More and More die in lost war

The number of deaths in Afghanistan have reached an all time high. More Western servicemen killed than ever before, bucking the seasonal trends. Not good news. According to the MEC analytical group:

According to the latest quarterly report on the situation by the Secretary General of the UN on 16 June (http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/400/06/PDF/N1040006.pdf?OpenElement  ):


Overall, the number of security incidents increased significantly, compared to previous years and contrary to seasonal trends. This is attributable to an increase in military operations in the southern region during the first quarter of 2010 and to significant anti-government element activities in the south-east and eastern regions of Afghanistan . . .
The majority of incidents continue to involve armed clashes and improvised explosive devices, each accounting for one third of the reported incidents. The rise in incidents involving improvised explosive devices constitutes an alarming trend, with the first four months of 2010 recording a 94 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2009. Suicide attacks occur at a rate of about three per week, half of which occur in the southern region. Complex suicide attacks are recorded at roughly two per month, higher than the average of one complex attack per month during 2009. . .The shift to more complex suicide attacks demonstrates a growing capability of the local terrorist networks linked to Al-Qaida Insurgents followed up their threats against the civilian population with, on average, seven assassinations every week, the majority of which were conducted in the south and south-east regions. This constitutes a 45 per cent increase, compared to the same period in 2009. In the south, high-profile assassinations of civil servants, clerics and elders in Kandahar City (including the Deputy Mayor and the head of the Agriculture Cooperative Department) are aimed at establishing control over the urban population.

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.

The 256th soldier to die!!

The Independent on Feb 9th seems to make us aware that there are contradictory messages coming from Afghanistan. This death toll is more than the no. killed in the 1982 Falklands war.

Gen Stanley McChrystal the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan is aiming to retake Marjah which is now in Taliban hands; he wanted the citizens to know that an Afghan Government will be there to replace the Taliban. But the Taliban are not going to leave without a fight. They said that they would "defeat the infidel invader". They also have brave international Mujahedin behind them.

Mahar now looks empty; most of the families have now gone, but as a farmer says: he has no money to leave with his family and cannot move them to safety.

With accusations being levelled at MI5 today Feb; and there are prisoners at Guantanamo Bay that "committed suicide" simultaneously by hanging themselves in their cells, yet the cells are checked every 10 minutes, with 5 guards for 28 prisoners but the bodies weren't discovered for two hours!

Lord Newburger cited that MI5 must have known about the treatment and torture of Binyam Mohamed with apparently all those condoning this treatment. The trials go on and the public get more and more disillusioned with the institutions that they had trusted for so many years.
We are from a first world country, but how will the Afghans be able to trust the US, UK,China and the big powers.

The Insurgency

There is a disturbing element to this insurgency. In 2010 more Afghans are dying in their country's dispute than anytime since 2001. This is due to the Taliban's use of roadside bombs. This contradicts the fact that the Afghans are less in conflict with them than the imposed forces of the US, UN and NATO. The UN, stated that at least 2,412 civilians were killed last year and a further 3,566 wounded as a direct result of the war between Taliban led insurgents and the Western backed government. A friend who is a traveller in the area is quick to point out that the Afghans, apart from their treatment of women, admire what the Taliban are doing on the ground getting electricity working, but "These suicide attacks and roadside bombs most often kill innocent Afghans, not international forces," a human rights advocate said. "This is not the way of Islam and is against international law. This disregard for lives, must stop."

A vindication of US General Stanley McChrystal's policy of restricting the use of air strikes, even so 359 were still killed in air strikes. He told President Karzai that everything would be done to protect civilians. Yet he is the architect of a troop surge, that will see 37,000 more foreign soldiers arrive in Afghanistan this year, and this will certainly result in more violence and deaths.

Carnage in Afghanistan-again.

Balawi was seen as a devout but an aloof Muslim and he told his family that he was going to visit his second wife in Turkey to continue his studies as a doctor, before he returned to Afghanistan. He was recruited in Jordan and managed to lure the CIA officers into a meeting at a gym at Base Chapman with promise that he would reveal the top men in Al Queda.
He detonated himself at this meeting killing all there, amongst the 6 CIA men was a cousin of the son of the late President of Jordan.

The Total Mounts

Watson a bomb dispersal expert was killed on New Year's Eve by a Taliban bomb. His death took to 108 the forces that have died in this conflict. But a few days ago, I believe as we speak the total has gone up to 110. I see in the Independant today Jan 4th that a Canadian platoon has already taken part in offering the Afghan forces support as two months ago 5 British soldiers were gunned down by a Afghan Policeman they were mentoring, it was reported in The Times he was called Golbadein. It must have proved difficult to inspire confidence in the troops with this happening!

The way the Afghan war is likely to go is for US President Barack Obama and the British Prime Minister and other heads of govenment to meet and discuss the issue as all believe that Afghanisation should take place. An agreement between Mr Brown and Hamid Karzai is expected after his recent visit in London.

The first headquarters would be in the Kandahar province, General Shir Mohammed Zazai, working alongside Major General Nick Carter, in charge of 45,000 UK, US and other NATO forces in Southern Afghanistan. We shall be in a supporting role to the Afghan forces.

I hear today there is a demonstration at Wooten Bassett against the forces families that show so much respect for all the soldiers that give their lives and whether you believe that they should or shouldn't be there, you can understand that this is a powder-keg about to go off!!