May 18, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said two U.S./NATO personnel were killed during a Mujahideen attack, in eastern Afghanistan.  ISAF SOP means they don’t give anymore info.

At least 158 occupying personnel, including 110 U.S. troops, 20 British soldiers and 28 soldiers from other occupying member countries, have been killed since January 2012.

In Maidan Wardak Province a U.S./NATO airstrike was called in after Mujahideen were spotted laying mines.  The airstrike took place at about 02:00 hours. According to local officials, the airstrike killed at least five Mujahideen, plus three were killed later on.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs of Afghanistan announced that 500 police trainees will be sent to Turkey for training.   The announcement was made after another group of 500 cops returned from the six months course in Turkey. So why is the U.S. there, and why is the U.S. spending tax dollars paying for police training?

May 17, 2012, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two people in Afghanistan, for supporting the Taliban with money. The sanctions are meant to target financial sources within the United States!

However, the evidence Treasury officials used was old.  The most recent money transfer was made in 2002, when one of the men was paid $500,000 USD to buy a factory.  The money supposedly came from Osama bin Laden.

Treasury officials also said that during the late 1990s to 2001, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, about $2.8 million USD was transferred out of European banks to the two men.  The two men acted as banks, in order for the Taliban government to avoid sanctions.

The sanctions against the two men are meant to block any transactions involving U.S. banks, or individuals living in the U.S.  In a round-a-bout way the U.S. Treasury has revealed that one major source of financing for the Taliban was the United States!

So far, no 24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 18, 2012.