Afghanistan Archives
January 15, 2008
Pakistan does not control Islamic terrorists
Pakistan's premier military intelligence agency has lost control of some of the networks of Pakistani militants it has nurtured since the 1980s, and is now suffering the violent blowback of that policy, two former senior intelligence officials and other officials close to the agency say. [...] The growing strength of the militants, many of whom now express support for Al Qaeda's global jihad, presents a grave threat to Pakistan's security, as well as NATO efforts to push back the Taliban in Afghanistan. American officials have begun to weigh more robust covert operations to go after Al Qaeda in the lawless... ... more
Posted at 3:28 PM
October 12, 2007
Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy To Receive Congressional Medal Of Honor
"His objective was clear: to make one last valiant attempt to save his two teammates" Only the third medal of honor awarded since the start of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq (h/t Ace): Murphy, 29, was leading a four-man observation team in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains when they were spotted by Taliban fighters on June 28, 2005. During the intense battle, Murphy and two of his men -- Gunner's Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson -- were killed, and a fourth man, former Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, was... ... morePosted at 2:34 AM
September 4, 2007
Chinese (Still) Supplying Weapons To The Taliban
That's the way I call it; how else could they explain this? And, as you might have already suspected, there's much more to the China-Taliban connection than meets the eye! And wouldn't you just know it, according to an intelligence report back in 2002, China and our "friend" (sic) Musharrif's ISI intelligence service actually collaborated in training the Taliban prior to 9-11. In that same year, evidence of Chinese military backing for the Taliban surfaced when U.S. Army Special Forces troops discovered 30 HN-5s, the designation for Chinese-made SA-7s surface-to-air missiles, in southeastern Afghanistan. Related: The Pakistan-Taliban-Al Qaida phenomenon started... ... morePosted at 11:23 AM
June 25, 2007
6-year-old 'Dirt-caked' Afghan Boy Who Collects Scrap Metal For Money, 'Tricked' By Taliban Into Being Suicide Bomber
This story has been all over cable media today, but the real gut-wrenching, heart-tearing facts have been left out: [...] Taliban fighters forced him to wear a vest they said would spray out flowers when he touched a button. He said they told him that when he saw American soldiers, "throw your body at them." The militants cornered Juma in a Taliban-controlled district in southern Afghanistan's Ghazni province. Their target was an impoverished youngster being raised by an older sister--but also one who proved too street-smart for their plan. "When they first put the vest on my body I didn't... ... morePosted at 4:48 PM
May 10, 2007
Why The Left In Canada Gets Afghanistan Wrong
Terry Gavin has a piece today that seems a natural fit with my previous post:My essay in today's Ottawa Citizen: This week, the Citizen provided its readers with a rare glimpse of a scandal that has severely damaged Canada's ability to effectively engage in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and it has nothing to do with the ill-treatment of Taliban detainees. . .It's about that section of the left that has made common cause with the Islamist far right, and how the sect around which it revolves now provides the staff positions for the Canadian Peace Alliance and the Toronto Stop... ... morePosted at 2:26 PM
January 17, 2007
Militant Attacks 'Surging' In Afghanistan
The NYT reports that attacks by 'militants' (read - radical Islamic terrorists) crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan have apparently tripled since September along portions of the border, prompting calls for a greater effort by Pakistan to curb the influx and a larger deployment of American and other NATO soldiers there. A military commander says the "enemy is using both sides of the border" and that even after five years of pressing the Pakistani government to shut down Taliban infiltration, "there is no easy solution to the problem" (read - the Pakistani government is giving the Taliban a free border crossing... ... morePosted at 12:32 PM
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