Five Afghan civilians were killed Monday in an explosion that went off in a vegetable market in the southern province of Helmand, according to the provincial governor’s office. This continues what has been a sharp spike in casualties in the first half of 2011.
On Sunday, police killed a Taliban deputy commander on the outskirts of nearby Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. Lashkar Gah is one of the first seven areas in Afghanistan where local authorities have taken responsibility for security from international forces.
Also on Sunday, Afghan police, backed by army and NATO troops, killed six insurgents and captured 57 other suspects around the country.
“Afghan National Police (ANP) with the assistance of the army, NDS or Afghan intelligence agency and Coalition forces launched 11 joint and independent operations over the past 24 hours in Kabul, Kunduz, Faryab, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces,” said a statement issued by the Interior Ministry on Sunday.”As a result of these operations, six armed insurgents were killed, one wounded and 57 other armed insurgents were arrested,” it said.
President Hamid Karzai on Monday ordered increased security for workers building roads, dams, electricity lines and telecommunications systems in an attempt to revive key projects stalled by insurgent attacks that have killed or kidnapped dozens of laborers. The US has but they have either been halted due to violence or dragged down by corruption and mismanagement.
The continued violence and instability in Afghanistan is a sign of the ongoing nature of the insurgency and the Obama administration’s failure to show results after a major surge over the past two years. Not only have benchmarks for security not been met, but the government is still rife with corruption and dictatorial proclivities.
As further confirmation that the war is far from over, the US and Afghanistan are close to signing a strategic pact which would allow at least 25,000 United States troops to remain in the country at least until 2024. Despite Obama’s promises of full withdrawal by 2014, the new agreement would allow not only military trainers to stay to build up the Afghan army and police, but also American special forces soldiers and air power to remain.
Oh goody! What fun! What profit!
It,s madness to remain in Afghanistan and is a dream.
america can,t afford as they want cut in defence spending how?
I am sure the americans are not able to read history and accept the afcts.
America has involved it's self in a civil war between the Kyrgs, Uzbeks and Tajiks on one side and the Pashtun of Afghanistan and Pakistan on the other. The USSA military industrial complex has positioned it's self to waste Americas resources on this intentionally failed endevour for a hundred years just like Johm McCain said. We will never no success in Afghanistan until we give the Pashtuns a since of Justice, and show them that they have hope of a fututre without the Taliban.
All our occupation does is make them tolerate the Taliban. We are intentionally loosing the war in Afghanistan to maximize profit and population control. Fear and Hatred are tax payer subsidized industries.
If Obama is re-elected, it will be because of the Neo-Cons who love Obama's kill the Poor for maximum profit margin Foriegn Policies.
To hell with these blood thirsty evil traitors! RON PAUL 2012!
No wonder DHS is targeting patriots and returning vets as the new terrorists.
It will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
LOL, 2024. The US probably won't even exist in 2024. If it does it's military empire will be long gone. These people are even stupider than they are arrogant and evil.
They are stupid and history will show them just like Russia told them you can't win in Afganistan.But guess they don't learn from history they like to repeat it's mistakes instead of learning.And I agree with the comments its about more money and population controll.The thing is it no longer about black and white its rich and poor.Even in America,Canada and all weasrtern nations the poor suffer and have no say no matter your collar.And the FBI is willing to illegaly try to make a site against violence look criminal.They just don't what the crimminal government exposed more than they are.Wish we could get a Antiwar TV program on a main streem station like a MSM news station that tells the truth.A man has a better chance of giving birth to a baby.Things are eather going to change for the better or we will one day sooner than later kill all humans in illegal wars that turn nucular nice future for are children.
Nobody wants it. The futile effort of Afghan occupation is such a no-brainer. The pentagon controls us, we do not step up and control it. This blog has 249 responses on the subject and almost every damn one is against US in Afghanistan or cynical. nobody wants it, almost none of the readers. http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/22/u-s-…
I don't give a damn if the FBI reads this. Get out of Afghanistan
I had prepared a rather lengthy response to this article, but in the end I scrapped the whole damned thing. It's one thing to present a rational point of view in opposition to a policy or program, but it's pointless to argue with the sort of lunacy presented in this article. I love the United States, my homeland, but right now I am so discouraged and disheartened that not one of our leaders has the moral courage to stop the insanity.
Right now, as much as I love it, I see the US as so full of fail I don't even know where to begin.
Hopefully, ZATO will be driven out long before '24. A replay of the '75 flight from Saigon would be sweet, sooner the better.