See: AmeriKa Has Lost Afghanistan
And no amount of obfuscatory propaganda can alter that fact.
The additional costs in blood and treasure, as reported by the Boston Globe:
"Attacks in Afghanistan kill nine, including five NATO troops" by Elena Becatoros, Associated Press / January 13, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan — A spate of attacks against Afghanistan’s intelligence service and international forces killed at least nine people yesterday, including five NATO troops, in a violent testament to the tenuous nature of gains made against the virulent insurgency.
The strikes, including a suicide motorbike bombing in the relatively calm Afghan capital, came just as Vice President Joe Biden was leaving the country after a visit during which he praised advances against the militants....
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"Bomb kills 9 civilians in Afghanistan’s north" by Rahim Faiez, Associated Press / January 17, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan — A station wagon carrying a family of Afghan civilians struck a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan yesterday, killing all nine aboard, an official said.
It was the second such incident in 24 hours. The day before, six were killed when their minivan also hit a roadside bomb, this time in the southern Helmand Province....
Civilian casualties have surged in recent months as insurgents have stepped up attacks.
A recent United Nations report said it documented 2,412 conflict-related civilian casualties in the first 10 months of 2010. More than three-quarters of them were caused by militant activity, a 25 percent increase from the same period in 2009, the report said.
At the same time, civilian casualties attributed to progovernment forces decreased.
Yeah, that's why the population is being driven into the arms of the Taliban.
Readers, I am so tired of reading tons of lies wrapped around a tiny truth in my newspaper.
Saturday’s explosion in Helmand Province killed women and children, and wounded three others riding in the vehicle, the governor’s office said in a statement. That blast occurred in Sangin district, where international forces have been taking heavy casualties while battling a strong insurgency.
In the capital, government officials said they are working to blunt a surge in fuel prices stemming from Iran’s decision to block thousands of fuel tankers at the border — apparently out of concern that the fuel is being used by NATO forces....
Yeah, right, it's all Iran's fault.
See: Middle East He Said, She Said
Yeah, what right do they have to stop tankers going through their territory?
Commerce Minister Anwarul Haq Ahady told reporters that the government is working to increase fuel imports from other countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Some Afghan businesses have struck deals with Russian companies, and the Afghan government hopes that more are coming, he added.
The minister said very little progress had been made in attempts to negotiate passage for the tankers stuck at the border since late December. Between 1,800 and 1,900 of the original 3,000 stranded tankers are waiting to cross into Afghanistan, he said....
Maybe if we started treated Iran with respect they would be nicer to us.
Afghanistan relies entirely on imported fuel.....
What was cut:
a key commodity during winter when temperatures sink well below freezing and houses built of mud, brick, and concrete offer little in the way of warmth.
What was added:
Across the border, an explosion ripped through a minibus traveling in a militant-infested area of northwestern Pakistan today, killing at least 15 people, police said. It was unclear whether the blast, which destroyed the bus, was caused by a bomb or by the gas cylinder used to power the vehicle, a local police chief said.
The bus was traveling between the cities of Hangu and Kohat, which are very close to Pakistan’s lawless tribal region. Islamist militants frequently carry out attacks in the area against civilians and security forces.
Yeah, imply that even though it might have been an accident.
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"US wants to expand Afghan forces; Concerns raised about more costs, quality of recruits" by Joshua Partlow, Washington Post / January 18, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan — It would cost the United States an additional $6 billion next year, roughly twice as much as previously planned, and could saddle Washington and other donors with heftier Afghan security costs for years, if not decades to come....
The Obama administration is expected to request roughly $12.8 billion for 2012 for the continued buildup and maintenance of Afghan security forces. That is roughly twice as much as would have been needed without the projected manpower increase. Congress gave the training command $11.6 billion this year, a record sum that even surpassed the largest yearly aid package Iraqi security forces received after the 2007 US troop surge....
Afghan security forces, particularly the police, have been hobbled by corruption, illiteracy, desertions, and abuses against civilians that have boosted the Taliban’s standing by antagonizing the population....
Are you TIRED of the CONTRADICTIONS yet?
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Yeah, about those Afghan security forces:
"Afghan Parliament defies Karzai, plans to convene next week; President ordered delay to look into election disputes" by Josh Boak, Washington Post / January 21, 2011
KABUL, Afghanistan — Also yesterday, it was revealed that an Italian soldier who was killed this week in western Afghanistan was shot by an Afghan soldier, not by insurgents as originally reported.
How odd that I recently asked the question.
Related: Italy Intimidated Out Afghanistan
It's lies all around out of Afghanistan.
Italy’s defense minister said at the time that one Italian soldier was shot to death and another wounded Tuesday in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province. NATO called the incident an “insurgent attack.’’
Yesterday, the coalition issued a statement correcting the account, saying that the two soldiers were cleaning their weapons at a combat outpost when an Afghan soldier approached them and asked to use their equipment to clean his gun.
The Italians saw that the Afghan soldier’s rifle was loaded and asked him to unload it, at which point the Afghan soldier shot the two Italians and escaped from the base, NATO said.
Related:
"US Marine fatally shoots policeman
KABUL — A US Marine shot and killed an Afghan policeman after an argument yesterday at a patrol base in Sangin, a volatile district of Helmand Province, NATO said. After the dispute, the Afghan policeman reportedly made threats and pointed his gun at the Marine, who shouted at him to put the weapon down. When he didn’t, the Marine fired two rounds, killing the policeman, NATO said (AP)."
I guess the Afghan that killed the Italians was just getting even, 'eh?
Such turncoat shootings are uncommon among the Afghan forces fighting alongside coalition troops, but they have appeared to increase over the past year as both NATO and Afghan forces work more closely together. In some cases, such shootings have been a result of arguments that turned violent; in others, the Taliban has claimed that Afghan shooters were sleeper agents.
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Also see: Karzai orders delay in seating new Parliament
Afghan lawmakers expect showdown with president
Karzai agrees to seat Afghanistan’s new Parliament
Deal on Afghan Parliament wavers
