Tag Archives: afghanistan

International, U.S.

Afghan Mujahideen claim they killed 27 U.S. troops in truck bomb attack

August 18, Taliban claim they launched a truck bomb attack on U.S. Gardez base, killing 27 U.S. troops.

Official U.S. media reports say only two Afghans were killed.  The U.S. media has proven over and over that it can not be trusted.

Witnesses say the explosion was “huge” and destroyed a U.S. helicopter as well.

Since the beginning of August the Afghan Mujahideen have escalated their attacks on NATO forces.  This despite President Obama saying the Taliban were on the decline.  August is looking like it will be the deadliest month for U.S./NATO forces.

 

 

International

Afghans celebrate independence from U.K. by destroying British Embassy

The British embassy in Afghanistan is under attack as I write this.  It began with massive explosions.  Pics show a multi-story building with its facade completely destroyed.  Smaller explosions and constant gunfire is ongoing.

The Taliban are claiming they launched the attacks.  Insurgents are still inside the embassy compound.  At least 12 people killed, officials expect the number to increase.  At least two of the killed are confirmed to be U.K. citizens.

Afghanistan gained independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.

 

U.S.

U.S. Army suicides break record again

“There’s actually two things that we’re doing; one is we’re returning them back, we’re letting them have a little break and returning them back to the battle zone.  And if they’re not going back, if they’re being discharged, or staying in the service away… we’re trying to tell them they’re not sick.  If they insist that they’re sick or stressed we’re giving them a lot of anti-psychotics medication.”–Karen Kwiatkowski, former Pentagon official

Despite claiming to have increased efforts to solve the suicide problem, the U.S. Army hit another record in July, 2011: 22 active-duty soldiers and ten reservists killed themselves, the highest number for any month since the U.S. Army began publishing monthly suicide reports in 2009.

So far 160 active-duty and reserve Army soldiers have committed suicide this year.  That’s not counting veterans.

Percentage wise the U.S. Marine Corps isn’t far behind the U.S. Army.  Each of the past six years has seen a record number of active duty and reserve suicides.

International, U.S.

Taliban on the Run? Taliban shoot down 2nd U.S. CH-47 since Saturday, a 3rd makes emergency landing

On Saturday, August 6, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, killing all on board, including members of the elite SEAL team.  Now the Taliban claim they’ve shot down a 2nd Chinook.

Monday, August 8, a Chinook with 33 personnel onboard was shot down near Zarmat city, in Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan.  It’s believed all 33 were killed.  The Taliban say they shot it down.

On Sunday, August 7, another Chinook made a crash landing in the same province.  The area has been secured by NATO troops and an investigation is underway.

 

International, U.S.

No more open borders in Europe, no thanks to the U.S. & European wars in the Middle East & North Africa

Denmark announced that starting July 5, no more open borders.  They blame drug trafficking and illegal immigrants.

Since the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan drug trafficking has skyrocketed across Central Asia and into Europe.  Many of the drugs come from U.S. occupied Afghanistan.

The NATO attacks on Libya have greatly increased what European governments are calling illegal immigration (most of whom are actually war refugees, no thanks to the European/U.S./NATO war on Libya).

Denmark is not the first EU member to close its borders.  France and Italy closed their borders with each other, for the same reasons as Denmark.  In the case of France and Italy, French officials discovered that Italy was giving refugees (I mean illegal immigrants), mainly from Tunis and Libya, EU visas then putting them on trains bound for France.

Other EU members are complaining about the violation of the European Union’s “open borders” policy, but Denmark claims their border closure will not affect commerce.

International, Opinion, U.S.

War on Terror will cost U.S. taxpayers $4 trillion, and that’s just for Iraq and Afghanistan

Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies “Costs of War” study says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could hit $4.4 trillion and could last until 2020.

And for those that think war is good for the economy, the study said war spending makes up only a half a percent, per year of total GDP for the U.S.

The study also compared lives lost during the September 11, 2001 attacks, to the amount of lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.  2,995 people were killed on 9/11.   According to U.S. sources as many as 258,000 people have been killed, in the War on Terror, as a direct result of combat, even more have died indirectly, 365,000 have been wounded, 7.8 million people are refugees.

Realize that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and that most Afghans didn’t even know about 9/11, and you really have to question the motives of our leaders.  Now President Obama wants to refocus the War on Terror onto the United States itself!

 

 

International, U.S.

Iraq and Afghan war vets suffer from lung problems, military doctors back it up

A New York Times report says as many as 80,000 U.S. war vets suffer from lung problems like asthma and bronchitis.

The report says the problems began while ‘in theater’ (while deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan), but have continued since returning home.

Causes could be anything from dust storms to toxic chemicals being used on U.S. military bases.  U.S. military medical personnel are calling for an investigation: “I’m concerned that this exposure is not getting the serious review it needs.”-Captain Mark Lyles, Center for Naval Warfare Studies in Newport, Rhode Island.

International, U.S.

U.S. to stay in Afghanistan until 2017

“We won’t complete doing what we need to do until about 2016, 2017.”-USA Lieutenant General William Caldwell

General Caldwell made his statement at the Brookings Institute on June 6.  His reasons are that only one in six Afghans, who join the Afghan government forces, can read and write.  Caldwell says that means it will take longer than expected for the U.S. military to train up Afghan troops to a level U.S. officials will feel secure with.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Karzai & NATO going head to head, sure sign that the U.S. has lost Afghanistan

“NATO must learn that air strikes on Afghan homes are not allowed and that Afghan people have no tolerance for that anymore. If they don’t stop air strikes on Afghan homes, their presence in Afghanistan will be considered as an occupying force and against the will of the Afghani people.”-President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai

Karzai is talking tough, but his words are not aimed at “Taliban”.  Instead his words are targeting U.S. led coalition forces.  Karzai’s threats come a after an interview with NATO’s secretary general: “The Afghan society is not yet prepared to take full responsibility for the security.”-Anders Fogh Rasmussen

If the Afghans aren’t ready to take full responsibility for security, than how can their president make such bold statements against U.S. led coalition forces?

Another sign that the U.S. is losing in Afghanistan is that Rasmussen has reportedly asked the United States, and other NATO members, to increase their military budgets and expect to possibly stay longer than the new 2014 withdrawal date.

The latest fiasco in Afghanistan involves yet another “accidental” air strike on civilian homes, which killed 12 children and two women.  There have been conflicting statements from NATO; one official said they targeted a “compound” and there were no reports of civilians. The most recent NATO statement says they missed the target and hit two homes instead.  If you’ve been following the war in Afghanistan for even a year, you’d recognize an MO (modus operandi) with the U.S. led coalition: Kill everyone and then claim, “Ooops, we missed the target.”

Another point to make; Hamid Karzai would not be making such bold statements against the coalition, if he didn’t feel secure in doing so.  It’s an indication Karzai has found support from other international powers, and no longer needs the United States.  Recently the Afghan government made an alliance with Iran.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Karzai gives U.S. final warning, orders Afghan troops to stop “arbitrary” U.S. military action

“The president called this incident a great mistake, the murdering of Afghanistan’s children and women, and on behalf of the Afghan people gives his last warning to the U.S. troops and U.S. officials in this regard.”-Press statement from the office of President Hamid Karzai

On May 28, yet another U.S. led NATO attack killed more civilians than militants. That’s several air strikes killing civilians for the month of May, as well as U.S. led attacks that killed Afghan police.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he’s had enough, and has ordered Afghan government forces to take night combat operations away from U.S. led coalition forces, and, to stop any U.S. led military action viewed as “arbitrary” by Afghan forces.  Karzai said the U.S. led coalition was “…murdering Afghanistan’s children and women.”

As usual coalition leaders apologized for killing civilians: “I want to offer my sincere apologies for the nine civilians who were killed during the incident in Now Zad District, Helmand province, that occurred on 28 May.”-Major General John Toolan, ISAF commander southwest Afghanistan

As usual President Obama said they would take the matter seriously: “President Karzai has expressed on a number of occasions his concerns about civilian casualties. Those are concerns that we share and take very seriously.”-Jay Carney, spokesman for President Barack Obama

You know what president Obama? Actions speak louder than words, and I think the Afghan government is tired of smelling the bullshit!