Monday, September 5, 2011
RECENT ATTACKS IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN
These articles describe attacks by the taliban and the local militants against both civilians and US military during the past month.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=236448
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=233713
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=233476
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=236108
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/06/world/la-fg-afghanistan-chopper-20110807
U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan
This article discusses the recently discovered mines in Afghanistan. The discovered deposits of minerals may be worth around $1 trillion including possibly the world's largest deposit of lithium. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
NPR Clip Featuring Russian Ambassador Discussing Afghanistan
NPR'S Renee Montage asks the ambassador about how the U.S. should proceed in Afghanistan. This interview provides an different perspective to American's involvement in the region. A lot of the points we've covered in class like Helmand Provence and "Little America" are mentioned.
Joao Silva: ‘This Is What I Do. This Is All That I Know.’
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/this-is-what-i-do-this-is-all-that-i-know/
Here are some pictures taken by a photo journalist. They show photos from both sides of the war and I highly recommend checking it out.
Also, along with the photos, if you scroll down, you'll see an article on what it's like being a photojournalist in a war like this. I thought it was pretty interesting.
Post 9/11 War on Terror Strains US-Pakistan Relations
Posted on September 2, 2011, this video describes the current state of Afghanistan and what is to come. A few Afghans express their hopes and fears as the US plans to withdraw. Most pray that Afghanistan becomes a strong country of its own, free from Taliban rule and authority. The US hopes to leave Afghanistan with a strong military and reliable economy.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/south/Post-911-War-on-Terror-Strains-US-Pakistan-Relations-129056723.html
Afghan Police Release Taliban Phone Recordings
Al Jazeera News aired recording of Taliban Phone calls that had been released by Afghan Security Officials - the phone call is between a Taliban fraction at a Kabul hotel and Pakistani rebel groups. 21 people dies when suicide bombers stormed the hotel in the middle of the night. This is thought to have been executed by the Haqanni controlled Taliban (Al Jazeera News).
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban, Mujahadeen and Al Qaeda: Are they all innner-linked?
This interesting article explains Why al Qaeda is still a threat in Afghanistan and by doing this suggests many links between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Taliban, the Mujahadeen and Al Qaeda.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20101615-503543.html
10th Anniversary of 9/11
As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, this video and article describe how the US intelligence has been transformed due to the attacks on 9/11 and why the United States was unable to prevent the attacks from occurring.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/911-Attacks-Forced-Changes-in-US-Intelligence-al-Qaida--128812958.html
9/11 Blowback
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/opinion/02iht-edgreenway02.html?_r=1&ref=afghanistan
New York Times reporter, H.D.S. Greenway, speaks to the ways America's reaction to the 9/11 attacks have made them the most successful terrorist attacks to date. The attacks caused fear, caused panic, and forced America to act in a way that is turning out harmful for the country. America's failure to end the two "wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan is simply fueling the attack's power. "...the sad and counterproductive rise of anti-muslim attitudes in both Europe and the United States sinice 9/11 testify that Bin Laden was not entirely unsuccessful in driving a wedge between the Islamic world and the west" (Greenway).
What's Next For Afghanistan?
President Obama's announcement that more than 30,000 troops will withdraw from Afghanistan within the next year has sparked a great deal of concern amongst the people affected most by this decision: the Afghan civilians.
Much of what Matthew Hoh stated in his City Club speech is a reality for the Afghan people. Many are skeptical that the national military and the federal government are strong enough to combat the Taliban, given their long history of corruption and tribal loyalty. Additionally, the withdrawal of troops has been predicted to lead to economic ruin. As of now, many foreign businesses have begun their own withdrawal from Afghanistan, fearing the worst as the country slowly creeps towards, what many believe to be, civil war.
Some have begun to say that it was a mistake for the United States to enter Afghanistan in the first place, claiming that the Taliban will now take revenge on those who welcomed the foreign intervention. This article features quotes from several local Afghans as they speak about their views on what’s to come. (Admittedly, these views are overwhelmingly dismal).
Read the full article here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jbT7fp4zXJsuk7sYN8oJYQA2Ntgw?docId=29b481f1ca3c44078b81c596137c1271
"Messengers of Death" - The Blood Toll in Afghanistan
"According to partial data collected by the Institute for Conflict Management from open sources, there have been 735 suicide attacks since September 9, 2001, killing at least 3,753 people."
The extremist attacks in Afghanistan have targeted not only the Afghan military, government, and police, but have also claimed countless civilian lives. This article is mainly a statistical report that convincingly shows how even in 2011, the attacks have shown no signs of subsiding. While automotive accidents make up the majority of the annual death toll in the United States, this article reports that 49% of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are from suicide bombings. At this stage, there is still much to be done before Afghanistan can be made safe for its people. Even if we ignore the financial support that the Taliban receives from the ISI or corrupt government officials, the logistics of bomb-manufacturing, such as the smuggling of ammonium nitrate, poses a huge problem on its own. Additionally, the article also references the extremist nature of Pakistani madrassas - the indoctrination of children with views of hatred towards the West also needs to be addressed before total stability can be achieved. Read the full article here:
http://www.washingtonbanglaradio.com/content/93232811-afghanistan-messengers-death
German Hospital Saving American Lives
With all the sullen and negative reporting coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq now, it's nice to finally hear a story about American survivors rather than casualties. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, is at the forefront of military medicine. The medical center carries a 99.5% survival rate in its trauma unit, an incredibly impressive feat given the challenges of military injuries. Many injured soldiers actually choose to have their surgeries done at this hospital because of its innovation and success.
The full article delves into many specific modernizations that the LRMC is using. I know that this story does not directly deal with what we are/have been studying, but it is an interesting and heart-warming aside, and it's always good to know that, through all of the tumult of war, amazing things are still happening.
You can read the full article here.
Karzai Reportedly Sabotaged US Peace Talks in Afghanistan
The Atlantic just (within 20 minutes of posting) released an article with a report that accuses Hamid Karzai of sabotaging secret US peace talks with the Taliban that were held in 2010 and 2011. Worried that he was being forced out of the talks, Karzai deliberately made the negotiations public by leaking information about them. The Taliban translator immediately fled, ending all negotiations.
You can read the full article here.
Another Draft?
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/207860/20110902/afghanistan-war-afghanistan-war-draft-military-army-u-s-army-pentagon-navy-air-force-marines-departm.htm?cid=2
In this very interesting article, the author tries to proclaim that the only way to finish what we started and win the Afghanistan War is to have another "draft" of young men and women. The fact that he brings up drafting women is quite absurd because that has never been done in American history. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea, I'm just saying more than half of the women would opt out of getting drafted which would make it pointless. Read and tell me what you guys think....
Russian Ambassador to United States: Don't Flee Afghanistan
In this article, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan is advising the United States to not pull out of Afghanistan precipitously. His reasoning, development in the 60's is still, today, Afghanistan's first necessity, and the first priority for a big time country like the U.S.
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/05/140148853/russian-ambassador-to-u-s-dont-flee-afghanistan
You may also listen to the interview by clicking on the link and clinking "listen now"
"Former Jihadist at the Heart of Libya's Revolution"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/09/02/libya.belhaj.profile/index.html?iref=allsearch
I found this article particularly interesting as it connects the legacy of the mujahideen fighters during the Soviet war in Afghanistan to the current situation in Libya. As we discussed in class, the mujahideen received a great amount of support from the CIA, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to help defeat the Soviets. A group we have not mentioned however, are the LIFG, or the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group that also went into Afghanistan in the late 1980s to support the jihad. After the Soviets were driven out of Afghanistan, Abdul Haakeem Belhaj, a member of the LIFG that fought alongside al Qaeda during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, returned to his home in Libya. Capitalizing on the experience he gained from the anti-Soviet campaign, Belhaj is now an important leader of the Libyan revolt, along with other members of the LIFG. The article explores Belhaj's hopes for Libya, whether his views align with those of the National Transitional Council, and whether his faith is an issue of tension as the rebels imagine the future of Libya, and fear that such a prominent Islamist figure is gaining so much power.
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