all in as he peered out at the graffiti-covered buildings, knowing that the lessons he learned recently in one of the city's toughest neighborhoods could help him soon in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 7/10/10 Survey Finds Corruption Doubled in Afghanistan A new survey finds that corruption in Afghanistan has doubled since 2007, with Afghans paying nearly $1 billion in bribes last year. In a study released Thursday, Kabul-based Integrity Watch Afghanistan found that nearly one in seven Afghans regularly pay bribes, with poor rural households being hit hardest by corruption. The 6,500 survey respondents from 32 (of 34) Afghan provinces ranked the country's interior ministry, justice ministry and intelligence agency as the most corrupt 6 US troops, 12 civilians killed in Afghan attacks KABUL, Afghanistan – Six American service members and at least a dozen civilians died in attacks Saturday in Afghanistan's volatile east and south, adding to a summer of escalating violence as Taliban militants push back against stepped-up operations by international and Afghan forces. NATO said four U.S. service members died in the east: One as a result of small-arms fire, another by a roadside bomb, a third during an insurgent attack and the last in an accidental explosion. Two other U.S. troops died in separate roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan. Their deaths raised to 23 the number of American troops killed so far this month in the war. 6/28/10 CIA chief: Afghan war has 'serious problems' but U.S. making progressCIA Director Leon Panetta acknowledged Sunday that the war in Afghanistan has “serious problems” but insisted the U.S. is making progress even amid rising violence and casualties.“It's harder, it's slower than I think anyone anticipated,” Panetta told ABC’s This Week, citing the country’s shaky government, drug trafficking and Taliban insurgency as the key challenges in the conflict. “At the same time, we are seeing increased violence.” While he insisted the current strategy is “the right strategy,” Panetta admitted the ultimate outcome of the war rests entirely on the Afghan government. “The key to success or failure is whether the Afghans accept responsibility, are able to deploy an effective army and police force to maintain stability,” the CIA director said. “If they can do that, then I think we’re going to be able achieve the kind of progress and the kind of stability that the President is after.” (progress?.....like sending in drones that kill more innocents? Like taking over a country that was not at war with us, even if Osama's group 'did do' 9-11 [which is in question now, especially when most 'alleged high-jackers' were not Afghani's].......the government of Afghanistan did not declare war on the USA. It has been noted that even in papers in the middle east that Osama has been dead for a long time. Why is the govt wasting our money to kill more Afghani's and our own troops, alienating even more against us, thus creating more terrorists? What is progress...what are they aiming for?) 6/24/10 Four British soldiers drown in Afghanistan canal It is understood that all four men were drowned when their 18 ton Ridgback armoured vehicle plunged into the Nar-e-Bughra canal while travelling to an incident at a nearby checkpoint.Colleagues believed to be travelling in a second vehicle were unable to rescue the men from the deep and fast flowing canal that provides irrigation for much of central Helmand. McChrystal out; Petraeus picked for Afghanistan WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Wednesday, saying that his scathing published remarks about administration officials undermine civilian control of the military and erode the needed trust on the president's war team.Obama named McChrystal's direct boss — Gen. David Petraeus — to take over the troubled 9-year-old war in Afghanistan. He asked the Senate to confirm Petraeus for the new post "as swiftly as possible." 6/10/10 Grisly Afghan attack claims 40 lives, raises fear NADAHAN VILLAGE, Afghanistan – Body parts in trees. Mud walls flattened. Corpses riddled with ball bearings.NATO and the Afghan government on Thursday blamed a Taliban suicide bomber for the grisly scene at a wedding party where at least 40 people were killed by an intense explosion. But the Taliban claimed they played no role in the blast in the Arghandab district, an insurgent stronghold near the southern city of Kandahar.Stunned survivors said they suspected a NATO airstrike was responsible, a view that reflects either their deep suspicion of the U.S.-led coalition or fear of Taliban retribution. Veteran Caregivers Struggle to Stay Afloat Kevin Kammerdiener's mother, Leslie, takes care of his every need, which would be fine if he were in preschool. The thing is, "Kamm" is 21. He suffered a traumatic brain injury , shattered bones and burns on 25 percent of his body in Afghanistan in May 2008, which left him in a wheelchair, unable to speak and in chronic pain. Leslie moved from Pennsylvania to her son's home in Riverview, Fla., to care for him after he spent months at a military hospital in San Antonio. Kammerdiener is among thousands of unpaid caregivers -- parents, spouses, siblings and war buddies -- helping veterans injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars get through each day, says Barbara Cohoon, deputy director of government relations for the non-profit National Military Family Association. She says the caregivers are a vulnerable group, often under-recognized, and in need of help to navigate the military's medical system. Cohoon says not all caregivers receive military benefits, even though many have quit jobs, moved out of their homes and drained their savings to care for their loved ones. "Nobody's got a handle on numbers, but 7,500 is the number bandied about," says Cohoon, whose organization provides counseling and helps families negotiate the health system. 6/6/10 Afghan interior, intel chiefs replaced over attack KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan President Hamid Karzai removed two of the country's top security officials — each with longtime ties to American forces — over an attack on a national conference exploring peace with the Taliban. The removals Sunday of the interior minister and intelligence chief surprised U.S. officials and may cause major disruption within Afghanistan's intelligence and security establishment at a critical juncture — as the U.S. and NATO escalate the war and the Afghan government commits to offering peace to the insurgents. 5/31/10 Terror link alleged as Saudi millions flow into Afghanistan war zone Millions of dollars of Saudi Arabian money have flowed into Afghanistan over the past four years, the country’s intelligence officials say, with the sponsorship of terrorism its most likely use. According to members of the Afghan financial intelligence unit, FinTraca, the funds, totalling more than £920 million, enter from Pakistan, where they are converted into rupees or dollars, the favoured currency for terrorist operations. Insurgents in Kandahar's undergrowth drag Nato forces into 'green hell' Insurgents in Kandahar's undergrowth drag Nato forces into 'green hell'.

5/30/10

Operators of Drones Are Faulted in Afghan Deaths KABUL, Afghanistan — The American military on Saturday released a scathing report on the deaths of 23 Afghan civilians, saying that “inaccurate and unprofessional” reporting by Predator drone operators helped lead to an airstrike in February on a group of innocent men, women and children.The report said that four American officers, including a brigade and battalion commander, had been reprimanded, and that two junior officers had also been disciplined. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who apologized to President Hamid Karzai after the attack, announced a series of training measures intended to reduce the chances of similar events.

5/15/10

US scraps plan to withdraw UK troops from Helmand A US proposal for British troops to withdraw from Helmand province into neighbouring Kandahar has had to be scrapped because of fierce resistance from London.

The US had wanted Britain to move its troops to Kandahar to allow the US Marines, now a 20,000-strong force, to take over sole control of Helmand. As an inducement, according to senior military sources, Britain was guaranteed the top command post in Kandahar, which would ensure that a British general would still have had influence over key tactical decisions in the region....the rest of the story at the link

5/13/10

Blackwater accused of defrauding US government Feb. 11, 2010
The troubled American private security company Blackwater faced fresh controversy today when two former employees accused it of defrauding the US government for years, including billing for a Filipina prostitute on its payroll in Afghanistan. According to Melan Davis, a former employee, Blackwater listed the woman for payment under the "morale welfare recreation" category.

The company, which allegedly employed her in Kabul, billed the ­government for her plane tickets and monthly salary, Davis said.Blackwater, renamed Xe last year apparently because of the bad publicity attached to its original name, is among the biggest private security firms employed by the state department and Pentagon in Iraqand Afghanistan.

5/4/10

US deploys 1000s drones in Afghanistan The US is deploying thousands of drones in Afghanistan, raising suspicions as to whether the move is aimed at monitoring militants or targeting another country. 
Regional defense analysts believe that the unmanned aerial vehicles could be brought into play against regional countries in the wake of mounting tensions with Iran over its nuclear activities, the Pakistan Observernewspaper reported on Tuesday. 
Deputy Director for Resources and Acquisition for the Pentagon's Joint Staff, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Glenn Walters, recently said that the American military has sent a host of its 6,500 drones to the Middle East region. 

4/21/10

Behind the scenes: Night in 'The Manger' Editor's Note: CNN camerawoman Mary Rogers accompanied a U.S. Marine Corps unit on Operation Moshtarak in Marjah from its preparations into the first few weeks. A veteran of warzone reporting, she has filmed in places such as Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Congo, Iraq, Chechnya, Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002. Here is part 4 of her reflections on her time in Marjah and a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and camaraderie reporting from the Afghan battlefield. (Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)

Official: Donkey cart explodes at police post, killing 3 children [Updated, 4:26 p.m.] Officials now say at least three people were killed in the blast. Four others were wounded, officials said.Zalmai Ayoubi, spokesman for the Kandahar government, said three children were killed by the blast, and two police and two civilians were slightly wounded.A spokesman for the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the bombing, said 11 people were killed in the explosion. 

Volcanic ash diverts troops to Iraq for treatment Some U.S. troops critically wounded or taken ill in Afghanistan are being shipped for treatment to Iraq instead of Germany, due to the European air traffic turmoil caused by the spread of volcanic ash.The troops cannot be transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany where the airspace has been closed.The first troops arrived in Iraq three days ago and there were about 20 of them there, according to Master Sgt. Stefan Alford, spokesman for the 332 Air Expeditionary Wing in Iraq.

The U.S. military hospital at Balad, Iraq, has been designated the new hub for all aeromedical evacuations because of the disruptions in air traffic caused by the volcano eruption in Iceland.

4/1/10

US Uses Aid Dollars to Keep Allies in Afghanistan (AP) – The Pentagon is pouring millions of dollars into equipment and training for its smaller partner nations in the Afghanistan war, a new effort aimed at encouraging them not to abandon the increasingly unpopular conflict. While the funding cannot be openly used as an incentive for NATO nations to send troops to or keep them in Afghanistan, the budding initiative sends the message that those who commit to the fight could be rewarded.

Bombing kills 13 in Afghan village Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - Assailants set off a bomb Wednesday in a village bazaar in troubled Helmand province, killing 13 people and wounding almost four dozen, provincial officials said.
The bomb, which police said was hidden on a bicycle, targeted farmers who had gathered to receive Western-provided vegetable seeds under a program meant to encourage them to grow crops other than opium poppies.
Taliban militants were suspected in the attack.

3/26/10
LAPD officer serving in Afghanistan is killed by roadside bomb The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday mourned its first officer to be killed in combat in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb took the life of a highly regarded SWAT team member.

Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle, 45, and a 19-year-old Marine were killed while traveling in the Marja area of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. The region has been the focus of an intense U.S.-led offensive against Taliban forces, said LAPD Capt. John Incontro, who oversees SWAT operations.

3/11/10
Kucinich Accomplishes Goal, Key Rep. Obey Votes Against War The fear was that Kucinich's test of anti-war sentiment in the House would not go beyond the original 16 or so co-sponsors, and get blown out of the water.  The goal of the resolution, to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of this year, was to expose any fissures which might indicate rough seas ahead for Obama's next war supplemental request of $33 billion.  Some estimates say $50 billion would pay for a healthcare public option, to put the amount in perspective.  So when the final tally on the Kucinich resolution was 65 plus around 10 abstentions, anti-war activists rejoiced.

Reuters reports:dozens of Obama's Democrats in the House did support the pullout resolution, indicating division over war policy ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.

Massachusetts reported an amazing 8 out of 10 in it's delegation getting the anti-war religion, after a wake-up call by disgusted Democrats who stayed home in a recent election, giving the nation Scott Brown.Most notable was that a key member of Congress, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. David Obey, voted to pull troops out within 9 months.  As committee chairman Obey has the power to singlehandedly block war funding, or impose strict conditions.....the rest of the story at the link

 

3/10/10
House to vote on pullout from Afghanistan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a test of congressional support for President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would direct him to pull U.S. forces out of the war.

The resolution by liberal Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich is not expected to pass. But it could be an important indicator of how Obama's Democrats feel about the war, particularly ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.

3/8/10
Pilot Shot in Head Still Lands With Afghan Injured(Newser)British pilot, Lt. Ian Forture, 28, wounded, with blood pouring into his eyes, still managed to land his heliocopter full of war wounded in a safe zone, says reporter Mike Brewer. .....for the whole story, please go to the link.

3/3/10
Former Gitmo detainee said running Afghan battles (AP) LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan – A man who was freed from Guantanamo after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials say.Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press.

2/24/10
Guilty plea in New York terrorism case Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan immigrant who had been living in Colorado, tells a judge he was planning a suicide bombing in the city. He says he was angry about casualties in Afghanistan. Reporting from Washington and New York Richard A. Serrano -- An Afghan immigrant admitted to a federal judge Monday that he was so enraged by U.S. military actions in Afghanistan that he attended an Al Qaeda training camp and planned to commit a suicide bombing in New York -- possibly on the subway -- to protest the war.

(once more....we are creating 'more terrorists' that want to kill Americans et all by 'our wars'.......what is the point...are our legislators, our president even 'getting it' yet?......)

2/21/10

NATO airstrike kills 27 Afghan civilians The target was a convoy believed to be carrying insurgents in a province bordering Helmand, where a U.S.-led offensive on Marja is in its 10th day. Gen. McChrystal has conveyed regret to President Karzai. (one more - oops....! so sorry folks!....do you think this is 'cutting it" with the Afghanis?......would it 'cut it' if it was your wife, your husband, your children, etc?......and 'we' are paying for this atrocity.......is this how you want 'your' money spent?.....thnk about it!)

Outgunned Taliban mounting tough fight in Marjah Outnumbered and outgunned, Taliban fighters are mounting a tougher fight than expected in Marjah, Afghan officials said Sunday, as U.S.-led forces converged on a pocket of militants in a western section of the town.Despite ongoing fighting, the newly appointed civilian chief for Marjah said he plans to fly into the town Monday for the first time since the attack to begin restoring Afghan government control and winning over the population after years of Taliban rule.

---

PRESS RELEASE

FRONTLINE GAINS EXTRAORDINARY ACCESS TO AN INSURGENT CELL IN AFGHANISTAN PLOTTING TO BOMB A U.S. SUPPLY ROUTE

FRONTLINE Presents BEHIND TALIBAN LINES Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS
www.pbs.org/frontline/talibanlines

This past fall, veteran Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi negotiated extraordinary access to a militant cell in northern Afghanistan with longtime ties to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. For 10 days, Quraishi would live among the hard-core fighters of Hezb-i-Islami’s “Central Group” as they attempt to bomb a highway that has become a vital new coalition supply route.

“I was thinking that I’m going to meet a group of Taliban,” Quraishi tells FRONTLINE. “I was thinking, this is the time which I came myself to enemy. I was thinking they might not let me go back.”

In Behind Taliban Lines, airing Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the growing insurgency in Afghanistan—a first-ever film among these militants as they travel from village to village, picking up support and weapons, imposing sharia law and collecting taxes as they open up a new battlefront in Afghanistan’s northern provinces.

“We have around 3,000 to 4,000 Hezb-i-Islami men in the north,” a commander named Kalaqub tells Quraishi. “People come to us from all over Afghanistan. … They come from Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan. We get special mujahids from abroad, but we’re not allowed to talk about them.” Quraishi believes that these special mujahids are mainly Arabs from Yemen and Saudi Arabia trained by Al Qaeda.

Indeed, as the men of Central Group proceed toward their target, Quraishi meets a young bomb maker from Uzbekistan who says he was trained by Al Qaeda.

“America started this war in Afghanistan so that European countries like England and America would be safe,” he tells Quraishi. “But they should know that once the mujahideen conquer Afghanistan, … we’ll aim for the Middle East and Europe.”

Quraishi films the men of Central Group building the IEDs, the improvised explosive devices—stuffing the shells with gunpowder, wiring the blast cap—and talking about the damage they hope to inflict: “This will pop out the eyes of the Americans,” one says. “The fire, smoke and debris will cover 50 to 100 square meters.” After a suspenseful night spent waiting in the field, the insurgents’ plan is ultimately foiled when the bombs fail to detonate.

Quraishi manages to interview the man in charge of some 4,000 Hezb-i-Islami fighters in the north. His name is Cmdr. Mirwais, a former millionaire businessman who turned to jihad after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. “Jihad has become a duty for all the Afghan nation because the foreign and nonbeliever countries have attacked us,” Mirwais says. “They’re getting rid of our religious and cultural values in Afghanistan. They’ve increased obscenity and want to force Western democracy on our country.”

It was Cmdr. Mirwais who first invited Quraishi to live among the insurgents as a guest, following the journalist’s contact with a Taliban intermediary late last summer. And, after some 10 days of filming, it was Cmdr. Mirwais who Quraishi says may have helped save his life.

“Mirwais took my hand; he took me aside,” Quraishi says. “He said: ‘Brother, I invited you here as a guest. I know your plan is to be here for 14 days, but I’m really sorry.’” Two men had arrived from Pakistan—likely from Hezb-i-Islami and Al Qaeda—and they demanded to know why an outsider had been allowed in to film among the fighters. “‘They keep telling me that you are a spy and we have to behead you.’”

Quraishi escapes and decides to revisit the place on the highway where he’d witnessed the insurgents planting their roadside bombs. In a telling scene near the end of the film, the local Afghan police seem not to appreciate—or even to acknowledge—the extent of the insurgent threat in the north. “Everything’s fine,” the police chief says. “There’s no problem. They’ve caused some problems, but everything’s fine in this area near the main road. It’s not a problem.”

Also in this hour: David Montero reports from Pakistan on the country’s troubled public school system, which is among the worst in the world despite years of U.S. aid. “Today there are 68.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 19 in this country,” says Mosharraf Zaidi, a longtime Pakistani school reformer. “Less than 30 million of those kids are in any type of school. … You look at the consequences of these kids not going to school. If you aren’t capable of participating in the global economy, you will be very, very poor. And desperate and extreme poverty has some diabolical consequences for societies and for individuals.”

Behind Taliban Lines is a Clover Films production for WGBH/FRONTLINE in association with CH4. The producer is Jamie Doran. The reporter is Najibullah Quraishi. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. The senior producer is Ken Dornstein. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

Marines Seize Marjah Taliban HQ (Newser) – US Marines seized a compound that appears to have been the Taliban's Marjah headquarters after a fierce gunfight Friday. The compound just south of the town center contained dozens of Taliban-issued ID cards and diplomas from a Taliban training camp in Pakistan, the AP reports. Small groups of fighters abandoned bunkers and fled as the Marines closed in.

2/15/10

Snipers harass US, Afghan troops moving in Marjah Sniper teams attacked U.S. Marines and Afghan troops across the Taliban haven of Marjah, as several gun battles erupted Monday on the third day of a major offensive to seize the extremists' southern heartland.Multiple firefights broke out in different neighborhoods as American and Afghan forces worked to clear out pockets of insurgents and push slowly beyond parts of the town they have claimed. With gunfire coming from several directions all day long, troops managed to advance only 500 yards (meters) deeper as they fought off small squads of Taliban snipers.

Military medics try to keep Afghan boy alive (which wouldn't have been needed if 'we' hadn't been there in this 'alleged war')

2/14/10
NATO rockets miss target, kill 12 Afghan civilians Twelve Afghans died Sunday when two rockets fired at insurgents missed their target and struck a house during the second day of NATO's most ambitious effort yet to break the militants' grip on the country's dangerous south.NATO said two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System were aimed at insurgents firing on Afghan and NATO forces, but struck 1,000 feet (300 meters) off their intended target. The rockets struck a house, killing 12 civilians, NATO said.The civilian deaths were a blow to NATO and the Afghan government's attempts to win the allegiance of Afghans and get them to turn away from the insurgents.

2/13/10

Bombs slow US advance in Afghan town Bombs and booby traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers moving Saturday through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah — NATO's most ambitious effort yet to break the militants' grip over their southern heartland.

NATO said it hoped to secure the area in days, set up a local government and rush in development aid in a first test of the new U.S. strategy for turning the tide of the eight-year war. The offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

2/10/10
US Marines under fire ahead of Afghan assault US Marines came under attack from insurgents armed with sniper guns and rocket-propelled grenades as they geared up Wednesday to overwhelm a Taliban bastion in Afghanistan.

Thousands of Marines along with foreign and Afghan soldiers are taking up position around the town of Marjah in Helmand, which officials say is one of the last areas of the southern province under Taliban control.

The flow of residents fleeing the imminent offensive has slowed, provincial officials said, after loaded-down cars, trucks, tractors and buses clogged roads from Marjah to provincial capital Lashkah Gar for days.

"We have announced and told people in Marjah not to leave their houses as our operation is well planned and designed to target the enemy," said Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for Helmand Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal.

2/9/10
Marines wait in the cold for Afghan offensive

2/5/10
Camp Keating Officers Disciplined for Attack That Killed 8 U.S. Troops A military investigation of a Taliban attack last fall on a remote U.S. army outpost that left eight American soldiers dead and 22 wounded has resulted in administrative punishments for two commanders blamed for "inadequate measures taken by the chain of command." During the day-long battle at Combat Outpost Keating last Oct. 3, the base was temporarily overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters. They were eventually repelled from the small base through the actions of what the investigation's report said were the camp soldiers who "fought heroically" and counterattacks by Apache helicopters and attack jets. "The investigation concluded that critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets which had been supporting COP Keating had been diverted to assist ongoing intense combat operations in other areas," the report said. It also said the commanders had become "desensitized" to reports of imminent large scale attacks because previous warnings had turned out to be on a much smaller scale.

2/1/10
Police: Foreigners among 6 dead in Pakistan blast PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A roadside bomb killed six people, including three foreigners, heading to inaugurate a girls' school in a militant-scarred region of northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, police said.At least 32 people — including soldiers and students — were wounded in the blast in Lower Dir's district's Shahi Koto area, local police chief Mumtaz Zarin Khan said. The blast went off near a security convoy heading to the ceremony.

1/30/10

Anger as NATO airstrike kills 4 Afghan soldiersA joint U.S.-Afghan force called in an airstrike on what turned out to be an Afghan army post after taking fire from there before dawn Saturday, killing four Afghan soldiers and prompting an angry demand for punishment from the country's defense ministry.Both NATO and Afghan authorities described the clash around a snow-covered outpost in Wardak province southwest of Kabul as a case of mistaken identity. NATO called the attack "unfortunate" and promised a full investigation.Nevertheless, the deadly strike threatens to strain relations between NATO and the Afghan government at a time when both sides are calling for closer partnership in the fight against the Taliban. The fighting came on the heels of several cases of bloodshed between Afghans and Americans in recent weeks.

Obama Ignores Key Afghan Warning Nothing highlights President Barack Obama’s abject surrender to Gen. David Petraeus on the “way forward” in Afghanistan more than two cables U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry sent to Washington on Nov. 6 and 9, 2009, the texts of which were released by the New York Times. No longer is it possible to suggest that Obama was totally deprived of good counsel on Afghanistan; Eikenberry got it largely right. Sadly, the inevitable conclusion is that, although Obama is not as dumb as his predecessor, he is no less willing to sacrifice thousands of lives for political gain.
Ambassador Eikenberry, a retired Army Lt. General who served three years in Afghanistan over the course of two separate tours of duty, was responsible during 2002-2003 for rebuilding Afghan security forces. He then served 18 months (2005-2007) as commander of all U.S. forces stationed in the country.
In the cable he sent to Washington on Nov. 6, Eikenberry explains why, “I cannot support [the Defense Department’s] recommendation for an immediate Presidential decision to deploy another 40,000 here.” His reasons include:
–Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not “an adequate strategic partner.” His government has “little to no political will or capacity to carry out basic tasks of governance. … It strains credulity to expect Karzai to change fundamentally this late in his life and in our relationship.”
–Karzai and many of his advisers “are only too happy to see us invest further. They assume we covet their territory for a never ending ‘war on terror’ and for military bases to use against surrounding powers.”

1/28/10

US troops shoot and kill Afghan cleric near Kabul U.S. soldiers shot and killed an Afghan cleric as he drove Thursday with his young son near an American base on the eastern edge of Kabul, underscoring the dangers facing civilians despite NATO efforts to minimize casualties.The shooting occurred as Mohammad Yunus, 36, approached a four-lane highway with one of his sons, according to police and witnesses.Yunus was struck by four bullets fired at his Toyota Corolla and died on the way to the Wazir Akbar Hospital, according to his son-in-law, Abdul Qadir. His son was not injured. Yunus left two wives and 10 children, Abdul-Qadir said. (oh yes, that is the way to win friends and influence people......!!!??)

'Dogs of war' saving lives in Afghanistan For the US Marines patrolling the dusty footpaths of southern Afghanistan, a bomb-sniffing black Labrador can mean the difference between life and death.These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives and their record for finding hidden explosives has won them a loyal following."They are 98 percent accurate. We trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers," says handler Corporal Andrew Guzman.

1/27/10

Afghanistan and Vietnam videos... Obama et. al. know the troop increase can't "work" but they're going to spend the money and spill the blood anyway.  Psychopathy. Pure psychopathy.  There's no "exit strategy." 

In Afghanistan, car bomb explodes outside U.S. base On the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan capital, at least six people are injured in the bombing at Camp Phoenix, which comes on the heels of a Jan. 18 assault on the capital. Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - A car bomb blew up Tuesday at the gates of a U.S. military base on the outskirts of Kabul, and Afghan officials said at least half a dozen people were hurt. The Taliban claimed responsibility. The attack, the second major strike in Afghanistan's capital in just over a week, appeared intended as a reminder of the insurgency's strength in advance of a major international conference on the country's security.

1/25/10

General hints at Taliban talks The top American commander in Afghanistan told the Financial Times that military force alone can't bring stability to Afghanistan and hinted at the possibility of negotiated political agreements with some Taliban forces. "'As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there's been enough fighting,' he said. 'What I think we do is try to shape conditions which allow people to come to a truly equitable solution to how the Afghan people are governed.' "Asked if he would be content to see Taliban leaders in a future government in Kabul, he said: 'I think any Afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past.' "The remarks reveal the growing faith the US military is placing in the hope that a power-sharing arrangement can end the war, a possibility floated in Islamabad last week by Robert Gates, the U.S. defence secretary, when he described the Taliban as part of Afghanistan's 'political fabric'.".....(ed duh note: and HOW MUCH OF THE TAXPAYERS MONEY, HOW MANY PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES HAVE BEEN KILLED/MAIMED, DISPLACED.....did it take for him to FINALLY come to that conclusion? Americans, as well as the Afghan people and others around the world have been asking for an end as well as begging for the Iraq war to end for years!.......but the good news, we still have to pay to rebuild what we have destroyed!)

With Bombs Falling Around Loretta Sanchez, She Still Questions Afghanistan Adventure Speaking from Afghanistan, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) says she remains skeptical about President Barack Obama's decision to increase troop numbers there. Perhaps the bombs falling all around the House Armed Services Committee's senior female had something to do with that. Speaking by phone from Kuwait City with Dena Bunis, the Orange County Register's Washington, D.C., bureau chief, Sanchez described how bombs greeted her arrival to and departure from Kabul. She and four other members of Congress had to wear body armor and be accompanied by heavy security their entire time in Afghanistan.At a meeting with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Sanchez says she questioned whether the 30,000 additional troops Obama ordered into Afghanistan will get there within his six months timetable and whether the pull-out will really begin in 18 months. "Everyone in this room knows that isn't going to happen,'' Sanchez reportedly told the general. "He just looked at me and didn't answer back.''Later:"I still am pretty skeptical. We are going to have to sustain this much longer than 18 months. . . . We'll be there forever.''

Sanchez advocates the U.S. spending more time and resources in Pakistan, although she expects Congress to approve the money Obama wants for an Afghanistan adventure."I'm not convinced that I'll be a yes for that," she tells Bunis. "I think there could be better places to use our American dollars.''

Taliban attacks paralyze Afghan capital for hours Taliban militants wearing explosive vests launched a brazen daylight assault Monday on the center of Kabul, with suicide bombings and gunbattles near the presidential palace and other government buildings that paralyzed the city for hours. Afghan forces along with NATO advisers managed to restore order after nearly five hours of fighting as explosions and machine gunfire echoed across the mountain-rimmed city, sending terrified Afghans racing for cover. Twelve people were killed, including seven attackers, officials said.The assault by a handful of determined militants dramatized the vulnerability of the Afghan capital, undermining public confidence in President Hamid Karzai's government and its U.S.-led allies.

1/17/10

Militants, Afghan police battle in Afghan capital KABUL – A Taliban spokesman says 20 armed militants, including some with suicide vests, have entered the Afghan capital to target the presidential palace and other government buildings.Smoke rose over the city Monday and fierce gunbattles broke out in the heart of Kabul as Afghan forces fought against the attackers. City streets were emptied.Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a telephone call that the targets were "the presidential palace and all other government buildings around the palace."

1/12/10

Fort Hood troops ordered to Afghanistan The Pentagon has ordered 3,100 troops, mostly based in Fort Hood, Texas, to deploy to Afghanistan as part of President Barack Obama's plan to beef up U.S. forces there.Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division should arrive in summer. The 2,600 soldiers assigned to the brigade will be accompanied by about 500 support troops.Obama is sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan with the expectation that U.S. troops would start leaving by July 2011. About 25,000 troops have been given deployment orders.Fort Hood was the site of shootings last November that killed 13. An Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, has been charged in the case

1/1/10

UK reporter, US Marine killed in Afghan blast An explosion outside a village in southern Afghanistan killed a U.S. Marine and a veteran war correspondent who became the first British journalist killed in the conflict, officials said. With the death of Sunday Mirror journalist Rupert Hamer, 18 reporters have been killed in Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, according to figures kept by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. "Tragically it was a matter of time," former British forces commander Col. Richard Kemp told Sky News television. "Our journalists, the same as other journalists, our British journalists deploying on operations with forces in Afghanistan or Iraq face exactly the same risks as our soldiers face out there." Hamer, 39, and photographer Philip Coburn, 43, were accompanying a U.S. Marine patrol Saturday when their vehicle was hit by a makeshift bomb near the village of Nawa in Helmand, the Defense Ministry said

1/7/10

AP: 2 ex-Blackwater guards charged with murder Two former Blackwater contractors were arrested Thursday on murder charges in the shootings of two Afghans after a traffic accident last year, according to an indictment obtained by The Associated Press. The indictment charges Justin Cannon, 27, and Chris Drotleff, 29, with second-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. Both of them are in custody, said Peter Carr, a spokesman with the U.S. attorney's office in Virginia's eastern district. Both men have said in recent interviews with The Associated Press that they were justified in opening fire on a car that caused an accident in front of their vehicle, then turned and sped toward them after they got out to help.

Wife says CIA bomber hated the United States A Jordanian doctor-turned-suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees at a base in Afghanistan is regarded by his family as a martyr in Islam's holy war against the United States, his wife said Thursday. Covered in a black Islamic chador, Defne Bayrak, the Turkish wife of bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, lauded her husband's Dec. 30 attack to Turkish journalists in Istanbul. "I am proud of him; my husband has carried out a great operation in such a war. May God accept his martyrdom," Bayrak told the Dogan news agency. She later told the state-run Anatolia news agency: "My husband did this against the U.S. invasion." Radical Islamists from around the world praised al-Balawi on Jihad forums and religious Web sites.

12/30/09

Western troops killed civilians, Afghan investigators say Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - Afghan government investigators asserted Wednesday that foreign troops had killed 10 civilians in a raid this week, including eight students younger than 18. Western military officials called the charge unsubstantiated and urged a joint investigation.
The deaths, which occurred Sunday in Kunar, a remote northeastern province, sparked street protests Wednesday in Kabul, the national capital, and in the eastern city of Jalalabad. "Obama, take out your troops!" organizers shouted through bullhorns. 

Blast kills 5 Canadians in southern Afghanistan Four Canadian soldiers and a Canadian journalist were killed when their armored vehicle was hit by a bomb in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, the Canadian Defense Ministry said.Four other Canadian soldiers and a Canadian civilian official were wounded in the blast, which occurred about four km (2.5 miles) outside the city of Kandahar, the ministry said in a statementThe journalist killed was Michelle Lang, 34, a reporter from the Calgary Herald newspaper who was on assignment in Afghanistan for the Canwest New Service, according to the news agency.Lang, who had recently received a national award for her healthcare coverage, was on her fist assignment in Afghanistan and had only been in the country since December 11.

Research related links

1. Karzai Says Afghan Army Will Need U.S. Until 2024
2. Barack Obama ‘to announce 30,000 Afghan troop increase next week’
3. McChrystal Doesn’t Get It — Does Obama?
4. Obama Allies Want New Tax To Pay For Cost Of Protecting Afghan Opium Fields, Bribing Taliban
5. 500,000 Troops Will Be Required Over Five Years in Afghanistan
6. NY Times: Afghan Opium Kingpin On CIA Payroll
7. Senators, Advisers Urge Obama to More Than Double Afghan Forces
8. Obama: Afghan war secures America
9. Plan to Split Taliban Lures Obama Deeper into War
10. Report: Karzai’s Brother Linked to Afghan Heroin Trade
11. Cheney’s warning on Iran
12. As Afghan War Escalates, Military Expert Predicts 300-500 U.S. Troops To Be Killed or Wounded Per Month
13. Iraq-Afghanistan: Illegal Bush Wars

 

 

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(be sure to check the main news page for all of it) 9/6/10 In the New -Afghans protest U.S. church's plans to torch Koran -2 coyote attacks in 1 hour in NYC suburb; tot hurt -Hurricane watch issued for coasts of Mexico, Texas -OBAMA TURNS THE PAGE BUT CAN'T ESCAPE REALITY -Sheeple Of Amerika - Payday Monsanto aka Payze Duez 201 video -Despite formal combat end, US joins Baghdad battle 9/5/10 -Will Ohio execute an innocent man? -Endangered or not, wolf killings set to expand -ETA declares ceasefire in struggle with Spain -Global Collapse of the Fiat Money System: Too Big To Fail Global Banks Will Collapse Between Now and First Quarter 2011 -Chile mine disaster exposes old family feuds -Report: Ground Zero Mosque Investor Contributed to Designated Terror Group -Ground Zero Islamic center’s funding leads to CFR -Congo: 70 dead, 200 missing in 2 boat capsizes -Guatemala mudslides kill at least 38; 2 buses hit -Jackie Evancho, Superstar Angel 9/4/10 -Despite swelling opposition, dolphin hunt begins in Taiji, Japan -Heavy in dollars, China warns of depreciation -Labor day BBQ? A side dish is partisan sparring on jobs, unemployment -Control Of Food Supply To Be Handed Over To Department Of Homeland Security S.510 deceptively titled "Food Safety and Modernization Act" written by and for Monsanto lobbyists -Raw footage of the Canterbury Quake -Canterbury earthquake really three quakes? -Huge Landslide in Norway, takes out buildings, everything is floating in the river.....pictures at the link, and, if you can understand the language, the story also. -The Triumph of Evi -Work From Home? Get These Tax Write-offs -Obama Administration Reverses Course, Forbids Sale of 850,000 Antique Rifles -Analysis: Special-ops on show to woo war skeptics -Dozens dead after Darfur attack -Family safe, but home wrecked after quake -Brian and Hollie Beston Charged With Filming Themselves Raping 4-Year-Old Girl -Oval Office rug gets history wrong -Children killed in Mozambique protest -Jonathan Hock Sexually Assaults Passed Out Girlfriend on Live-Streaming Video -Caught on Tape: Nanny Brutally Abuses 11-Month-Old Baby -Darrel White Allowed Bed-Ridden Wife Jorene White to Be Eaten Alive by Maggots -Afghans withdraw funds amid fears 9/3/10 -7.4 New Zealand South Island! -Pentagon declined to investigate hundreds of purchases of child pornography -Protest Planned Over No Charges In Washington Park Death, -Baby Formula Contaminated With Aluminum, 40 Times More Than Breast Milk -D.C. Rally Completely Ignores 9-11 9/2/10 in the News -Not guilty. The Israeli captain who emptied his rifle into a Palestinian schoolgirl -Mel Gibson Accused Of Murder/Suicide Plot RadarOnline -Earl threatens East Coast with 125 mph winds -I'm Taking Action - Michael Berry of KTRH.com / 950KPRC.com -Bernanke: Shut down banks if they threaten system -Feds Warn Residents Near Wyoming Gas Drilling Sites Not To Drink Their Water -Van Gogh's 'Bedroom' Restoration, photo slideshow -ANOTHER OIL RIG DISASTER!Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off La. coast -British Women Pay High Price for Multiculturalism -Illegal Immigration Has Declined: Why? -The BBC's propaganda for fundamentalist Islam -Workers see higher health costs, less care -Book says Nazi hunter Wiesenthal worked for Mossad -Revealed: How strategy to train Afghan forces is in deep trouble -Lone 14 Year old Scottish boy beaten by Muslim thugs and told "You're the next Kriss Donald- We're going to murder you!" -"GOD" IS REDUNDANT, says Hawkings.........God did not create the universe, says Hawking -President Obama’s Address on Iraq 9/1/10 In the News -India halts HPV vaccine trial after six girls die, US does nothing in response to 67 deaths and counting -FARSIDE FLARE: -Photo slide show of Volcano erupting in Indonesia -Gunman holds hostage in Discovery building -The Last Bubble is about to BURST! 8/31/10 -Young Chinese mother kidnapped and sterilized to enforce one-child law -Police chief calls for the dismantling of extremist Islamic groups -Police: Accused drug lord moved tons of cocaine to U.S -'Vaccine Zombie" -Finland suspends H1N1 vaccines after children suffer narcolepsy from vaccinations -Cholesterol levels linked to Depression in Elderly -South Korea offers millions in flood aid to North Korea -Ring of Fire: Ancient Circle of Volcanoes Comes Calling Again -Another Haiti earthquake caught on tape 8/30/10 -7 US troops die in bombings in violent south -Mexico has fired 10 pct of federal police in 2010 -Mexican drug traffickers blamed in killing of second mayor -Why are so many Americans hostile to Islam? -America's Gulf: A Toxic Crime Scene -The Gulf BLUE PLAGUE is Evolving -Yellowstone: what lies beneath -US Attempts To Extradite 9/11 FEMA Videographer From Argentina 8/29/10 -Pharma Rep Confession -More about the unsolved "suicide" -Man Arrested For Holding “Impeach Obama” Sign -American colonel sacked after Afghan rant -Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks -Millions at risk as crops fail in central Africa -Our military is not for training Mexican cops -Morality is modified in the lab -Ever seen a train lay its own track? cool video -Report: 100 Russian skinheads attack concertgoers -WWII tanker off Calif. coast may still pose threat -545  PEOPLE--By Charlie Reese -Aborigine wins parliamentary election in Australia -History awaits indigenous candidate Ken Wyatt -Arizona police say gunman kills 5, then self -AP IMPACT: US wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq -6 Massive Secret Operations That Are Hidden All Around You -Volcano erupts in Russia's Far East -Abbas, Palestinians should die: Israeli rabbi -From outer space, a new dilemma for old-growth forests -Chile miners must move tons of rocks in own rescue -Teen motorcycle racer killed in crash at Indy    For more... the main news page.. click For HAITI NEWS UPDATES -- -Click for Chile News Updates & Tsunami News -Gulf of Mexico Updates

 

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