Globe Xmas Gifts: Guard to Afghanistan

"At Camp Phoenix, a sprawling, razor-wire-wrapped compound on the outskirts of Kabul that is home to some 2,500 US and NATO soldiers, Molin is one of 170 members of the Massachusetts National Guard, part of the largest deployment of Bay State guardsmen since World War II. Inside the dusty base, it is Christmas. A decorated tree stands on the porch of the chapel. American soldiers sing “Silent Night’’ outside the mess hall. Santa poses for pictures. As their families back home mark the holidays without them, the soldiers try to find small ways to acknowledge Christmas while doing their job.

But....  

--more--"

Related: 420 Bay State Guardsmen are home for Christmas

Mass. soldier in Afghanistan reported killed 

Wartime losses hit hard in tight knit Fall River 

Slain Marine remembered for his determination 

Funeral of soldier killed in Afghanistan to be held in Salem 

And just how are we "helping" over there?

"Afghans lose faith in ability of US and its allies to provide security; New poll indicates shift in sentiment" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post / December 7, 2010

Afghans are more pessimistic about the direction of their country, less confident in the ability of the United States and its allies to provide security, and more willing to negotiate with the Taliban than they were a year ago, according to a new poll conducted in all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.  

And AmeriKa and her mouthpiece media are calling it progress!

But the changes in Helmand and Kandahar bolster claims by senior US military officials, including General David Petraeus, the top coalition commander, that the application of greater combat power and civilian assistance is starting to make a difference.

But the results also lay bare the challenge that remains in encouraging more Afghans to repudiate the insurgency and cast their lot with the government. 

I'm just wondering if you have had it with the corporate media horse s*** like me.

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"The Afghan Defense Ministry also condemned a coalition airstrike that it said mistakenly killed two Afghan soldiers on Tuesday. The ministry said in a statement that three other Afghan soldiers were wounded in the airstrike in Charkh district of Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan. NATO said it was investigating the airstrike.  

Aren't those our guys?

Two NATO service members died yesterday following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan.

Who cares anymore? 

I wanted them out years ago. 

In fact, I NEVER WANTED THEM IN! 

It is SIMPLY MORE BLOOD on the GOVERNMENT'S and MEDIA'S HANDS!

--more--"

"Afghan blast kills 6 US soldiers; Troops had just moved into outpost" by C.J. Chivers, New York Times / December 13, 2010

ZHARE, Afghanistan — Six US soldiers were killed and more than a dozen American and Afghan troops were wounded yesterday when a van packed with explosives was detonated at a new jointly operated outpost in southern Afghanistan.

The Taliban swiftly claimed responsibility for the bombing. “We have killed numbers of Americans and Afghan soldiers and wrecked and ruined their security check post,’’ a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said by telephone. “We will carry out similar attacks in the future.’’

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Was this one?

Afghan bombing kills 3 children



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Yeah, right, our "friends at the BG.

"Attacks in Afghanistan kill 3 kids, NATO soldier 

KABUL, Afghanistan The international Red Cross warned Wednesday of an increase in the number of Afghan armed groups operating in the country as bombings killed three children and a NATO soldier in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan.

Khan Mohammad Mujhid, the police chief in Kandahar province said a remote-controlled bomb, which was set up on a bicycle, exploded in a parking lot that serves as a gathering place for Afghans traveling to and from Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

"How could anyone attack this pilgrimage center?" asked Haji Alam, the father of two of the children who were killed. "I don't know how can a Muslim do that?"

They didn't.

Tens of thousands of Afghan and NATO forces have been deployed in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand and have been making progress in their battle against the Taliban. 

Isn't it quite enough at this point, readers?  

When do you stop listening to a broken record?

Militants have responded with bomb attacks aimed at threatening the population and preventing the government from gaining the support of the people.

Right, that's just what a militant would do if he wanted to be counterproductive, cui bono? 

Related:  

"Now stop and think here for a moment. All revolutions depend on public support. Revolutionaries try to first win the people before they take on the government. So, no revolutionary goes out and murders civilians in cold blood. Did Washington and his men just mow down a marketplace of their fellow colonials for the heck of it? No, they did not. Washington and the Founding Fathers knew that their revolution to build a new country needed the support of those who would live in that country. This is true for every revolution in history. Therefore, these acts of terror being blamed on the insurgency must all be fakes, committed by intelligence agencies working for the governments to be blamed on the insurgents in order to destroy public support for the revolution." -- Wake the Flock Up 

And the agenda-pushing paper turns it around 18-degrees and puts it on its head! 

That is why I NO LONGER BELIEVE THEM regarding anything.

Fighting also has continued in eastern Afghanistan, along the border with Pakistan, where the Haqqani network, a Pakistan-based Taliban faction closely tied to al-Qaida, holds sway.  

What network is that?

"Haqqani.... credited with introducing suicide bombing to the region.... cultivated as a "unilateral" asset of the CIA and received tens of thousands of dollars in cash for his work.... He may have had a role in expediting the escape of Osama Bin Laden.... In July 2008, CIA officials confronted Pakistan officials with evidence of ties between Inter-Services Intelligence and Haqqani. Haqqani has been accused of involvement in the 2008 Indian embassy bombing in Kabul.... The Haqqani Network is based in Pakistan and is believed to have links to Al Qaeda." 

Beginning to get the picture? 

The Red Cross has long been able to operate in even the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan because of a commitment to treat all comers and because of its ability to negotiate access with the Taliban or other insurgent groups.  

Negotiate with intolerant Taliban?  

Also see: Aid Workers Killed in Afghanistan 

Gee, who would want to do that? 

 But a rise of small armed bands across the country has made such negotiations more difficult, said Reto Stocker, Afghanistan head for the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC.  

You mean, like, SPECIAL OPERATIONS SQUADS?

Often they don't know who to talk with to ensure the safety of their workers and the shifting security situation makes it too dangerous to risk going into many areas, he said.

"In a growing number in areas of the country, we are entering a new, rather murky period. We see that the proliferation of armed groups threatens the ability of humanitarian organizations to access those in need," Stocker told reporters in the capital, Kabul. 

It is CALLED PROGRESS according to the Obama administration.

In the past, Red Cross workers were able to get out to areas where there had been clashes or violent incidents within days. Now, sometimes it takes weeks or months, he said.

"Access for the ICRC has, over the last 30 years never been as poor and difficult in Afghanistan," Stocker said....  

Again, it is PROGRESS!

Also Wednesday, NATO said coalition and Afghan investigators have been sent to Helmand province to assess an incident in which coalition aircraft accidentally killed an Afghan civilian and wounded two children the day before. The aircraft was called in to support Afghan and coalition forces who came under fire Tuesday in Marjah district.   

More PROGRESS, I see!!

--more--" 

Globe's web replacement: Taliban rise in north Afghanistan (By Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times)

Progress!

"Taliban attacks kill 13 Afghans; Raids include bus ambush in capital" by Amir Shah, Associated Press / December 20, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters struck at Afghan security forces yesterday, storming an army recruiting center in the north that sparked a daylong gun battle and ambushing a bus carrying army officers in the capital — the first major attack in Kabul since May.  

Progress.

At least 13 Afghan security forces were killed in the two attacks, with the firefight at the recruiting center in the northern province of Kunduz ending only after the last militant detonated his suicide vest, police officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for both operations.

The violence in Kunduz, where security has deteriorated during the past two years, came a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited her country’s troops in the province.

“The purpose of her trip was to give morale to her soldiers. But today the successful attack is shaking the hearts of the occupation soldiers,’’ Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.

Most fighting in Afghanistan has been concentrated in the south. An internal review of President Obama’s year-old war strategy unveiled Thursday noted progress against Taliban momentum, particularly in southern areas that saw a surge of international troop levels.  

Yes, THIS GOVERNMENT is NO LONGER to be believed on ANYTHING!

But the Taliban have been showing they can strike outside those areas.  

Nor is the MOUTHPIECE AmeriKan MEDIA and its ENDLESS BUTS!

 NATO said an international service member died in a bomb attack in the south yesterday, bringing the number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 690, according to an Associated Press count. Previously, the worst year of war was 2009, with 502 foreign troops killed. 

And they CALL IT PROGRESS!!

--more--"  

Related: Afghan Parliament to convene Jan. 20  

I'm sorry, the U.S. air strikes were censored and cut for you webbers.

"Afghans probe NATO raid that killed 2" by Associated Press / December 25, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan authorities said yesterday that they were investigating an overnight raid by NATO troops on a private security company that killed two Afghan guards. NATO said the operation was conducted following a threat against the US Embassy.  

Is NATO at WAR with Afghanistan?

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said the probe was looking into why international forces raided the compound of Tiger International, an Afghan private security company, killing two Afghan guards and wounding another two.

But NATO said the operation was conducted jointly with Afghan forces after “a credible threat to attack the US Embassy’’ was received. It said coalition forces coordinated with Afghan security forces and moved into an area where intelligence reports had located two vehicles thought to be loaded with explosives. 

Bin of bullshit.

The coalition forces were fired on after they had announced their arrival, and they returned fire, killing two of the shooters, NATO’s statement said. Two others were wounded, it said, and 15 people were detained in the operation. Those detained were released after a senior Afghan Army official arrived and vouched for them, NATO said.

--more--"  

Take care, America.  I'm going off-duty.