Ajmal Attacked

Justin sends this disturbing news about our friend Ajmal:

To all concerned about CHIEF AJMAL KHAN

Further to email below from yesterday: see http://blog.freerangeinternational.com/. The article appears below the email.

Ajmal, unhurt despite his car seat being peppered with bullets, was ambushed for 45 minutes in Zazi Valley yesterday while in 18 vehicle convoy, a concerted attack causing casualties with viz rocket launchers and machine guns by Taliban with identifiable suicide bombers on the loose. The Police chief, who is supported by US and NATO, and forces stood idly by with involvement presumed for good reason. US military did not react and were ambushed later. Khan has no US hardware support while the perpetrators are well armed. Help requested re hardware and action on Police chief. Urgent. Khan’s number: 00 821 6444 27606.

The name of the Police Chief is Nabi.
Last night I received a call from my good friend Chief Ajmal Khan Azizi who had just escaped a serious Taliban ambush. As I reported in this post last February Chief Azizi had returned to his tribal homelands to coordinate with The Boss on reconstruction projects and to renew his pleading with the American army stationed in his area for support in battling the Taliban. Ajmal is a tribal chief as well as a Canadian citizen. He has gone hat in hand to London, Kabul and Washington DC to raise support for his beleaguered tribal area, and although he finds a sympathetic audience wherever he goes, what he never gets is a firm commitment to help. I am not the only one taking up his cause, The Boss has been working with the US Embassy in Kabul and Steven Pressfield published a multi part interview with Ajmal this year too.
Last night as Ajmal was moving through the town of Ali Khel near the Pakistan border, he was ambushed by a platoon of Pakistani Taliban. They recognized them as Pakistani’s due to their accents when the attackers shouted back and forth to each other during the 45 minute fight. As these things normally are the ambush was initiated with an IED explosion followed by small arms fire (SAF) and RPG’s. I talked with the chief of the Zazi Valley police, Amir Mohammad who said the Paki’s shot volley after volley from at least 6 RPG’s and they threw over 14 grenades during the fight. Ajmal called on the near by Afghan Border Police for help and they declined to intervene, so the ambush was not broken until Zazi Valley tribal police reinforcements showed up and drove the attackers back towards Pakistan. Ajmal lost a truck and had three men wounded. One of them was seriously wounded and was being transported to Kabul (a five hour drive) in order to get him proper medical care.

Getting worse

Sobering words from a friend in Afghanistan:

Not sure how fast this country is heading further down the downward spiral but any rays of optimism are being blanketed by the multi-layered clouds of corruption, hypocrisy and dysfunctionality to name but a few. Sadly there is no western leadership, inspiration or hard handed determination to keep in check (let alone protect its citizens) or moderate the loose-canon of leadership here. Just think of this place as a war machine - chaos and dysfunctionality are the oil which keeps the machine rolling and as long as the machine is rolling pockets are being lined and bank balances swelled for the knights and the bishops playing this global game of chess - while the pawns are thrown around the table to sacrifice their lives in the name of freedom or fall further down the tunnel of poverty. This is a modern day Alice in Wonderland - the Dormouse of the West sleeps at the table of - the Tweedle Dums and Tweedle Dees of "diplomacy" continue to twiddle their thumbs while the Mad Hatter and King and Queen of Hearts execute their crazy dance around the kingdom of insanity - the Caterpillar smokes his hookah of magic mushrooms and "embedded" media reporter Alice is on a permanent high as she takes "trips" down the tunnel baffled by all the madness around her - - and for those who have faith in the existance of the the illusiary White Rabbit of Resolution they now begin to question whether it exists or not. Meanwhile the Machinary of War continues to churn out it conveyor belt of profits.

There is no honor in this country as it stands now - sadly the only honor we acknowledge is measured in human sacrifice as we watch the corteges crawling through the streets of Wootton Bassett honouring the young fallen Brits - or wtiness the same in some small town in Georgia or Alabama - or France - or Italy or Germany. What about the poor innocent Afghan villagers - men women and children slaughtered by the Taliban - or young girls getting gassed in their school by "enlightened" Taliban intent on denying women any degree of human rights or - whole villahes blown to bits by errant "drone"missiles. Who will honor them in this Afghan war machine? Meanwhile while the fat-cats getting fatter and fatter and continue to lick the ever increasing amount of cream accumulating round their greedy mouths.

So much for the dreams of Afghanistan - as perceived by a cynical old curmudgeon.