Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
Military Admits ‘Errors’ in Civilian Bombing in Afghanistan, But Still Defends the Attacks and Warns of Greater Casualities
3 Jun 09 | Rebel Reports and LAT
The attack in Farah province killed as many as 140 Afghan civilians. The U.S. military says errors were made, but insists the “targets” “posed legitimate threats to Afghan or American forces.”
U.S. Troops Arrest Afghan Reporter
3 Jun 09 | BBC
An Afghan journalist working for a prominent independent radio station in the province of Khost has been arrested by American soldiers. Read the rest of this entry »
Bin Laden Attacks Obama Policies
3 Jun 09 | AJE
Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda leader, has accused Barack Obama, the U.S. president, of following the policy of his predecessor George Bush in “antagonising Muslims”.
Poll: Most Americans Against Closing Gitmo; Dems Fund Wars, IMF, Not Gitmo Closing
Two-thirds of Americans are against closing the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with even more rejecting the idea of relocating its detainees to U.S. prisons. Read the rest of this entry »
In Change of Tactics, U.N. Now Hopes for ‘Flood of Drugs’ in Afghanistan
31 May 09 | AWC News
U.N. Drug Chief: “There will be so much opium inside Afghanistan.” Read the rest of this entry »
Eavesdropping Case Tests Obama Vows on Secrecy
by William Fisher
1 Jun 09 | IPS
Despite President Barack Obama’s formation of a new task force to review government secrecy, and an ongoing investigation into use of the so-called “state secrets doctrine”, lawyers for the new administration refused last week to disclose information on the government’s use of warrantless wiretaps and backed legislation to block the release of photos of prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the rest of this entry »
Watching Obama Morph Into Dick Cheney
by Paul Craig Roberts
21 May 09 | AWC
America has lost her soul, and so has her president. Read the rest of this entry »
Joint Chiefs Chairman Criticizes Afghan Air Strikes
The United States cannot succeed in Afghanistan if the American military keeps killing Afghan civilians, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday. Read the rest of this entry »
Afghan Civilian Deaths: Who is to Blame?
Analysis by Laura King
17 May 09 | LAT
Commanders and villagers give conflicting accounts of the attack that Afghan officials say killed 140 civilians, two-thirds of them children and teenagers, in what may prove the most lethal episode of civilian casualties since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 — a toll disputed by the U.S. But injured girls make clear the costs for two families.
The Impotent President
by Paul Craig Roberts
15 May 09 | Counterpunch
Who runs America?
What do you suppose it is like to be elected president of the United States only to find that your power is restricted to the service of powerful interest groups? Read the rest of this entry »
Obama’s Extra War Funding Wins House Approval
Many Democrats are wary but put aside their concerns to issue a vote of confidence in the president’s plans for military escalation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Villagers in Afghanistan Describe Chaos of U.S. Strikes
14 May 09 | NYT
The number of civilians killed by the American airstrikes in Farah Province last week may never be fully known. But villagers, including two girls recovering from burn wounds, described devastation that officials and human rights workers are calling the worst episode of civilian casualties in eight years of war in Afghanistan.
Accountability for Torture: Questions and Answers
13 May 09 | HRW
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, U.S. officials approved various interrogation methods that were illegal under both U.S. and international law. Read the rest of this entry »
‘White Phosphorus Hailed From U.S. Planes’; ‘U.S. Strike Killed 95 Children in Afghanistan’
13 May 09 | PTV
Survivors of the recent U.S. airstrike in western Afghanistan say the U.S. military used deadly white phosphorus munitions against Afghan civilians.
Obama’s Choice for Top Afghan Commander Suggests Special Ops Strikes to Continue
by Gareth Porter
12 May 09 | IPS
The choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to become the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been hailed by Defence Secretary Robert Gates and national news media as ushering in a new unconventional approach to counterinsurgency. Read the rest of this entry »
Afghan Villagers Receive Reparations for U.S. Strike That Killed 140 Civilians Last Week
12 May 09 | LAT
A government commission concluded that 140 civilians died, more than twice the figure cited by the United States. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. Accused of Illegal White Phosphorus Attack in Afghanistan
10 May 09 | Raw Story
United States forces in Afghanistan are accused of illegally deploying white phosphorus against civilians following a firefight with Taliban militants, according to published reports. Read the rest of this entry »
Ugly Truth About Foreign Aid in Afghanistan
10 May 09 | PTV
Exorbitant sums of international aid to Afghanistan are being lavished by Western aid agencies on their own officials in the conflict-stricken country.
Zardari: Osama bin Laden is Dead
10 May 09 | Raw Story
Two weeks ago, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zadari suggested that Osama bin Laden might be dead, saying that U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agencies had been unable to detect any sign of the world’s most wanted man since an audio recording of his voice was released in March. Read the rest of this entry »
How the U.S. Empire Contributed to the Economic Crisis
by Ivan Eland
9 May 09 | AWC
A few — and only a few — prescient commentators have questioned whether the U.S. can sustain its informal global empire in the wake of the most severe economic crisis since World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
Karzai Demands End to U.S. Air Strikes
8-9 May 09 | AWC News, CNN and LAT
Record toll of Farah Attack renews outrage over bombing villages. Read the rest of this entry »
UN: Pakistan Unrest Displaces One Million
8 May 09 | PTV
A spokesman for the UN refugee agency says the recent outbreak of violence in northwest Pakistan has displaced a total of one million people.
U.S. Military Officials Concede Killing Scores of Civilians in Afghan Strike
Pentagon Seeking More Weapons Spending: Afghanistan Costs Will Eclipse Iraq
Budget was originally presented as abandoning wasteful weapons spending, seeks increase. Read the rest of this entry »
British Intelligence ‘Recruited Terror Suspects in U.S. Custody’
7 May 09 | PTV
The UK intelligence agency MI5 tried to recruit ‘terror suspects’ in U.S. custody, a British daily claims.
