16 December 2012
In Kabul Province, city of Kabul, the Ariana Hotel near the Kota-e-Sangi caught fire. The hotel is also home to many financial businesses. Fire officials say it looks like the fire started in a coffee shop during a wedding celebration.
In Kandahar Province, Khakrez and Shahwalikot district in Geri area, reports say a U.S. led heliborne operation resulted in five Mujahideen killed and nine civilians killed. Locals say the nine civilians that were killled were pulled out of their farm fields and houses by the U.S. led troops, and then executed!
Iran is demanding the government of Afghanistan must pay for damages to the Iranian consulate in Herat Province. Hundreds of Afghans attacked the consulate over the Iranian execution of Afghans. Iranian officials say the Afghans were caught smuggling drugs into Iran.
President Hamid Karzai has stated that there is no “proper” healthcare system in his country. Afghanistan’s medical providers are increasingly concerned only with money. Karzai made the statements at a medical ethics conference. Afghan lawmaker, Naqibullah Fayeq, said doctors who’re supposed to be providing services in government run hospitals are going AWOL, in search of patients who’ll pay them more money: “….they have forgotten about their formal duties in government hospitals. They are coming to hospital at 10:30 am and leaves the hospital 11:00 am!”
For awhile now there have been growing admissions that foreign taxpayers’ aid money is being withdraw from Afghan banks in scandalous amounts, and taken out of the country. Now, the New York Times reports that gold is being stolen as well! According to Afghan airport officials one gold haul was worth $1.5 million USD, and most of it is going to U.S. allies such as Dubai and United Arab Emirates.
15 December 2012
In Herat province, in Gazra district’s Malan area, Mujahideen claim to have assassinated the local government head of 4th District Logistics.
Poland has signed a deal that will give Afghanistan more taxpayer money from Europe: “The signing of this agreement will further enhance and strengthen the relations and the wide range of cooperation between the two countries. Over the past ten years Poland has had a significant contribution to the reconstruction of and securing peace in Afghanistan. The signing of this agreement today will provide investment opportunities by the Polish side in Afghanistan.”-Zalmai Rassoul, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan
Reports say the last of France’s combat troops have left Afghanistan, two years early. U.S./NATO “pullout” isn’t until 2014, but 200 soldiers of the 25th Belfort Infantry Regiment left on Saturday. Look out Syria! Look out Mali! France still has about 1,500 logistics/admin/training troops in Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that President Karzai is negotiating with the U.S. about keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan, he publicly stated that he wants all foreign troops out by 2014: “From our vision, the fight against terrorism is not in Afghanistan…That is why we do not want military operations in our villages, in our houses….”
14 December 2012
International Security Assistance Force said: “A U.S. Forces-Afghanistan service member died as a result of a non-battle related injury December 14, in southern Afghanistan.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a report that contradicts claims made by USMC General John Allen, that violence in Afghanistan is down. The UN reports said violence against civilians is up 28% from last year!
The USMC is going to make a single NCO the scapegoat for the 2011 body urination desecration scandal: “Staff Sgt Joseph W Chamblin would be tried by special court-martial at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on December 19.”
General Knud Bartels, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said the U.S. led occupation of Afghanistan will not end up like it did for the Soviet Union, precisely because Russia is now a NATO ally, and is working to help NATO in Afghanistan: “If I can walk away from my visit having achieved a personal, open and transparent relationship with the Russian Military leadership, then the visit has been a success. We are here today to confirm our strong cooperation and partnership. Confirm our NATO-Russia Council cooperation menu and push our relations to a new stage.”
More warmongering against Pakistan. U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Michael Barbero, testified to the U.S. Congress that more than 1,900 U.S. personnel have been wounded or killed by homemade bombs (IEDs), just this year. He blamed Pakistan, and told congressmen to expect even more casualties if no action was taken against Pakistan. He claimed that 70% of the components for the homemade bombs come from Pakistan.
In United Kingdom, the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy announced that two of its top three military students are from Afghanistan.
13 December 2102
In Kandahar Province, outside Kandahar airbase, Mujahideen claim to have attacked the U.S./NATO base and killed eight occupiers. Other reports say a U.S. led ISAF convoy was hit by a car bomb. Four U.S. personnel were killed, along with one Afghan National Army troop, and at least 16 civilians were wounded: “I can confirm that insurgents detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in the vicinity of Kandahar airfield. Currently ISAF officials are on the scene collecting facts and assessing the situation and as information becomes available we will release it as appropriate.”-unnamed U.S. spokesperson
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Nicholas J. Reid died in a hospital in Germany. He was gravely wounded by an explosion in Afghanistan, on 09 December.
In Herat Province, Mujahideen tried to assassinate a senior government security official. A firefight broke out and one body guard was killed.
In Ghazni Province, local government officials say the Mujahideen are winning over locals by focusing on solving ethnic/tribal issues. This is more proof that ‘government’ does not really care about the needs of the people.
Norwegian intelligence officials (Etterretningstjenesten, aka E-tjenesten) have confirmed that Norwegian citizens have joined Afghan Mujahideen, and even attacked Norwegian troops (yes, I’m surprised at how many people think Norway is a neutral country). Lieutenant General, Kjell Grandhagen, said this has been going on for several years: “Norwegians were directly tied to carrying out or attempting armed attacks against Afghan authorities and/or the ISAF, where Norwegian soldiers are also involved.”
Pakistan said there are still 2.6 million Afghan refugees in their country. Despite threats from the Pakistani government, and incentives (money) from the United Nations, most of the refugees refuse to go back to U.S. occupied Afghanistan.
Outgoing U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, said the new security pact will ensure that the U.S. will not leave Afghanistan: “I think there will be an agreement in this regard since the security agreement will be in the national interest of Afghanistan and United States. The strategic pact between Kabul and Washington has paved the way for security pact between the two nations. We know that the security pact will be as an agreement for the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”