More official word on who’s got the Big Mo in Afghanistan: “We now have the initiative. We have created momentum.” Major-General Nick Carter, commander of NATO coalition forces in southern Afghanistan (Carlotta Gall, “NATO coalition pushes Taliban into retreat in southern Afghanistan,” Globe and Mail, 21 October 2010) “My sense is there will be a […]
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
Canadian troops destroyed villages to save them?
A New York Times report (Carlotta Gall, “In Afghan South, U.S. Faces Frustrated Residents,” 16 October 2010) on the frustration and disillusion expressed by Afghan civilians in the region around Kandahar cites Canadian actions as one of the sources of complaints: Three years ago, Canadian troops built a temporary post near Lora. When they immediately […]
Taliban and Afghan government begin informal talks
Several sources have confirmed over the past week that informal peace talks have begun between Taliban leaders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government. NATO has been facilitating the meetings by providing Taliban leaders with safe passage to Kabul to meet with high-level members of the Karzai government. The Taliban continues to reject negotiation in its […]
Little oversight for security contracts: U.S. Senate report
According to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon has little oversight over contracted security deals in Afghanistan and, as a result, local security deals between Western companies, American military commanders, and Afghan warlords with close connections to the Taliban are being made (James Risen, “Afghans Linked to the Taliban Guard U.S. Bases,” New York […]
Steven Staples on Canada's secret military base fiasco
Afghanistan's new Peace Council: Stopped in its tracks?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai established a High Council for Peace on September 28, 2010 with the objective of paving the way towards peace with the Taliban through negotiation and reconcilation (“Karzai sets up body for peace talks,” Aljazeera News, 28 September 2010). Karzai hand-picked the nearly 70 council members, who include representatives of women and […]