Tag: afghanistan

Was Afghan Massacre Linked to IED Attack?

Interviews with survivors, relatives of the civilians massacred in Panjwai on March 11, and other local residents add new evidence suggesting that the massacre was linked to the response by the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit to a roadside bomb that had blown up a U.S. troop carrier three days earlier. Sgt. Robert Bales, … Continue reading “Was Afghan Massacre Linked to IED Attack?”

Walk to the NATO Summit: Striding Toward Peace

On what is now the 17th day of our walk from Madison to Chicago, the number 165 does not seem to encapsulate all the progress we have made. We are 17 days and 165 miles away from the day I drove into Madison, where news arrived that Air Force One had descended on pre-dawn Kabul … Continue reading “Walk to the NATO Summit: Striding Toward Peace”

We’re Fighting in a War We Lost Before the War Began

It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but support for the longest U.S. war is dropping further and faster than ever. The latest national U.S. poll, released on May 9, shows 66 percent of Americans are against the war in Afghanistan – with 40 percent "strongly opposed." We can expect to hear the usual spin, claims that it’s a … Continue reading “We’re Fighting in a War We Lost Before the War Began”

An Afghan Okinawa

There is no U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014. We are ordinary Afghans wishing for peace, and we have eyes and ears and feelings of love and despair, so please read on. The Washington Post, in reporting the recent signing of the U.S. Afghan Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement, stated that “U.S. trainers and Special Operations troops … Continue reading “An Afghan Okinawa”

Enduring Commitments Abroad

Listen to Rep. Paul deliver this address. Last week President Obama made a surprise pre-dawn trip to Afghanistan to mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden and to sign a document further extending the U.S. presence in that country. The president said, “We’re building an enduring partnership. … As you stand … Continue reading “Enduring Commitments Abroad”

Stick a Fork in al-Qaeda

A year after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs, letters written by al-Qaeda’s former leader paint a picture of an organization that was a shadow of its former self — certainly not the terrorist group with global reach that was able to attack America on Sept. 11, 2001. Addressing the nation after … Continue reading “Stick a Fork in al-Qaeda”

US-Afghan Pact Won’t End War or Night Raids

The optics surrounding the Barack Obama administration’s “Enduring Strategic Partnership” [.pdf] agreement with Afghanistan and the memorandums of understanding (MOU) accompanying it emphasize transition to Afghan responsibility and an end to U.S. war. But the only substantive agreement reached between the U.S. and Afghanistan — well hidden in the agreements — has been to allow … Continue reading “US-Afghan Pact Won’t End War or Night Raids”

The UN May Have Silenced the Afghan Public

“Today, Afghanistan and the U.S. initialed and locked the text of the strategic partnership agreement,” said President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi. “This means the text is closed….” Why “lock” or “close” the future of Afghanistan to 30 million ordinary Afghan citizens? While the world may accept that the U.S. and Afghan governments have some … Continue reading “The UN May Have Silenced the Afghan Public”

Memory Failure at the Pentagon

Call it a mantra, a litany, or a to-don’t list, but the drip, drip, drip of Afghan disaster and the gross-out acts accompanying it have already resulted in one of those classic fill-you-in paragraphs that reporters hang onto for whenever the next little catastrophe rears its ugly head. Here’s how that list typically went after … Continue reading “Memory Failure at the Pentagon”