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Tag: Afghanistan
The Global Scene
Stat Attack
According to a new study, nearly two of every three male juveniles arrested in Afghanistan are physically abused. The study, which was conducted by US defense attorney Kimberly Motley for the international children's rights organization Terre des Hommes, revealed "a justice system that subjects juveniles, many of whom are already innocent victims, to torture, forced confessions and blatant violation of their rights in court." During the interviews for the study, many of the boys said that they been beaten by several police simultaneously. In one case, a 17-year-old said he was "kicked liked an animal" by six or seven policemen. [Raw Story]
Posted 11:07 AM | Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
War in Afghanistan
For the first time in nearly a year, opposition to the war in Afghanistan has dropped below the 50 percent mark, according to a new poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday indicates that 44 percent of the public says things are going well for the U.S. in Afghanistan, with 43 percent saying things are going badly. Says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland: "That's a huge 23-point jump since last November, when two-thirds thought that things were going poorly in the war." [CNN]
Posted 1:48 PM | Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
You Can’t Have it Your Way
Whoppers, Dairy Queen sundaes and the latest movies will soon disappear for U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan, according to a blog posting by Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Hall discussing changes to morale, welfare and recreation facilities on U.S. bases there. In an effort to put more focus on fighting the Taliban, the military is cutting back on "non-essentials" in Afghanistan. On large U.S. facilities such as the Kandahar and Bagram air bases, that includes closing restaurants such as Burger King, Dairy Queen, Orange Julius and Pizza Hut, dropping first-run movies from base theaters and cutting the amount of canned and bottled beer imported from the States. [CNN.com]
Posted 3:34 PM | Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
What Money?
Here comes a flashback - the State Department is failing to properly oversee nearly $2 billion in contracts to battle the drug trade, build infrastructure and train police in Afghanistan, according to a bluntly worded internal assessment. De ja vu? Didn't we read about this with another war?
The report by the department's inspector general questions whether the U.S. will be able to stabilize the country in time to meet President Obama's goal of withdrawing some troops by June 2011. [USA Today]
Posted 4:05 PM | Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
Blackwater Killed Kenny!
According to explosive article in the Washington Independent, the military contractor Blackwater "diverted hundreds of weapons, including more than 500 AK-47 assault rifles, from a U.S. weapons bunker in Afghanistan intended to equip Afghan policemen, according to an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee." Contractors in Afghanistan, remember, are not allowed to operate weapons without permission from the U.S. government; Blackwater had no permission (but did use an array of amusing South Park nicknames and aliases for one another in their heist.) [Washington Independent]
Posted 12:10 AM | Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
WAR IS HELL
The United States lost its 1,000th soldier today, after a bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded near a busy bus terminal in Afghanistan, killing eight people. The attack happened in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province where there is currently a US-led military offensive against the Taliban. Sixteen people were also injured in the blast. [AFP]
Posted 1:00 PM | Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 | Permalink
Safe, Sound, Secure
Captured in Pakistan
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s top military commander, was captured several days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and American intelligence forces, according to American government officials. He is the most significant Taliban figure to be detained since the Afghanistan war began started more than eight years ago, ranking second in influence only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban’s founder and a close associate of Osama bin Laden before the Sept. 11 attacks. [NYT]
Posted 8:27 AM | Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | Permalink
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