Index on Afghanistan: February 2007
by Sarah Meyer
Index Research
"Terrorists have ambitions of empire, says Cheney." The irony was exquisite, if lost. John Pilger, Australia, the new 51st state.
In Afghanistan, the resistance responded to Cheney’s presence with a suicide bomb killing 23. As legitgov. noted: “The failed suicide targeting of Cheney proves this: When Cheney or Bush move around in space, other people die.”
Pakistan has not been pleasing the United States: potential oil contracts with Iran and India, outspoken about border duty responsibilities with Afghanistan. World leaders landed like locusts in Pakistan - Rice, Gates, Richard Boucher, UK's Margaret Beckett. VP Cheney on his global ++carbon-jet tour denied arm bending (coercing) Musharaff with aid threats. Pakistan responded the way most self-respecting countries should – with displeasure. Next with visiting cards: US-NATO.
Blair does a different kind of bending. Recently the UK has seen the full panoply of distortion in UK troop manoeuvres following the visit of Robert Gates. It would be interesting to see a list of U.S. conditions to which Blair has agreed since 9/11.
There is a pall of secrecy over Human Rights: secret flights ('rendition'); CIA secret prisons and Ghost Prisoners are terrible war crimes which the U.S. seems determined to continue.
The biggest issue is, however, the people running the U.S.A., who are destroying the stability of our world.
1. Oil / Gas
2. Strategic Imperatives (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, US, Media, Videos)
3. Contracts
4. Investment and Aid
5. NATO – General
6. NATO – Participating Countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Georgia, Lithuania, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, UK, Ukraine)
7. Opium
8. Human Rights (War Crimes: Rendition, Guantanamo, Torture, Suicide bombings)
9. Some Deaths
1. Oil / Gas
From Afghanistan to Iraq: Connecting with oil
05.02.07. Behan, Alternet.
US Military Oil Pains
17.02.07. Sohbet Karbuz, Energy Bulletin. U.S. Military Is The Largest Consumer Of Oil On Earth : The US military is completely addicted to oil. Unsurprisingly, its oil consumption for aircraft, ships, ground vehicles and facilities makes the Pentagon the single largest oil consumer in the world. By the way, according to the 2006 CIA World Factbook rankings there are only 35 countries (out of 210) in the world that consume more oil per day than the Pentagon.
| Will there be pressure from the US about this? Indian officials to visit Pakistan for Iran gas pipeline talks (18.02.07. Daily Times) and Pakistan, India discuss gas pipeline project (23.02.07. India enews) Pakistan and India Thursday held discussions on various issues, including price and security, on a proposed multi-million tri-nation pipeline project that seeks to bring Iranian gas to India. |
2. Strategic Imperatives: Afghanistan, Pakistan, UK, US
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan compact hits snags one year after signing
31.01.07. G. Thomas, VOA. At a conference in London one year ago, Afghanistan and the donor countries agreed to a so-called Afghanistan Compact
Afghan council urges war crimes amnesty
UN mission (Anchorage Daily News 01.02.07) disagrees.
EDITORIAL: NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan
02.02.07. Daily Times. Four top commanders of the Afghanistan-based North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and devise a new strategy on the war against Talibanism and terrorism with President Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani military high command.
Saving Afghanistan
02.07. Barnet Rubin, Foreign Affairs. With the Taliban resurgent, reconstruction faltering, and opium poppy cultivation at an all-time high, Afghanistan is at risk of collapsing into chaos. If Washington wants to save the international effort there, it must increase its commitment to the area and rethink its strategy -- especially its approach to Pakistan, which continues to give sanctuary to insurgents on its tribal frontier.
Afghanistan being 'systematically looted' warns museum organization
03.02.07. CBC.ca.
Amnesty on Afghan war crimes approved
05.02.07. K. Sengupta, Independent / legit gov. ‘The Afghan parliament has approved a bill granting an amnesty from charges of war crimes during the past 25 years of conflict. Critics said the move was to protect [US-installed] warlords who have become MPs and have been accused in the past of human rights abuses.’
VIEW: Afghanistan’s failing war
06.02.07. Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Daily Times. The United States and its Afghan allies need to reconsider their strategy and focus more on negotiating local and regional political settlements. They also need to remain open to including the Taliban in the process of national reconciliation. Their atrocities and bloodletting was no worse than some of the warlords’ in and around power in Kabul
NEW MOVEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN STRIVES TO OFFER IDEOLOGICAL ALTERNATIVE TO THE TALIBAN
08.02.07. Joshua Kucera, Eurasia net.
Nato chief to visit Pakistan: Contact with Islamabad to be upgraded
10.02.07. … a move which officials hope will help the alliance’s increasingly uphill struggle against a resurgent Taliban.
Intelligence on Bin Laden whereabouts has gone 'cold': US general
11.02.07. Breitbart. The United States believes Osama bin Laden is still alive, but intelligence on the Al-Qaeda mastermind has gone "cold," the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan said.
Second Helmand District Falls to Taleban
12.02.07. IWPR.
Afghanistan: Winning or losing?
14.02.07. BBC. The Senlis Council called for major changes in tactics, including the licensing of poppy growing, to be used for medicines.
Experts fear Afghanistan could become the next Iraq
14.02.06. Ron Hutcheson, McClatchy.
President Bush Discusses Progress in Afghanistan, Global War on Terror
16.02.07. American Enterprise Institute, White House. (“More than 20 AEI scholars have worked in my administration.”)
Afghanistan under occupation: An assessment
15.02.07.On Line news. The invasion of Afghanistan, carried out for naked imperialist interests, has resulted in the further decimation of an already shattered society
Next two months "make or break" in Afghanistan: Report
16.02.07. Pak Tribune. Norine McDonald of Senlis Council.
Al-Qaida release video of Afghan attack
16.02.07. AP/Chroncom. Al-Qaida posted today a video showing what it claimed to be an insurgent attack on a military position of U.S. and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. The video appears to be an attempt by the terrorist network to disparage U.S. claims to be winning the war against the Taliban and allied militia in Afghanistan. It argues that the people of Afghanistan support the insurgents and provide physical assistance to their attacks on U.S.-Afghan forces.
Pakistani official: Taliban insurgency becoming 'liberation war'
17.02.07. AP/USA Today. Taliban-led insurgents are winning ever-greater public support in occupied Afghanistan for a struggle that is taking on the character of a "liberation war" against foreign troops, a senior Pakistani official claimed Friday.
Afghanistan upper house approves war crimes amnesty
20.02.07. THE JURIST.
Taliban 'in control' in Helmand
22.02.07. al jazeera.
Afghans See Decline Since '05
24.02.07. G. Witte, Washington Post. Violence, Corruption, U.S. Role Add to Unease, Report Says.
26.02.07. CHENEY ARRIVES IN AFGHANISTAN (See US, Below)
Gov't flounders in north Afghanistan
27.02.07.Seattlepi. ‘The disarmament of Afghanistan's illegal private militias has ground to a halt and the price of weapons in the country's relatively quiet north is skyrocketing - a sign of the embattled central government's failure to assert its control, Afghan and Western officials say.’
Goff Reveals SAS Work in Afghanistan
28.02.07. newswirenz. Defence Minister Phil Goff has disclosed that SAS troops operating in Afghanistan in 2002 captured up to 70 people who were then passed on to other power. … New Zealand has had three deployments of the special forces soldiers to Afghanistan as part of the United States-led war on terror to track down Al Qaeda members, but none are there now.
VIDEOS
Dispatches: Meeting the Taliban (Channel 4. ICH blog)
Motherland Afghanistan
Preview video. 2.25 & Full length Video.
Taliban leader’s bin Laden links. Channel 4 news report (28.02.07). Mullah Dadullah speaks exclusively to Channel 4 News of his links with Osama bin Laden.
PAKISTAN
17.02.07, CBS, 15 Killed In Pakistan Courtroom Bombing
Pakistan Decides Not To Mine Border With Afghanistan
09.02.07. Radio Free Afghanistan.
Nato chief to visit Pakistan: Contact with Islamabad to be upgraded
10.02.07. dawn.com. The meeting in Seville was dominated by calls by US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates for a Nato spring offensive against the Taliban aimed at crippling the Afghan insurgency. Several European states, including heavyweights Germany and France, however, voiced strong reservations about sending more soldiers to volatile southern Afghanistan.
In 'Self-Defense,' US Forces Launch Artillery Into Pakistan
11.02.07. AP / SignonSanDiego.
To root out Taliban, Pakistan to expel 2.4 million Afghans
14.02.07. Christian Science Monitor. ‘But simply shifting the world's largest refugee community across borders would only serve to raise tensions, analysts say.’
Courthouse bombing leaves 15 dead in Pakistan
17.02.07. The Jurist.
Rice puts Musharraf under pressure to rein in Taliban militants
19.02.07. D. Walsh, Guardian. American officials are increasingly vocal about the dangers of Taliban safe havens inside Pakistan and in particular North Waziristan, one of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal agencies, where General Musharraf struck a controversial peace deal last September.
Bush Is Losing the 'War on Terror'
20.02.07. R. Parry, Consortium News. Bush has become the ugly face of America, mouthing pretty words about freedom and democracy while threatening other nations and bludgeoning those who get in his way. Perhaps even worse, Bush has shown himself to be an incompetent commander, especially for a conflict as complicated and nuanced as this one. … Arguably, Bush has become a “clear and present danger” to the interests of the American people – yet he still has almost two years left in his term.
This predicament – the desperate need for new U.S. leadership and the difficult fact of being stuck with Bush – was underscored by the Feb. 19 lead article in the New York Times describing the revival of al-Qaeda as a worldwide terror network operating out of new bases in remote sections of Pakistan.
NATO: ALLIANCE SHOULD DO MORE IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYS TOP PAKISTANI MP
20.02.07. ‘Ahead of a decision by Italy's parliament on whether to approve further Italian involvment in NATO's military mission in Afghanistan, a top Pakistani lawmaker criticised the alliance for not doing enough to curb the Taliban. "NATO should do more," the chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Committee for Foreign Relations, Mushahid Hussain Syed, said in a telephone interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Tuesday.
"It seems the US outsourced the Afghan war to NATO, but most NATO countries don’t have the will to win and the stomach to fight,” added Syed, who is also the powerful secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.’
A Pakistani border guard at Lwara Fort in North Waziristan, Pakistan
The war on terror from a Pakistani perch
20.02.07. Carol Grisanti, MSNBC News Producer. We were in Taliban country. The Taliban and al-Qaida militants hold sway here; not the Pakistani army. "It’s physically not possible to seal the border by deploying troops," said Maj. Gen. Azhar Ali Shah, Commander 7th Division, North Waziristan. "But we make it very difficult for them." The army was keen to show us just how difficult it is to police this inhospitable terrain, a long mountain border of jagged peaks, some as high as 15,000 feet, deep rugged ravines and countless treacherous paths successfully traversed by smugglers for centuries. VIDEO. And read ‘comments.’
NATO team to arrive on March 14
21.02.07. M IMRAN, Daily Times. ‘A high-level parliamentary delegation of NATO countries will embark on a four-day official visit to Islamabad on March 14, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with Pakistani authorities.’ (= More pressure from US on Pakistan)
| Pakistan, India discuss gas pipeline project 23.02.07. India enews. Pakistan and India Thursday held discussions on various issues, including price and security, on a proposed multi-million tri-nation pipeline project that seeks to bring Iranian gas to India. India-Pakistan sign gas pipeline deal 25.02.07. Arabian business. |
25.02.07. CHENEY ARRIVES PAKISTAN (see US, below)
NATO: ALLIANCE SHOULD DO MORE IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYS TOP PAKISTANI MP
25.02.07. Saleem Shahzad, AKI. ‘Ahead of a decision by Italy's parliament on whether to approve further Italian involvment in NATO's military mission in Afghanistan, a top Pakistani lawmaker criticised the alliance for not doing enough to curb the Taliban. "NATO should do more," the chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Committee for Foreign Relations, Mushahid Hussain Syed, said in a telephone interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Tuesday.
"It seems the US outsourced the Afghan war to NATO, but most NATO countries don’t have the will to win and the stomach to fight,” added Syed, who is also the powerful secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.’
Pakistan Fed Up With U.S. And Allies On Afghanistan
25.02.07. ViveleCanada. Those who invaded Iraq claiming it had weapons of mass destruction and have been blaming Iran and Syria for the murderous mess in Iraq, are also the same people now blaming Pakistan for the mess in Afghanistan.
Pakistan and US back on diplomatic tightrope
28.02.07. ZEE NEWS.
This Spring America's Target Is Not Iran But Pakistan
01.03.07. Abid Mustafa, Countercurrents. “the callous killing of civilians by NATO forces and Pakistani troops on both sides of the border combined with the endemic corruption and injustices of the Karzai government, have transformed the parochial Pushtoon resistance into a mass movement.”
Pakistan makes a deal with the Taliban
01.03.07. Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times.ICH. The Pakistani establishment has made a deal with the Taliban through a leading Taliban commander that will extend Islamabad's influence into southwestern Afghanistan and significantly strengthen the resistance in its push to capture Kabul.
RUSSIA
Russia offers aid but no troops to NATO in Afghanistan
09.02.07. CBC.
Unilateral force has nothing to do with global democracy
13.02.07. V. Putin, Guardian / ICH. Edited extract from a speech delivered on Saturday by the Russian president at the 43rd Munich conference on security policy. “The US has overstepped its borders in every way. We must build a new world order to ensure security and prosperity for all.” The LA Times comments on Putin’s NATO beef, saying that ‘Expanding the Cold War-era alliance to reach Russia's border was bound to color the Kremlin's view of the U.S.’
Veterans of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan predict failure in Iraq
15.02.07. Matthew Schofield, McClatchy Newspapers/uruk.
Russian-US ties hit new low
16.02.07. IHT. ‘For all the talk of strategic partnership and even personal friendship between Putin and President George W. Bush, the relationship between Russia and the United States has reached its lowest point since the Soviet Union collapsed a decade and a half ago.’
Putin: International Law Remains to be the Judicial Foundation for All – No Special Rights for NATO or EU
25.02.07. Current Concerns. Speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, February 11, 2007. The model of a unipolar world lacks the moral foundations of modern civilization
UNITED STATES
The Infantry Batallion
12.06. US Army Field Manual.
US Military donates thousands of vehicles, weapons to Afghan army
01.02.07. Sign On San Diego. The donation of 800 military vehicles and more than 12,000 weapons is part of a critical effort to build an Afghan army able to defend the country on its own and eventually allow U.S. and NATO-led forces to pull back.
Care for U.S. veterans could cost $662 bln: study
02.02.07. Reuters / Washington Post. Medical costs for U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could range from $350 billion to $662 billion over the next 40 years, as soldiers survive injuries that would have killed them in past conflicts, according to a Harvard University study. From a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs data.
US in Afghanistan could signal harder line
04.02.07. AP . Sign on San Diego. Gen. Dan McNeill, the highest ranking U.S. general to lead troops in Afghanistan, took command of 35,500 NATO-led soldiers on Sunday, putting an American face on the international mission after nine months of British command. … One American military officer who labeled McNeill a “warfighter to the bone” said his arrival likely signals the end of such deals, saying they would go under “much greater scrutiny.” The official asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Pentagon to Extend Troops in Afghanistan
09.02.07. R Burns, Guardian. It means American troop levels, which increased this month to about 26,000 - the highest of the war - with the arrival of a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, will remain roughly the same into 2008 rather than returning to the 22,000-to-23,000 level that had prevailed through much of last year.
Squandering billions in Iraq while U.S. suffers
11.02.07. E. Margolis, Toronto Sun / ICHBlog. By 2008, Bush’s wars in the Muslim world will have cost each American man, woman and child $2,300…. Defeat looms in Iraq; Afghanistan is headed that way. And now U.S. intelligence reports al-Qaida is stronger than ever. Osama Bin Laden, who said the only way to expel U.S. influence from the Muslim world was to bleed the U.S. financially, must be beaming.
Fallon to recruit Arab nations for help
12.02.07. Washington Times.
Gates Pledges to Stop Extremists Taking Control of Afghanistan
13.02.07. Bloomberg. “We are here for the long haul,'' Gates told reporters yesterday, adding the U.S. had paid a price on Sept. 11, 2001, for neglecting Afghanistan.
Waivers to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds double from 2003 to 2006
13.02.07. Raw Story / Global Research. ‘In Wednesday's New York Times, Lizette Alvarez notes that "the number of waivers the military granted to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds has nearly doubled in the past three years, jumping to more than 8,000 in 2006 from about 4,900 in 2003, Department of Defense records show."
U.S. to pay long-term price of war wounds Estimate pegs costs at $350 billion
14.02.07. Dogen Hannah, MEDIANEWS STAFF.
US brigade ordered to Afghanistan instead of Iraq
14.02.07. Reuters / Khalee times.
US troop numbers in Afghanistan hit all-time peak
14.02.07. Yahoo / AFP.
General Warns of Perils in Afghanistan
14.02.07. A.S. Tyson, Washington Post.
Bush calls for Afghanistan 'surge' even though 'remarkable progress' has been achieved
15.02.07. Raw Story.
The President’s Unbalanced Approach to Afghanistan
16.02.07. C. Robichaud, Century Foundation. ‘It was the first time in years that the president made that country the focus of his comments, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the remarks were spliced into a speech on the global war on terror, in which the first five minutes were devoted to Iraq and Jeanne Kirkpatrick. Nevertheless, the president had quite a bit to say on Afghanistan, and some of it was new. The speech may earn the president some credit for returning his attention to the central front in the war on terror. However, the plan he articulated suffers from the same problems that have plagued our five-year effort: too few resources, and too much spending on military solutions to complex problems. The centerpiece of his announcement is $11.8 billion in new assistance to Afghanistan over two years. But when we delve further into the budget and supplemental requests, we learn that $10.1 billion of this money is earmarked for “training and equipping Afghan security forces.” Of the remainder, $370 million will be allocated for “emergency assistance programs that will complement U.S. military objectives.” Rebuilding Afghanistan’s army and police force is critical, and rapid-response budgets for military commanders can prove useful, but these measures are no substitute for rebuilding Afghanistan’s roads, reforming its judiciary, developing its non-opium economy, and strengthening local governance.’ Three questions posed: Is there a better counternarcotics strategy? Why is our reconstruction spending so inefficient? How can we reform the courts?”
Bush Orders More Troops Into Afghanistan
15.02.07. LA Times / uruk.
Rice says Pakistani deal with tribal leaders disappointing to U.S.
16.02.07. AP / IHT .
Last-Minute Extension in Afghanistan for Unit Whose Bags Were Packed
16.02.07. J. Kifner, NY Times.
General Plays Down Value Of Capturing Bin Laden
24.02.07. Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Washington Post.
| Cheney: getting countries in line with US policy Cheney arrives in Persian Gulf for talks with U.S.-allied Oman 25.02.07. IHT. Vice President Dick Cheney landed in the U.S.-allied Arab monarchy of Oman on Sunday and went directly to talks with its foreign minister, Omani government officials said. Cheney Stops in Pakistan Seeking More Action to Halt Taliban 26.02.07. B. Murray, Bloomberg. Cheney spent about four hours in the Pakistani capital for talks with Musharraf following a weeklong trip to Japan and Australia and a stop in Oman last night Cheney Warns Pakistan to Act on Terrorism 26.02.07. D. Sanger, NY Times. U.S. sends strong message to Pakistan on Taliban 27.02.07. the star. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney flew into Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday to press for a united front in the war against the resurgent Taliban, with media reports saying he would tell Islamabad only results count. … Citing U.S. officials, ABC News reported that the deputy director of the CIA, Stephen Kappes, also was in the meeting with Cheney to personally present Musharraf with "compelling" CIA evidence of al Qaeda's resurgence on Pakistani soil. … The visit came as the New York Times said U.S. President George W. Bush had decided to send "an unusually tough message" to a major ally in the war on terror by reminding Musharraf the Congress, now led by Democrats, would cut aid if he did not do more to combat the Taliban. … A senior U.S. official recently said pressure was better applied quietly than publicly. … Cheney's visit to Islamabad coincided with one by Margaret Beckett, foreign secretary of Britain, which along with Canada provides the major combat back-up to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Karzai meeting now to be on 27th. Insurgent Activity Spurs Cheney Trip to Pakistan 27.02.07.Washington Post. After visits to Japan and Australia last week, Cheney stopped off in Islamabad for consultations with Musharraf before flying on to Bagram air base in Afghanistan. … "Cheney doesn't go someplace unless it's very serious," said Barnett R. Rubin, a New York University scholar of South Asia who has been critical of the Musharraf government. Fight terror jointly, Musharraf tells US 27.02.07. The Int. News. Pakistan on Monday said under no circumstances would it accept dictation from any source even as the US asked it “to do more” in the war on terror. … spokesperson said that it was not Pakistan that was talking about a spring offensive by the Taliban. “This information is coming from Nato and the US who are talking about it. They have also expressed concern about the Taliban regrouping. The Taliban too are claiming that they will launch a spring offensive,” she said. Cheney Denies Aiming to ‘Beat Up On’ Musharraf 28.02.07. D. Sanger, NY Times. Cheney in Afghanistan to meet Karzai 26.02.07. USA Today.  MORE PEOPLE KILLED FOR BUSH/CHENEY/PNAC POLICIES Cheney OK After Afghan Blast; 23 Killed 27.02.07. AP / Guardian. Video Suicide bomber 'targeted Cheney', Channel 4 (28.02.07) |
U.S. Stocks plunge to worst 1-day drop since 9/11
27.02.07. N. Dodt, Marketwatch. See also: Greenspan and Chinese stock market
New Military Doctrine
28.02.07. Secrecy News. A new U.S. Air Force directive "provides policies for managing nuclear weapons and weapon systems, and for protecting personnel, property, and the environment from hazardous exposure to radioactive materials." See Air Force Policy Directive 91 (13 February 2007)
Another new Air Force document on combating the threat or use of weapons of mass destruction "provides guidance for understanding, planning, and executing counter-chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear operations to enable US forces to survive and operate effectively in this deadly environment." See Air Force Doctrine Document 2-1.8 Counter-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Operations," (26 January 2007)
How Long Can The U.S. Count On Foreign Funding?
05.03.07. Business week. Well, by the third quarter of 2006, the U.S. was dependent on foreign lending to the tune of more than $860 billion, or about 6.5% of gdp, and the need for foreign money will most likely hang above 6% through 2007. The big question: Can the U.S. continue to count on this massive amount of foreign capital to fund its overseas obligations and finance its economic growth?
US rules out direct action in Pakistan
01.03.07. The Int. News. The United States on Wednesday ruled out a direct role in areas of northern Pakistan, which, it said, witnessed rising al-Qaeda activities.
| 41% Percent of Your (US) 2006 Taxes Go to War 15.02.07. Friends Committee on National Legislation HEY, AMERICA, WHAT ABOUT 754,000 HOMELESS PEOPLE? The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated there were 754,000 homeless people in 2005, including those living in shelters, transitional housing and on the street. That's about 300,000 more people than available beds in shelters and transitional housing. |
MEDIA
‘PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS,’
Field Manual FM3-05.30, April 2005. Obtained by Secrecy News. ‘A U.S. Army manual on psychological operations elaborates upon the role of PSYOP in military activities.
"The employment of any element of national power, particularly the military element, has always had a psychological dimension. Foreign perceptions of U.S. military capabilities are fundamental to strategic deterrence. The effectiveness of deterrence hinges on U.S. ability to influence the perceptions of others."
"The purpose of PSYOP is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to U.S. national objectives ... When properly employed, PSYOP can save lives of friendly and adversary forces by reducing the adversaries' will to fight. By lowering adversary morale and reducing their efficiency, PSYOP can also discourage aggressive actions and create dissidence and disaffection within their ranks, ultimately inducing surrender."
Cronkite: Quest for profits crippling media companies
11.02.07. AP / ICH.
NY times suggested only Democrats blame Iraq war for Afghanistan deterioration, ignoring ISG report .
16.02.07. Media Matters.
Journalist gunned down in Afghanistan
19.02.07. English People. Unknown armed men gunned down two German journalists in northern Baghlan province last year. One Italian newsman was abducted in the troubled Helmand province months ago and was set free unharmed after three weeks in captivity.
3. Contracts
Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements
29.01.07. CRS. (From Secrecy News) "The Bush Administration has altered the role of arms control in U.S. national security policy," the CRS report states.
"The President and many in his Administration question the degree to which arms control negotiations and formal treaties can enhance U.S. security objectives."
"Instead, the Administration would prefer, when necessary, that the United States take unilateral military action or join in ad hoc coalitions to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."
"The absence of confidence in arms control has extended to the State Department, where the Bush Administration has removed the phrase 'arms control' from all bureaus that were responsible for this policy area."
Control Arms: Global arms industry exploiting major loopholes in arms regulations
02.10.06. Amnesty International.
Hearings Mark Tougher Oversight of War Contracts
05.02.07. Stephanie Kirchgaessner, The Financial Times/Truth Out. Executives from government contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, including KBR and Compass of the UK, face a rocky ride in Washington this week as Henry Waxman, new chairman of the House of Representative's chief investigative committee, begins hearings on allegations of "waste, fraud and abuse."
Lockheed Martin Awarded $186 Million Contract to Upgrade P-3C Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Mission Systems for Pakistan Navy
13.02.07. PR Newswire. “"It provides a world-class maritime surveillance capability to the Pakistan Navy, and will be an important contributor to allied operations." (which allied operations?)
Top protection for AFP officers in Kabul
14.02.07. The Age. One of the biggest private security firms operating in Iraq will protect Australian police officers being sent to help fight the opium trade in Afghanistan. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty revealed on Tuesday night that the Armor Group - one of the leading security contractors in Iraq - would provide protection for the four officers. … Mr Keelty said the Armor Group would also provide security for British officers working in Afghanistan.
Lockheed awarded $50 million contract for Black Hawk helicopter work
16.02.07. NBC.
Huge Gulf spending at arms fair
18.02.07. al jazeera.
Raytheon Gets $300 Million Army Contract
22.02.07. AP / Chroncom
Lockheed Martin Maritime Sensors and Systems of Moorestown, New Jersey 08057-0927, is being awarded a $979175217 cost-plus-award-fee contract modification
27.02.07. DoD.
4. Investment and Aid
REPORTS
Afghanistan: Slow Progress on Security and Rights
30.01.07. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. “One year after launching the Afghanistan Compact, President Hamid Karzai’s government and its international backers have largely failed to meet the compact’s benchmarks on improving human rights and basic security, Human Rights Watch said. Members of the international community and the Afghan government will meet in Berlin on January 30 and 31 to assess their implementation of the Afghanistan Compact.
ARTICLES
U.S. House Speaker Calls for More European Aid for Afghanistan
01.02.07. US Info. A delegation of U.S. lawmakers is calling for more international help to rebuild Afghanistan and also is criticizing the Bush administration’s new strategy for Iraq.
AFGHANISTAN: Rebuilding 'not on track'
02.02.07. Irin. Ref: The Afghan Compact. In February 2006, 64 countries and 11 international organisations meeting in London agreed to contribute US$10.5 billion towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan until the end of 2010. They identified security, governance and economic development as the three key areas that the government needed to focus on to ensure stability and progress.
One year on, analysts say the Afghan government is behind in meeting even the most basic targets. In a report released in New York on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Afghan government is failing to meet the basic security and progress.
Afghanistan, Pakistan would see boost in Bush's proposed aid budget
05.02.07. IHT.
U.S. Senators Urge NATO Compensation Fund For Afghans
21.02.07. Radio Free Europe.
Harper to make $200 million announcement on aid for Afghanistan
25.02.07. A. PANETTA, Cnews.
5. NATO, General
Israeli defense minister meets EU and top NATO officials
31.01.07. E Jerusalem express. Last week, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli government ministries were working on drafting a position paper that will include guidelines and a strategy for turning Israel into a full-fledged member of NATO. (ISRAEL?)
NATO doubts Taliban’s spring offensive pledge
01.02.07. Daily Times. Taliban militants are expected to step up their attacks in Afghanistan soon, but the militia has lost strength and does not have the capability to launch a “spring offensive,” a NATO spokesman (Brig Gen. Nugee) said on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary General: Afghanistan Could Become Exporter of Terrorism
03.02.07. Focus Fen.
New chief for Nato Afghan force
04.02.07. BBC. UK’s Richards to US’s Dan McNeil.
Thousands protest against NATO summit in Seville
05.02.06. Expatica.
NATO allies seen reticent on Afghan pledges
06.02.07. MSNBC.
Czech Senate votes to send military field hospital to Afghanistan
07.02.07. IHT. A one year mission, 70 member team; stationed in Kabule, as part of the NATO Security Assistance Force. (Will this ‘mission’ help the Afghan people?)
NATO's Central Asia envoy says alliance wants to expand ties with Kazakhstan: reports
07.02.07. KYIV Post. Kazakhstan is oil-rich.
Nato fails to agree on Afghan troops
09.02.07. MSNBC. Continental European governments refused to follow the US and the UK and send troops.
Afghanistan: The Unwinnable War
09.02.07, Patrick Seale, Al-Hayat. Why is NATO in Afghanistan? And what is it trying to achieve? Defence ministers of the Atlantic Alliance will be wrestling with these questions at their meeting in Seville this week. It will not be an easy meeting as differences between the allies run deep. Over the past year, the West's peace-keeping mission in Afghanistan has turned into an all-out war. To NATO's evident surprise and alarm, suicide missions, road-side bombs, direct fire attacks on NATO and Afghan forces have all vastly increased and are now at record levels. Better armed, equipped and organised than ever before, the Taliban have greatly expanded their area of operations. Over 4,000 people were killed last year in Afghanistan in insurgency-related violence. … Dan McNeill, took over command in Afghanistan from a British general, David Richards. The rumour is that he will take a tougher line with the insurgents. He will have 35,500 troops under his command. With over 100,000 troops, the Soviet Union failed to control Afghanistan in the 1980s
US and Britain claim no NATO split over Afghanistan
10.02.07. Euro news.
More troops needed in Afghanistan: US General
11.02.07. P. Lloyd, ABC. Despite the assessment, US Army General Bantz Craddock1 has so far failed to persuade European allies to boost troop numbers.
Secretary General wants more countries in NATO by 2009
12.02.07. The Messenger. "I would like to see a NATO of 26 plus. I would like to see Serbia firmly on the road to NATO.
Report: Russia-NATO manoeuvres postponed over legal dispute
14.02.07. KYIV. Russia has cooperated with NATO under a "Partnership for Peace" program, but relations have cooled recently amid Western criticism of Russia's human rights record and Moscow's concerns about the alliance's eastward expansion.
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passes NATO expansion bill
15.02.07. rian.
NATO Must Calm Putin Missile Shield Fears, Jung Says (Update1)
15.02.07. Patrick Donahue, Bloomberg.
NATO special operations center to be headquartered at US base in Germany
19.02.07. irna.
NATO split in Afghanistan
20.02.07. V. Mock, Radio Netherlands.
NATO continues to have an open door policy
24.02.07. imedinews. ‘‘We continue to look seriously at countries who wish to join NATO. People need to be very careful about the assumptions they made about NATO.
Israeli defence minister meets EU and NATO top officials in Brussels
25.02.07. EJ Express. (Why?)
GEORGIA: NATO MEMBERSHIP BY 2009?
27.02.07. Molly Corso, eurasianet.
Footnote
[1] (Banz Craddock): Craddock formerly worked at the Pentagon Other source material that I used HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM VIEW. I wrote in NATO IS NOW USATO that "Craddock falsely insisted that a ‘significant number’ of detainees at Guantanamo Bay were members of al-Qaeda; … Craddock refused to reprimand Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller for abuse and torture of detainee Mohammad al-Qahtan; … Craddock joked about the detainee hunger strike, saying the prisoners had ‘choices’ in feeding tube color, flavor of lozenges.” Prior to Guantanamo, he was a chief military assistant to Rumsfeld."
6. NATO Participating Countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Georgia, Lithuania, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, UK, Ukraine
AUSTRALIA
Australia looks to increase forces in Afghanistan
21.02.07. Reuters / alarabonline.
Australia may double troops in Afghanistan
22.02.07. FT. see: Vice President Cheney visit to Australia (i.e., troop numbers ANYWHERE are decided by US policy and not by any other government or “NATO".)
CANADA
Widows of soldiers killed in Afghanistan face fight with banks over mortgages
11.02.07. CJAD.
NATO's Afghan mission in trouble: Canadian Senate
12.02.07. Reuters/Radio Free Europe.
Canadians debate Afghan pullout
13.02.07. BBC/ICH.
NATO south Afghan mission has enough troops -Canada
16.02.07. Reuters. ‘Senior Canadian military officials, who have long complained there are not enough NATO troops in southern Afghanistan, said on Friday that alliance force levels in the region are now adequate.
Canada has 2,500 troops in the southern city of Kandahar and as recently as last October it said it could not maintain the mission without more support.
But the official tone changed sharply after President George W. Bush said on Thursday the United States would keep higher troop levels in Afghanistan ahead of an expected surge in Taliban attacks and called on NATO to commit more troops.
"The United States is putting in more forces, Britain is putting in more forces. We have sufficient force structure on the ground in the south at this moment to do the job that we have to do," said General Rick Hillier.’
DENMARK
Danish minister lambastes NATO over Afghanistan
12.02.07. Online news. The Danish minister of defense has criticized NATO countries’ refusal to send more troops to Afghanistan, saying the decision could cost the war, according to reports reaching here from Copenhagen.
FRANCE
France responds to critics about its Afghanistan mission
22.02.07. Communities.Canada. Our old ally has drawn the ire of Canadian politicians who think France could do much more to support Canadian troops fighting the Taliban in the south of Afghanistan, rather than hunkering down in Kabul, as France's critics allege. Official response of French embassy.
"France Must Withdraw from NATO"
25.02.07. Current Concerns. Interview with Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, French candidate for president
GEORGIA / LITHUANIA
GEORGIA TO SEND, LITHUANIA TO AUGMENT TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
05.02.07. Jamestown.org.
GERMANY
Germany mulls bigger role in Afghanistan
05.02.07. Washington Times.
German surveillance jets for Afghanistan to be barred from combat
05.02.07. Monsters and Critics. Tornado pilots will be authorised to to provide intelligence for NATO attacks on Taliban formations but will not be allowed to use their bombs or missiles to carry out attacks, the official said.
ITALY
Italy tells Canada, other allies, to butt out of its Afghan policy decisions
08 (?).02.07. AP. Canadian Press. Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema sent a protest letter to six allied countries Tuesday, accusing them of interfering in Italian affairs with their public appeal for Rome to keep its troops in Afghanistan.
Italy to keep troops in Afghanistan
17.02.07. AFP.
Italy, Spain Won't Send More Troops to Afghanistan (Update1)
20.02.07. BLOOMBERG. Italy and Spain will not send more troops to Afghanistan as part of the NATO force there and the two governments see no sign of a solution to the conflict any time soon, said Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Prodi stands down after surprise defeat in senate over US alliance
22.02.07. Guardian. Discontent on the left of his sprawling, nine-party coalition over the extension of an American military base and Italy's open-ended commitment to the Nato-led force in Afghanistan lay behind a two-vote defeat.
Italy’s Prodi scrambles for support as vote looms
25.02.07. Swiss info.
Official politics in the west ignores public opinion at will
27.02.07. Tariq Ali, Guardian. The government crisis in Italy over US bases and Afghanistan reflects the increasing gap in Europe between rulers and ruled. On the same day last week that the chicaneries of every antiquated careerist vying for the New Labour deputy leadership were made public, each justifying his or her grotesque decision to support the war and occupation of Iraq, the centre-left Italian government - not yet a year old - fell after a debate on foreign policy in the upper chamber.
NORWAY
NATO asks Norway for more troops for Afghanistan
09.02.07. XIHUANET. Norway has at present around 500 troops in Afghanistan. Norway agrees to send 150 special forces troops (13.11.07. AP).
POLAND
Poland decides on locations for more troops in Afghanistan
18.02.07. OnLine News.
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul committed to Afghanistan mission despite loss of soldier
01.03.07. Yon hap news.
SPAIN: See Italy, above.
UK
UK to boost Afghanistan Troop Numbers
Buzzle.com. By 800.
UK policy in tatters as Afghan town falls
03.02.07. K. SENGUPTA, Independent. A central element of British policy in Afghanistan, the Musa Qala agreement, appeared to be in tatters last night after Taliban forces overran the town it is named after. They bulldozed and burnt its administrative centre, and abducted opponents.
British fear gung-ho Americans
04.02.07. Sunday Times. … The extent of “frictions” between US and British commanders are revealed in the latest edition of Pegasus, the journal of the Parachute Regiment, in which an unnamed senior officer accuses the Americans of undermining British strategy during last year’s handover. … Pegasus says. “Despite our ‘ownership’ of Helmand and our request to conduct ops in ‘the British way’ we were unable to prevent Mountain Thrust occurring. As a result of the threat of unilateral action and in order to ensure our own force protection, UK taskforce’s involvement was forced.”
General calls for more troops
04.02.07. J. BURKE, Observer.
Taliban town seizure throws Afghan policy into disarray
04,02.07. J. Burke, Observer.
UK Troops in Iraq: TimeLine
23.02,07. Sarah Meyer, Index Research
Troops numbers started to shift in both Iraq and Afghanistan following Bush ‘surge’ statement and following visit of Bill Gates with PM Blair on January 14th. Meanwhile, the UK govn. statements were ever-changing, none carrying the truth. The day following Blair announcement of UK – Iraq troop withdrawal The Washington Post was the first to write that Britain was to send extra troops to Afghanistan. The Brit press caught up that evening.
Another 1,500 British troops being sent to keep control in Afghanistan
24.02.07. M. Evans, Times on Line
Press briefing from the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman on: Afghanistan Troop Annoucement
26.02.07. Number 10.
Afghanistan: Browne defends additional deployment
27.02.07. C. Brown, Independent. ‘MPs fear that the armed forces are being dragged into a more dangerous mission against the Taliban amid concern that Britain could be forced to commit 9,000 troops to Afghanistan by the end of the year. … On Wednesday, it is expected the Defence Secretary will announce a further withdrawal of thousands of troops, from Bosnia. There was speculation among MPs they could be bound for Afghanistan this year. ‘
Beckett sees challenging year ahead for Afghanistan
28.02.07. Jurnalo.
Britain sending Warrior missiles to Afghanistan
02.07. The Int News
UKRAINE
NATO pledges cooperation with Ukrainian foreign minister
05.02.07. Interfax.
7. Opium
An Afghan’s Path From Ally of U.S. to Drug Suspect
02.02.07. JAMES RISEN, NY Times. In April 2005, federal law enforcement officials summoned reporters to a Manhattan news conference to announce the capture of an Afghan drug lord and Taliban ally. While boasting that he was a big catch — the Asian counterpart of the Colombian cocaine legend Pablo Escobar — the officials left out some puzzling details, including why the Afghan, Haji Bashir Noorzai, had risked arrest by coming to New York.
Now, with Mr. Noorzai’s case likely to come to trial this year, a fuller story about the American government’s dealings with him is emerging.
America is doped up in Colombia for a bad trip in Afghanistan
11.02.07. S. Jenkins, Times on Line. This month Washington is redeploying one of its star diplomats, William Wood, from Bogota to Kabul with the enthusiastic blessing of the Pentagon. Wood has been overseeing Plan Colombia, President Clinton’s eight-year effort to fight the cocaine cartels and left-wing insurgents and make Latin America safe for pro-Americanism.
Opium eradication starts in Afghanistan
23.02.07, Noor Khan, AP / The State.
Ruined poppy farmers join ranks with the Taleban
27.02.07. T. Abahohe/Billet, Times on Line.
8. Human Rights: War Crimes (Rendition, Guantanamo, Torture,
Secret Prisons, Suicide bombings)
Secret Prisons, Suicide bombings)
REPORT
Ghost Prisoner
02.07. Human Rights Watch. Two Years in Secret CIA Detention.
ARTICLES
EU Governments Directly Undermine Torture Ban
23.01.07. Human Rights news. ‘Diplomatic Assurances’ Against Torture Provide No Protection From Abuse. The briefing paper shows how EU states have relied upon empty promises of humane treatment, known as “diplomatic assurances,” in efforts to justify the return of terrorism suspects to countries where they risk being tortured. In the report adopted today, the European Parliament’s Temporary Committee on illegal CIA activity in Europe focuses on CIA flights and US-sponsored transfers of terrorism suspects. It also calls on EU member states to oppose the use of “diplomatic assurances” on torture in returning terrorism suspects. … The UK is currently trying to deport terrorism suspects based on blanket no-torture promises from countries like Jordan and Libya. Austria, the Netherlands and Germany have also employed diplomatic assurances in attempts to extradite alleged terrorists to countries where they face the risk of torture. … Human Rights Watch briefing paper also includes updated and new cases involving the use of assurances against torture in other countries, including the United States, Canada and Russia.
Detainee Rights at Center Of Fight
02.02.07. WASHINGTON POST. The Bush administration argued Thursday that a Qatari national who it says was an al-Qaeda sleeper agent sent to the United States for a second wave of terrorist attacks has no right to challenge in court his status as an enemy combatant. Attorneys for Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, held for 3 1/2 years in the Navy brig in Charleston, S.C., have contested the president's authority to indefinitely detain a lawful resident of the United States without charges.
If the government is right, said lawyer Jonathan Hafetz, "they can pick up any immigrant in this country, lock them in a military jail and hold the keys to the courthouse. If this case stands, the United States could effectively disappear people."
High-profile Guantanamo detainees face new charges
03.02.07. USA Today. Authorities drafted new charges — including murder, conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism — against Canadian Omar Khadr, Australian David Hicks and Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen, said Air Force Col. Morris Davis, chief prosecutor in the Guantanamo war crimes trials. … Hicks, a former kangaroo skinner who converted to Islam in his native Australia, allegedly fought for the Taliban before he was captured in Afghanistan. Toronto-born Khadr, who is accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, has allegedly acknowledged being trained by al-Qaeda. Hamdan has said he worked for bin Laden but denied any links to terrorism.
Former CIA contractor to be sentenced in fatal detainee beating of Afghan detainee
04.02.07. AP/IHT. Prosecutors said Passaro beat Abdul Wali over two days while interrogating him in July 2003 at a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan. Passaro was not charged in Wali's death. IN RED (Which US general was head of this base when this murder happened and why wasn’t he questioned?)
Tomgram: Ann Jones on the Nightmare of Afghan Women
05.02.07. Tomgram. ‘After three decades of almost constant warfare, most citizens are programmed to answer the slightest challenge with violence. In Afghanistan it's the default response.
Ex-CIA contractor sentenced to nearly 8 1/2 years in prison
13.02.07. E. Dunbar, AP/Wilmington Star. The first American civilian to be charged and convicted with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 8 1/2 years in prison for beating an Afghan detainee who later died.
| Rendition Boeing helps CIA fly kidnapped suspects abroad for torture 04.02.07. N. Henhoff, Village Voice. Portugal probes alleged CIA flights 05.02.07. AP . Forbes. U.K. singled out on EU ‘torture flights’ 14.02.07. ITV. ‘More than 1,000 secret CIA flights have flown into European airports since 9/11. ‘ Switzerland probing unlawful US use of Swiss airspace for renditions 14.02.07. The Jurist. 31 to Stand Trial in CIA Kidnapping Case 16.02.07. Guardian. BUTOfficial: US won't extradite CIA agents in Italian case (01.03.07. Monsters and Critics). US military planes criss-cross Europe using bogus call sign 19.02.07. Times on Line. THE American military have been operating flights across Europe using a call sign assigned to a civilian airline that they have no legal right to use. Not only is the call sign bogus — according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) — so, it appears, are some of the aircraft details the Americans have filed with the air traffic control authorities. In at least one case, a plane identified with the CIA practice of “extraordinary rendition” — transporting terrorist suspects — left a US air base just after the arrival of an aircraft using the bogus call sign. The call sign Juliet Golf Oscar (JGO) followed by a flight number belongs, says the ICAO, to a now bankrupt Canadian low-cost airline called Jetsgo of Montreal. But for several years and as recently as last December it has been used selectively by both the American air force and army to cover the flights of aircraft to and from the Balkans. (Planes) range from Learjet 35 executive jets to C-130 transport planes and MC-130P Combat Shadows … U.S. Warns Against EU's CIA Flight Probe 28.02.07. J. Sliva, Guardian/legitgov. “ongoing inquiries into secret CIA activities in the European Union may undermine intelligence cooperation between the United States and European nations.” |
Canadian soldiers accused of abusing Afghan prisoners
06.02.07. Xihuanet.
U.S. fails to sign treaty banning secret prisons
07.02.07. AP / Shelbyville News. Many other Western nations, including Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy, also did not sign the treaty. France introduced the convention at the U.N. General Assembly in November and it was adopted in December.
VA comes up short for Iraq vets
11.02.07. Seattle Times. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is facing a wave of returning veterans such as Bowman who are struggling with memories of a war where it's hard to distinguish innocent civilians from enemy fighters and where the threat of suicide attacks and roadside bombs haunts the most routine mission. Since 2001, about 1.4 million Americans have served in Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations in the war on terror. . The VA counts post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as the most prevalent mental-health malady to emerge from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story itemises the failures of the Dept of Vet Affairs in helping returning soldiers. Walter Reid patients told to shut up.
Hicks 'carried 300 rounds, grenades' in Afghanistan
16.02.07. Geoff Elliott, Australian News. New charge sheet.
Senate U.S. Attorneys List
16.02.06. AP/Guardian. Senate U.S. Attorneys List. U.S. attorneys whose resignations have been sought by the Justice Department (& Bush) in recent months. See also:
Republicans Block Bill on U.S. Attorneys
16.02.07. Guardian.
Documents show new secretive US prison program isolating Muslim, Middle Eastern prisoners
16.02.07. Jennifer van Bergen, Raw Story. Program in apparent violation of federal law. According to a letter obtained by RAW STORY, sent by CMU inmate Dr. Rafil Dhafir to one of his supporters, the current unit has at present only 16 prisoners, but is expected to have 60-70 more added soon. Dhafir writes that the CMU "is still not fully understood. The staff here is struggling to make sense of the whole situation," and says that the prisoners are "so far treated with great respect and good accommodation" but "with the new system we will have absolutely no privacy." The letter has been posted on a support site for Dhafir. …Dr. Dhafir … was not charged with any terrorism related activities or a violent offense.
Also in CMU detention are also five of the "Lackawanna Six," a group of six American citizens who traveled to Afghanistan before Sept. 11, 2001 and were indicted for giving material support to Al Qaeda. Yahya Goba, one of the group's members -- who turns up as a government witness in numerous cases -- is not in the system, although he was sentenced to ten years along with the other Lackawanna defendants.
Howard Keiffer believes that the program not only violates federal law but the Constitution as well … Paul Wright, the editor of Prison Legal News, told RAW STORY that "segregating prisoners based on their race, national origin or language directly contradicts the recent US supreme court ruling in Johnson v. California which held that the racial segregation of prisoners was illegal."
Spain furious as US blocks access to Madrid bombing 'chief'
15.02.07. Times on Line. Exclusive: on the first day of the Madrid bombing trial, the splits that have emerged between Spain and the US over the War on Terror, which have their roots in the Iraq conflict, are laid bare. “this is Spain’s most wanted man in the terrorist world – it is galling to know that he is in the hands on an ally and they will not help us.” (Why not?) Setmarian was in Afghanistan in late 2001 … and moved to Pakistan, where he continued to be active.
US: Failure to Provide Justice for Afghan Victims
16.02.07. Human Rights Watch News. "The United States has failed to adequately investigate and prosecute numerous cases of detainee abuse by U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch welcomed the sentence handed down this week against a CIA contractor convicted in the killing of an Afghan detainee in 2003, but said this was a singular exception to an otherwise poor record of accountability.
Canada-Afghanistan detainee agreement allows torture: rights groups
21.02.07. The Jurist
US, Germany head exports of electro-shock stun guns to torture states
26.02.07. Muslim news.
Why Have So Many US Attorneys Been Fired? It Looks a Lot Like Politics
26.02.07.A. Cohen, NY Times / Truth Out. Ms. Lam is one of at least seven United States attorneys fired recently under questionable circumstances.
New Light Shed on CIA's 'Black Site' Prisons
28.02.07.Linzer / Tate, Washington Post. His release from a secret facility in Afghanistan on June 30, 2006, was a surprise to Jabour -- and came just after the Supreme Court rejected the Bush administration's assertion that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to prisoners like him. … But Jabour's experience -- also chronicled by Human Rights Watch, which yesterday issued a report on the fate of former "black site" detainees -- often does not accord with the portrait the administration has offered of the CIA system, such as the number of people it held and the threat detainees posed.
State Department criticizes Europe probes of CIA secret prisons
28.02.07. The Jurist.
Canada scraps anti-terrorism laws
28.02.07. al jazeera / ICH. The Canadian parliament has refused to extend controversial anti-terrorism legislation enacted after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US which allows for preventive arrests and compels testimony.
US: Secret CIA Prisoners Still Missing
28.02.07. Human Rights Watch News. Washington Should Reveal Fate of People ‘Disappeared’ by US
HEY, AMERICA, WHAT ABOUT NEW ORLEANS?
9. Some Deaths in Afghanistan
Inquest told of 'rogue' US attack on British convoy
31.01.07. M. Taylor, Guardian. A group of British soldiers yesterday described their frantic attempts to stop an attack on their convoy by "rogue" US warplanes that left one dead and four injured.
U.S. Reconfigures the Way Casualty Totals Are Given
02.02.07. NY Times. Statistics on a Pentagon Web site have been reorganized in a way that lowers the published totals of American nonfatal casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Headless corpse of accused U.S. spy found
02.02.07. C News. A note written in the locally spoken Pashto language found with the body identified the slain man by a single name, Ghafoor, and as a resident of Tanai village in Afghanistan's neighbouring Khost province, the official said.
Pentagon lies with stats
10.02.07. Boston Herald. The Pentagon is playing a shameful numbers game and this week in Washington Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) blew the whistle on it. . One set of “official” numbers for troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq lists the figure at about 23,000. But the actual number of those injured in those two theaters of operation is more than double that - around 53,000.
Canadian troops fire on Afghan army convoy, wounding one allied soldier
M. Brewster, CP. (no date)
NATO bombing kills 30 in S Afghanistan
14.02.07. Xihuanet. ‘NATO air forces killed 30 people including 18 civilians early Wednesday in a bombardment against a compound near Musa Qala district center in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, a local elder Haji Ibrahim told Xinhua.
Two unarmed Afghans killed by NATO troops
17.02.07. CTV.
Afghan civilians killed by NATO troops
17.02.07. C News. For the Canadians, it is the second time in a week they've been involved in an unintentional shooting and both incidents Saturday join a long series events which have started to erode relations with the Afghan population, who've taken to complaining bitterly about being in the crossfire - or on the receiving end of stray warning shots.
8 U.S. Troops Die in Afghan Copter Crash
18.02.07. Noor Khan, uruknet. Eight U.S. troops were killed and 14 wounded when a military helicopter crashed Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan after reporting engine failure, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement. “We're confident it was not due to enemy action."
Mass murder of Afghan women and children
21.02.07. G. Polya, MWC / uruknet.
The next Pat Tillman-style coverup?
22.02.07. alternet. Lavina Johnson’s death.
U.S. deaths in Afghanistan, region
22.02.07. Mlive. As of Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007, at least 305 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. TheDefense Department last updated its figures Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007. . Of those, the military reports 193 were killed by hostile action.
In Afghanistan, Death Comes Cheap
23.02.07. C. Sands, anti-war.com
List of major suicide attacks in Afghanistan
27.02.07. IHT.
Afghan civilian killed by Canadian soldiers
27.02.07. M. Brewster, Globe and Mail.
How the war on terror made the world a more terrifying place
28.02.07. Sengupta / Cockburn, Independent / ICH.
VideoThe Living and the Dead Cry Out for Justice
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Sarah Meyer is a researcher living in England.
The url to Index on Afghanisgan: February 2007 is: http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/2007/03/index-on-afghanistan-february-2007.html
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Please also see other source material on Afghanistan:
• Index on Afganistan to end 08.06.
• Nato: The Bathtub of Unreadiness
• Afghanistan: NATO is now US-ATO
• Index on Afghanistan September 2006
• Index on Afghanistan October 2006
• Index on Afghanistan November 2006
• Index on Afghanistan December 2006
• http://Index-on-Afghanistan-January-2007.html
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Tags: Index Research, Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, UK, NATO, Cheney, Rendition, Opium, contracts, Secret Prisons
Labels: Afghanistan, Cheney, contracts, NATO, Opium, Pakistan, Secret Prisons
posted by Sarah Meyer @ 3/01/2007 09:40:00 am
Naomi Klein 
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