“What about the innocent families who have been brutally killed? The women who have been raped, the children who have been sliced up? Your enemies were the Taliban not innocent families.”-facebook posting
The above comment got a 19 year old man arrested by Yorkshire police, and facing charges of “racially aggravated public order offence”.
March 16, 2012, Zabiullah Mujahid, “official” spokesman for the “Taliban” says they have launched yet another rocket attack against Bagram airfield.
He says two rockets were launched, causing casualties among U.S. led troops. The attack comes a day after Taliban ended negotiations with the United States.
An Associated Press report says the Obama Administration is hopeful they can resume negotiations with the Taliban.
The same report said Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai said U.S. President Barack Obama actually called to confirm that he said he wanted U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by 2013: “He asked, ‘Did you announce this?’ I said, ‘Yes, I announced it.”‘-Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
The AP article indicated that U.S. officials were not expecting such a backlash: “There was confusion among U.S. military officials and diplomats about just what Karzai was asking, and how far apart he is from current U.S. policy.”-Associated Press
ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) reported the largest opium drug bust in Afghanistan’s history.
“The raid resulted in approximately 4,000 pounds of suspected narcotics (the equivalent of $2.5 – 3 million) being removed from the battlefield. This was the biggest drug bust in ANSF National Interdiction Unit history.”-Captain Joseph Quirk, 2nd Battalion, 9th U.S. Marine Regiment
The USMC said the bust was made by Afghan National Security Forces, after the opium was spotted by a USMC UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle).
However, ISAF forces had also been tipped off about the opium, in an earlier raid in Marjeh district of Helmand Province.
Captain Quirk made what could be called a famous last statement: “The amount of money lost by the insurgency will significantly affect the insurgents’ capabilities and resources for the spring offensive saving ANSF and International Security Assistance Force lives.”
The spring offensive always comes, and the opium dealing increases year after year. How does that happen if we’re so good at making drug busts, throwing Afghans into prison without trial, and eradicating opium fields?
March 16, 2012, a Turkish helicopter crashed outside the city of Kabul. 12 Turkish personnel and two Afghan civilians were killed. Witness say the helicopter was having technical problems.
There are about 1,800 Turkish troops helping the U.S./NATO/ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
Last week “Taliban” claimed they shot down a U.S. helicopter, but no confirmation came from U.S. sources.
Also on March 16, a U.S. led NATO soldier was killed by road side bomb. No word on which country he was from.
Afghanistan’s President continues to condemn U.S. policies. Hamid Karzai said “This has been going on for too long. You have heard me before. It is by all means the end of the rope here!“ He was speaking to relatives of the Panjwaii shooting rampage, and reporters.
A man who’s brother and sister were killed shouted: “I don’t want any compensation! I don’t want money, I don’t want a trip to Mecca, I don’t want a house! I want nothing! But what I absolutely want is the punishment of the Americans! This is my demand, my demand, my demand and my demand!!!”
Under Islamic law it is the right of victims, or dead victims’ relatives, to determine what kind of justice is handed out.
“A strategic pact is going to be signed between German Chancellor and Afghan president Hamid Karzai in the near future, but Germany is a close friend of Afghanistan besides the strategic pact and will continue to its cooperation. Germany remains committed to support Afghanistan economically and technically beyond 2014.”-Thomas de Maiziére, German Defense Minister
Without giving details the Defense Minister of Germany said his country will continue to provide Afghanistan will economic and technical support for years to come.
Afghan officials seemed pleased: “Germany has always been supportive whenever Afghanistan was in crisis and the Afghan government and people urge for further cooperation of Germany.”-Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan Defense Minister
The Taliban have called off all negotiations with the United States, saying the Americans are nothing but back stabbers: “The Americans initially agreed to take practical steps regarding the exchange of prisoners and to not oppose our political office but with the passage of time, they turned their backs on their promises and started initiating baseless propaganda portraying the envoys of the Islamic Emirate as having commenced multilateral negotiations for solving the Afghan dilemma…”
The Taliban say they will not resume negotiations “…until the Americans clarify their stance on the issues concerned and until they show willingness in carrying out their promises instead of wasting time.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai told off U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panette, telling him all “international security forces have to be taken out of Afghan village outposts and return to (larger) bases.” as well as insisting that Afghanistan can handle its own security: “We’re ready to take over all security responsibilities now……Afghan security forces have the ability to keep the security in rural areas and in villages on their own!”
Basically Karzai wants the United States out by next year!
Afghans are in the streets demanding the U.S. get out now!
The Associated Press reported that Pentagon officials didn’t think Karzai meant what he said. Statements from U.S. President Barack Obama support that: “I don’t anticipate, at this stage, that we’re going to be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have.”
Thousands of Afghans are protesting what they see as dirty tricks regarding the handling of the “lone” shooter, in the Panjwaii massacre.
The Times revealed that in his meeting with Karzai, Leon Panette simply said the shooter would be brought to justice. Under Islamic law it is the right of the victims to demand how that justice is carried out: “It was the demand of the families of the martyrs of this incident, the people of Kandahar and the people of Afghanistan to try him publicly in Afghanistan!”-Mohammad Naeem Lalai Hamidzai, Afghan politician
Hamidzai was part of the parliament appointed investigation that concluded there was at least 20 U.S. personnel involved in the Panjwaii shooting.
While Panette was telling Karzai that justice would be done, the U.S. military quietly flew the “lone” shooter to Kuwait. Afghans see this as more insult to injury at the hands of the United States, because it proves the United States is not there to help them rebuild their country, because the U.S. totally disses on them (disrespects & oppresses) all the time!
“This is unprecedented in my experience. It’s very strange.”-Eugene Fidell, military law teacher at Yale University
Fidel is referring to the way the Department of Defense is handling the so called lone U.S. Army Staff Sergeant accused of shooting up women and children in Afghanistan.
U.S. military officials are telling the media that how they’re handling the situation is military policy, but even people inside the military say something strange is going on: “They shut everything down over there. I didn’t even find out about it from him. They’re not allowed to say anything.”-Jill Barber, wife of NCO who is assigned to the same battalion that the “shooter” is assigned to
Barber is talking about basically a gag order that has been placed on all personnel on the base in Panjwaii, Afghanistan.
A former advisor to U.S. Army Special Forces says it’s possible all personnel on that base in Afghanistan had all their electronic communications devices confiscated.
To make matters more suspicious, an official Afghan Parliament investigation says there were at least 20 U.S. personnel involved in the genocidal shootings, and body burnings.
Breaking news: Reports out of Afghanistan say a major battle between “Taliban” and U.S. led forces have left ten insurgents dead and as many as 21 U.S. led troops killed.
U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, reportedly says events are “disturbing”. Western media say at least two suicide bomb attacks also took place in Helmand.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan. His plane was attacked while landing at FOB/COP Shukvani, in Helmand Province. An Afghan drove a stolen vehicle onto the runway as Panetta’s plane was landing. Panetta was not hurt. A British soldier was wounded.
There are unconfirmed reports that insurgents are claiming the attack was part of a new offensive they’ve launched in Helmand, in response to the Qur’an burnings, and the recent shooting of women and children in Kandahar Province by U.S. troops.
Another report says U.S. Marines were ordered to disarm before listening to a speech by Panetta: “All I know is, I was told to get the weapons out. Somebody got itchy, that’s all I’ve got to say. Somebody got itchy; we just adjust.”-Sergeant Major Brandon Hall, USMC
U.S. sources say the reason was to maintain uniformity with Afghan forces who are required to disarm in front of U.S. officials.
At White House press conference David Cameron was asked why he and Obama are losing support for the Occupation of Afghanistan.
He responded by saying: “You have to go back and remember that, you know, the vast majority of terrorist plots that were affecting people in the U.K., people in the U.S. came out of that country and that region.”
That has been proven to be false. The majority of terrorist plots against the United States involved people from Saudi Arabia and other Arabian Peninsula countries!