Sgt Calvin Gibbs Trial - Self Justifications

Gibbs' testimony Friday was at odds with that of the other witnesses, who said he began talking about killing civilians soon after he joined the unit in late 2009. In the second killing, Pvt. Jeremy Morlock — who has pleaded guilty and is serving 24 years for the murders — said Gibbs killed an unarmed man after firing an illicit AK-47 into the wall of a compound and tossing the weapon at the man's feet to make him appear to have been an enemy.

But Gibbs maintained the engagement was legitimate: The man started firing with the AK-47, but the gun jammed, and Spc. Michael Wagnon, who is also charged in that killing, returned fire.
"I was engaged by an enemy combatant," Gibbs said. "Luckily his weapon appeared to malfunction and I didn't die." The last three words are among the unfortunate details of the lying statement.

Interview With Taliban Commander

The Taliban had grown confident enough to fight during all seasons, said Mujahid, who was dressed in a traditional shalwar qameez, traditional baggy tunic and trousers and a white cap.
Insurgent attacks have tended to fall off in winter as the mountain passes they use to cross from havens in Pakistan become blocked with snow.
Qari Mahmud Mujahid is the Taliban commander's nom de guerre. He did not want his real name used for fear of being captured or killed by Western or Afghan forces. More.

Calvin Gibbs Kill Team Trial - More Horrors Emerge

‘Just an old man, his family and a bunch of kids, just a normal house, nothing going on,’ Winfield said.
 He recounted Gibbs gestured at the man and asked, ‘Is this the guy?’, then discussed how the man might have attacked them with a grenade.
 Having heard Gibbs and Morlock boast about two previous slayings, Winfield testified, he realised this was the next ‘guy to be killed.’
Gibbs then led the individual outside and around a corner. Read more 

1500 Civilians Killed In Night Raids in 2010/11

Within the Afghan compounds that are the physical targets of US night raids live extended family households that normally include not only the male head of family and his wife, but his brothers, sons and cousins and their families.
In Afghanistan, every adult Pashtun male has a weapon in his home, and is obliged by the ancient code of conduct called "Pashtunwali" to defend his home, his family and his friends against armed intruders. In a typical extended family compound, several males have weapons.
As a result, the non-targeted civilians killed in night raids have invariably been either close relatives or neighbors who come out to assist against an armed assault.
SOF commanders and the command and staff of the ISAF have essentially denied all civilian deaths in night raids, except for women and children, by counting all adult males killed in raids as insurgents. Full details.

Freedom Waves Flotilla - Follow The Twitter Feed

The freedom flotilla to lift the siege of Gaza has left. May a fair wind (of change) be with them. If you want to follow the Twitter feed it is HERE.    
http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23freedomwaves
The hashtag is #Freedomwaves  -  http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Freedomwaves

Sgt. Calvin Gibbs - 'I've Been Framed'

According to the defence the real victim in this horror story is Gibbs himself. Doesn't your heart just bleed for him. If you followed this story you will know that he had been suspected of similar ghoul behaviour in Iraq years previously.

“What you’re seeing in this case is the ultimate betrayal of an infantryman,” Stackhouse said. He argued that as far as Gibbs knew at the time, the shootings took place in legitimate combat.Gibbs’ court-martial opened Monday, signaling the end of an 18-month Army investigation that resulted in criminal charges against 11 of his platoon mates. Nine have been convicted at previous trials, and three have admitted to taking part in staged killings.The 6-foot-4-inch soldier sat stoically Monday, with three family members sitting behind him in court at Lewis-McChord. He faces life in prison if convicted of any of the murder charges.The case against Gibbs has drawn international attention to the base south of Tacoma because he’s accused of leading some of the most serious purported war crimes to emerge since the U.S. attacked the Taliban stronghold a decade ago. More.

Ministre Afghan Zalmai Rassoul Discute L'Avenir

Recent Attacks In Afghanistan - News Clip

Watch Latest in Series of Insurgent Attacks Kills at Least 20 in Afghanistan on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Twisting Afghanistan's Netwar - By James Gundun

The Taliban has accomplished a strategic goal; many Afghans and international observers believe that U.S. forces are permanently stalemated. The group was responsible for thousands of Afghan deaths and has killed 382 U.S. soldiers in 2011, compared to 499 in 2010. Their annual total won’t be significantly lower than the previous year, and eclipses 2009’s total of 317 casualties. Assassinations have also eliminated key political leaders such as Hamid Karzai and Burhanuddin Rabbani. Afghanistan's political and economic rehabilitation remains behind U.S. schedule, a problem actively concealed by heightened military operations.The combined effect of these developments will distort the West’s 2014 time-line.Read More.

Les Etats-Unis Suspendent Aide Financiere A UNESCO

Les Etats-Unis, grand allié d'Israël, ont interdit dans les années 1990 tout financement d'une agence de l'ONU qui admettrait la Palestine en tant que membre à part entière.

L'Organisation des Nations unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture a décidé lundi à Paris de l'admission de la Palestine comme membre à part entière par 107 voix pour, 52 abstentions et 14 voix contre.

Kill Team Saw Afghans As Savages

"We talked about payback," Morlock said, adding that the first "opportunity" took place on January 15, 2010 during a patrol of a village called La Mohammad Kalay.
Morlock said he and another soldier, Private Andrew Holmes, came across a teenage farmer, alone in a field. They waved him to come close and the young man obeyed.
"They're pretty compliant when dealing with us," Morlock said, explaining how he then used a grenade to kill the Afghan youth, after which Holmes opened fire to make it look like a legitimate firefight.
"We thought it was an OK idea to do this," Morlock said, adding that after the killing there was a celebratory mood in the platoon, with lots of "high fiving."

Full details.

UNHCR Attacked In Kandahar - Video

US Machinations In Persian Gulf

Queen Of My Soul

A bit of relief from the grief. The AWB live - all 30 minutes. Ever thought it was strange that the funkiest band in history of music came from Scotland? It's not really. Saw them live at at private party in Glasgow in 1978 at the Saints and Sinners (Now King Tut's Wah Wah Hut). Unforgettable. Chill to the Dundee Horns, my friends. Without price or limit of time.

More 'Progress' In Afghanistan As Nato Suffers Worst Day In Kabul

In September 2010, a total of 2,781 Afghan soldiers fled their posts. In September 2011 5,574 got wise and departed. Progress, according the the US Defence Department. The situation appears ripe for another White House 'Mission Accomplished' moment.

100 Years of Bombing - For What?

November 2011 marks the centenary of a world-historic event. An Italian pilot, Guilio Cavotti dropped the first bombs from an aeroplane on to the oasis of Tagiura outside Tripoli. The development of aerial bombardment was more than just a military revolution. It changed both war and peace. We are seeing the legacy of it on our screens every day and every bloodstained week. Who would Jesus Bomb?

Kabul Attack On Nato - AP Clip

13 NATO Troops Killed In Kabul - Short Clip

DOD Says War Going Well On Day 16 NATO Troops Die

DOD Report On 'Progress' In Afghanistan 10 years on. Full Report Here. Worst US casualties in Kabul to date being reported today by an unfortunate coincidence for DOD, ISAF, NATO.

Calvin Gibbs Pleading Not Guilty

Gibbs, wearing a dress uniform, sat silently and mostly expressionless for the remainder of the three hours, staring straight ahead as the judge and attorneys for both sides went through the process of choosing a jury panel. He occasionally glanced at prosecutors or prospective jurors.
In the end, five panelists were selected, two enlisted personnel and three officers, the highest-ranked a colonel.
About 30 witnesses are expected to testify during the court-martial, slated to run at least through next week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, according to Army spokesman Major Christopher Ophardt. More.

Afghanistan Another Vietnam? Who Would Have Thunk It?

What do the American people think? That is the couple of dozen who know that there is a war on in Afghanistan and the half of them who are interested. Only 34% support it apparently. The previous low was 35% in December, 2010. I wonder if those polled were given the option 'Don't give a shit'? Now that would have been an impressive percentage. More here. 

Further Deterioration In Afghanistan

It is at best a feeble argument when Nato says that there is no contradiction between the UN data and the alliance’s claims of progress, saying they have different “definitions.” Outstanding in the argument is that Nato’s study of violence does not include anything instigated by the alliance.
Of course, we cannot expect Nato to tell the world the truth that the war in Afghanistan is going extremely poorly and its claims of progress are unfounded. If anything, as the UN report notes, the year 2011 has become even worse than previous years.
The UN report notes that there is a major increase not only in the number of attacks mounted by the insurgents but also in the complexity of such operations involving multiple bombers and gunmen.
The UN reports say that as of the end of August, the average monthly number of incidents stood at 2,108, up 39 per cent over the same period a year earlier. It did not provide comparable data. The figures include insurgent attacks as well as assaults by Nato and Afghan forces on Taliban figures and positions. More here.

Gadaffi - Cheerleading For A Lynching

Excuses Trotted Out For 10 Years Of Failure In Afghanistan

US intelligence is claiming that the Pakistan intelligence service and military have been supporting the Taliban for the last 10 years. They have produced a 'former Taliban commander' at a press conference to say that he was trained by the Pakistani Army. The name they have given him is 'Najib' but why not just call him 'Abu Jihadi al Ahmedinejad' or 'Curveball'. Isn't it strange that they are just coming out with this rubbish now? Just as they are about to retreat drawdown with their tails between their legs in time for Obama's re-election campaign. Two implications of it :

1. If true,  then the US intelligence must be pretty crap to take 10 years arriving at this conclusion

2. If untrue, it's another ham-handedly clumsy piece of propaganda for them to produce. You know,

WMD's with 40 minute deployment capabilities, Anthrax attacks, Nuclear bombs from Iran, assassination plots against the Saudis in restaurants with Mexican hitmen, kind of thing. 

Slices of yellowcake and coffee all round.

UN Night Raid Report Was Flawed

Officials from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said that a United Nations report released in July included only a small fraction of the night raids in which civilians died.
The AIHRC collaborated with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in compiling the report on civilian casualties, which said that only 30 civilians were killed in targeted raids in Afghanistan during the first six months of 2011.
The report said 80 per cent of the 1,462 civilian deaths it counted in the six-month period were cause by the Taliban - mostly from improvised explosive devices. It said only 14 per cent of the fatalities were caused by "pro-government forces."
The report credited Isaf with cutting civilian casualties in night raids by 15 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier.
Officials at the AIHRC told IPS that the number of night raids UNAMA investigated could only have been a very small proportion of the total number.
Commission officials said the most night raids are carried out in Taliban-dominated areas and people are not able to register complaints.

From Tolo News.

Gadaffi Buried In Secrecy

Arise Ye Wretched Of The Earth

In Arthur Koestler's masterpiece, Darkness At Noon, his next-door cellmate in the Russian prison constantly taps out the message - 'Arise Ye Wretched Of The Earth'. Maybe that is what is happening with  many of the awakenings across the globe. A kind of collective rage against hopelessness, greed, venality, squalour and political cynicism. Tune in to the protests across the world here.

The Bloated Afghan Army

From The Pakistan Observer

There has always been a debate in Pakistan and at international forums about the bigger size of keeping and financingan army in Pakistan, which the time has proved is in real terms a strategic asset of the country vis a vis nuclear deterrence. Way back the Musharraf administration cut its size and since then, despite the need of adding more troops up to corps level, no extra recruitments have been made. The deployments were made only after thinning out troops from the crucially volatile eastern border where the threat of Indian assault has always remained. Every country tactically keeps its reserve troops at the striking positions, but Pakistan, keeping the financial constraints in mind, has not filled the gaps created by huge deployment of over one hundred thousand troops along its western borders. 

But look at the size and number of troops Kabul has resorted to induct in the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and Afghan intelligence agency RAAM. The number of all three has now reached 300,000 with only 2% Afghan Pushtun representation. In addition to that Afghanistan is reportedly raising another 350,000 army, besides four lashkars of locals (50,000 each) and the process of their recruitment, induction and training has already been started, mostly in collaboration with their Indian counterparts. It is startling to know that a separate corps containing 80,000 troops had been raised in India during the last five years, which has reportedly been imparted training by the British and Israeli instructors near the Nepal borders and deployed in four phases in Afghanistan. These troops are either in uniform or in plain clothes working at different tasks, including the training of Fazlullah-like Pakistan’s most wanted terrorist leaders, who have been provided safe havens in Kunar right under the know and nose of NATO and ISAF, Kabul and Governor of Kunar province.

The idea is that the Americans would not directly attack on ground, instead the anti-Qaddafi squads-like trained armed men would make incursions into the Pakistan territory and the TTP would join them in case Pakistan does not bow to the pressure. The question is why Afghanistan, which is not able to properly feed its people, which has no security stake inpresence of NATO-ISAF-Indian troops, has opted to keep such a bigger number of troops and for what when the war is within the country and not with any neighbouring country. It is feared that this would be used against Pakistan and at later stage against Iran. The question is that whether the US idea of Afghan National Army is economically sustainable?

—Peshawar

Special Offer - Hurry While Stocks Last

The fake war veterans memorabilia(see earlier posts) were a winner (unlike the cowards themselves). We made a bomb. Oops, bad phraseology. Here's another winner. The 'Bullshit Business Card Printer'. Suitable for militarists, neocons and right wing fantasists everywhere. 

Summary Execution Of Gaddafi Loyalists

The bodies were found on Sunday on the lawn of the abandoned Hotel Mahari in Sirte, which saw heavy fighting last week as NTC forces battled for control of the city.
"Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"This requires the immediate attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible." Full details.

Afghan Ministers Embezzled Millions

KABUL: At least two Afghan cabinet ministers have embezzled millions of dollars of public money, the country’s anti-graft chief said at the weekend, adding to Western pressure on President Hamid Karzai to clean up his government.

Donor countries say corruption in Karzai’s administration is endemic, and a fundamental threat to their efforts to stabilise the country ahead of the end-2014 deadline for foreign combat troops to quit the country, having handed security responsibilities to Afghan institutions.

Billions of dollars in foreign aid have flowed into the country since a US-led military operation threw the Taliban out of government 10 years ago, but the cash has paid for only limited infrastructure and development work, while violence is at its worst since 2001.

“There are former ministers too, but two or three current cabinet ministers have embezzled millions of dollars,” said Azizullah Ludin, a Karzai appointee who heads the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption, speaking in his Kabul home.

Ludin said he had sent the cases to the Attorney General’s office which will decide whether or not to prosecute, but he did not name the ministers involved or give details. “Corruption in Afghanistan has damaged our reputation, withheld foreign aid and created distance between people and the government,” Ludin said. “This must be stopped.”

REUTERS

Saving Yemen From The UN - By James Gundun

While Ki-moon promised a “clear stance against impunity for gross human rights violations,” the issue remains shrouded in ambiguity. Constructed on a flimsy platform, the UNSC’s resolution welcomes “the engagement of the Gulf Cooperation Council, reaffirming the support of the Security Council for the GCC's efforts to resolve the political crisis in Yemen.” However the GCC's Saudi-bankrolled diplomacy is unwelcome amongst Yemen’s youth and civil movement. Brokered in April between Saleh’s officials and the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), the GCC's initiative functions as a stalling mechanism before morphing into an instrument of control. Read more.

Neocon Defeat In Iraq

The talks broke down because Moqtada al-Sadr's members of parliament and other Iraqi nationalists insisted that US troops be subject to Iraqi law. In every country where they are based the US insists on legal immunity and refuses to let troops be tried by foreigners. In Iraq the issue is especially sensitive after numerous US murders of civilians and the Abu Ghraib scandal in which Iraqi prisoners were sexually humiliated. In almost every case where US courts tried US troops, soldiers were acquitted or received relatively brief prison sentences. Full Article.

Whither The Arab Spring?

Elsewhere, violence, obstruction, sectarianism and a stalling of progress are causes for concern. In Syria, where more than 3,000 are estimated to have died since protests against the Assad regime began in March, there were a reported two dozen more killings on Friday, and no indication that the death of another dictator had given pause for thought. In Yemen, the most chaotic state of the region and home to the most venomous branch of al-Qa'ida, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has so far declined to reply to Friday's UN Security Council resolution calling on him to go. More.

Israel's Favourite Arab Dictator

Both Assad senior and Assad junior advocated resistance against Israel. This slogan was hollow, serving the regime merely as an insurance policy against any demand for freedom and democracy. The Syrian "resistance" government has not uttered a peep on the Golan front since 1973. Instead, the "resistance" regime was and still is ready to fight Israel to the last Lebanese, and if that doesn't do the trick - then to the last Palestinian. Full article

Egypte - L'Apres Revolution

The Playstation Games About Afghanistan Are Already On Sale

You can buy these games from me along with the fake war veteran (FWV) memorabilia. As far as Obama, Clinton and Biden are concerned, the whole thing might as well be a computer game generated for fake war veterans. Complete with sub-intelligent music as a soundtrack for the loboto-strategies and 'policies'. Change we can all believe in. Drink deep of the thick and meaty broth of insanity, my friends.

More Drone Attacks In Libya Than In Pakistan

With the reported death of Gaddafi, the numbers are coming in regarding how much of a war Obama’s non-war has become. Between April 21 and October 21 unmanned Predator drones have conducted 145 airstrikes in Libya, says Pentagon spokesman George Little.In Pakistan, however, where drone surveillance and strikes have become practically commonplace and have caused concern not just from locals but concerned Americans upset over the massive civilian deaths caused by the crafts, the number of drone strikes has decreased. This year the US has launched only 57 drone strikes in Pakistan, where the American military attempts, and often fails, to locate militants from neighboring Afghanistan who, like former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin laden, have taken refuge. More.

Footage Of Death Of Gaddafi

Fall Of Gadaffi - Early Thoughts

This is not the end of Libya's problems although it will be simplified as such by much of the MSM. There are many left in Libya and the adjacent countries with no love for, and no need for the west and their surrogates. Islamists and Salafists are obvious examples. They are well financed and backed and armed by Qatar. Belhaj controls much of Tripoli. There is big potential for a flashpoint there involving Zintant and the secular groupings. The risk of possible theological conflict with the 

Sufis has already been illustrated in the destruction of tomb shrines.
Not to forget the Gadaffi loyalists. There are still significant numbers around particularly in the south and some parts of Tripoli. The Warfalla and Gadhafa tribe, after what they have suffered in Bani Walid and Sirte are likely recruits to any guerrilla war.
And like any potential state implosion we have the external forces getting ready to play their part: US, France, Britain and Qatar.
Tribal fighters from Chad, Mali and Niger could make themselves available for a pro-Gadaffi guerilla war in the south. Much violence is store yet for the Libyan people unfortunately.

Hillary Drops By For Much Needed Pep-Talk

Le Reseau Haqqani

'Precision' Deaths In Afghanistan

In the first known case of friendly fire deaths involving an unmanned aircraft, Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith, 26, and Navy Hospitalman Benjamin D. Rast, 23, were killed on April 6 by a Predator drone in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, after Marine commanders mistook them for Taliban.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the unreleased Pentagon report found that Marine officers on the scene and the Air Force crew piloting the drone from halfway around the world were unaware that analysts watching the live video feed from a third location in Terre Haute, Ind. had doubts about the identity of the targets.Using a written chat system to communicate with the pilots, the analysts initially wrote that the two figures in question were “friendlies,” suggesting they were American troops. But a few seconds later, they changed their assessment, writing they were “unable to discern” who the figures were.The report faults poor communications, mistaken assumptions and “a lack of overall common situational awareness,” but found that no one involved was “culpably negligent or derelict in their duties.” Thanks to Antiwar.com.

56% Of Afghans See Troops As Occupiers

According to a survey published on Tuesday by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 56 percent of Afghans now see the foreign troop contingent as an occupying force. Furthermore, only 39 percent of those surveyed said they saw ISAF as a guarantee for security, well down from the 45 percent result found in the same survey in 2010. Fully 60 percent think that the country will descend into civil war once NATO forces withdraw. Babak Khalatbari, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's Afghanistan office, said on Tuesday that the results were "a matter of concern." Not bad for ten years' work ,eh?  Full report.

Francois Hollande Elected By French Socialists

Let's hope he sees off the disastrous, strutting little neocon, Sarkozy

Fox Werritty Scandal And The Civil Service

Craig Murray is brilliant on this today. My only interjection on his forensic analysis is to say that at the heart of this is the way the Civil Service has been marginalised. This was honed to suit their own venal and secretive needs by the last government (Blair and Brown versions) but has obviously continued. It is that marginalisation and vacuum which leaves space for the Werritty's and the rogue ministers. Since it has been going on for years where were the complaining voices of the Cabinet secretaries since 1997, yes including O'Donnell since 2005? For him to be reporting on the abuses resulting from his own negligence in this respect is just one of the bitter ironies. Another is found in the answer to 'who is the Minister responsible for the Civil Service?' Full marks if you said David Cameron.

Latest Night Raid Carnage - Karzai Demands Explanation

Two women among the dead in this latest bungling massacre. How many of these incidents do we never hear about.

Hamid Karzai’s office said two other members of Sameh Jan Sherzad’s family were also detained in the operation in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday in eastern Wardak province’s Chaki Wardak district. The statement said NATO must say what actionable intelligence it had that led to the raid on the former lawmaker’s family.
The U.S.-led coalition has grappled with fallout from other such raids in the past, but insists such operations are necessary to cement security gains in the war-ravaged nation and to target key insurgents. Full story.

Australia to Spend $6Bn In Afghanistan By 2014

Australia's Ministry of Defence said the country will have spent about $6 billion on the war in Afghanistan by the time its troops 'leave' in 2014.
Defence minister Stephen Smith defended the country's decade-long involvement in the Afghan conflict in The Australian parliament on Sunday.
"It is in our national interest to be in Afghanistan, not just with our alliance partner, the United States, but also with 47 other members of the International Security Assistance Force acting under a United Nations mandate," Mr Smith said.
Australia has about 1,550 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in Uruzgan province. The country has lost 29 of its soldiers in Afghanistan over the past 10 years. I wonder how may Aussies agree that squandering $6 billion, to say nothing of the lives, is in 'the national interest'

Just Don't Call It A Militia

Impunity, Militias, and the “Afghan Local Police”

This report documents serious abuses, such as killings, rape, arbitrary detention, abductions, forcible land grabs, and illegal raids by irregular armed groups in northern Kunduz province and the Afghan Local Police (ALP) force in Baghlan, Herat, and Uruzgan provinces. The Afghan government has failed to hold these forces to account, fostering future abuses and generating support for the Taliban and other opposition forces, Human Rights Watch found.

READ THE PRESS RELEASE

READ THE REPORT

NATO Bred Mistrust In Afghanistan

Two leading Canadian military historians, Jack Granatstein and David Bercuson, have just conducted a review of the “Lessons Learned” in Afghanistan for the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute and they conclude “Canada should think long and hard” before entering into any coalition similar to NATO’s operations in Afghanistan.“We cannot escape the conclusion that NATO has not functioned well, either politically or militarily, in Afghanistan,” their report says.