Afgan Women

Over USD4 bn in cash flies out of Kabul

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:34:28 +0000

The Indian Express: More than USD 4.2 billion in cash has moved from Kabul airport during the past three-and-a-half years, far exceeding the earlier estimate and raising fresh concerns about corruption in the war-torn country. “Our records show that USD 4.2 billion has been transferred in cash through Kabul International Airport alone during the last three-and-a-half years,” Omar Zakhilwal, the Afgan Finance Minister wrote in a letter to Nita Lowey, a US Congresswoman.

The Afghan women jailed for “bad character”

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:54:02 +0000

BBC News: Meet Sorarya and you meet “attitude”. It has something to do with the way she wears her red tunic and trousers, her short cropped black leather jacket, and the way she chews gum and rolls her eyes. “What are you here for?” I ask as we sit in a makeshift beauty parlour, surrounded by a group of Afgan women in less flamboyant attire. “Should I tell her?” she asks the other women with a mischievous grin.

U.S. dog raid rumor sparks violent Afghan clash

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:43:45 +0000

Reuters: Afgan police clashed on Tuesday with dozens of stone-throwing protesters who gathered at a religious school on the outskirts of the capital to complain about arrests by foreign forces. Reuters witnesses saw police firing rounds into the air and on the ground to disperse the protesters, and also what appeared to be three lifeless bodies being carried away by a police vehicle.

Police official says eight Afghan civilians killed in NATO raid

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:33:20 +0000

VOA: NATO says a joint Afgan-international force killed a Taliban commander and several armed individuals in southern Afganistan, but local villagers say the dead are all civilians. In eastern Afganistan, officials say eight civilians, including women and children, were killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province on Monday.

The wounds of war: physical, psychological injuries legacy of Afghan battle

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:07:58 +0000

The Canadian Press: Master Cpl. Jody Mitic was a sniper on patrol with his unit in Kandahar province in January 2007 when he stepped on a land mine and lost both legs below the knee. In the split second it took for the charge to explode, Mitic’s life changed instantly, irrevocably. Mitic is one of the more than 500 Canadian soldiers who have been wounded in action in Afganistan; even more suffer from “invisible wounds” that range from mild depression to debilitating post-traumatic stress syndrome, experts say.

Bodies found beheaded in Afghanistan; 4 troops die

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:27:32 +0000

The Associated Press: Four American troops were reported killed and the bodies of 11 Afgan men, some beheaded, were found in rising violence across Afganistan. Mohammad Khan, deputy police chief in Uruzgan province, said a villager in the Bagh Char area of Khas Uruzgan district spotted the bodies Friday in a field and called police. “They were killed because the Taliban said they were spying for the government, working for the government,” he said.

Afghan attorney general says US envoy “threatened” him

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:47:13 +0000

ANP/AFP: Afganistan’s top prosecutor Tuesday accused US ambassador Karl Eikenberry of threatening to have him removed from his job if he did not take action against an Afgan banker allegedly involved in fraud. “Against all diplomatic ethics, the US ambassador tells me: “If you don’t jail him, you must resign,” Alko told reporters, citing a recent conversation with Eikenberry.

Afghanistan Again

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:06:46 +0000

The Huffington Post: After nine years of war the U.S. occupation of Afganistan lacks support at home and is widely recognized as a drain on the domestic economy in a time of severe economic contraction. The billions of dollars in U.S. economic assistance to the Hamid Karzai government has created an unsustainable class of Afghans who are dependent upon the American largesse and military presence that would be impossible to sustain by local taxes.

Warlords and Taliban receive millions of dollars from the USA

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:56:27 +0000

The New York Times: American taxpayers have inadvertently created a network of warlords across Afganistan who are making millions of dollars escorting NATO convoys and operating outside the control of either the Afgan government or the American and NATO militaries, according to the results of a Congressional investigation released Monday.

Fewer than 100 Al Qaeda in Afghanistan: CIA chief

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:26:01 +0000

AFP: CIA director Leon Panetta has estimated there are only 50 to 100 Al Qaeda militants operating inside Afganistan, as US forces work to “flush out” mastermind Osama bin Laden. Mr Panetta said US forces had killed or captured at least half the Al Qaeda leadership, making the terrorist group the weakest it has been since the 9/11 attacks. The spy chief estimated Al Qaeda’s numbers have shrunk dramatically in Afganistan.