IOL News | Kabul - Four civilians were killed and 22 others were wounded on Monday when a bomb placed in a busy area went off in southern Afghanistan, an official said.
“The explosives hidden in a hand-cart in a crowded bazaar in Kandahar city, detonated at 9am (04h30 GMT),” said Javed Faisal, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province.
“It is not clear yet how the explosives blew up, but a remote-control device has been found in the pocket of a dead person,” Faisal told reporters.
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Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
August 5, 2013
Why a Dam in Afghanistan Might Set Back Peace
A $200 million dam project will divert water from Iran. Afghan officials say they have no plans to negotiate water rights with Iran.
Christian Science Monitor |Herat, Afghanistan - The water that grows western Afghanistan’s fresh produce, sprinkles its town parks with shade-giving trees, and slakes the thirst of war-weary Afghans, is becoming a point of tension with nearby Iran as a large dam under construction will constrict cross-border flow.
After nearly four decades of work, the Salma Dam – a $200 million project paid for and built by India, yet delayed by Afghanistan’s turbulent history of occupations, civil war, and insurgency – is slated to be finished by the end of 2014.
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Guantanamo prison chief now says detainees should have been labeled POWs, taken to Afghanistan
Fox News |The Guantanamo Bay detention camp’s top, on-site military overseer is
saying the prison’s inmates should be held overseas or in the U.S. –
but not in the offshore legal limbo perpetuated by the infamous
installation.
“I would argue that detainees should be kept in Afghanistan, or, if moving them is necessary, then into the United States,” William Lietzau, America’s Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Detainee Affairs, told The Mail on Sunday.
“If I could change one thing in Gitmo’s past, I would have called them prisoners of war from the beginning.”
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“I would argue that detainees should be kept in Afghanistan, or, if moving them is necessary, then into the United States,” William Lietzau, America’s Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Detainee Affairs, told The Mail on Sunday.
“If I could change one thing in Gitmo’s past, I would have called them prisoners of war from the beginning.”
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August 1, 2013
3 al Qaeda Military 'Training Experts' Killed in US Drone Strike in Pakistan
Bill Roggio | Long War Journal | A Pakistani Taliban commander said that the US killed three al Qaeda military "training experts" in a drone strike in North Waziristan that took place last weekend. Al Qaeda continues to support Taliban military operations in Afghanistan and conduct its own attacks despite claims from US commanders that the terrorist group is merely fighting for its survival in the country and maintains a minimal presence.
The US drone strike, which took place on July 28 in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, a known hub for terrorists crossing into Afghanistan, is reported to have killed four Arabs and four Taliban fighters.
The Taliban commander told Reuters that the Arab fighters were "al Qaeda training experts who had crossed the border from Afghanistan to look at ways of setting up a similar camp on Pakistani territory." The al Qaeda fighters were identified as "Abu Rashid from Saudi Arabia, Muhammed Ilyas Kuwaiti from Kuwait, and Muhammed Sajid Yamani from Yemen."
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The US drone strike, which took place on July 28 in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, a known hub for terrorists crossing into Afghanistan, is reported to have killed four Arabs and four Taliban fighters.
The Taliban commander told Reuters that the Arab fighters were "al Qaeda training experts who had crossed the border from Afghanistan to look at ways of setting up a similar camp on Pakistani territory." The al Qaeda fighters were identified as "Abu Rashid from Saudi Arabia, Muhammed Ilyas Kuwaiti from Kuwait, and Muhammed Sajid Yamani from Yemen."
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Sgt. Stephen M. New
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Stephen M. New, 29, of Bartlett, Tenn., died July 28, in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire in the Sarobi District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Jackson, Miss.
For more information, media may contact the United States Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) public affairs office at 910-908-3947 or 910-689-6187.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Stephen M. New, 29, of Bartlett, Tenn., died July 28, in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire in the Sarobi District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Jackson, Miss.
For more information, media may contact the United States Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) public affairs office at 910-908-3947 or 910-689-6187.
Spc. Nicholas B. Burley
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Nicholas B. Burley, 22, of Red Bluff, Calif., died July 30, in Pul-E-Alam, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
For more information, media may contact the Fort Stewart public affairs office at 912-271-9914.
The Struggle for Influence in Afghan
Afghanistan Sun (ANI) | Thursday 1st August, 2013 | The deadline for the withdrawal of most, if not all U.S. and other NATO troops from Afghanistan, is only 18 months off, but much of what will happen after that, is still up in the air.
The world closely watches as the U.S., the Afghan Government led by President Hamid Karzai, the Northern Alliance and Afghanistan's neighbours are searching for a solution to the Afghan conflict that is in their best interest, though not necessarily in the interest of the country.
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The world closely watches as the U.S., the Afghan Government led by President Hamid Karzai, the Northern Alliance and Afghanistan's neighbours are searching for a solution to the Afghan conflict that is in their best interest, though not necessarily in the interest of the country.
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The U.S. Military Has Awarded Contracts To Al-Qaeda In Afghanistan
Tyler Durden - Michael Krieger | Zero Hedge | I suppose it just wasn’t enough that our allies, “the rebels” in Syria, have significant Al-Qaeda elements to them. No, we are the USA! USA! Best country ever. Defender of human rights. City on a hill. We must do far more than that. So we did.
This story below from Bloomberg, highlights a 236-page report by the U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office, which shows that military contracts have been granted to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yep, this is exactly what happens when an empire gets too big, too corrupt, and ends up in the hands of a bunch of sociopaths. From Bloomberg: "Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing “due process rights” as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending." READ MORE
This story below from Bloomberg, highlights a 236-page report by the U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office, which shows that military contracts have been granted to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yep, this is exactly what happens when an empire gets too big, too corrupt, and ends up in the hands of a bunch of sociopaths. From Bloomberg: "Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing “due process rights” as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending." READ MORE
In Afghanistan, Mixed Reasons for Drop in Attacks
UT San Diego | KIMBERLY DOZIER, AP | Aug. 1, 2013 | CAMP GARMSER, Afghanistan — When Marine Maj. Chris Bourbeau walked alone into an Afghan base last spring, he left behind his helmet, bulletproof jacket and rifle. Given the deadly insider attacks that had rocked U.S.-Afghan relations, he was putting his trust - and his life - in the hands of the Afghan troops he was training.
"I tell people who are visiting: `Take that stuff off. Your first line of defense is your rapport, not your gear,'" Bourbeau said.
That kind of cultural awareness and relationship-building is cited by a new Pentagon report noting the slight ebb in the deadly insider attacks on Americans by Afghan forces. Another reason is less encouraging: Americans have taken better measures to protect themselves.
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"I tell people who are visiting: `Take that stuff off. Your first line of defense is your rapport, not your gear,'" Bourbeau said.
That kind of cultural awareness and relationship-building is cited by a new Pentagon report noting the slight ebb in the deadly insider attacks on Americans by Afghan forces. Another reason is less encouraging: Americans have taken better measures to protect themselves.
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July 31, 2013
DOD Releases Report on Progress in Afghanistan
The July 2013 “Report on Progress Toward Security and
Stability in Afghanistan,” a biannual report to Congress in accordance
with Section 1230 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181) as amended; section 1221 of the NDAA for
FY 2012 (Public Law 112-81); and sections 1212, 1217, 1223, and 1531(d)
of the NDAA for FY 2013 (Public Law 112-239), as amended, was provided
today to Congress.
It is posted at http://www.defense.gov/pubs/Section_1230_Report_July_2013.pdf.
It is posted at http://www.defense.gov/pubs/Section_1230_Report_July_2013.pdf.
US Military Deaths in Afghanistan at 2119
UT San Diego | AP | As of Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at least 2,119 members of the U.S.
military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of
Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.
The AP count is three less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EDT.
At least 1,757 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a
result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Women’s Rights at Risk in Afghan Peace Process
Selah Hennessy | Voice of America | July 30, 2013 | LONDON — Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the rights of Afghan have progressed: Women are in school, the workplace and government.
But those advances could well be jeopardized in coming months, according to a new report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
While CEDAW chief Nicole Ameline has received assurances of Afghan officials that women’s rights will be upheld after international troops depart in 18 months, the U.N.'s most recent gender-inequality index indicates the status of women in Afghanistan remains among the worst in the world.
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But those advances could well be jeopardized in coming months, according to a new report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
While CEDAW chief Nicole Ameline has received assurances of Afghan officials that women’s rights will be upheld after international troops depart in 18 months, the U.N.'s most recent gender-inequality index indicates the status of women in Afghanistan remains among the worst in the world.
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‘Beyond Bullying and Insulting’: Wounded Afghan War Vet from B.C. Joins Legal Fight Over Reduced Benefits
The Province | Vancouver - An Afghanistan war veteran says he is infuriated with the Harper government after federal lawyers argued in B.C. Supreme Court that Canada holds no extraordinary social obligation to former soldiers.
The lawyers, fighting a class-action lawsuit in B.C., asked a judge to dismiss the court action filed by injured Afghan veterans, saying Ottawa owes them nothing more than what they have already received under its New Veterans Charter. The stand drew an incendiary reaction from veterans advocates, including one of the plaintiffs in the case, Kevin Berry.
The Port Moody, B.C., veteran said he is losing patience with the federal Tories, whose lawyers he said are bullying ex-soldiers with their argument in court last week that soldiers should elect a new government if they aren’t happy with the controversial new charter.
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The lawyers, fighting a class-action lawsuit in B.C., asked a judge to dismiss the court action filed by injured Afghan veterans, saying Ottawa owes them nothing more than what they have already received under its New Veterans Charter. The stand drew an incendiary reaction from veterans advocates, including one of the plaintiffs in the case, Kevin Berry.
The Port Moody, B.C., veteran said he is losing patience with the federal Tories, whose lawyers he said are bullying ex-soldiers with their argument in court last week that soldiers should elect a new government if they aren’t happy with the controversial new charter.
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India, Pakistan will play significant roles in Afghanistan: US
Afghanistan Sun | IANS | Wednesday 31st July, 2013 - As a new US defence department report suggested that the "zero option" in Afghanistan - a complete pullout of US troops - is unrealistic, a Pentagon official said India and Pakistan would play significant roles there in future.
"I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan," Peter Lavoy, the Pentagon's top policy official on Afghanistan told reporters Tuesday in response to a question.
"Those countries and other immediate and nearby neighbours of Afghanistan are affected by the security conditions in Afghanistan," he said briefing reporters on Pentagon's twice-a-year report to Congress on "Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan."
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"I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan," Peter Lavoy, the Pentagon's top policy official on Afghanistan told reporters Tuesday in response to a question.
"Those countries and other immediate and nearby neighbours of Afghanistan are affected by the security conditions in Afghanistan," he said briefing reporters on Pentagon's twice-a-year report to Congress on "Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan."
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India, Pakistan Fear 'Surplus Terrorism' after Afghan Pullout
The Times of India | WASHINGTON - India and Pakistan fear that any instability in the war-torn
Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops could result in
"surplus terrorism" in both the countries, a top US official has said.
At the same time he said that the US believes both India and Pakistan will play significant roles in Afghanistan in the coming years.
"I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan" said Peter Lavoy, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asia Pacific Security Affairs.
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At the same time he said that the US believes both India and Pakistan will play significant roles in Afghanistan in the coming years.
"I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan" said Peter Lavoy, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asia Pacific Security Affairs.
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July 30, 2013
Why Central Asia Matters
Nathan Barrick | Registan.net | The “Great Game” is the term commonly used to describe the competition by the great 19th
Century Empires for influence and control of Central Asia, especially
Afghanistan. There are many observers who would prefer to leave the
“Great Game” in the annals of 19th Century history and
interpret current events in Central Asia and Afghanistan through the
lens of different paradigm than Nationalism and Imperialism. In truth,
there is much that is laudable in such a view; primarily, that
globalization and increased awareness of Human Rights have advanced
mankind to the point where advantaged nations have an obligation to
support development and the pursuit of prosperity in disadvantaged
nations because the future of the world may hang in the balance.
However, championing idealistic values, even ascribing a universal
quality to them, does not engender automatic recognition of the benefits
those values may have to those who do not currently enjoy the fruits of
the hard lessons learned by those who do champion those values.
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Spc. Caryn E. Nouv, Sgt. Eric T. Lawson
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died July 27, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Killed were:
Sgt. Eric T. Lawson, 30, of Stockbridge, Ga., and
Spc. Caryn E. Nouv, 29, of Newport News, Va.
For more information media may contact the Joint Base Langley-Eustis public affairs office at 757-878-4920 or after business hours at 757-878-5050.
Obama Admin Quietly Releases Taliban Inmates From Gitmo To Open Peace Talks In Afghanistan
AWR Hawkins | Big Peace | Without an official announcement or any publicity, the Obama administration released five members of the Taliban from Gitmo in order to open peace talks in Afghanistan.
Ynetnews.com reports that "a top U.S. official said the prisoners were released under the condition that they will not engage in any violent activity." The terror activity of those released is not in question.
Rather, their release is intended as a gesture to get peace talks rolling between the U.S., Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
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Ynetnews.com reports that "a top U.S. official said the prisoners were released under the condition that they will not engage in any violent activity." The terror activity of those released is not in question.
Rather, their release is intended as a gesture to get peace talks rolling between the U.S., Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
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Afghanistan Bombings Kill 14
Jill Langlois | Global Post |Two bombings — one overnight and another early Monday morning — killed at least 14 people in southern Afghanistan.
The first blast hit Zabul Province late Sunday night, killing 11 people and wounding another 20.
Local officials said the dead included a senior police official, two policemen and eight civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.
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FDA Drug Warning Could Affect Bales’ Sentencing in Afghan Massacre
The FDA said Monday that an anti-malarial drug can cause neurological side effects, and the lawyer for a soldier who killed 16 Afghan civilians says his client took the medication and that will likely be raised at his sentencing.
Hal Bernton | Seattle Times | Originally published July 29, 2013 at 9:26 PM - Mefloquine, an anti-malarial drug used for years by U.S. troops as well as some civilians heading to tropical hot spots, can cause long-term neurological damage and serious psychiatric side effects, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA warning, made public Monday in a safety announcement, is likely to be raised in the upcoming sentencing of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales for murdering 16 Afghan civilians. John Henry Browne, Bales’ attorney, says the soldier took mefloquine on earlier tours of duty in Iraq.
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