Baghlan Province: A vehicle full of “public order police” ran over a landmine. At least three cops killed, two wounded.
Helmand Province: A British empire inquiry into the deaths of six Red Coats last year revealed they had been sent out on patrol simply to intimidate Afghans. The Major who ordered the men on the patrol stated to the inquest that he ordered the patrol to keep Afghans on their “back foot”. The men were in a Warrior APC, which drove over an anti-tank landmine which was so powerful it ignited all the ammo in the armored vehicle, killing everybody on board. It turns out the decades old Warrior has some serious problems, and the inquest discovered they have not been fixed: “Two thirds of the army’s Warrior armoured vehicles in Afghanistan still have not had crucial safety improvements made to them 18 months after six British soldiers were killed when theirs was turned into a fireball by a huge bomb…..The Warriors, one of the workhorses of the British army, are to be fitted with a upgraded fuel tank not so liable to burst but so far only eight have undergone the fix with another 21 still waiting for the work to be carried out.”-The Guardian, 17 October 2013
Kabul Province: Kabul City, Germany closed its embassy for security reasons. German intelligence agents warned of an attack. No further info given. Shortly after it was confirmed that the German embassy was closed an explosion and then gunfire erupted. Afghan government officials said a suicide bomber and a group of Mujahideen attacked a military convoy in the city’s 9th District. The 9th District (aka Green Village) is home to many foreign government personnel.
Kandahar Province: In Ghorak District, a U.S.-NATO airstrike killed at least 11 people. Local government officials say they called in the airstrike to stop a major Mujahideen offensive.
Logar Province: Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) says that the governor, assassinated in a Mosque days prior, was killed by an exploding Qur’an. The Qur’an bomb was in the Mosque near the governor, who was killed instantly, at least 20 people wounded. However, a local Mujahideen group is taking credit for the assassination and says they placed the explosives under a stage in the Mosque.
Parwan Province: Yet another suicide attack on a U.S. convoy out of Bagram airbase. A man tried to ram his bomb laden motorcycle into the convoy. Government reports say only the suicide bomber was killed.
Uruzgan Province: An investigation says Australian Special Forces Diggers were behind an Israeli style home invasion, back in September, that left a man and his six years old son dead. It took place in Tarinkot City. Diggers claim they had info that the house was a terrorist hideout. Investigators say the Diggers didn’t just burst into the home, they came in with their automatic weapons blazing away. The father and son killed as they lay in their beds. It’s not the first time Diggers have been accused of targeting children. The evil British empire Aussie Defence Force issued this hypocritical statement: “The ADF takes all reasonable steps to ensure its operations do not put the lives of civilians and non-combatants in jeopardy. Deployed ADF personnel operate under strict rules of engagement designed to minimize the risk to civilians.”
After more than a decade of occupation, and hearing U.S. government leaders claiming to have al Qaeda or Taliban “on the run” or “decimated”, a new report says the U.S. government simply replaced Taliban with warlords. Those warlords are now running for Afghan president and preparing for another civil war.
The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has revealed an age old problem that rips off taxpayers by at least $230-million USD; spare parts orders. And that dollar amount is just relating to operations in Afghanistan. The problem was rampant when I was a Cold War soldier and airman. The main cause is officers ordering repair parts before seeing if they already have the parts on hand. I also saw this being done by government contractors on military bases. There are huge warehouses filled with spare parts, yet despite that new parts are constantly being ordered. The other problem is that parts suppliers are still ripping off the U.S. Department of Defense (just as they were during the Cold War). As an example, investigators found a wheel for an aircraft ramp, worth no more than $7, was being sold to the military for $1678! Other examples include stocking of parts for equipment that is out of date, or no longer used.
The U.S. military is preparing to get out of Kyrgyzstan. The U.S. has been ordered by the Kyrgyz government to get out by July 2014. The U.S. will now use Forward Operating Site Mihail Kogalniceanu, in eastern Romania, as its air logistics hub for Afghanistan.
In Ireland, people protested at the Shannon airport, which was used to rendition Afghans by the U.S. military. The peaceful demonstrators were protesting the 12 years of U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. Several people were arrested, for taking pics of aircraft, which according to The Centre for Research on Globalization is not a crime. The U.S. military still uses Shannon airport.
In India occupied Kashmir, a local government official revealed the future of Afghanistan; it means a return to power of the Mujahideen: “We want them to support us diplomatically on the international level, they should raise their concerns for Kashmir after they [Taliban] become successful in forming government in Afghanistan.”-Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (G) chairman