That's why we will have to stay, sigh.
"Afghan soldiers ran, hid during attack; US military issues report on deadly 2009 firefight" June 11, 2011|By Richard Lardner, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — As one of the deadliest battles of the war in Afghanistan raged, Afghan soldiers ran, hid, and even stole personal items from the American soldiers fighting and dying at a remote outpost.
When the Oct. 3, 2009, firefight at Combat Outpost Keating ended near the Pakistan border, eight US soldiers were dead and 22 more were wounded. A military investigation released yesterday said the 53 Americans at Keating fought heroically, repelling hundreds of insurgents, but the investigation also faulted US commanders for leaving their troops in a vulnerable position....
The United States has spent billions since 2001 training and equipping the Afghan army and police. Afghan security forces capable of defeating insurgents and terrorists are an essential ingredient in the Obama administration’s plans to begin withdrawing American forces, and senior US national security officials speak optimistically of progress.
But first-hand accounts from the battle at Keating, detailed in witness statements included in the investigation, provide a different, highly critical view....
Protein drinks, digital cameras, and other personal items that belonged to the Americans were found in the overstuffed duffel bags of Afghan soldiers as they were being moved to another base on an Army helicopter after the battle had ended, investigators were told.
“A majority of the duffels contained materials that had been pillaged from the US soldiers’ barracks rooms,’’ said a memo summarizing comments.
In a summary of the findings, Army General Guy Swan said US ground commanders left the troops at Keating in a vulnerable position without adequate support. Swan recommended giving four officers letters of admonition or reprimand. A reprimand is more serious than an admonition. Both can negatively affect an officer’s career.
For murder?!
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I expect to see a lot of those types of articles over the next month. Afghans not ready, we must stay.
"Gunmen target Afghan wedding; Groom, 8 other civilians slain" June 10, 2011|By Amir Shah, Associated Press
KABUL — Gunmen opened fire on a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan, killing nine people, including the groom, officials said yesterday.
The assailants entered a field where the groom and his family had gathered Wednesday night in a remote district of Nangarhar Province and started shooting, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the provincial government spokesman. The attackers also set fire to a nearby house and a car.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack....
A hallmark of intelligence agency false flags.
US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday in Brussels that there will be no “rush for the exits’’ by the United States. Germany has warned that pulling too many Americans out of the 10-year war could jeopardize NATO’s strategy....
Just when you want to cut and run they say no.
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Also see: 4 Afghan police killed by suicide blast
Time to bunk down for the night:
"Lawsuit blames VA for plight of homeless veterans" June 09, 2011|By Steve Vogel, Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Veterans Administration’s failure to provide stable housing to veterans suffering from severe cases of posttraumatic stress disorder or other mental disorders leaves many of them facing a life of homelessness, according to a class action lawsuit filed yesterday in US District Court in California.
The lawsuit requests a federal judge to order the VA to use empty buildings on its sprawling West Los Angeles Medical Center campus to provide permanent supportive housing for a class of veterans who suffer from conditions that the plaintiffs argue require a stable home environment for successful treatment.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, including several Los Angeles-area homeless veterans and the group Vietnam Veterans of America, said the case, if successful, could have broad implications for veterans care nationwide.
“This case could be brought anywhere in the country there’s a homeless vet,’’ said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California. “There should be no such thing as a homeless veteran in America.’’
Ah, yes, but in AmeriKa.... !
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Marine, 23, is killed in Afghanistan
Groton recalls Marine William Woitowicz killed in Afghanistan
Better to be alive and homeless than at home in the grave.
