America continues to pour out her blood and treasure for this repressive pseudo-ally, with no clear objective or mission in view other than a never-defined “victory.” No one ever clearly delineated what victory would look like in Afghanistan. What could it possibly have looked like? Has the Karzai regime ever allowed women to throw off their burqas and take their place in Afghan society as human beings equal in dignity to men? Does the Karzai government, or any Afghan government that would follow it, ever intend to guarantee basic human rights to the tiny and ever-dwindling number of non-Muslims unfortunate enough to live within its borders? Of course not.
And no matter how long American troops might stay in Afghanistan, no Afghan regime is ever going to do such things. Meanwhile, our troops continue to serve as a shooting gallery for jihadis who have entered the Afghan military. Barack Obama should be held responsible for every single U.S. soldier murdered by a putative Afghan “ally.”
“NATO soldier wounded in latest Afghanistan insider shooting,” by Hashmat Baktash and Mark Magnier for the Los Angeles Times, October 26:
KABUL, Afghanistan “” A man in an Afghan soldier’s uniform was killed and a NATO service member wounded Saturday, officials said, in the latest in a series of so-called insider attacks that have fueled distrust at a time when international forces are handing off more national security responsibilities to their Afghan counterparts.
The attack took place Saturday after an argument between an Afghan and a foreign soldier at a military base on the outskirts of Kabul, said Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry. Waziri, who declined to provide further details about the incident, said an investigation was underway.
Lt. Col. LaTondra Kinley, a spokeswoman for the NATO-led coalition, said international troops were attacked by a man in an Afghan uniform who was subsequently killed. The reason for the attack, including whether it was ideologically motivated or the result of a personal dispute, was under investigation, she said, adding that as a matter of policy the coalition doesn’t discuss the wounded or the nationalities of those involved.
It was the fourth similar attack in the past month. Attacks by Afghan servicemen on their NATO colleagues reportedly have accounted for 15 international troop casualties this year and some 15% of all foreign deaths in 2012.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Taliban has a history of exaggerating claims or taking credit for insider attacks to further its propaganda objectives, even when they”re sparked by personal disputes or cultural misunderstandings.
According to the independent website icasualties.com, 144 international troops have been killed so far this year in Afghanistan in all types of incidents, 115 of them Americans. Approximately 97,000 foreign soldiers from 50 nations remain in the impoverished central Asian nation, among them 68,000 Americans.
All international combat troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and Afghan forces have been taking a growing role in front-line operations. Consequently, the number of foreign fatalities has fallen “” 144 international deaths in the January-October period compares with 402 in 2012 “” while deaths among Afghan troops have risen.
While most NATO troop deaths have been the result of insurgent attacks, insider attacks have undercut morale, weakened trust between the two sides and put pressure on some foreign nations to withdraw. At least 60 NATO personnel reportedly died in insider attacks in 2012.
In response to these attacks, international commanders have changed operating procedures to include designating a NATO guard when Afghan soldiers are present. Contact has also been reduced, as have the number of weapons Afghan troops can carry when together. But this has made Afghans feel like second-class partners at a time when NATO is supposed to be training and mentoring them….
Poor dears!