Afghanistan 2011

[ragbagflyer]

This is awful.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011 ... illed.html

[sky's the limit]

This is awful.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011 ... illed.html

It is awful, it is war.

This is what it actually looks like - this is why it should be the last resort instead of what we use it for now. These aren't games, these people have faces, names, and loved ones. While the thought of children dying is horrific, it's not much better when looking at the number of adults dying too.

Some day people will figure it out, but I don't imagine it'll be anytime soon. War is not cool, it is not fun, and it carries significant consequences for everyone involved. We'd do well to remember that next time we start one.

stl

By ALISSA J. RUBIN and SANGAR RAHIMI
Published: March 2, 2011


KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake.

The New York Times

Notes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other areas of conflict in the post-9/11 era. Go to the Blog »
The boys, who were 9 to 15 years old, were attacked on Tuesday in what amounted to one of the war’s worst cases of mistaken killings by foreign-led forces. The victims included two sets of brothers. A 10th boy survived.

The NATO statement, which included an unusual personal apology by the commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, said the boys had been misidentified as the attackers of a NATO base earlier in the day. News of the attack enraged Afghans and led to an anti-American demonstration on Wednesday in the village of Nanglam, where the boys were from. The only survivor, Hemad, 11, said his mother had told him to go out with other boys to collect firewood because “the weather is very cold now.”

“We were almost done collecting the wood when suddenly we saw the helicopters come,” said Hemad, who, like many Afghans, has only one name. “There were two of them. The helicopters hovered over us, scanned us and we saw a green flash from the helicopters. Then they flew back high up, and in a second round they hovered over us and started shooting. They fired a rocket which landed on a tree. The tree branches fell over me and shrapnel hit my right hand and my side.”

The tree, Hemad said, saved his life by covering him so that he could not be seen by the helicopters, which, he said, “shot the boys one after another.”

General Petraeus pledged to investigate the attack and to take disciplinary action if appropriate.

“We are deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan and, most importantly, the surviving family members of those killed by our actions,” he said. “These deaths should have never happened.”

It was the third instance in two weeks in which the Afghan government has accused NATO of killing civilians. NATO strongly disputes one of those reports, but another — the killing of an Afghan Army soldier and his family in Nangarhar Province on Feb. 20 — was also described as an accident.

The attack on the boys occurred high in the mountains outside Nanglam in the Pech Valley of Kunar Province. American troops are preparing to close their bases in the valley in the next several weeks, in part because their presence has vexed the villagers, who would prefer to be left alone. The area is poor, and the only major road was built to service Forward Operating Base Blessing, according to local residents.

A rocket attack on the base on Tuesday led to a helicopter search for the insurgents responsible, the NATO statement said. The base is surrounded by mountains and is the frequent target of Taliban fighters, who shoot down on it from the rocky heights.

The helicopters “returned fire at the assessed point of origin with indirect and aerial fire,” the NATO statement said. “Regrettably there appears to have been an error in the handoff between identifying the location of the insurgents and the attack helicopters that carried out subsequent operations.”

Villagers — who heard the gunfire in the mountains and worried when the children did not return home — went to look for them. The boys had been out since the morning, local people said.

“As soon as we heard about the attack on the village’s children, all the village men rushed to the mountains to find out what really happened,” said Ashabuddin, a shopkeeper from Manogai, a nearby village, whose nephew Khalid was among those killed.

“Finally we found the dead bodies. Some of the dead bodies were really badly chopped up by the rockets,” he said. “The head of a child was missing. Others were missing limbs.”

“We tried to find the body pieces and put them together. As it was getting late, we brought down the bodies in a rope bed. We buried them in the village’s cemetery,” Ashabuddin added. “The children were all from poor families; otherwise no one would send their sons up to the mountains despite the known threats from both insurgents and Americans.”

Khalid, 14, was the only male in the family, Ashabuddin said. “He was studying in sixth grade of the orphanage school and working because his father died four years ago due to a long-term sickness. His father was a day laborer. He has 13 sisters and two mothers. He was the sole breadwinner of the family. I don’t know what would happen to his family to his sisters and mothers. They are all female and poor.”

President Hamid Karzai, who was in London for an official visit, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms possible.”

Calling it “ruthless,” he questioned whether the Western goals of combating terrorism and securing Afghanistan could be achieved if civilians continued to die.

More than 200 people gathered in Nanglam on Wednesday to protest the boys’ deaths, witnesses said. Waving white flags, they shouted “Death, death to America!” and “Death to Obama and his colleagues and associates!”

An Afghan employee of The New York Times contributed reporting
from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

[Dash-Ate]

I'm surprised this kind of news is allowed to leak out. The death & destruction we rain down upon them is beyond belief, if we only knew we'd riot in the street. But no, we are not the terrorists, we are good godly liberators...

These killers will have PTSD and other mental disorders for life, courtesy of our sick death culture. Can't handle it? Then go and watch hollywood movies.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake.

The only survivor, Hemad, 11, said his mother had told him to go out with other boys to collect firewood because “the weather is very cold now.”

“We were almost done collecting the wood when suddenly we saw the helicopters come,” said Hemad, who, like many Afghans, has only one name. “There were two of them. The helicopters hovered over us, scanned us and we saw a green flash from the helicopters. Then they flew back high up, and in a second round they hovered over us and started shooting. They fired a rocket which landed on a tree. The tree branches fell over me and shrapnel hit my right hand and my side.”

The tree, Hemad said, saved his life by covering him so that he could not be seen by the helicopters, which, he said, “shot the boys one after another.”

[bizjets101]

Modern version of kids playing cowboys and indians . . .

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f6_1299131696

[bizjets101]

Afghanistan's president on Sunday rejected a U.S. apology for the mistaken killing of nine Afghan boys in a NATO air attack and said civilian casualties are no longer acceptable.

I not only agree with him, this should be a good moment to boot the USA out!!!

Huffington Post

Don't forget the biggest turning point in the war in El Salvador was the brutal killing of the Nuns by American supported troops. It was the beginning of the end for Reagan, Oliver North, BCCI, Iran-Contra. Ended in the indictment of 14 senior US Government Officials - including Casper Weinberger - US Secretary of Defense under Reagan - resulting in 11 convictions - some vacted on appeal - the balance pardoned by Bush Sr. What a joke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Donovan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_North

[Expat]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011 ... ml?ref=rss

Hopefully this is not anyone we know? Paging Expat/stl!

I was out of the country for the last 2 weeks. In Uzbekland... Just got back to the mountains of Bamyan...home...for now...
Very good tread, and good thoughts. Wish we had met, STL, but may be next time...
Things here are expected to get worse this spring.

[sky's the limit]

Glad you're back Ex, too bad the timing didn't work out. My free time coincided with your absence..! Next time indeed.

Yes, I think things are going to get a whole lot worse this fighting season, all indicators are pointing that way.

stl

[. ._]

I heard things were going well on the way to a peaceful, orderly transition back to the Afghanis taking care of themselves. Heard it just today on the radio from an interview with a CF officer. Don't tell me CBC radio and/or the military would LIE to me!!!!

We're just like Charlie Sheen...



-istp

[sky's the limit]

Not so much Istp, not so much.

What the military spokespeople say is HEAVILY slanted to influence public opinion, which is understandable. Unfortunately it's the media's job to present a balanced viewpoint based on facts, not propaganda - unfortunately they do not do that.

The CF, along with the Americans continue to present an overly rosy view of what the ANA is capable of and the degree to which they are "driving" ops in the field. We hear repeatedly how the ANA are really "taking operational control" of these deliberate ops, how they are now "driving." I just don't see it. Right now, if ISAF pulled out, I'd venture to say the ANA would be in very big trouble, and most likely dissolve. Recruiting for the ANA in the south is nearly non-existent, somewhere around 3% if I recall off the top of my head, and a significant portion of the ANA are Taliban sympathizers with infiltration of the ANA by the Taliban continuing to be a large problem.

Unfortunately the government and military keep pumping out these very biased and overly optimistic views of the situation. There are some very real issues with the ANA, not the least of which is the suspect credibility of the government they fight for...

stl

[. ._]

Yep.

I believe you and Expat more than the military and mainstream media- regarding Afghanistan.

To clarify to people that didn't get it, my post was meant to be poor sarcasm.

[sky's the limit]

Istp, I know you were kidding.

Here's a good article:

Failing in Afghanistan successfully
Despite hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of troops, the US is unable to conclude its longest war.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera Senior Political Analyst Last Modified: 07 Mar 2011 19:06 GMT
Email ArticlePrint ArticleShare ArticleSend Feedback

The recent killing of nine Afghan children has put the spotlight on the US military's new aggressive methods [AFP]
While we have been fixated on successive Arab breakthroughs and victories against tyranny and extremism, Washington is failing miserably but discreetly in Afghanistan.

The American media's one-obsession-at-a-time coverage of global affairs might have put the spotlight on President Obama's slow and poor reaction to the breathtaking developments starting in Tunisia and Egypt. But they spared him embarrassing questions about continued escalation and deaths in Afghanistan.

In spite of its international coalition, multiple strategies, hundreds of billions of dollars, and a surge of tens of thousands of troops, the US is unable to conclude its longest war yet or at least reverse its trend.

Recent "reports" from the war front have been of two kinds. Some official or analytical in nature and heavily circulated in Washington portray a war going terribly well. On the other hand, hard news from the ground tell a story of US fatigue, backtracking and tactical withdrawals or redeployments which do not bode well for defeating the Taliban or forcing them to the negotiations' table.

For example, while the US military's decision to withdraw from the Pech valley was justified on tactical need to redeploy troops for the task of "protecting the population", keen observers saw it as a humiliating retreat from what the Pentagon previously called a very strategic position and sacrificed some hundred soldiers defending it.

Likewise, strategic analysts close to the administration speak triumphantly of US surge and hi-tech firepower inflicting terrible cost on the Taliban, killing many insurgents and driving many more from their sanctuaries.

But news from the war front show the Taliban unrelenting, mounting counterattacks and escalating the war especially in areas where the US has "surged" its troops. And while the majority of the 400 Afghan districts are "calmer", they remain mostly out of Kabul's control.

What success?

Those with relatively long memories recall the then defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld's claims that most of Afghanistan was secure in early 2003 and that American forces had changed their strategy from major combat operations to stabilisation and reconstruction project.

But the Taliban continued to carry daily attacks on government buildings, US positions and international organisations. Two years later, the US was to suffer the worst and deadliest year since the war began.

Today's war pundits are in the same state of denial. For all practical purpose, Washington has given up on its counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy devised under McChrystal and Petreaus.

Rest of the article here:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/op ... 85594.html#

[Expat]

The transition is the coined phrased of the day. While everybody talk about the prospects of a hand over of responsibilities to the ANA and ANP, no one actually believes it. The international community, as well as the Afghans themselves, do not believe that security can be maintained.
This transition will result in international organizations pulling out as fast as they can, because of the increased insecurity. We all have insurance policies covering us, and they will not underwrite the increased risks.
To make things even worse, the Afghan government is also reacting to pressure from the local forces, to expell outside security companies, who, they say, steal their jobs and livelyhood.
To put it bluntly, things are worse, and will get even worse...
That pizza maker from Cleveland they made president will never deliver...

[bizjets101]

Taliban snipers kill Brit, his dog dies of seizure - both flown back to UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-12696791

[Moose47]

<<<Taliban snipers kill Brit, his dog dies of seizure - both flown back to UK.>>>

Very sad story. Condolences to his family and may he rest in eternal peace.

[bizjets101]

Click Here Canada's highest ranking injured soldier in Afghanistan is now in a fight with the Federal Government.

[Expat]

We here have always been afraid that one day the bad guys get good sniper rifles, along with training. This could prove devastating. A shot from 2 kilometers cannot be heard, and counter-attack is almost impossible, when you do not know where it came from.

[Dash-Ate]

This is funny, kind of. A WW2 Propaganda film for the American sheeple. Listen to the first minute of it. Switch the word "Arab" evey time you hear the word Japanese. War! So easy to sell.
Nothing changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7vz-WDyK3k&NR=1

[bmc]

Switch the word "Arab" evey time you hear the word Japanese. War! So easy to sell.
Nothing changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7vz-WDyK3k&NR=1

Don't let Izzy Asper and the Arab Haters (great name for a band) over at the National Post read this. They'll surely label you anti-semetic and anti-Israel.

Be careful.

You're in Canada.

[bizjets101]

Interesting to note that we have not lost a soldier this year as the American's have been taking control of the role Canada has played for the last few years.

On March 3rd, 2011 - 22 year old Jason Weaver of 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Click Here was killed while leading a foot patrol in Kandahar.

Video very sad/emotional coverage of the arrival of Jason Weaver's return to Orange County California.

As we have not lost a soldier this year, this young American has lost his life patrolling what would have most likely been a Canadian foot patrol. Even worse - since Jason's death, nine more American's have died - including two 19 year olds.

[Hedley]

Be careful. You're in Canada

The most dangerous place for an anti-semite is Queen's University, I am told. Those meetings with the Alumni can make anti-semites feel unsafe!

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=72174

Those homecoming parties clearly are the result of a Zionist conspiracy!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/st ... 81118.html

Over the past four years, homecoming weekend has seen a "growing unsanctioned student gathering" of 5,000 to 10,000 people on Aberdeen Street, near the campus, and this year's event resulted in "an unprecedented number of police charges, arrests, violent incidents and injuries," said a letter to alumni from principal and vice-chancellor Tom Williams Tuesday.

Can we expect jihad suicide bombers at the next homecoming party to deal with this Zionist plot?

[Expat]

A while ago, I mentionned that this shooting made no sense.
Now we know more...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Al ... s_incident

What is not said here, is that the two ISI agents were shot in the back.
Blackwater, eh?

[bizjets101]

I see they paid 2.34 million dollars to the families in exchange for the release of the
American - he is already out of Pakistan . . . Click Here.

[Expat]

I see they paid 2.34 million dollars to the families in exchange for the release of the
American - he is already out of Pakistan . . . Click Here.

Seems like a lot of money, for two victims they said were about to rob him, doesn't it???
I wish there was a cable on that, from which to learn more...
We here have our opinion on this...

[Dash-Ate]

Don't take my word for it. Listen to someone in the know

http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm


Smedley Butler on Interventionism
-- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

[Expat]

Good Find!