Tag: taliban

Afghanistan: War Trumps Elections

The official results of Afghanistan’s presidential elections won’t be known for weeks. The ballots cast around the country need to be brought to Kabul — some by donkey and helicopter — and counted. Nevertheless, U.S. officials have rushed to celebrate the process, and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen heralded the elections as "a testimony … Continue reading “Afghanistan: War Trumps Elections”

Questions on the Eve of the Afghan Election

How many Marines and soldiers will die in Afghanistan before the mainstream media dares to speak the truth and ask questions based thereon? Yes, it is the mainstream media that is keeping us locked in Afghanistan, and they are doing so for two reasons: They will do almost anything to avoid asking President Obama a … Continue reading “Questions on the Eve of the Afghan Election”

Political Solution in Afghanistan Possible,
but Not by Going Down Current Path

It would be a great service to the American nation if Barack Obama would tell us what he himself thinks the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan are about. To capture Osama bin Laden? There have been eight years in which to capture bin Laden and it’s not been done yet, and there seems no reason … Continue reading “Political Solution in Afghanistan Possible,
but Not by Going Down Current Path”

One Step Forward,
One Step Back

According to the July 3 Cleveland Plain Dealer, President Barack Obama said something very interesting last week. He told the AP that he has "a very narrow definition of success when it comes to our national security interests" in Afghanistan. "And that is that al-Qaeda and its affiliates cannot set up safe havens from which … Continue reading “One Step Forward,
One Step Back”

US Uses False Taliban Aid Charge to Pressure Iran

The Barack Obama administration has given new prominence to a Bush administration charge that Iran is providing military training and assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan, for which no evidence has ever been produced, and which has been discredited by data obtained by IPS from the Pentagon itself. The new twist in the charge is … Continue reading “US Uses False Taliban Aid Charge to Pressure Iran”

Visitors and Hosts in Pakistan

In Jayne Anne Phillips’ Lark and Termite, the skies over Korea in 1950 are described in this way: "The planes always come … like planets on rotation. A timed bloodletting, with different excuses." The most recent plane to attack the Pakistani village of Khaisor (according to a Waziristan resident who asked me to withhold his … Continue reading “Visitors and Hosts in Pakistan”

Officials Admit Pakistanis Reject US Priorities

The advances of the Taliban insurgents beyond the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in recent weeks and the failure of the Pakistani military to counter them have brought a rare moment of truth for top national security officials of the Barack Obama administration. Accustomed to making whatever assumptions are necessary to support ambitious administration policies … Continue reading “Officials Admit Pakistanis Reject US Priorities”

‘Democracy at Gunpoint’ Strategy Guarantees Defeat

An account from the Taliban side of the Afghanistan war, which was published in the New York Times on May 5, provides devastating evidence of the failure that almost certainly will eventually overtake the United States and NATO. It is a long interview with a young Taliban "logistics tactician" who has been speaking with Jane … Continue reading “‘Democracy at Gunpoint’ Strategy Guarantees Defeat”