US ‘Suspects’ Haqqani Ties to Afghan Insider Attacks

US Changes Its Story on Afghanistan Yet Again

With “green-on-blue” attacks by Afghan security forces on US troops a growing problem, the Obama Administration is badly in need of a scapegoat. As has so often been the case, they have turned to the Haqqani Network, a North Waziristan-based militant faction.

They provided no evidence to back up their claim, but the administration is claiming that they “suspect” the Haqqanis of being the “driving force” behind insider attacks, the first time they’ve even suggested them having any involvement at all.

Indeed, this is completely the opposite of what Pentagon officials have been saying all along, with several statements claiming only a small portion of the attacks are even militant-based and that most are the function of “stress.”

The Afghan government claimed yesterday that the attacks are “terrorist infiltration” and not simply a problem of disputes with occupation forces. The Taliban have often claimed credit for such attacks as well, but exactly how many is unclear.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.