Human Rights Group Calls it Like It Is

In the past, I’ve called CIVIC, a group working on reducing civilian casualties in war, out on its emphasis on ISAF/NATO’s mistakes while seeming to ignore the Taliban’s way-higher rate of killing civilians.

In a subsequent e-mail, the head of CIVIC clarified their position:

The Taliban’s acts of suicide bombings, IEDs and deliberately hiding out in civilian homes are egregious, and every human rights organization I know (including ours) has called for these practices to stop.

Now, CIVIC executive director Sarah Holewinski went into more detail in posting at the Foreign Policy’s AFPAK Channel blog, calling President Hamid Karzai on his selective outrage over civilian casualties:

…. Karzai’s refusal to condemn Afghans for killing other Afghans highlights his shortcomings as a head of state. His public excuse for overlooking insurgent atrocities is that the Afghan people expect attacks from the Taliban. This may be true, but can he genuinely believe an Afghan mother’s loss is somehow less tragic if the Taliban pulled the trigger? Or that she feels comforted to know that it was expected? …. When being sworn in for his second term, Karzai pledged “…to learn from the mistakes and shortcomings of the past eight years. It is through this self-evaluation that we can better respond to the aspirations and expectations of our people.” Two years later, Karzai is practicing more self-protection than self-evaluation. His failure to provide Afghan forces what they need to protect Afghans and to speak out about Taliban behavior may help him walk a political tightrope, but it places him firmly on the wrong side of history. 

Here here.

More on the latest ratios of bad-guy- vs. good-guy-caused civilian casualties (4:1 for the bad guys) here (via Army.ca).

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 10 Mar 11

• How many Canadians have GTFO Libya so far? This from the PM’s chief spokesperson:  “More than 650 Canadians have departed from Libya since the beginning of the crisis.”
• More news on the latest in Libya here (Google News), here (EMM News Brief:  Libya),  here (NewsNow), here (BBC) and here (Al Jazeera English).
• “A popular learning centre in Kandahar City has received new financial backing from the Canadian government, temporarily ending fears that the facility might have to close. Though less than half of what facility directors requested, the $250,000 grant from the Canadian International Development Agency will allow classes to continue at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center. An announcement of the funding was made this week at a ceremony to mark International Women’s Day. The centre, though catering to both male and female students, is an especially important educational outlet for Kandahari women and girls who often risk their lives to go to school, centre director Ehsanullah Ehsan said ….”
• Psychological Operations:  (Sorta kinda) “the marketing arm of the military”
• U.N. stats (PDF report here) say 3 out of 4 civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2010 were caused by insurgents.  The Canadian Press’ take on the report: “More Afghan civilians were killed in Kandahar than any other province last year, while counterinsurgency operations within Canada’s area of command resulted in “large-scale” property destruction, the United Nations said Wednesday.  The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan called on both NATO and insurgent forces to strengthen their efforts to protect Afghans as it released a report examining the severe toll the war has exacted on civilian lives and livelihoods …. It said NATO forces were careful in avoiding civilian casualties in Kandahar, but clearance operations in districts under the command of the Canadian military were singled out for leaving behind “large-scale” property destruction.  “Elders’ fears that the Kandahar operations would involve the destruction of homes, crops, and irrigation systems were realized,” the 85-page report said ….”
• More work from Canada’s war poet Suzanne Steele:  “limerick from OFMIK (our former man in KAF)”
• Remember how keen border state Senators were last month about getting military radar to keep those little planes full of drugs out of the U.S.?  It appears they might be getting (at least some of) what they seek. “The US government will place military-grade radar along the border with Canada to thwart low-flying aircraft used to smuggle illegal drugs onto US soil, senators who sought the deployment said Wednesday …. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said Napolitano had indicated during a Senate Judiciary Committee that she was working to deploy the radar and called it “a critical step in the right direction.” …. In the hearing, Napolitano herself stopped well short of explicitly announcing such a step, though she did agree with Schumer that such a deployment would be a good idea.  She assured Schumer that her department was “working with” the Pentagon and the US military’s Northern Command “on radar and other related issues and technologies in efforts on the northern border.”  Asked whether that meant the deployment would go forward, Napolitano replied “this is moving very rapidly.” ….” More on this from American media here and here.
• What’s Canada Buying? (1) New (Military) Police Academy (~$29 million), and Pockets on Sleeves
• What’s Canada Buying (2) Remember late last year, when Canada was going to “explore adapting the designs of recently built naval fleet replenishment ships that are operating with other NATO Navies”?  Well, let’s try again, shall we?  This from MERX (via Army.ca):  “…. Canada has a requirement to assess two NATO Navy ship designs to determine their viability in relation to the Canadian Navy operational requirements for naval fleet replenishment SHIPS: a. the Berlin Class; and b. the Cantabria Class Canada intends to award two separate contracts, one to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada Inc. (TKMSC) and the other to Navantia, S.A. (Navantia) to conduct Risk Reduction Design Studies (RRDS) for each design. This will enable Canada to ascertain the feasibility and affordability of adapting these designs to meet Canadian requirements. Canada is deploying a team of government representatives to shipyards in Germany and Spain to perform the RRDS and a follow-on Detailed Design Activity (DDA) ….” Link above contains some downloadable bid document details – more from MERX here, and from the Canadian Press here.
• More on Canada’s (still being-waited-for) new helicopters for the CF (hat-tip to Mark Collins for sharing this one): “Sikorsky could deliver the first of Canada’s much-delayed CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopters this month, said president Jeff Pino yesterday at the Heli-Expo show in Orlando. The initial helicopters will not be fully compliant with the Canadian requirement, but will allow training to begin ….”
• Buzzword Watch:  What do CF wordsmiths call it when Reservists come home from Afghanistan to be greeted by the PM and Defence Minister?  “Reintegration”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 11 Jan 11

• Canada appears to be paying out more compensation for damage caused by fighting in Afghanistan.  “…. Between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, the military issued 272 ex-gratia payments—more than five per week. The cash settlements ranged from as low as $185 to as high as $21,420, for a grand total of $661,045. That is triple the amount handed out during the previous year (102 payments totalling $205,828) and a fourfold increase from the year before that (57 payments; $152,683) ….” While this seems to be good news for a group monitoring civilian casualties, they haven’t always been so happy about NATO’s compensation policies in general (and have said next to nothing about the Taliban’s) – more on that here, here and here.
• “The military will ground Canada’s spy plane program after the Afghan combat mission ends this summer.  The commander of the prop-driven CU-170 Herons, which operate out of Kandahar Airfield, said the Canadian Forces will disband his squadron once troops pull out of Kandahar.  Maj. Dave Bolton, the new and final commander of Task Force Erebus, said his team will then go on to other jobs within the military.  “There’s a lot of very young people that were involved with this program,” he said in an interview.  “There’s probably going to be a hiatus of somewhere between two and five years. But those people will still be in the military, and those people will have this experience, and they’ll be able to move forward with the yardstick when the time comes.” ….”
• Following this Canadian Press piece on the IED blast that killed reporter Michelle Lang, Columnist Lysiane Gagnon had this to say: “…. The Canadian government uses embedded journalists to highlight the “human” side of the Afghan war, as well as the undisputed courage of our soldiers. It also deploys civilians to assist the soldiers in humanitarian missions (for instance, Ms. Saeed was to assist Sgt. Taylor as he reached out to the locals). But what happened on Dec. 30, 2009, on a road south of Kandahar, should open up questions about these policies.” Via Twitter, Toronto Star political reporter Joanna Smith raises an interesting question, indeed:  “Is she not arguing that civilians, especially women, should stay out of #Afghanistan entirely?” That’s how I read it, too.
• A meeting between Canada’s PM and America’s Prez regarding shared perimeter security apparently isn’t ready to happen just yet. “A highly touted meeting between Stephen Harper and Barack Obama on a perimeter security pact has been pushed back as Canada and the United States wrestle with the difficulties of the complex arrangement. Insiders say the signing summit is now expected no earlier than February — and possibly as late as spring. Improving information sharing — a prospect that raises privacy concerns in Canada — is seen as the key to the effort to secure a joint North American outer boundary, the insiders say ….” While Liberals say Canada shouldn’t put all its trade eggs in one basket in expecting some concessions from the U.S., I’m more worried that we won’t get ANY concessions (or none worth the tradeoff of sharing more of my information with the Americans, anyway).
• According to Postmedia News, Canada and its Mounties are expected to catch some heat for cutting the number of armed air marshals to be deployed on commercial planes. “…. Documents obtained by Postmedia News through the Access to Information Act reveal internal memos describing how the cuts will occur, how the Mounties are briefing Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, and how the police and cabinet ministers are receiving some dire warnings about the consequences of the cutbacks.  The Mounties’ briefing note to Toews explains that the air marshals program is seen as a “world leader” of its type and that it has been successful through a “combination of operation, intelligence and analysis activities.”  “International partners were made aware of the funding reduction to the Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program,” Toews was advised. “The RCMP anticipates a negative response from American and international partners.” ….” It sure would be nice to see the documents themselves, though.
• Latest in a multi-part series of papers from Canada’s military research arm:   “The Justifications for War and Peace in World Religions Part III: Comparison of Scriptures from Seven World Religions” (PDF)  Part 1 (“Extracts, Summaries and Comparisons of Scriptures in the Abrahamic Religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism)”) here and Part 2 (“Extracts, Summaries and Comparisons of Scriptures in Indic Religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism)”) here (all links PDF).
• Um, I think someone is fighting a bit of a rear guard action here. “…. Abandoning (don’t ask don’t tell) reeks of a political decision more than a military one. While general officers may feel forced to accede to political decisions, rank-and-file soldiers are likely to be uncomfortable with the new policy. There is a 60-day period of grace to ensure the military will adjust to the new policy with no harmful effects. The die is cast, but disagreements remain. Already the marines and elite combat units and Special Forces reject the new policy, with close to 60% believing the policy will adversely affect fighting qualities. Advocates — or at least defenders — of gays openly serving in the military point to ancient Sparta where military service was revered. Sparta remains to this day as a symbol of military defiance, courage, loyalty and stoicism. Remember Thermopylae. In Sparta, boys were taken from their mothers at age seven and began an initiation that would make them soldiers. Each youth had a trained soldier as a “mentor,” and this relationship could have sexual overtones or straight friendship. The mentor’s job was to ensure the soldierly development of his ward ….” Notwithstanding the fact that homosexuality was widespread even among the Spartans (since they reflected Greek society), this next bit urks me: “…. Among NATO countries, some 20 of 26 members allow gays to serve in the military with no apparent ill-effects — though this is somewhat uncertain, given NATO’s reluctance to share in the fighting in Afghanistan ….” Maybe I’m the only one seeing some link between accepting homosexuals in the ranks and poor fighting spirit, but since Canada is one such NATO country, does he mean we’ve been “reluctant to share in the fighting”?  Here’s more than 150 pieces of evidence that this is most certainly NOT the case.
• This columnist has some advice for Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff on promising to scrap the F-35 if the Liberals get power in a future election.  “…. Some think all major government contracts should go to tender. They should remember the Winnipeg embarrassment. Brian Mulroney’s government wanted to put some money into a Quebec aviation company. They thought they’d be tricky and put a contract out for tender. But a Winnipeg company, Bristol, came in with the winning bid. Oops. The government looked sleazy as it tried to extricate itself from the situation. And a lot of people in western Canada have never forgotten the buffoonish incident. That brings us to this rule: Never send out for tender any projects unless you are willing to accept the winning bid. That’s what we told ministers when I worked in the government’s procurement department, then known as Supply and Services. It is a message Ignatieff has apparently not received because he’s busily relying on Mulroney ….”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Bad guys claim 22 killed in Spin Boldak suicide bombing attack, while others say 3 – who you gonna believe?

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH – 120001UTC Aug 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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RC South

Uruzgan Airbase hit by missiles

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:25 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Uruzgan, Aug. 11 – According to a report, 3 missiles landed in Uruzgan Airbase which is near Terenkot city last night (Aug. 10). Heavy casualties were caused in the attack to US-Australian invaders inside but the exact number is not known. In another incident, last night some 2 missiles hit Chinarto district headquarter severly damaging the building but the number of casualties caused is not known.

2 US terrorists shot dead by sniper

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:24 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Uruzgan, Aug. 11 – Reports from Uruzgan provincial capital, Terenkot city, a sniper of Islamic Emirate shot dead 2 US terrorists in front of their base today (Aug. 11).

Mujahideen in Zabul attack Security Company

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:22 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Zabul, Aug. 11 – Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate attacked a Security Company that protect road construction workers in Sharha village near Seuory district center. Mujahideen say the attack took place last night, at around 09:00 pm, in which 2 puppet vehicles were destroyed by RPG fire and the building was severely damaged but the exact number of fatalities caused to the puppets is not known.

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RC Southwest

14 ANA puppets killed or wounded in Helmand explosions

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 22:45 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – Reports from Helmand’s Khan-e-Sheen district say that 3 ANA puppets were killed and 4 others seriously wounded when a mine was detonated at them when they tried to remove the flag of Islamic Emirate of Afghnistan. It is said that their commander (Zmarai) was also killed in the explosion. In another incident in this districts Shindak Manda area, an ANA puppets vehicle was eliminated by a roadside bomb killing or wounding 6 invaders.

8 US invaders killed or wounded in clash with Mujahideen

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:23 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – This morning, at 08:00 am, heavy fighting broke out between US invaders and Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate when their military patrol was ambushed in Gerishk district. Mujahideen say that in the firefight 8 cowardly US terrorists were killed or wounded when their tank was hit by a RPG round. 1 Mujahid was also injured in the firefight.

IED destroys US invaders tank

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 22:34 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – A US invaders tank was destroyed killing or wounding all invaders onboard when it hit a roadside bomb in Sangin district’s Cheeni Manda area this morning, at 11:00 am. Mujahideen say that a puppet translator was also killed in the explosion.

7 missiles hit Khan-e-Sheen district headquarter

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:29 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate fired 7 missiles last night (Aug. 10) at Khan-e-Sheen district headquarter, causing a fire to break out inside a US invaders base. Witnesses from the area say that helicopters were seen airlifting the dead and wounded from the scene.

Mujahideen in Lashkargah attack 3 enemy check posts

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 22:35 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – Reports from last night (Aug. 10) say that Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate attacked 3 ANP check posts in Babaji area near Laskargah city center. The exact number of casualties caused is not known yet.

ANP puppets check post in Helmand comes under Mujahideen attaclk

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 22:46 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – At least 4 ANP puppets were killed or wounded when Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate attacked their check post in Nad Ali districts Washiryano area this afternoon, at around 02:00 pm. 1 Mujahid was also injured.

Mujahideen ambush NATO logistical convoy in Helmand

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:28 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – At least 8 security puppets were killed or wounded when Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate ambushed a NATO logistical supply convoy on a road between Loe Charahi and Camp area in Marjah this afternoon, at around 12:00 pm.

2 enemy vehicles destroyed in Helmand explosions

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 23:06 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – Reports from Khan-e-Sheen district say that a US invaders tank was destroyed by an IED in Youalak area today (Aug. 11). In another incident, an ANA puppets vehicle was also destroyed in the same area last night (Aug. 10). The exact number of killed and wounded is not known.

Explosion and fighting reported from Marjah

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 22:44 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Helmand, Aug. 11 – A US invaders tank was destroyed by an IED, killing or wounding all invaders onboard when their convoy was passing through Pump Charahi area today (Aug. 11). In another incident at 11:00 am this morning, 4 cowardly US invaders were killed and 5 others wounded in a firefight with Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate.

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Other

Allies no longer willing to cover up inevitable defeat - Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Wednesday, 11 August 2010 13:47 administrator

With the Dutch troops’ pullout, Canada has reopened talks of quick Afghanistan withdrawal ahead of the schedule as its nation strongly opposes the Afghan war and prefers a road to peace. To make the matter worse, the US’s closest ally country, Pakistan’s president was quoted in an interview published in France as saying” Coalition forces are losing war against Taliban in Afghanistan.”

As things stand, there is a growing tendency among the mainstream media to unveil the facts and figures of the

war and what is going on in Afghanistan under the cover of “War on Terror.” In parallel with this, WikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief said he would not withhold the mountains of classified information on Afghan war from disclosure under the pressure from the Pentagon and CIA, adding the massive classified information would blow the US cover and lift the lid on its covert activities in Afghanistan and the drug-smuggling from Afghanistan into USA.

On the other hand, the associated press has published a confirmed and precise report, denying the NATO claim that its soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the past nine years brings the NATO troops’ fatalities to a total of 1500 , according to the associated press count, the deaths and injuries take the NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the US invasion of Afghanistan to 40000 (forty thousand), bringing the US and allies soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the collapse of Taliban to 36413, and the injuries to more than 30000.

According to the associated press release, the overall number of foreign soldiers killed over the 9-year long Afghan war hits 44135, taking the injury toll to some 30000, giving no further details to determine any country with highest death toll.

In view of these facts, the western and US-influenced mainstream media confirms the report issued by the associated press.

It is believed that the US is on the verge of failure militarily and morally and every step taken by it arouses intense anger and strong resentment among Afghan nation who can never tolerate the civilian casualties in Afghanistan, and the fact remains that US is to kill friends and allies as a means of subjugation to its wills and power, at the same time, the US forces are morally bound by some of their religious circles to increase obscenity among the Afghan masses and make them show total disregard for Islam and deviation against it, and have the Afghan masses commit every wrongdoing and obscenity regardless of their religious and moral values, whereas they are not ready for the betrayal of their own religion and sacrosanctity at any cost.

It is high time the US realized the sensitivity and enormity of the situation and the fact that the victory on the ground against Mujahideen in Afghanistan is not above zero, as the Afghan Islam-loving nation has never been subjugated throughout the Afghan history which is why the brave Mujahideen have brought the coalition of 43 countries to its knee and caused the US and its allies soldiers undergo mental-healing diseases who would rather commit suicide than fight against Mujahideen.

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Statement of Islamic Emirate regarding the recent civilian casualties report by UNAMA – Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Thursday, 12 August 2010 02:31 administrator

The UNAMA, in its 2010 mid-year report on civilian casualties, released the civilian casualties’ statistics over the first six months of 2010 in Kabul city on Monday, August 10.

Observing the statistics issued by UNAMA, it appears crystal clear that the report is based on political expedience, exaggeration and propaganda instead of surfacing the facts.

The essence of the report is similar to that of Pentagon decision, saying “A large scale propaganda campaign, pining the civilian casualties on Taliban, has to be held and beefed up in order to create and exacerbate rifts within Afghan masses ending up in a clash between civilian and Taliban.”

Yet another flaw in the report is that it denies all the prior surveys, statistics and analysis, which are roughly close to the reality, issued by several different human rights organizations of the world.

The report holds Taliban responsible of 76 per cent of all civilian casualties, and attributes 12 percent of all civilian casualties to Pro-Government forces, adding that ISAF has caused the deaths of 69 civilians during the first six months of 2010.

To put every thing else behind, the surveys, analysis, statistics and sort of things, in order to throw light on the issue, merely the death toll of the victims of the US aerial attacks in only few districts of the country’s such as Arghandab, Zhari, Shiraz, Sorkh Rowd, and the massacre of Sungin is likely to hit more than 300 during the first six month of 2010.

Every observer would easily determine the truth of such reports as this and assess how authentic and spurious such reports may be.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expresses its utter disbelief and regret over the UNAMA report and over the fact that the UN with all the neutrally slogans, plays a major role as a propaganda organization for the American imperialism and keeps covering up the blatant crimes of the Pentagon which is similar to betrayal by UN against the bloodshed and the massacre of the Afghan nation.

Wonder why it can be so hard for the UN to find out the ground realties that any attempt to deviate the minds of the common people may be in vain, for it is the masses that know the facts and about the civilian casualties far better than any one else does.

If, Georgette Gagnon, director of Human Rights for UNAMA and Staffan de Mistura, special representative of Secretary-General, really intend to carry out their duties well as delegates of the United Nations in Afghanistan, they should admit the facts and prefer their conscientious responsibilities to US-imposed directives.

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“Taliban execute woman in public” Real or rhetorical propaganda? - Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Tuesday, 10 August 2010 05:36 administrator

The news report released under the headline “Taliban execute women in public” featured the breaking news of Monday, August 09, 2010, published and given a tremendous coverage by a number of mainstream media outlets.

To be frank, such mainstream media outlets have nothing to do with propagating the ground realities in Afghanistan, what they really have to do is to pin anything on Taliban that can defame them and tarnish the Mujahideen movement, no matter how much they have to overstep the bounds of media ethics.

Indeed, when we scrutinize we find that there are some technical flaws and lack of balance in what they have reported in the news about the stated women that we want to pinpoint before we confirm the truth of the news report.

“Taliban execute woman in public” this is to say (Qisas). And Qisas (execution) is an Islamic Sharia term meaning retaliatory punishment of a murderer, whereas the term does not refer to adultery. Take for example Ahmad, who killed Mahmood deliberately or unjustly, in such case, the Islamic jurisprudence carry out Qisas (execution).

Without the media weighing the scientific accuracy and determining the truth of the news report, it has used the term execution, some reports even said she was lashed 100 times and shot in her heart, the others said she was lashed 200 times and shot three times in the head, these reports are nothing more then mere propaganda and are against the professionalism and media ethics.

In the light of Islamic law, the stoning and lashings are carried out under certain cases, when a man and a woman are convicted of adulatory. When an unmarried male commits adultery with an unmarried female, they should be lashed. In case of a married male committing adultery with a married female, they should be stoned.

According to some media reports, saying that a 40-year-old pregnant widow was lashed and later shot dead in public is an unusual and preposterous event of its kind, a novelty in the history of the Islamic law which has never been heard of.

If, according to some news reports, she was a widow, then she was married who should have been stoned not lashed and shot, in accordance with Islamic Sharia. Let say, she was unmarried, according to Islamic law, she should have only been lashed 100 times rather than 200 times and shooting with a gun. That is to say, she must have never been lashed more than 100 times, let alone shot.

To put it bluntly, such courts as previously ordered to cut off Aisha’s nose and ears in Uruzgan province and this time decided that a 40-yea-old woman should be flogged and shot instead of stoning in Badghis province are rarity and can only be created and operated by the US and the mainstream media which is an intrinsic aspect of American imperialism and is being utilized to defame the Mujahideen.

However, the dignified media outlets are reminded to observe their code of neutrality and should not be bent on tarnishing their good name for American hegemony.

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Who’s (Still) Killing the Majority of Civilians in AFG?

This from the Associated Press:

Civilian war deaths in the first seven months of 2010 rose by 6 percent over the same period last year, Afghanistan’s human rights commission said Sunday. The modest increase suggested that U.S. and NATO efforts to hold down civilian casualties were having some success …. The Taliban and their allies were responsible for 68 percent of the at least 1,325 civilian deaths recorded by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the organization said in a report. Twenty-three percent were ascribed to NATO or Afghan government forces.  Responsibility for the remaining 9 percent could not be determined because they occurred in areas that were too dangerous for a thorough investigation, the commission said ….

The Taliban continues to be responsible for about 70 per cent of the problem of civilian casualties.

Previous reminders:

• Who’s Killing the Civvies in Afghanistan?
• Yet More on Who’s Killing Civilians in Afghanistan
• UN: Bad Guys Killed +2/3 of Civilian Casualties in 2009
• Human Rights Group Says Taliban “Deplorable”

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 260040UTC May 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Canadian military tank blown up in Kandahar – PDF at non-terrorist site

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:57 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, May 25 – on earlier Tuesday, a Canadian military tank got struck and destroyed in the bombing in Kandahar’s Panjwaii district, killing or wounding all the Canadian cowardly troops on board. According to the report, the dead were airlifted from the scene, while the struck tank still exists at the site of explosion.

Bombings in Kandahar kill 6 soldiers, destroy 3 vehicles

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:57 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, May 25 – At least 6 Afghan puppet soldiers were killed as one of their vehicle got hit and destroyed in bombing in Kandahar on Tuesday morning (May 25). Likewise, on Monday (May 24), a NATO tank and a vehicle of ANA were struck and destroyed in bombings, killing almost all the enemy soldiers on board in elsewhere in Kandahar. Also Monday, Mujahideen in a clash with the NATO soldiers, caused the enemy deadly losses in the same area of Kandahar province.

Landmine explosion kills 4 soldiers in Kandahar

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:57 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, May 25 – A Mujahideen homemade bomb in Kandahar city, the capital of Kandahar province, killed 4 soldiers and wounded 5 more yesterday morning (May 24). A second lieutenant is said to have been among those killed in the bomb attack.

Blast blows apart US tank in Kandahar

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 08:50 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHR, May 25 – On later Monday, an American military tank got torn apart in bombing in Panjwaii district of Kandahar, killing and wounding all the American cowards.

Americans martyr non-combatant civilian, hold 9 in Helmand

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:57 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 25 – On later Monday night (May 25), the American cowardly troops invaded the civilian houses in Gerishk district of Helmand who after exploding the gates of the civilians homes opened fire on the non-combatant civilians, causing one innocent civilian to become martyr and picking up 9 more including two under age boys as captives. Likewise, the other day, about 4 civilian were killed in US blind air strikes and three more wounded in Sangin district of Helmand.

British tank eliminate in Helmand

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 15:49 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 25 – At least 5 Britons were killed yesterday (May 24) as their tank got hit by a Mujahideen’s landmine blast in Gerishk district of Helmand province. In another news from Helmand, about three soldiers of ANA were killed in an ambush attack by Mujahideen elsewhere in this district of Helmand Monday evening.

Another British tank eliminated in Helmand

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:51 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 25 – A remote-controlled bomb attack hit and destroyed a British tank in Musa Kala district of Helmand, killing all the soldiers on board. According to the report from Helmand, five British tanks have been eliminated in Helmand, killing several Britons over the past two 24 hours.

British military tank hits roadside bomb in Helmand

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:50 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 25 – A British military tank while traveling in in convoy got struck by IED blast in Helmand’s Sangin district on Tuesday morning (May 25), killing all the British soldiers in the tank.

10 soldiers killed in Zabul

Monday, 24 May 2010 14:02 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, May 24 – Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in an attack on the logistical and military convoy of the US-NATO forces killed or wounded about 10 security guards in Zabul Shah Jui district.

Police vehicle blown up in Gerishk

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:49 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 25 – About 4 policemen were killed and other two wounded in the bombing that targeted their vehicle in Gerishk district of Helmand on Tuesday noon (May 25).

Six soldiers killed in Uruzgan

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:49 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
URUZGAN, May 25 – Some six soldiers including their commander, a second lieutenant were killed in a bomb attack that tore apart their vehicle destroying it in Harawood district on Tuesday morning (May 25).

Mujadeen kill 7 policemen in Zabul

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 08:47 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, May 25 – About 7 policemen took losses of life and injuries in Zabul’s Shah Joi district on Monday (May 24) in a Mujahideen homemade bomb explosion which tore into their vehicle, destroying it instantly.

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British Troops Withdrawal from Afghanistan Good for British Interests – PDF at non-terrorist site

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 02:41
A few days after the formation of the coalition government in England, three high-ranking officials of the new government have arrived in Kabul, comprising of Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defense Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchel. British Defense Secretary Liam Fox, in an interview with Times daily, said that he wanted an earlier withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan. He said that their main job was to secure British cities.

During the past nine years, America tried to prevent any split from occurring in the ranks of the coalition of the Crusaders or at least prevail on them to remain tightlipped about the ground realities. The aim was to avoid the morale sagging soldiers from plunging further into the abyss of morale aggravation. But the status quo is beyond America’s control. They are not able to keep the public of the world in state of confusion and uncertainty any further. And for that matter, they find it hard to use other countries as a shield in their venture for expansionist goals. Liam Fox repeated his assertion in Kabul, saying the British troops’ surge had reached its climax and that the troop’s casualties were mounting in parallel with the increase in their numbers. He said, Britain is not in a position to play the role of international police in Afghanistan. He added, our focus is to maintain security of British cities and that the British troops had come to Afghanistan for their vital interests. He ruled out British troops dispatch to Kandahar, saying that we should not start every thing from scratch there.

The above assertions by the high-ranking British delegation prove that the British new government like other European countries is reaching a conclusion that the current war in Afghanistan is not in their interest economically by inflicting on them both material and soul losses.

No question, the belligerent policies of former two British prime ministers, Tony Blair and G., Brown goaded and enabled America to invade Afghanistan and Iraq; trample down national independence of both countries; kill and injure hundred of thousands of citizens of the said countries and torture million others who have continuously been grappling with various physical and psychological problems.

We were witness to Tony Blair’s and Brown propaganda drive, mobilizing public opinion in the favor of commencement of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. They contributed to the invasions in the shape of troops and billions of dollars. But these policies and goals were, in the first place, colonialist in nature, so those who started the adventure and prolonged it , all met with a fiasco.

They achieved nothing from their labor in the past nine years. Now their citizens ask them, why have you started the war and lost hundreds of soldiers and billions of dollars to begin with?

We believe, the British new government intention to pull its troops out of Afghanistan is a timely and rationale step, being in the interest of the people of Afghanistan. We urge other countries, not to kill the miserable Afghans and their own troops in addition to squandering their resources for the maintenance of the illegitimate interests of America. They should not tarnish their own and their countries reputation and good name by continuing the war crimes in Afghanistan.

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 120100UTC May 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Helmand battle : dozens killed, 3 US helicopters shot down amid operation al-Fath

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 09:11 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 11 – As many as 55 Americans have been killed and 37 terribly injured with their three Chinook-like helicopters shot down in clashes with Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate in Helmand’s Nowzad district through much of Monday, Mujahideen officials said. According to the details, the deadly battle erupted as about hundreds of American cowardly soldiers, airdropped by some 20 helicopters into the different areas of Nowzad district, wanting to carry out a large scale operation in the area, came under simultaneous attacks by Mujahideen from every directions that caused a daylong face-to-face fighting which started on Monday afternoon (May 10) and continued till late night hours, in which the enemy, after suffering deadliest losses and severest damages, fled the areas carrying the engines of the helicopters shot down by Mujahideen during the fighting along with them, while the wreckage of the struck helicopters including their wings and other parts of the helicopters and the mutilated parts of the bodies of the American soldiers still exist at the sites. No Mujahids have, by the virtue of Allah’s bounty and His mercy, been harmed, while Mujahideen have taken the abondoned arms and ammo. Jahidic officials say it is the first operation which has been so much perfect and successful since the invasion of US cowardly troops in 2001, and one of the luckiest operations since the operation al-Fath ( The Victory) commenced throughout the country.

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Coalition Helicopter Downed in Helmand, Crew Safe

KABUL, Afghanistan (May 10) – An MH-60 helicopter made a controlled landing after being hit by enemy fire in Helmand Province this afternoon. All crewmembers have been safely returned to base. The helicopter was supporting a combined Afghan-international assault force on a targeted compound near Nangazi, in the Sangin district, and had just begun its return flight when it was hit by enemy fire and forced to make a controlled landing. After landing, the helicopter crew was immediately picked up by additional aircraft. The helicopter could not be recovered and was destroyed in place with close air support. Multiple enemy fighters were engaged by the combined force and several suspected militants were captured at the targeted compound. The assault force and remaining crew have safely returned to base.

Both versions at non-terrorist site here.

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US cowardly troops martyr 3 non-combatant civilian in Helmand

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 11:11 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 10 – In Helamd’s Sangin district, three non-combatant civilians were martyred and another three were taken as captive by American cowardly evils yesterday night. According to the report, the enemy invaded a house, exploding its gate with rockets and opened fire on the defenceless residents of the house.

Landmine hits vehicle of ANA in Helmand

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 15:17 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 11 – At least four soldiers of puppet ANA got killed and two badly hurt on Tuesday morning (May 11) as one of their military vehicles was struck and destroyed by a roadside mine explosion in Helmand’s Gerishk district.

British tank blown apart by IED blast in Helmand

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 15:18 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 10 – The operation al-Fath is in progress amid fatalities and casualties inflicted on US-NATO and their minion Afghan forces across the country. Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate report from Helmand that one of the British tank was hit and district in bombings in the province’s Musa Kala district, killing almost all Britons on Monday evening (May 10).

Mujahideen fight American cowards in Marjah

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 16:25 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 11 – Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, during a one-hour long fighting with US cowardly invaders, killed at least 3 American cowards and wounded 4 more in the town of Marjah, Helmand province, on Tuesday noon. A Mujahid has been reported to be wounded in the clash.

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Scale statistical operations for the month of Rabi II 1431 H, corresponding to March-April 2010 (Original in Arabic) – Google English translation – PDF at non-terrorist site

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Compensation to Civvy Cas Families…..

You’re damned if you do….

Cash for deaths, injury and damage caused during military operations seen as disrespectful and violating tradition….

…and you’re damned if you dont:

Afghans deserve and expect compensation when harmed, yet international forces in Afghanistan lack a clear, consistent system for responding to civilian losses, according to a new report released today by Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) (full report here) ….

So, which will it be?

From the MILNEWS.ca archives:

• Human Rights Group Says Taliban “Deplorable”
• UN: Bad Guys Killed +2/3 of Civilian Casualties in 2009
• Who’s Killing the Civvies in Afghanistan?

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 062120UTC Apr 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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U.S air strikes leave 30 civilians martyred in Helmand

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 10:52 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Apr. 06 – In Helmand’s Gerishk district, as many as 30 civilians embraced martyrdom as a result of the U.S. air strikes, on Monday, Apr. 05, 2010. The report states the bombardments came two hours after their military convoy had been attacked by Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, on Kandahar-Herat highway, apparently, in revenge for the attack on their convoy. The civilians say 3 civilian house have been completely collapsed in the bombings, and the bodies of the martyred civilians are being pulled out from the site, while some bodies of the martyrs are missing.

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Afghan, International Forces Assessing Civilian Casualties in Nahr-e Saraj

KABUL, Afghanistan (April 6) – Following a prolonged engagement with insurgents yesterday, combined forces discovered civilian casualties inside a compound. Insurgents were using the compound as a firing position when combined forces, unaware of the possible presence of civilians, directed air assets against it. Later, once they were able to enter the compound, combined forces found four dead civilians – two women, an elderly man and a child – inside. Four males, suspected insurgents, were also found dead inside the compound. ANSF and ISAF officials have launched an incident assessment team to review the factors leading up to this unfortunate loss of civilian life.

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Bombings hit four U.S tanks in Helmand

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 10:13 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Apr. 06 – Two of the U.S military tanks were targeted by roadside bombs blasts while heading from Shorab airbase to Musa Kala district, and the third tanks of the enemy got hit by Mujahideen rockets in Nowzad district of Helmand province, yesterday evening, Apr. 05 , 2010. Local Mujahideen said the U.S. soldiers traveling in the three tanks struck by bombings were killed or injured, while the wreckage of the tanks still exist in the area. Likewise, elsewhere in Nowzad, fourth of the U.S. tank while traveling in convoy got hit by mine blast, on Tuesday morning, Apr. 06, 2010. Local resident say the convoy has been halted in the area and the dead and wounded area being pulled out from the site of the explosion.

Severe losses inflicted on U.S.troops in Marjah

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 17:37 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Apr. 06 – A series of Mujahideen’s bombings and attacks have caused the U.S. invaders deadly losses and severe damages in the war-torn Marjah town of Helmand. According to the report, in the late morning hours of Apr. 06, some 5 American soldiers were killed or injured in a 2-hour long clash with Mujahideen after their foot patrol had come under Mujahieen’s attack in Marjah town. Also Tuesday, a U.S. military tank,while crossing a bridge in this town, got hit by a roadside bomb placed under the bridge, in which the tanks was left on fire killing all the U.S soldiers on board. Likewise, one American soldier was killed with three others wounded as a U.S. mine clearing team encountered a mine blast in this town, on Tuesday. In another news from this town, an American soldier was killed as well as 2 seriously hurt in a one-hour long gun battle with Mujahideen, on Tuesday noon. Local residents said there was a face-to-face fighting between Mujahideen and the U.S invaders yesterday, but were unable to give further details of the fatalities of the U.S soldiers

Mujahideen’s attack destroys U.S tank in Nad Ali

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 19:56 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Apr. 06 – Mujideen on Tuesday waylaid a U.S. patrol in Nad Ali district of Helmand, destroying one of their military tanks and killing or wounding the American soldiers on board, Mujahideen officials said. No Mujahids have been harmed during the operation.

Blast kills 8 soldiers in Zabul

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 15:27 By Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, Apr. 06 – A roadside bomb Tuesday targeted a vehicle of Afghan police force in Gailan district of Zabul province, smashing the vehicle into pieces and killing some 8 policemen including an officer, Mujahideen official said.

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Human Rights Group Says Taliban “Deplorable”

I mentioned a human rights group, CIVIC, in one of my posts about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Sarah Holewinski, executive director of CIVIC, was good enough to respond to give more of the story from her group’s side.

I was concerned that the group’s external communications dealt only with one side of the conflict with respect to dealing with civilian casualties.  At one level, Holewinski gets it:

You’re absolutely right in noting that anti-government forces cause tremendous civilian harm. The Taliban’s acts of suicide bombings, IEDs and deliberately hiding out in civilian homes are egregious, and every human rights organization I know (including ours) has called for these practices to stop.

The fact is, many of these tactics are used to deliberately cause harm to civilians – no matter what the Taliban says about its own practices to protect the population. US and its partner forces in Afghanistan are entirely different; they don’t want to cause civilian harm, they understand that winning the population is a mission imperative, and they try their best to avoid civilian casualties.

(….)

We will never be able to applaud the Taliban for protecting civilians and address harm, nor will we ever be able to assess their efforts at compensation. Their acts thus far are deplorable.

I’m looking forward to more of this elsewhere from CIVIC and other such groups.

Thanks to Ms. Holewinski for this.