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| Articles about Afghanistan |
| Obama’s Visit Renews Focus on Afghanistan | | 2008-07-20 01:09:00 | | By CARLOTTA GALL and JEFF ZELENY : KABUL, Afghanistan — Senator Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, on a high-profile foreign trip in a country that is increasingly the focus of his clash with Senator John McCain over whether the war in Iraq has been a distraction in hunting down terrorists.
Even as Mr. Obama [...] | | By: ArticlesModern | | |
| | Nine Pakistanis Hurt in Fire From Afghanistan | | 2008-07-11 21:10:56 | | Seven Pakistani soldiers and two civilians have been wounded by firing from inside Afghanistan in the latest incident along the border between the uneasy U.S. allies.Last month, Pakistan was outraged when 11 of its border soldiers were killed in a U.S. air strike as U.S. forces battled Taliban militants.Days later, Afghan President Hamid Karazi, increasingly frustrated with Taliban attacks into Afghanistan from Pakistani sanctuaries, threatened to send troops into Pakistan to fight the insurgents.A Pakistani intelligence official said it was not clear who had fired dozens of mortar bombs across the border into Pakistan's South Waziristan region on Thursday night."About 60 rounds fell in Angoor Adda," said the official, referring to a Pakistani village on the border. "Some of of them hit our post and wounded seven soldiers," said the official, who declined to be identified.The firing began after Taliban had attacked a foreign troop base on the Afghan side of the border, he said.Two two | | By: A Pakistan News | | |
| | NATO soldier killed in blast in South Afghanistan | | 2008-06-29 17:06:00 | | KABUL: A soldier with NATO forces in Afghanistan was killed in a bomb blast in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, a southern province of Afghanistan, according to a statement issued from NATO in Kabul on Sunday. The nationality of the NATO soldier killed instantly in the blast was not mentioned. airport at, [...] | | By: Free Shared Mobile | | |
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| Pentagon: Taliban a resilient force in Afghanistan | | 2008-06-27 16:05:44 | | WASHINGTON (AP) - The Taliban has regrouped after its initial fall from power in Afghanistan and the pace of its attacks is likely to increase this year, according to a Pentagon report that offers a dim view of progress in the nearly seven-year-old war.
Noting that insurgent violence has climbed, the report said that despite U.S. [...] | | By: TexasFred's | | |
| | | Afghanistan: Downgraded From Quagmire To FUBAR | | 2008-06-25 14:15:01 | | Things have now reached such a sorry state of affairs in Afghanistan, that if one would wish to cherry-pick failures over "successes" simply could not do so - however much one would try.For before, failures "only" overwhelmingly outnumbered small, inconsequential "successes". Now, even such small, inconsequential "successes" have become a full fledged rarity.Things have to be bad and out of control when the Taliban can waltz in and free some 1200 prisoners - including some 400 fellow Talibs - from Kandahar's Sarposa prison.This, not counting the usual fare regularly occurring in Afghanistan (you know - business as usual and all that).And as Canadian, American and other fellow N.A.T.O. soldiers provided "intelligence support" (say what?!?) for Afghan forces in hunting down the escaped prisoners, one "top general" (Gen. Denis Thompson, the Canadian commandeer in Afghanistan) could not help but state the painfully obvious on the consequences of the spectacular jailbreak:"Eventually it may | | By: The Peace Tree | | |
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| Afghanistan: Death penalty call for man who spread Koran translation | | 2008-06-24 10:05:00 | | An Afghan journalist accused of distributing an unacceptable translation of the Koran should be put to death, says former Prime Minister Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai.
Ahmadzai, who ran in the 2004 presidential election against current President Hamid Karzai, told Adnkronos International (AKI) he supported the death penalty for Zalmay. "Today Afghanistan is full of vices. Several Afghan restaurants serve liquor, despite it being illegal and on top of it, such material is distributed," Ahmadzai told AKI. "I am in favour of his death."Muslim scholars in Afghanistan reportedly said that the new version of the Koran misinterpreted verses about alcohol, begging, homosexuality and adultery. They also complained that this version was not accompanied by the original version of the Koran in Arabic.Ghows, 50, is reportedy in jail after being accused of blasphemy and his lawyers say he risks the death penalty. He is expected to face charges in an Afghan court within the next week. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | al-Qaeda In Pakistan/Afghanistan: Potential Solutions? | | 2008-06-18 14:42:55 | | Much has been made (and rightly so) about Gen. Petraeus's and Amb. Crocker's frank admission a month or so ago that al-Qaeda’s main base of operation and greatest threat come from Pakistan/Afghanistan - not Iraq.Of course, that was stating the obvious known all along.Indeed, many (including yours truly) have been clamoring the same said obvious - however, that this simple fact is at last admitted openly in testimony before Congress, and that said admission was actually proded out by elected representatives, constitutes nevertheless a significant moment.In order to fully appreciate such significance, let us first go back to the core-reasons for the Afghanistan War (emphasis added): At the time, President Bush justified the launching of the Afghanistan War as a response to 9-11 and the failure of the Taliban to meet his demands concerning terrorists, including delivering Osama bin Laden. Following the trauma and outrage brought by 9-11, an overwhelming majority of Americans supported t | | By: The Peace Tree | | |
| | Taliban militants destroy bridges in Afghanistan | | 2008-06-17 12:56:05 | | ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (AP) - Taliban militants destroyed bridges and planted mines in several villages they control outside southern Afghanistan’s largest city in apparent preparation for battle, residents and officials said Tuesday.
More than 700 families - meaning perhaps 4,000 people or more - had fled the Arghandab district 10 miles northwest of Kandahar city, said Sardar [...] | | By: TexasFred's | | |
| | More than 600 prisoners escape in Taliban assault on Afghanistan prison | | 2008-06-14 07:41:00 | | The Jerusalem Post - More than 600 prisoners escaped during a brazen Taliban bomb and rocket attack on the main prison in southern Afghanistan that knocked down the front gate and destroyed a two-story police checkpoint, a police official said Saturday. At least nine police were killed.The complex attack late Friday included a truck bombing at the main gate, a suicide bomber who struck a back wall and rockets fired from outside, setting off a series of explosions that rattled Kandahar, the country's second biggest city.A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said 30 insurgents on motorbikes and two suicide bombers attacked Sarposa Prison and freed about 400 Taliban members.Police official Mohammad Jamal Khan said more than 600 prisoners escaped. He said nine police were killed and 12 were wounded. Eight prisoners also died in the assault, he said. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | First lady Laura Bush in Afghanistan | | 2008-06-07 21:16:23 | | First lady Laura Bush is highlighting signs of rebirth in war-weary Afghanistan on Sunday ahead of a donors conference in Paris, where the U.S. hopes billions of dollars in international aid will be pledged to help the embattled nation.
This is Mrs. Bush’s third trip to Afghanistan, where the repressive Taliban ruled until U.S. forces invaded [...] | | By: UniQuest | | |
| | Afghanistan : conférence de Paris | | 2008-06-07 05:20:00 | |
Appel de 16 ONG présentes en Afghanistan avant la conférence de Paris
AFGHANISTAN POINT PRESSSE
06/06/08
L’Afghanistan est à la croisée des chemins. Ses besoins sont considérables. La Communauté internationale réunie à Paris pour la Conférence... | | By: citizen observatory | | |
| | Why The War in Afghanistan Cannot be Won | | 2008-06-02 10:43:13 | | Under current conditions, the NATO-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan cannot be won. The most graphic reason is described in New York Times article on the reality of the Taliban control in Tribal Territories. While the Pakistani army goes for show, flying journalists in for a brief visit to demonstrate how the Taliban is in retreat, the Taliban goes for a far different tactic. Baitullah Mehsud, the head of Pakistani Taliban, called a news conference in the same area, drove up in a new Toyota...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Afghanistan: All For Absolutely Nothing | | 2008-05-28 14:00:11 | | (Note: I thought it would be very à propos to repost this older post of mine here, at The Peace Tree.)**********It is now official: every single justification behind the Afghanistan War and its seeming never ending occupation have been disavowed - by the very politicos that have been not only responsible for the lauching and conduct of this war, but likewise by those who have been staunchly supporting this conflict.In other words: the Afghanistan war was absolutely for nothing.Let us re-visit the main justifications/objectives for the Afghanistan war, which began in October 2001:1) Defeat the Taliban;2) Defeat al-Qaeda;3) Bring freedom and democracy to Afghanistan.Over the span of seven years since this war began, major combat operations have kept on going and going in Afghanistan - despite the proclamation in May 2002 that major combat operations were over and in the face of repeated claims that this war has been a big success.Defeat the Taliban? Whether fueled by drug trade or corru | | By: The Peace Tree | | |
| | Sexy Tania Zaetta accused of sex with soldiers in Afghanistan | | 2008-05-28 08:31:54 | | A Bollywood starlet who made her name going beyond the call of duty in Who Dares Wins, an Australian TV stunt show, has been accused of having sex with soldiers while on a tour to entertain troops in Afghanistan. Tania Zaetta (above) was named in a confidential briefing paper to Australia’s Defence Minister as having slept with special forces soldiers last month at a military base in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Oruzgan province. Pictures and a video were said to have been taken. But Australia’s military was in retreat last night, admitting that it broke its privacy regulations by naming the actress, 37, in the confidential note intended for Joel Fitzgibbon, the Defence Minister.The Defence Department apologised to Zaetta for the leak, and Mr Fitzgibbon said he had ordered an inquiry into how the document officially referred to as a “hot issues brief” became public.Zaetta, who has appeared on Baywatch and Mission Implausible, a British pay-TV show, denied the allegations and said | | By: Bollywood Actress GAllery | | |
| | NEFA TerrorWatch: The Spillover Impact of the Iraqi Jihad in Afghanistan | | 2008-05-22 00:16:44 | | This week's episode of NEFA's TerrorWatch broadcast takes a closer look at Mohammed al-Thibaiti (a.k.a. Abu Sulaiman al-Otaibi), a Saudi Arabian national and a senior Al-Qaida lieutenant who was confirmed killed during recent clashes with the "crusaders and apostates" in the Paktia province of Afghanistan--and the larger spillover impact of the Iraqi jihad on the conflict in Afghanistan. On May 11, Al-Qaida leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid published a letter confirming that al-Thibaiti "was martyred in...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | U.S. Detains About 500 'Enemy Combatant' Children in Iraq, 10 in Afghanistan | | 2008-05-20 10:03:00 | | A total of 2,500 youths under the age of 18 have been detained, almost all in Iraq, for periods up to a year or more in President George W. Bush's anti-terrorism campaign since 2002, the United States reported last week to the U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child.Civil liberties groups such as the International Justice Network and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) denounced the detentions as abhorrent, and a violation of U.S. treaty obligations."The juveniles that the United States has detained have been captured engaging in anti-coalition activity, such as planting Improvised Explosive Devices, operating as lookouts for insurgents, or actively engaged in fighting against U.S. and Coalition forces," the U.S. report said. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Al-Qaeda is Dwindling in Afghanistan and Iraq | | 2008-05-14 10:20:00 | | The most interesting discovery during a visit to Jalalabad, where Osama bin Laden planted his flag in 1996, is that Al-Qaeda seems to have all but disappeared. The group is on the run, too, in Iraq, and that raises some interesting questions about how to pursue this terrorist enemy in the future."Al-Qaeda is not a topic of conversation here," says Colonel Mark Johnstone, the deputy commander of Task Force Bayonet, which oversees four provinces surrounding Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Pete Benchoff agrees: "We're not seeing a lot of Al-Qaeda fighters. They've shifted here to facilitation and support." More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | NEFA Foundation: Al-Qaida Reports "Martyrdom" of Senior Saudi Terrorist Abu Sulaiman al-Otaibi in Afghanistan | | 2008-05-12 03:25:02 | | The NEFA Foundation has obtained a copy of new letter from Al-Qaida leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid confirming the death of Al-Qaida lieutenant Abu Sulaiman al-Otaibi (a.k.a. Mohammed al-Thibaiti) during clashes with the "crusaders and apostates" in the Paktika province of Afghanistan. According to Saudi media, Abu Sulaiman was a former student at Imam Mohammed bin Saud University and had close contacts with influential Muslim clerics in Saudi Arabia. Upon leaving Saudi Arabia and arriving in neighboring...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Rapid-Reaction Force Afghanistan | | 2008-05-11 01:19:00 | | March 05, 2008 Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, Task Force Gladius, wait for another CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frasier, Afghanistan. The Soldiers will fly to Surobi District to protect a CH-47 that made a hard landing there, until mechanics can certify it safe to fly. Photo by Sgt. Johnny R. Aragonhttp://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/military_photos_200838231733.aspx | | By: Military Enthusiast | | |
| | Europe namely NATO must commit more to Afghanistan | | 2008-05-09 05:41:00 | | Al-Qaeda may pose a threat to the U.S. however, the rise of Islam in Europe means that the continent has at least as much to lose with the terror group gaining a safe haven in Afghanistan.In order to combat a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda, the United States recently announced plans to send an extra 7000 troops to Afghanistan, conversely pledges made by Europe remain disappointing, as NATO members remain reluctant to pursue the same course.The problems appear to stem from a difference of opinion in relation to the success or otherwise of operations in the country. In spite of some 50,000 troops already there, the Taliban is still a force to be reckoned with, fuelled by the advantage of being able to disappear within the local population between operations. While not a crises, the situation is getting worse. NATO defense ministers have dismissed suggestions of failure or lost ground instead insisting that progress was being made. At a recent meeting in Lithuania, the ministers made it c | | By: American Interests | | |
| | | U.S. May Send More Troops to Afghanistan in 2009, Gates Says | | 2008-04-26 22:40:00 | | By Fred W. Baker IIIAmerican Forces Press ServiceEN ROUTE TO MUSCAT, Oman, April 4, 2008 – The United States may send more troops to Afghanistan in 2009, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates confirmed today.President Bush said during the NATO summit conference that ended today that he expects the United States would make a significant additional contribution to the Afghanistan mission next year, Gates said.But Gates backed off any specific commitment, saying the United States first wants to see how much support comes from other allies and how security efforts progress in 2008.“I don’t want to make significant long-term commitments of additional U.S. forces before giving the allies the opportunity to see what they’re going to do,” Gates said.The French announced a battalion’s worth of troops -- about 700 -- would take on part of the mission. Gates also said other nations made commitments for troops and special teams. A U.S. official at the summit said about a dozen or so countr | | By: Military Enthusiast | | |
| | Welcome To Afghanistan, Where Ak-47s are Good and Video Games, Bad | | 2008-04-20 19:29:00 | | That's right, according to Pakistan Daily News, Afghanistan Legislature has proposed a bill that can ban all video games in the country if adopted as a law.The law is to introduce Taliban-style Islamic morality codes throughout Afghanistan…The proposals also demand an end to dog and bird-fighting, pigeon-flying, billiards and video games, all past times favoured by many Afghans… The plans mirror many of the laws introduced by the extremist Taliban regime, which ruled the country from 1996 to 2001 with strict Islamic Sharia law.While I donot approve of dog and bird-fighting, I just can not understand how pidgeon-flying, shooting pool and playing games would be against any religion, unless ofcourse they don't allow anything fun.
| | By: Know Thy Game | | |
| | Democratic candidates gain support abroad: Obama in Afghanistan, Hillary in Somalia | | 2008-04-19 04:50:00 | | Kabul, 18 April (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - US presidential candidate Barack Obama has generated broad support in Afghanistan, while Somalis would prefer to work with his Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton.These are the findings of a survey conducted by the international think-tank, The Senlis Council, in Afghanistan and Somalia in March and April. According to the think-tank, the results of this year's US presidential elections are "critical to both countries," as they are both "strongly affected by US policy". When asked which of the presidential candidates they would back, 69 percent of those questioned in Afghanistan favoured Obama, while 26 percent were in favour of Clinton. In Somalia, 47 percent of civilians surveyed supported Clinton, while 44 percent backed Obama. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | The War in Afghanistan: More Help Needed | | 2008-04-17 11:01:04 | | Greater international support is needed to secure and stabilize Afghanistan, a crucial front in the global war on terrorism. The February 18 Pakistani election provides an opportunity to isolate extremists along the border. The U.S. should work with NATO countries on a joint approach to Pakistan and consider appointing a high-level envoy to coordinate policies between Afghanistan and Pakistan....(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Progress In Afghanistan (or: What the MSM Won't Tell You Pt.344) | | 2008-04-15 16:07:00 | | It would be wrong to say that some vital information is ‘lost’ in the barrage of feel-sad stories the main stream media throws our way each night when it come to the ongoing struggle in Afghanistan. The term ‘lost’ would imply something was actually there to begin with. That doesn’t apply here.With no disrespect intended to the families of the fallen Heroes of all fighting nations, the MSM has proven to be far more interested in rushing to the airport so they can grab fresh footage of the latest casket to be carried out of a transport than they are with reporting anything about the progress being made because of those very Heroes.Frivolous arguments over when and if to lower the flag – why not let the family decide? – have eaten up valuable newsprint and television airtime, leaving the stories about the small victories on the cutting room floor.According to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) website, their main Reconstruction and Development (R&D | | By: The Moderate Separatist | | |
| | India, Afghanistan: Price of Reconstruction | | 2008-04-14 16:19:27 | | Two Indian engineers were killed and at least five others injured in April 12 suicide attack in Nimroz province, located in southwestern Afghanistan, when Taliban militants targeted a convoy of road construction workers involved in 218 km strategic Zaranj-Delaram highway project. The slain engineers were working for the Border Road Organization of India (BRO). Saturday’s blatant terror act came immediately after Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak visited India seeking counterterrorism...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | 3,000 French troops in Afghanistan | | 2008-04-13 12:47:00 | | French troops operating in Afghanistan will number about 3,000, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Friday.Kouchner is due to meet President Hamid Karzai and officials including his counterpart, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta on Saturday. He will also hold meetings with non-governmental organizations and visit a hospital in Kabul. He will then go to Kandahar, in the south of the country, with Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier, despite Canada's disappointed at France's decision to send reinforcements to the east rather than help it fight the Taliban in the south. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Troop levels reach record high in Afghanistan | | 2008-04-10 17:55:13 | | BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) — The 101st Airborne Division took command of American forces in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, helping to boost U.S. troop levels in the country to their highest number since the 2001 invasion.
Marching in step, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne retired the unit’s flag during a ceremony under a light rain beside the [...] | | By: TexasFred's | | |
| | NATO and Afghanistan-The Cost of Failure | | 2008-03-31 11:59:40 | | Few in NATO, including U.S. leaders, appear willing to face the fact that the war in Afghanistan is growing to be one of the longest in our history and could be one of the costliest. Not just in economic terms, but because no one has been willing to commit the resources to win the war, despite the fact it was nearly won four years ago. The cost of not finishing the job is staggering. The Taliban, in a move the seemed inconceivable in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, is back, moving easily...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Grim News From Afghanistan's Endless War | | 2008-03-27 09:47:47 | | The snow hasn't even melted in the foothills of Afghanistan's rough and tumble Hindu Kush, but already bad news is flooding in from America's 6 1/2-year war there. And hardly anyone seems to be paying attention. One of the earliest - and grimmest - assessments this year came February 27 from the stone-faced commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, who is responsible for military operations along the jagged Durand Line (aka the Afghan-Pakistan border). The other dismal...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | France Pledges More Soldiers for Afghanistan; More Still Needed | | 2008-03-26 19:08:31 | | More at the International Relations BlogReuters: Sarkozy pledges more troops for AfghanistanBackgroundAfghanistan, “The Forgotten War”, has been in dire need of more, unhindered NATO troops. The remaining troops in Afghanistan from most European countries have been under strict restrictions from their government to prevent casualties. Unfortunately, this has hampered progress in Afghanistan. The U.S. has been calling for more, new troops for months.In a speech to the British parliament, French president Nicolas Sarkozy pledged more French troops for the war, and called on Britain to send more as well.Setting a precedentHopefully, these new troops will encourage other NATO countries, such as the U.K. and Germany to send more soldiers.More troops are still neededOther NATO allies, including Britain and Germany (mentioned above), Canada, Turkey and Spain still need to send more troops. A stable, safe Afghanistan will benefit all of them.
| | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
| | Afghanistan to privatise national telephone firm | | 2008-03-25 03:56:47 | | Kabul - Afghanistan said Sunday it planned to sell up to 80 percent of its telecommunications arm in one of the most ambitious parts of the country`s ongoing privatisation programme. Bidders must register their interest in purchasing part of Afghan Telecom by April 4 and the tender process was expected to be completed in three months, Telecommunications Minister Amirzai Sangin told reporters.The fixed line and wireless system had about 100,000 clients, he said.This compares to about five million for the booming mobile phone sector, which includes four providers and had investment of nearly one billion dollars, Sangin said. Afghan Telecom would be worth about 190 million dollars after a network of fibre optic cables is put in place, an improvement which is due by year`s end, his ministry said.The sell-off is one of "the most ambitious privatisation projects in Afghanistan to date," it said in a statement on its website. Asked about Taliban attacks on mobile phone towers, Sangin dismisse | | By: Indonesia Type Approval/homologation/Compliance ce | | |
| | Hockey heroes raise morale in Afghanistan | | 2008-03-19 08:25:00 | | A group of NHL hockey heroes arrived Wednesday in Afghanistan to give Canadian soldiers a battle of a different sort.
Skating stalwarts like Mark Napier, Chris Nilan and Bob Probert touched down in Kandahar - some of them for the second time in less than a year - in hopes of boosting military morale.
Also on the ground at Kandahar Airfield were country-rock crooners Blue Rodeo, Montreal rocker | | By: News Alert | | |
| | News: US Soldiers Testify About War Crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq | | 2008-03-18 15:21:15 | | Dozens of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans publicly testified this weekend about crimes they committed during the course of battle, many of which were prompted by the orders or policies laid down by superior officers. The weekend gathering, called the Winter Soldier Event demonstrated that well-publicized incidents of U.S. brutality, including the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the massacre of an entire family of Iraqis in the town of Haditha, are not isolated incidents perpetrated by "a few bad apples," as many politicians and military leaders have claimed. They are part of a pattern, the organizers said, of "an increasingly bloody occupation." One testimony:"Apr. 18, 2006 was the date of my first confirmed kill. He was innocent, I called him the fat man. He was walking back to his house and I killed him in front of his father and friend. My first shot made him scream and look into my eyes, so I looked at my friend and said, 'Well, I can't let that happen,' and shot him again. After m | | By: The Road to the Horizon | | |
| | “Canadian” cars rule in Kabul, Afghanistan | | 2008-03-11 16:03:50 | | Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Canada
While Canadians are hopping mad over the inequitable price of cars in their home state compared to the U.S., people in Afghanistan are happy to pick up our northern neighbor’s leftovers. Apparently, the first cars to arrive in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban were from Canada, so now [...] | | By: Car O Focus | | |
| | Troop Depression on Rise in Afghanistan | | 2008-03-06 14:06:00 | | U.S. troop morale improved in Iraq last year, but soldiers fighting in Afghanistan suffered more depression as violence there worsened, an Army mental health report says.And in a recurring theme for a force strained by its seventh year at war, the annual battlefield study found once again that soldiers on their third and fourth tours of duty had sharply greater rates of mental health problems than those on their first or second deployments. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | prince harry's aborted afghanistan mission | | 2008-03-02 10:39:16 | | Prince Henry of Wales, third in line to the British throne and otherwise known as Prince Harry, has just been pulled out of Afghanistan after the media uncovered his secret deployment. Tsk, tsk. It was supposed to be a longer tour of duty but due to this discovery, fear for his safety and that of his whole regiment necessitated an early pullout. It is said that Islamic militants were already on the move to kill him.
For what it’s worth, I must say that I admire the guy and what he did. Fo | | By: read my mind | | |
| | Prince Harry withdrawn from Afghanistan | | 2008-02-29 19:07:13 | | Prince Harry, who has been secretly serving in Afghanistan for the last 10 weeks, was withdrawn immediately by the British Ministry of Defence after a worldwide media leak. Chief of the Defence Staff said that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry deployment could put him and his fellow soldiers life at risk.
Prince Harry [...] | | By: Shady Politics | | |
| | Prince Harry in Afghanistan | | 2008-02-28 18:07:31 | |
It is the war that had to be fought. It is the war that should have been won quickly and decisively. It is the war that should have sent a clear message to terrorists and the nations who support them. It is the war that should receive just as much attention, if not more than Iraq. Yet, we hear very little about what is going on in Afghanistan. Now there is a report that Prince Harry has been fighting on the front lines and suddenly there is all kinds of coverage. Nothing about the American troops that have sacrificed their life. Nothing about the status of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Basically, nothing but coverage of Prince Harry. I don't think that there has been this much coverage of Afghanistan since the first few years of the war.Again the news media shows itself to be an absolute disgrace. Their priorities are completely out of order as far as doing what's right for America. I heard some in the media admit that they failed to do their job when it came to holding our government | | By: Miscellaneous Reflexions | | |
| | Prince Harry at War in Afghanistan | | 2008-02-28 14:12:00 | | The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson and third in line to the throne, has been fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.View the breaking news on video....Prince Harry Fighting in Afghanistan.Prince Harry at War in Afghanistan.Prince Harry a 'Taliban Target'. | | By: Travel Notes Blog | | |
| | Senators’ emergency landing in Afghanistan | | 2008-02-21 18:47:23 | | WASHINGTON - Helicopters carrying three senior U.S. senators made emergency landings Thursday in the mountains of Afghanistan because of a snowstorm.
Sens. John Kerry, Joseph Biden and Chuck Hagel were aboard the aircraft. No one was injured, according a statement from Kerry’s office. The senators and their delegation returned to Bagram Air Base in a motor [...] | | By: TexasFred's | | |
| | A 'Mini-Surge' in Afghanistan | | 2008-01-15 17:59:24 | | U.S. sending 3,200 Marines to AfghanistanThis is very smart move by the U.S. government – though there are some complications.A brief backgroundAfghanistan has been off the radar here in the U.S.; nearly all policy discussions have been over Iraq. That is, until recently, when the possibility of this ‘Afghanistan surge’ came up.Afghanistan has needed the equivalent of a small surge for a while; growing drug problems (no pun intended), a Taliban comeback in the south, and a destabilized Pakistan to the east have all complicated NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.Even still, NATO allies have been reluctant to send more troops, even after repeated requests by the U.S.A good ideaNot only does this ‘mini surge’ have the potential to solve many stability issues in Afghanistan, it also could encourage other countries to send more troops to Afghanistan. Or, in the case of Canada, influence their decision of whether or not to pull out all of their troops.But back to the surge’s potential: Afghanistan has different problems, though similar, than Iraq. This is what makes the surge different in Afghanistan than the Iraqi surge. This ‘mini-surge’ will help solve some of these Afghani problems. For example, the Taliban is expected to launch another spring offensive in a couple of months. The extra troops will get there just in time to help combat this offensive.Military stretched thinThe biggest issue most have with sending more troops to Afghanistan is the same many had with sending more to Iraq: our military is stretched. Its resources depleted, its manpower tired and overused, it will take some time for the military to fix itself up after these wars.Luckily, the military made a smart decision (Robert Gates not looking so bad after all, eh?). A force of 3,200 Marines isn’t too many to stretch the military, but it’s just enough to make a difference.
| | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
| | Afghanistan Gov't Orders U.N., E.U. Reps Out of Country | | 2008-01-02 07:00:00 | | The Afghanistan government has ordered the U.N. and E.U. representatives in the country to leave, claiming that the two met secretly and illegally with senior Taliban officials.The government also accused the representatives of constituting a danger to Afghanistan's national security. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Edmonton 9/11 Truth Questions Opposition Leader about Canada's Role in Afghanistan | | 2007-12-09 09:58:00 | | Hon. Stephane Dion: “We are not in Afghanistan in retribution for 9/11. Never! Canada is not that kind of a country.”by Wayne PranteDecember 7th, 2007Edmonton, Alberta - Prior to the attacks in New York and Washington, DC on September 11th, 2001, Canada was widely known and respected as a UN Peacekeeping force in conflicts around the world.Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, NATO invoked, for the first time in history (at US request) Article 5 of the NATO Charter, claiming an attack by a foreign nation. President George W. Bush declared some days later, during an internationally televised speech, and in a direct challenge to other nations "you are either with us or you are with the terrorists". Canada, under Liberal Jean Chretien, like other NATO allies, quickly announced that it would participate in Bush's global "War on Terror" and sent troops to Afghanistan. Popular support for that decision was very high.Canada has changed federal governments since the war began, with the Conservatives under PM Stephan Harper now in power, and the mission in Afghanistan has continued. The then Minister of Defence Gordon O'Connor stated in January 2007 that Canadian soldiers were "fighting in Afghanistan in retribution for 9/11". That statement appears to be totally consistent with the Article 5 declaration (the original mission). Members of the Canadian 9/11 Truth Movement, however, feel that, in light of many new facts that have emerged to contradict the 'official 9/11 story', the war is unjustified, illegal and placing Canada's troops unjustifiably in harm's way.The rapidly growing grassroots movement, which now boasts 15 groups (there were none in 2005), is seeking a withdrawal of Canadian Forces, until the Canadian government launches a public investigation into the September 11th attacks. There has never been any official public investigation in Canada into the attacks, even though 24 Canadians died, United Flight 93 (aka Air Canada flight AC4085) was destroyed, and a | | By: Canada Wants 9/11 Truth | | |
| | Leaked aid map of Afghanistan reveals expansion of no-go zones | | 2007-12-07 07:08:00 | | Almost half of Afghanistan is now too dangerous for aid workers to operate in, a leaked UN map seen by The Times shows.In the past two years most foreign and Afghan staff have withdrawn from the southern half of the country, abandoning or scaling back development projects in rural areas and confining themselves to the cities or the less risky north. The pullback compounds the problems of the Government in Kabul, which has struggled to extend its authority to the regions and provinces, which are increasingly lawless or Taleban controlled.Development has always been touted as a key factor in Western efforts to win over Afghans and bolster support for President Karzai but in the past six years little has been done on the ground in the critical south and east.The failure to help ordinary Afghans or to rebuild areas damaged by fighting in provinces such as Helmand has caused huge resentment and is exploited by Taleban propaganda. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Increased Violence in Afghanistan | | 2007-12-04 02:56:22 | |
Violence is on the rise in Afghanistan; it has been the most violent year since the war began. At the same time we are seeing a decrease in violence in Iraq. We have been told that this decrease is due to the troop surge, but I now wonder if some of that decreased violence is a result of the announcement of the surge. I still find myself troubled by the fact that we announced our military intentions to the enemy. I feel this gave them time to develop a plan to deal with the surge. Is it possible that the enemy's plan was to pull out of Iraq and move their operation to Afghanistan? Some people have commented that having a surge was going to be like playing wac-a-mole. Of course, those people figured the enemy would move around Iraq. With the increase in violence in Afghanistan it is possible that the enemy moved there.Since the invasion of Iraq it seems that Afghanistan has been put on the back burner. Even the media seems to pay little attention. We continually&nb | | By: Miscellaneous Reflexions | | |
| | Chinese ODI Hits Mexico & Afghanistan (& Rio Tinto) | | 2007-11-26 14:37:54 | | The development of Chinese overseas direct investment (ODI) has become a regular feature of the business pages . Everyone knows about the failed investment by CNOOC in Unocal, the purchase of IBM PCs by Lenovo, and the recent headline deals in BG, Blackstone, Barclays, Bear Stearns and Standard Bank (the latter seeming to prove that [...] | | By: Best China Suppliers | | |
| | Danger in Afghanistan | | 2007-11-26 08:29:24 | | The Washington Post on Sunday carried a disturbing piece on Afghanistan, where the problems cited are part of a broader pattern of the same mistakes across the spectrum in the war with radical Islamists. After summing up the litany of problems, from a weak and failing government to the fact that the _jihadists_ seem to be able to easily replace the large number of combatants being killed, Karen DeYoung writes that: But others said the problem is not Pakistan or a lack of military or financial resources...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Pink handbag of the Health Minister endangered the security of Hungarian camp in Afghanistan- says FIDESZ | | 2007-11-06 11:51:00 | | The Hungarian Health Minister HORVÁTH Ágnes visited a hospital under construction in Afghanistan with her husband. Opposition party FIDESZ argued that if the Ministry was invited, then a relative had nothing to do there especially on the money of the taxpayers. And besides, as the National Defence Workgroup of the party said the pink case of the Minister had been a security threat to the whole Hungarian base because of its "rich colour".I apologise to all the photoshop experts! | | By: The blog of Hungary | | |
| | Yunus Qanooni: Friend or Foe of Democracy in Afghanistan? | | 2007-10-26 20:06:19 | | I received this from a trusted friend, an American who lived in Afghanistan for over a year (I won't say exactly how long), worked closely with political leaders there, and has an intimate working knowledge of the twists and turns of Afghan politics. The assertions in the piece are his, but I would also direct the reader to "The United National Front: Warload Redux," written in March by Matthew Dupee, for additional support. I look forward to readers' reactions and will consider posting well-written...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Afghanistan Opinion Poll Silences Cut-and-Run Crowd | | 2007-10-19 05:34:00 | | Results from an unprecedented public opinion poll of the Afghan people taken by Environics Research couldn’t have come at a worse time for Canadian Liberal leader Stephane Dion, NDP chief Jack Layton, and all others in Canada calling for our troops to leave Afghanistan post-haste.With recent losses in key by-elections and the rebelling of his party’s Quebec wing, followed by some deft political moves by massively-underestimated Prime Minister Stephen Harper (this weeks Speech from the Throne should be held up as an example to students of politics everywhere of how to effectively govern a minority government like a majority), the last thing the embattled Grit leader needed was more bad news. But things did in fact get worse for Dion. In war-torn Afghanistan, 51% of all those questioned said that they believed their country was ‘headed in the right direction’, compared to 28% who felt the opposite. As well, 43% said that they wanted foreign troops to stay in their country as long as it takes to get the job done. While the bring-them-home crowd will quickly point out that the number is less than half, it should be noted that a measly 15% of Afghanis want foreign troops (read: Canadian soldiers) to leave immediately. 15%! A higher percentage of New Democrats wish for Canadian troops to cut and run than Afghanistan citizens do!And the man who the federal opposition claims is a ‘puppet’ of the Canadian government, namely Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai? Only a resounding 70% favorable rating. Not bad for a leader seen as weak by some in the outside world.While the Afghan people equate the American army as the main force fighting the Taliban, the poll showed that when it comes to rebuilding and reconstruction, Canada is the nation thought of by the Afghan people. Even Canadian military personnel are seen as builders as well as fighters. So much for the Opposition charges that the Conservative government is too focused on war and not enough on helping to stabilize the nation’s society. With the Harper government stating an extension of the mission by two years in the Throne Speech and daring the rest of the parties in Parliament to force an election, the Prime Minister now sits firmly in the driver’s seat. Canadian’s don’t want an election, and they certainly aren’t so opposed to our involvement overseas that it is a burning election issue. In fact, the opinions of the Afghanistan people may just open the eyes of the average Canadian to realize that this is a just and much needed military action and one that cannot have a time limit.We owe it to the people of Afghanistan to abide by their wishes and finish what we started, even if Jihad Jack and the rest of the cut-and-runners don’t agree. | | By: The Moderate Separatist | | |
| | Executive Summary: Revitalizing U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan | | 2007-10-15 13:52:02 | | Consolidating a stable Afghanistan that is free from Taliban influence and ideology will be expensive and will require a patient, long-term, integrated political, military, and economic strategy, as well as deft diplomacy that recognizes the need for improved Pakistan-Afghanistan relations through increased trade and economic linkages and joint political endeavors....(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | Revitalizing U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan | | 2007-10-15 13:18:05 | | Consolidating a stable Afghanistan that is free from Taliban influence and ideology will be expensive and will require a patient, long-term, integrated political, military, and economic strategy, as well as deft diplomacy that recognizes the need for improved Pakistan-Afghanistan relations through increased trade and economic linkages and joint political endeavors....(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
| | U.S. Marines: from Iraq to Afghanistan | | 2007-10-12 21:57:00 | | The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials. The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command. Its supporters argue that a realignment could allow the army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.At the moment, there are no major Marine units among the 26,000 or so American forces in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are about 25,000 marines among the 160,000 American troops there. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | AFGHANISTAN TRA GUERRA E PACE - Il paese dei leoni addormentati | | 2007-10-02 16:56:07 | |
Nell’ambito del progetto “Le formiche della
Pace” l’Associazione onlus “Le Case degli Angeli
di Daniele” è lieta di presentare un programma
di iniziative sulla realtà di un...Leggi ancora | Pubblicato da Woman80 | Commenti (4)
Tags: eventi, notizie, no violence, aiuto donna, eventi d
| | By: WOMEN IN LOVE | | |
| | No Jews in State Department program, no Jewish bullets in Iraq, Afghanistan | | 2007-09-29 20:49:00 | | As desperate as State is for translators, that won't hire Jews that speak Arabic. (YidwithLid, via Tomorrow War.)According to Israel National News. The US State Department was funding a business training course for middle east residents, run by the University of California (no surprise there). This program was initially open to citizens of "Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel (limited to Israeli Arab citizens), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen."On the other hand:"Israeli-made bullets bought by the U.S. Army to plug a shortfall should be used for training only, not to fight Muslim guerrillas in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers told Army generals on Thursday."(Useful Fools, via Tomorrow War.) | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | EUROASIA: Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline Project | | 2007-09-29 06:09:59 | | Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, armchair journalists and strategists have promulgated the concept that a new Great Game is afoot in Eurasia. This time, the prize is not land but access to the...
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| | By: energy BLOG | | |
| | Canada must cease combat roles in Afghanistan until it independently investigates the 9/11 attacks. | | 2007-09-27 15:55:00 | | Sign this petition! View Current Signatures - Sign the Petition To: Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Honourable St�phane Dion, Leader of the Liberal Caucus, Honourable Jack Layton, Leader of the N.D.P. Caucus, Honourable Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Qu�b�cois Caucus and Members of Parliament. Canadian Defence Minister, Gordon O�Connor has stated that we are �fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in �retribution� for the 9/11 attacks� (Ottawa Citizen � Jan 21, 2007 � full article here:Canada has not investigated whether there is actually evidence linking Osama Bin Laden or the Taliban to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Canada accepted the accusation against Bin Laden by the United States at face value. There has been no independent investigation on Canada�s part to confirm or reject this allegation.Though Osama (written Usama) Bin Laden is listed on the FBI�s Most Wanted Terrorists list (Official FBI page: http://ww | | By: Canada Wants 9/11 Truth | | |
| | US Secretary of Defense Seeks $190 Billion Dollars to Continue Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan | | 2007-09-26 13:43:44 | |
I simply cannot comprehend the mind of this human being who claims to be "aware of the controversy surrounding the unpopular war" but being aware obviously doesn't mean giving a damn.
Does he have access to the media under that rock he is living under? I don't imagine that he does, or he would know that our citizens are suffering and suffering greatly.
- There are still many people who are coming home maimed, mentally unstable and dead from these wars. - There are still many people who are in dire need of financial aid because they do not have any type of health insurance due to the excessive cost of the premiums.
- There are still many people who have been affected by hurricanes and floods and are awaiting financial aid which is way too long in arriving.
- There are still many people who are struggling to take care of their families, who, because of job layoffs are being forced to rely upon government assistance.
- There are still many people who are frightened to cross over more t | | By: Marilyn's Non-Violent Planet Newspage | | |
| | Has the War in Iraq Helped the War in Afghanistan? | | 2007-09-07 02:41:24 | | Has the War in Iraq helped the War in Afghanistan?An outrageous claim, but think about it; many terrorists are now in Iraq, fighting us there, instead of fighting us in Afghanistan.When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Islamists came down on the occupiers hard. Now, the U.S. is meeting comparatively less resistance.The ‘Al-Qaeda’ that is not in hiding is probably concentrating their firepower in Iraq. It would make sense, n’est-ce pas?But there’s another side to the argument. Iraq has drawn huge amounts of resources away from Afghanistan. Troops, funding and public interest are just a few.It comes down to opinion: is the number of terrorists possibly kept out of Iraq more or less important than the loss of troops, funding and public interest.I'd probably say Iraq has hurt the War in Afghanistan, but that's my opinion. Feel free to tell yours.
| | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
| | Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan | | 2007-08-24 07:21:00 | | Author: Frank L. HoltPaperback: 254 pagesPublisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (July 2005)Language: EnglishISBN: 0520245539(R)What George W. Bush called the "first war of the twenty-first century" actually began more than 2,300 years ago when Alexander the Great led his army into what is now a sprawling ruin in northern Afghanistan. Accounts of Alexander's invasion of ancient Bactria read eerily like news from our own day. In this vivid, meticulously researched, and elegantly narrated book, Frank L. Holt follows Alexander's historical, archaeological, and numismatic legacy back and forth between ancient Bactria and modern Afghanistan. Recounting the plight of the most powerful leader of the time as he led the most sophisticated army of its day into the treacherous world of tribal warlords, Holt describes those grueling campaigns and the impact they had on Alexander, his generals, their troops, and the world. Into the Land of Bones also examines the | | By: GanEden For Books | | |
| | Afghanistan, déjà un premier Québécois du 22ième régiment de tué | | 2007-08-19 13:27:55 | | Aujourd’hui, le Québec et l’armé ont perdu leur premier fils. Nous entrons donc officiellement dans la liste des provinces qui sont touché par la guerre en Afghanistan. Que faisons-nous, la majorité des habitants de la province sont contre cette guerre. On nous dit que nous maintenons la paix, mais les soldats qui y partent on [...] | | By: Notre Québec | | |
| | Iran-made bombs in Afghanistan like those Tehran sends to Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon | | 2007-07-19 16:35:00 | | US Col. Thomas Kelly reported finding four of the explosively-formed projectiles in Herat near the Iranian border and one a month ago in the capital Kabul. He said Taliban insurgents may have access to the device but may not yet know how to use them.DEBKAfile reveal that the six Spanish peacekeepers killed in South Lebanon last month were not attacked by a suicide bomber but an early version of the armor-piercing EFP disguised as a rock. This model was developed by Hizballah and widely used with deadly effect against Israeli forces maintaining a security belt in South Lebanon in the 1980s.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in June that "substantial" quantities of Iranian weapons are flowing into Afghanistan and that it was difficult to believe the Iranian government was not aware of it. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Les feuilles tombent en Afghanistan | | 2007-07-05 01:55:11 | | Combien de soldats canadiens devront encore mourir au nom des intérêts géostratégiques de Washington avant qu’on les renvoie à la maison? Six morts, six vies envolées, six familles endeuillées. Pour quoi, déjà?
-Louis | | By: Un homme en colère | | |
| | Al-Qaeda's New Leader in Afghanistan: A Profile of Abu al-Yazid | | 2007-07-03 21:45:00 | | Naming of Abu al-Yazid as the "general leader" of the group's activities in Afghanistan suggests that the al-Qaeda chieftains think that the path to victory in Afghanistan is set solidly enough that Abu al-Yazid can manage the organization's Afghan affairs while they turn to other aspects of the jihad outside Afghanistan.Abu al-Yazid was born in Egypt on December 17, 1955, and in his youth he became a member of the country's radical Islamist movement. Abu al-Yazid was somehow involved in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he spent three years in prison after being convicted and at some point he became a member of al-Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ).He left Egypt for Afghanistan in 1988, and he is reported to have been a founding member of al-Qaeda in the same year. He accompanied bin Laden from Afghanistan to Sudan in 1991 and while there he served as the accountant for bin Laden's Sudan-based businesses—including his flagship company Wadi al-Aqiq. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
| | Una voce dell’Afghanistan democratico | | 2007-06-27 10:37:44 | | CISDA, le DONNE IN NERO e BASTAGUERRA hanno organizzato un presidio a sostegno di Malalai Joya, deputata democratica espulsa dal parlamento afghano
Per non ignorare il coraggio di Malalai Joya....
Leggi ancora | Posted by Woman80 | Commenti | Email this
| | By: WOMEN IN LOVE | | |
| | Civilian Death Statistics in Iraq & Afghanistan Compared | | 2007-06-23 06:00:00 | | Interesting Statistical ComparisonsEvery 9.62 days, there is an equivalent amount of casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan as September 11th.There are 9.65 Virginia Tech shootings in Iraq & Afghanistan everyday.There are 1.61 Madrid bombings in Iraq & Afghanistan everyday.In 11 days as many Iraqi & Afghani civilians are killed as the entire amount of American military personnel killed since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2002 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.Note: There is some discrepancy between various sources on the amount of civilian casualties since the US-led invasion in March 2003. A study in October of 2006 listed over 650,000 killed (see Washington Post article below) while other sources vary from 400,000 to just over 60,000 (see British-government funded Iraq Body Count below). I computed 250,000 by averaging several sources, though I personally feel this is a low number.Update: The differing methodologies among these studies led to these wide variations. For example, t | | By: The Peace Tree | | |
| | Canadians Ignorant re: Afghanistan War | | 2007-05-14 21:14:00 | | Canadians support for our involvement in the Afghanistan war has fluctuated greatly since the campaign began. While everyone claims to 'support the troops', not all are in favor of the continued presence of our military in the war-torn nation. The great yo-yo of opinion dips when another fallen soldier comes home, and like clockwork causes one of the federal opposition parties to propose some half-baked cut-and-run idea like creating a time limit on a war. (STILL can't figure that one out, Stephane.)The Canadian public, particularly the younger generation of voters who are coming out of the over-liberalized, leftwing public education system, are forming their opinions on a mix of false, misguided, or downright wrong information. Worse, many are completely oblivious to the facts regarding the war itself.I have heard some interesting reasons for opposing our fighting this war: It's about oil; we weren't invited; the American's got themselves into this, therefore it's their war, no | | By: The Moderate Separatist | | |
| | Afghanistan people destroying Poppy flowers | | 2007-05-12 07:00:00 | | Bangkok post Neatly attired in a dark blue suit, Shah Mohammad Poya deftly wields a long stick as he and 30 other men hack clumps of pink, red and white flowers from the poppy bushes - the crops Afghanistan's government has banned.
But Poya is not harvesting, he is destroying the abundance under a new drive to curb the booming narcotics trade that has fed insecurity inside his country and earned it a bad name around the globe.
One of several new policemen who have received special training, he recently returned from a counter-narcotics course in Egypt and now heads a poppy eradication department in the northern province of Baghlan.
“With this last plot in this village, I can say with certainty that we have completely eradicated the poppy lands in two districts of the province,” Poya says, hands on hips and exuding satisfaction as he surveys the stripped field in the village of Zorabi, 40 kilometres south of the provincial capital of Pul-i-Khumri... | | By: The Flower Expert - Flowers Encyclopedia | | |
| | Don't Move Troops From Iraq To Afghanistan--Yet | | 2007-05-08 02:20:00 | | The Cafferty File, part of The Situation Room on CNN, poses a question every hour The Situation Room is on. This is today's 5:00 question, and Thoughts on the World's response.------------------------------------------------------------5 p.m.: Two Democratic presidential hopefuls suggest moving U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. Is that a good idea?No. Moving some troops from Iraq to Afghanistan may become a good idea in the future, but not yet. The Iraqi government hasn’t learned to walk and we need to teach it. Afghanistan is a very important front on the War on Terror, but we can’t leave Iraq a mess. | | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
| | News Round-up: NATO in Afghanistan Encouraging Heroin Production? | | 2007-05-04 19:09:00 | | Since decennia, Afghanistan has been one of the main producers of heroin. The plant, the poppy, grows easily, needs little water or care in general, and is easy to harvest: farmers milk opium resin from the plants which is processed into heroin and smuggled.Opium and heroin has become Afghanistan's runaway export success. At the end of the Taliban reign, the cultivation of poppy was outlawed, and the crops were eradicated, up to the extend that the UN Drug Control Program (UNDCP) had closed its offices in Afghanistan with a note "Job Done!".Since the fall of the Taliban, the poppy crop soared from 8,000 hectares in 2001 to a record 165,000 hectares last year. The street value of the annual crop is estimated at US$3 billion, representing about 90% of the world's heroin production. An estimated 2.9 million Afghans, 13% of the population, are involved. There are no cartel lords. Western officials believe trade is controlled by 25 smugglers including three government ministers according | | By: The Road to the Horizon | | |
| | Tra Roma e l'Afghanistan - Nella capitale un incontro per Rahmatullah Hanefi e Adjmal Nashkbandi | | 2007-03-29 12:14:00 | | Teresa Sarti, presidente di Emergency: "Vogliamo una posizione chiara del governo". Almeno 15mila persone sono giunte in piazza Navona a Roma per chiedere la liberazione di Rahmatullah e Adjmal. Sul palco Giuliana Sgrena, Furio Colombo, Vauro. In collegamento Gino Strada e Beppe Grillo. L'appello di Daniele Mastrogiacomo, i messaggi di Lella Costa, Moni Ovadia, Antonio TabucchiGino Strada: 'Cosa deve fare il governo'I contenuti di questo sito sono pubblicati sotto una Licenza Creative Commons.
| | By: Pietro Orsatti | | |
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