3
POPSKarzai offers Mullah Omar security for peace talks This could be a great opportunity to get out of Afghanistan. If Omar agrees then all the US has to do is disagree and agree with Karzai's choice that we leave. First of all, Karzai would get some benefit by showing he is not a puppet of the US. Likely the benefit to him would be short lived without western support. The US would be able to disagree to the plan of providing security for talks with terrorists, thereby maintaining our long held position on that matter. In addition we would be respecting the wishes of the Afghan government by withdrawing, thereby showing respect for international law. And we could best of all withdraw our troops The longer we stay in Afghanistan the more people get killed, the more resources get used, the more money (we don't have) get's spent. And the more terrorist wannabes and people who hate us are created.
3
POPSThe Taliban Will 'Never' Negotiate With West "If increase the soldiers in Afghanistan, the jihad against will become serious." When asked if he had a message for Canadians, Ahmadi called on Canada not to "kill their sons" by sending troops to fight in Afghanistan. "I tell them to let Afghans to make their future by themselves and decide by themselves," he said. "Afghanistan does not belong to America or Canada." Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to pull all Canadian combat forces out of Afghanistan by 2011.
0
POPSAfghanistan: The Promise and the Reality
I have now spent several days in Afghanistan as an unembedded journalist, travelling around freely without an armed or military escort. Yes, it’s risky and at times nerve-wracking but if I want to find out what is really happening on the ground I’m not going to get it hiding in some hotel compound or army barracks being briefed by an army spokesman who knows even less than me. So far I’ve spoken to men and women from all backgrounds, cultures and Islamic ideologies and without exception they’re hacked off with the American presence. All the goodwill I saw after the fall of the Taliban has been squandered by the military presence of the US as well as the British (no one really distinguishes between the two) and it is crystal clear they have overstayed their welcome. The Taliban are in control of large swathes of the country and are now bordering on Kabul having already carried out several raids on the capital where Afghan leader Hamid Karzai is under virtual siege. Sinc
8
POPSDozens killed in US attack on Afghan wedding party What the hell is going on with our military? The U.S. does not have a reputation for murdering civilians. And yet lately many civilians have lost their lives at our hands. Are we becoming careless? In this age of advanced technology why are we not able to be more precise in selecting our targets instead of just killing everyone and hoping to get the right one. Are we being played by erroneously intelligence for the purpose of making us look like murderous fools? This trend is very disturbing.
1
POPSAfghan president Karzai demands US end civilian casulties "Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes," Karzai said. "This is my first demand of the new president of the United States - to put an end to civilian casualties."
8
POPSUS airstrike kills 9 Afghan soldiers at checkpoint n the last month, uniformed Afghan police officers have twice opened fire on U.S. troops, killing two soldiers. The police officers were killed by U.S. soldiers returning fire, but the incidents raised fears that insurgents have infiltrated Afghanistan's security forces as a cover to launch attacks. In the country's southern Uruzgan province, a two-day battle that ended early Wednesday killed 35 Taliban fighters and three Afghan police, said Juma Gul Himat, Uruzgan's provincial police chief.
6
POPSThe Savagery of a Surge That Failed He didn't scream. Instead, the sight induced a sort of catatonia; he picked up the head, cradled it in his arms, and started walking aimlessly. He carried on like this for days, until tribal elders pried the head from his hands and convinced him to deal with his loss more constructively. He decided he would get revenge by becoming a suicide bomber and inflicting a loss on some American family as painful as the one he had just suffered. The Taliban are as uninterested in social services and human rights as the Karzai government or the international forces, but they know how to turn a world of poverty, insecurity, and death from laser-guided missiles to their advantage. Washington spends about $100 million a day on this war - close to $36 billion a year - but only five cents of every dollar goes towards aid. From this paltry sum, "a staggering 40% has returned to donor countries in corporate profits and salaries".
4
POPSAfghanistan Conflict Rapidly Worsening What a mess. Nato troops given new mandate to attack heroin drug barons in Afghanistan NATO accused of sheltering Afghan heroin trade Karzai's brother denies links to drug trade Nato happy to ignore explosion in Afghan opium output, says Russia
9
POPSPetraeus Talk Bolsters Obama Cont.... Petraeus also came out unambiguously in his talk at Heritage for opening communications with America’s adversaries, a position McCain is attacking Obama for endorsing. Citing his Iraq experience, Petraeus said, “You have to talk to enemies.” He added that it was necessary to have a particular goal for discussion and to perform advance work to understand the motivations of his interlocutors. Yet Petraeus emphasized throughout his lecture that reaching out to insurgent groups — some “with our blood on their hands,” he said — was necessary to the ultimate goal of turning them against irreconcilable enemies like Al Qaeda in Iraq.
2
POPSAfghan president Karzai calls for peace with Taliban Our correspondent says that many Afghan and western officials believe that the insurgency cannot be defeated militarily and that a political accommodation must be reached, but there has been fierce disagreements between Western countries and the Afghan government as to how this process should proceed. Correspondents say that earlier attempts to negotiate with the Taleban have been beset by difficulties, especially when foreign powers have been involved.
1
POPSTaliban in secret peace talks with Afghan government Last week, the French Prime Minister, Franois Fillon, referred indirectly to the talks during a parliamentary debate on Afghanistan. “We must explore ways of separating the international Jihadists from those who are acting more for nationalist or tribal motives. Efforts in this direction are being led by Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia,î he said. Late last year Karzai said he would welcome the chance to speak directly to Hikmatyar and to Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s leader and one of the most wanted men in the world, promising that if the Taliban demanded a ìdepartment in this or in that ministry or a position as deputy ministerî in exchange for ending violence, he would give them the posts. Previously, Taliban spokesmen have said that only the departure of foreign troops, the institution of a fiercely rigorous interpretation of Sharia law and a share of government would be acceptable to them as the basis for any deal.
0
POPSKandahar rocked by suicide blasts The US-led coalition said its forces had killed more than 10 insurgents in an operation in the eastern province of Khost on Saturday. Afghanistan has seen rising levels of violence in recent months. There are about 70,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, most of them serving under Nato's command.
0
POPSAfghan leader assails airstrike on civilians “It is quite obvious, the Americans bombed the area due to wrong information,” he said by telephone. “I am 100 percent confident that someone gave the information due to a tribal dispute. The Americans are foreigners and they do not understand. These people they killed were enemies of the Taliban.”
1
POPSThe Truth About Afghanistan Every American Should Know The pre-9/11 plan to invade Afghanistan and the oil pipeline deal behind it, that neither McCain nor Obama will discuss as relevant. Again 9/11 was the pretext for both Iraq and Afghanistan regime change and arranged prior to that "catalyzing event". pre-911: Unocal lavished money and attention on Taliban, flew a senior delegation to Texas Now: Afghanistan just signed a major deal to launch a long-planned, 1680 km long pipeline project expected to cost $ 8 billion. "Mission accomplished". Note the role that Karzai played prior to his installment. Note also how Pakistan fits into this equation which has nothing to do with terrorism. But there are only two practical ways to get gas and oil out of land-locked Central Asia to the sea: through Iran, or through Afghanistan to Pakistan. For Washington, Iran is tabu. That leaves Pakistan, but to get there, the planned pipeline must cross western Afghanistan
3
POPSDeadliest Attack in Afghanistan The Afghan Interior Ministry hinted that the attack was carried out with help from Pakistan's intelligence service, saying that "terrorists have carried out this attack in coordination and consultation with some of the active intelligence circles in the region." The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Pakistan condemned the attack and terrorism in all forms. Unfortunately we have no more troops to send to Afghanistan.
4
POPSKarzai orders probe into deadly U.S. strike "The wedding party was supposed to be going from one village to another to take the bride to the house of the groom," Gul said. "You will have to ask the Americans whether these were terrorists. So far as I know they were men, women and children traveling to a wedding." Imagine how you'd feel if your wedding party was bombed! ANOTHER ATROCITY, DAMMIT!
3
POPSTaliban Are Weaker As NATO Attacks Rebels (Update2) Afghan officials said the Taliban have now been cleared from the villages outside the city. Taliban rebels, seeking to overthrow President Hamid Karzai's government, stepped up their insurgency in southern and eastern provinces and increasingly targeted the capital, Kabul, with suicide bombings in recent months. While acknowledging the jail break and fighting posed difficulties, Wood said the international community wouldn't allow the district to fall to the insurgents. Our unified assessment in Kabul is that the Taliban is weaker in 2008 than it was at the beginning of the fighting season in 2007. The Islamist fighters last year lost districts and the U.S. has intelligence of ``some dissatisfaction among the rank and file of the Taliban with their focus on terrorism against innocent civilians. NATO leads a force of more than 53,000 soldiers battling the Taliban.
1
POPSAngry Afghan President: Will No Longer Tolerate Cross-Border Attacks.
Analysts said they doubt military action by Afghanistan is imminent, but Pakistan's prime minister said the threat "will not be taken well." A Taliban spokesman warned that the Afghan army would be defeated by thousands of armed tribesman. Speaking on the grounds of his fortified presidential palace, Karzai told a news conference that Afghanistan has the right to self defense, and because militants cross over from Pakistan "to come and kill Afghan and kill coalition troops, it exactly gives us the right to do the same." Then, Karzai warned Pakistan-based Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud that Afghan forces would target him on his home turf. Mehsud has been accused in last year's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. "Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house," Karzai said. "And the other fellow, (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar of Pakistan, should know the same," Karzai continued.
1
POPSAfghan prison attack stirs tensions with Pakistan Just as I thought. When they first reported that about 200 prisoners escaped, I smelled the stench big lie. Now, they're saying it was 870 prisoners. Ha. I am SURE the number is at least twice and perhaps 3-4 times that amount. Very good. Hamid Karzai is nothing but a cheap hoe of the big pimp. Big pimp and Karzai are mass murderers and torturers. Most of the people in those jails are innocent of criminal activity. So I am very very happy to see them free and I hope this kind of thing happens much more often.
0
POPSKarzai Says He'll Send Troops to Pakistan Karzai said in recent fighting in the Garmser district of Helmand province - where hundreds of U.S. Marines have been battling insurgents the last two months - that most of the fighters came from Pakistan. Karzai called Pakistan a "brother government" and "friend," but also urged it to "act against those elements that are making Pakistan and Afghanistan insecure." He said it was better for Afghan troops to be killed during offensive operations into Pakistan than in militant attacks in Afghanistan. His comments come as Pakistan is seeking peace deals with militants in its borders, including with Mehsud. The deals have come under criticism from U.S. officials, who warn they will simply give militants time to regroup and intensify attacks inside Afghanistan. But Pakistan insists it's not negotiating with "terrorists," rather militants willing to lay down their arms. Karzai is talkative and good for nothing
3
POPSMilitants Attack Afghan Prison With Car Bomb, Free Inmates Lawmaker Habibullah Jan said some of the hunger strikers had been held without trial for more than two years. Others were given lengthy prison sentences after short trials. Jan said 47 of the prisoners had stitched their mouths shut during the hunger strike in May.
1
POPSBEST NEWS OF THE DAY: Militants attack Afghan prison, free inmates How cruel a regime is the USA. Prisoners held for years without trial or charge. THAT'S FUCKED UP NO MATTER WHAT THE EXCUSE. Prisoners so desperate they stitched their mouths close in protest. THAT'S how cruel the United States of America has become. So it is a very happy day for humanity that the whole muthafuckin goddam prison escaped the cruelty of chief pimp USA and its slut whores in Kandahar.
6
POPSTalking to the Taliban. More Peace Talks. Well is this appeasement? Peace seems to be breaking out despite Bush. That's Korea now and Afghanistan! Where next? Obviously this took the White House by surprise or we'd have Rice as usual flying in to breakup the party. Now he'll have to nuke Iran to keep the money flowing in to his contractors and banks.
4
POPSHas everyone forotten Afghanistan?
What justifies this? Various fables have been spun – "building democracy" is one. "The war on drugs" is the most perverse. When the Americans invaded Afghanistan in 2001 they had one striking success. They brought to an abrupt end a historic ban on opium production that the Taliban regime had achieved. A UN official in Kabul described the ban to me as "a modern miracle". The miracle was quickly rescinded. As a reward for supporting the Karzai "democracy", the Americans allowed Northern Alliance warlords to replant the country's entire opium crop in 2002. Twenty-eight out of the 32 provinces instantly went under cultivation. Today, 90 per cent of world trade in opium originates in Afghanistan. In 2005, a British government report estimated that 35,000 children in this country were using heroin. While the British taxpayer pays for a £1bn military super-base in Helmand Province and the second-biggest B! ritish embassy in the world, in Kabul, peanuts are spent on drug rehabilitation at hom
3
POPSOur Preznut thinks war is Romantic and exciting--How Quaint "I must say, I'm a little envious," Dubya said, with thoughts of Junior G-Man decoder rings dancing in his head. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed." Well...whoop-de-fucking-doo! This Jazzbo wannabe soldier who hid when he was in the Nat'l Guard and went AWOL to stay drunk...Ah...geez...what can i say?
2
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update