Afghanistan
San Francisco International Film Festival 2013—Part one
The Kill Team: The murderous reality of the US war in Afghanistan
By Joanne Laurier, 16 May 2013
The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival recently concluded. The event this year screened 158 films from 51 countries, including 67 fiction features, 28 documentary features and 63 short films.
New revelations of torture and murder of Afghan civilians by US Special Forces
By Thomas Gaist, 15 May 2013
Further revelations of torture and murder by elite US soldiers in Afghanistan highlight the neo-colonial character of the occupation.
Karzai reveals US plan for permanent Afghanistan bases
By Bill Van Auken, 11 May 2013
The Afghanistan president’s statement underscores the intention of the Obama administration and the Pentagon to maintain a permanent military presence.
Eight US-NATO troops killed in one day
Crisis deepens for US occupation in Afghanistan
By Patrick Martin, 6 May 2013
Both the US-NATO occupation and the stooge regime of President Hamid Karzai are widely hated by the Afghan population.
What the CIA’s cash has bought for Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2013
The report that the CIA regularly hands over sacks of cash to Afghanistan’s President Karzai is only the latest episode in Afghanistan’s long and tragic encounter with US imperialism.
Germany extends military mission in Afghanistan and arms Qatar
By Johannes Stern, 25 April 2013
On April 18, German ministers announced that at least 800 soldiers would be kept in Afghanistan beyond the official date for the withdrawal of NATO combat troops.
The brutal face of neocolonialism in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 10 April 2013
The attempt to exploit the death of a young State Department official to cast the Afghanistan war as an exercise in US altruism is belied by the continuing murder and oppression inflicted upon the civilian population.
NATO strike kills 10 Afghan children after week of bloody fighting
By Thomas Gaist, 8 April 2013
A NATO airstrike killed 20 people in eastern Afghanistan during the weekend, including at least one woman and 10 children ages 1 to 12.
Germany: Victims of the Kunduz massacre sue for compensation
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 5 April 2013
A Bonn court recently opened proceedings in a case brought by two survivors of a NATO air strike near Kunduz, Afghanistan.
In Qatar, US-backed Afghan President Karzai makes overtures to Taliban
By Thomas Gaist, 2 April 2013
US-backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai travelled to Doha to make political overtures to the Taliban, as Taliban officials open an office in the Qatari capital.
Kerry’s Middle East tour prepares endless war in Afghanistan, Syria
By Alex Lantier, 27 March 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry left Kabul for Paris yesterday, after a Middle Eastern tour to Jordan and Afghanistan to plan broader wars across the region.
US defense secretary’s Afghanistan trip a debacle
By Bill Van Auken, 12 March 2013
Obama’s newly confirmed defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, confronted suicide bombings, an “insider” attack and vitriolic criticism from the US-backed puppet, Hamid Karzai.
Afghan regime accuses US forces of torturing, murdering civilians
By Alex Lantier, 25 February 2013
The Afghan government asked US Special Forces to leave Wardak and Logar provinces after reviewing reports that they tortured and murdered Afghan civilians.
US/NATO occupation of Afghanistan unravelling
By Harvey Thompson, 18 February 2013
The US-puppet Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai is facing an increase in attacks by insurgents as the US/NATO occupation continues to unravel.
As Obama touts end of Afghan war, US strike kills 10 civilians
By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2013
A US airstrike in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday killed 10 civilians, including five children.
“Green-on-blue” attacks continue in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 22 January 2013
All eight deaths among British soldiers on the current tour have been the result of attacks by uniformed Afghan security forces.
Obama to approve drone assassination manual
By Patrick Martin, 21 January 2013
The Obama administration is institutionalizing the process of White House-sanctioned remote killings.
Obama-Karzai talks set stage for post-2014 US troop presence
By Bill Van Auken, 12 January 2013
White House talks between Obama and Karzai were aimed at laying the foundations for a continuing US military presence in Afghanistan after the 2014 withdrawal deadline.
Afghanistan: A model for 21st Century neo-colonialism
By Peter Symonds, 5 January 2013
Claims that the US occupation will end in 2014 are belied by plans for an indefinite American military presence in Afghanistan.
Ten girls die in Afghanistan explosion as US pushes for permanent presence
By Bill Van Auken, 18 December 2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a press conference in Kabul last week that “we are not departing Afghanistan.”
As American commanders target Afghan children
Karzai offers immunity for continued US occupation
By Bill Van Auken, 10 December 2012
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he is willing to offer US troops immunity from prosecution after 2014, amid fresh reports of war crimes.
Army pre-trial hearing into March 2012 Afghan massacre concludes
By Naomi Spencer, 15 November 2012
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers, could face the death penalty if the Army recommends a court-martial.
Survivors describe bloodbath in Afghan atrocity
By Naomi Spencer, 15 November 2012
In testimony from Afghanistan, witnesses to the March 11 massacre described scenes of terror and grief.
US Army hearing begins into March 2012 Afghan atrocity
By Naomi Spencer, 10 November 2012
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of carrying out a massacre of Afghan civilians, faces 16 counts of murder.
Four Afghan children killed in US raid
By Bill Van Auken, 24 October 2012
The killing of Afghan children in a US raid and the disappearance and murder of civilians at the hands of occupation troops have provoked growing anger and protests.
Afghan schools and clinics built by British military to be closed down
By Harvey Thompson, 23 October 2012
A recently leaked report reveals that schools and health clinics built by the British military across Helmand province are to be closed down by 2014.
US in talks on extending Afghanistan occupation past 2014 deadline
By Bill Van Auken, 18 October 2012
The talks are aimed at cementing an open-ended US military presence in Afghanistan.
Five British Royal Marines charged with murdering Afghan insurgent
By Harvey Thompson, 16 October 2012
Five British Royal Marines have been charged with the murder of an insurgent in Afghanistan.
US troop deaths in Afghanistan top 2,000
By Bill Van Auken, 2 October 2012
The 2,000th American soldier died in Afghanistan last weekend as the result of a so-called “insider” attack, underscoring the crisis of the 11-year-old US war.
A balance sheet of the Afghanistan war
By Patrick Martin, 24 September 2012
The Obama administration has withdrawn 33,000 troops, but more than twice as many still remain in Afghanistan.
Attacks force US to halt joint operations with Afghan troops
By Bill Van Auken, 19 September 2012
A steady escalation of so-called insider attacks has forced the Pentagon to suspend joint patrols and combat training with Afghan security forces.
The unholy nexus between Britain’s royal family, the military and the media in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 19 September 2012
Saturday’s attack on NATO’s Camp Bastion in Afghanistan has thrown into sharp relief the cabal around Prince Harry, including the British royal family, the military and the media.
Anti-US protests spread throughout Muslim world
By Alex Lantier, 18 September 2012
Protests that began one week ago at US embassies in Egypt and Libya against an anti-Islamic YouTube video are rapidly spreading throughout the Muslim world.
NATO bombing kills nine women in Afghanistan as fighting mounts
By Alex Lantier, 17 September 2012
An air strike killed nine young Afghan women shortly before dawn Sunday morning in Laghman province’s Alingar district, near the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Australian soldiers launch reprisal over “green on blue” incident
By Mark Church, 4 September 2012
In a neo-colonial act of collective punishment Australian forces shot and killed two men, detained and beat others in retaliation for the recent shooting deaths of three Australian soldiers.
Three New Zealand soldiers killed in Afghanistan
By John Braddock, 1 September 2012
The recent fatalities—which have brought the NZ death toll in Afghanistan to 10—have prompted the government to announce an early withdrawal.
The US debacle in Afghanistan
By Patrick Martin, 20 August 2012
The proliferation of attacks on US soldiers by uniformed Afghan soldiers and policemen is an expression of popular hatred for the occupation regime.
Afghan police chief kills three US special forces troops
By Bill Van Auken, 11 August 2012
The slaying Thursday night of three members of a US Marines special operations unit by a uniformed commander in the US-backed security forces brought to eight the number of Americans killed this week in Afghanistan.
Afghan war crimes report suppressed
By Peter Symonds, 1 August 2012
The report exposes not only the criminal past of Afghanistan’s current leaders, but also the powers that backed them, especially the United States.
Afghanistan aid conference signals indefinite foreign occupation
By Mike Head, 10 July 2012
The Tokyo gathering was the third recent step taken by the Obama administration to cement Washington’s grip over Afghanistan far beyond 2014.
US airstrike kills 18 Afghan civilians
By Bill Van Auken, 7 June 2012
At least 18 Afghan civilians, including seven children, were killed early Wednesday morning after US special operations troops called in an air strike on their homes.
NATO air strike kills Afghan family of eight
By Patrick Martin, 28 May 2012
Six children are among those killed in the eastern Afghanistan province of Paktia.
Australian government confirms commitment to ongoing Afghanistan occupation
By Patrick O’Connor, 24 May 2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard functioned as little more than a mouthpiece for Washington during the discussions at the NATO summit in Chicago.
After the NATO summit: Afghanistan slaughter to continue
By Bill Van Auken, 23 May 2012
For all the rhetoric about “transition” and “transformation,” the proposals laid out at the NATO summit in Chicago mean a continuation of a dirty colonial war and the slaughter of Afghan civilians.
“Green-on-Blue” attacks on foreign troops increase in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 18 May 2012
Two British soldiers were shot dead last week by Afghan policemen, the latest in a rising tide of “green-on-blue” attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan by supposed allies in the more than decade-long occupation and counterinsurgency.
US bombings kills dozens of Afghan civilians
By Bill Van Auken, 8 May 2012
US bombardments claimed the lives of dozens of Afghan civilians, including women and children, prompting a formal protest from Karzai that such actions would render the recent pact he signed with Obama “meaningless”.
Obama signs strategic pact in Afghanistan
By Peter Symonds, 3 May 2012
The agreement signed sets the stage for an open-ended US military presence in Afghanistan after the bulk of American troops withdraw.
US makes a pact with its Afghan puppet
By Patrick Martin, 24 April 2012
The purpose of the deal is the clear the way for a NATO summit at which the Obama administration will pressure its European allies to cough up more money and manpower for the Afghanistan war.
NATO prepares troop withdrawal from Afghan quagmire
By Peter Symonds, 21 April 2012
The US is escalating military operations to shore up the detested Afghan puppet regime, even as it prepares to pull out most combat soldiers by 2014.
Australian government announces accelerated troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
By James Cogan, 20 April 2012
The timetable for Australian troop withdrawals is linked to the unconditional alignment of the Gillard government with the US “pivot” to maintain American dominance in the Asian region.
Washington’s real concerns over the Afghanistan atrocity photos
By Bill Van Auken, 20 April 2012
The images of young American paratroopers playing and posing with dismembered Afghan corpses provide a revolting but accurate reflection of a decade-old war and the demoralizing impact it has had on the US military.
Photos of US troops defiling corpses expose Afghan war’s savagery
By David Walsh, 19 April 2012
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published horrific photographs of American troops in Afghanistan posing with dead and dismembered insurgents.
More US troops killed amid talks on permanent bases in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 5 April 2012
At least three US soldiers were killed and several others wounded in a suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan as US and Afghan officials continued talks on a permanent American military presence after 2014.
Record opposition to Afghanistan war as killings mount
By Bill Van Auken, 28 March 2012
An opinion poll released Tuesday shows nearly seven out of 10 Americans opposing the war in Afghanistan, a record level of antiwar sentiment since the US invaded the country over a decade ago.
US charges soldier with 17 counts of murder in Afghan massacre
By Bill Van Auken, 24 March 2012
The US government Friday officially charged Staff Sergeant Robert Bales in connection with the March 11 massacre of Afghan civilians, most of them children.
Top general demands US keep “robust” combat force in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 23 March 2012
Gen. John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, told Congressional committees this week that a “robust” American combat force must remain the country.
In wake of Afghan massacre, tensions mount between US and its puppet Karzai
By Bill Van Auken, 17 March 2012
President Karzai denounced the US military in connection with last Sunday’s massacre of 16 civilians, but Washington dismissed his demand that it speed up the transfer of security to Afghan forces.
US Afghan strategy unravels in wake of Kandahar massacre
By Bill Van Auken, 16 March 2012
With the Taliban breaking off of talks with Washington and President Hamid Karzai demanding that US-NATO troops withdraw to their bases, key elements of the Obama administration’s Afghanistan policy are in tatters.
US, UK vow no change in war after Afghanistan massacre
By Bill Van Auken, 15 March 2012
US President Obama and British Prime Minister Cameron used a joint press conference Wednesday to stress there would be no shift in Afghanistan war strategy in the wake of the savage massacre of 16 civilians in Kandahar.
The Kandahar massacre and the fight against war
Statement by Jerry White, SEP candidate for US president
By Jerry White and Socialist Equality Party candidate for US president, 14 March 2012
As the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for US president, I share the revulsion felt by millions of people in Afghanistan, in the United States and throughout the world over the brutal murder of at least 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, by a US soldier Sunday in Kandahar province.
Afghanistan’s My Lai
By Patrick Martin, 13 March 2012
Sunday’s mass murder by an Army staff sergeant demonstrates both the brutality and the deepening crisis of American imperialism’s war in Afghanistan.
Massacre in Afghanistan: US soldier kills 16 villagers, including 9 children
By Patrick Martin, 12 March 2012
A sergeant in the US Special Forces walked into a village near Kandahar and systematically shot to death nine children, three women and four men.
Six British soldiers killed by explosion in southern Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 8 March 2012
The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that six soldiers are missing, believed dead, after an explosive device hit their armoured vehicle Tuesday in southern Afghanistan.
Afghan troops kill two more US soldiers in Kandahar
By Patrick Martin, 2 March 2012
The incident was the third such killing of American soldiers by their Afghan “partners” in little more than a week.
Afghanistan rises in revolt against US occupation
By Patrick Martin, 27 February 2012
The Koran-burning incident that triggered nationwide protests in Afghanistan is the product of the neo-colonial US occupation.
Afghans besiege US bases in Koran protests
By Bill Van Auken, 24 February 2012
Two American soldiers and at least 15 Afghans have been killed as crowds besieged US and NATO bases for a third day Thursday, in an escalating protest over US troops burning copies of the Koran.
NATO bombing kills eight Afghan children
By Bill Van Auken, 11 February 2012
At least eight Afghan civilians, all children according to some reports, were killed Thursday when a NATO warplane bombed a village in Afghanistan's northeast Kapisa province.
NATO ministers hold crisis talks on Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 3 February 2012
Amid growing signs of crisis in the decade-old US-led war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that the US would make a “transition” from combat to “training” and “advising” puppet Afghan forces by the end of 2013.
France rules out rapid Afghanistan withdrawal
By Olivier Laurent, 28 January 2012
Sarkozy will keep French troops in Afghanistan despite rising popular opposition to the NATO occupation following the January 20 deaths of four French soldiers.
Ten NATO troops killed in Afghanistan
By Alex Lantier, 21 January 2012
At least ten NATO soldiers were killed in Afghanistan when a US helicopter crashed and an Afghan soldier shot four French troops after a training session.
US marines desecrate Afghan dead
By James Cogan, 13 January 2012
A video published yesterday shows four US marines in Afghanistan urinating on the heads of three Afghan dead, joking among themselves as they desecrate the corpses.
Afghanistan signs oil contract with Chinese giant
By John Chan, 10 January 2012
China’s oil contract with Afghanistan will exacerbate tensions with the US and India.
Afghan government accuses US of torture and false imprisonment
By James Cogan, 10 January 2012
The puppet government of President Hamid Karzai has accused the American military of torture and arbitrary detention at the largest US-run prison in the country.
US backs Taliban office in Qatar in bid for Afghanistan deal
By Bill Van Auken, 4 January 2012
US and Taliban sources have confirmed a deal to set up an office of the Islamist group in Qatar as part of Washington’s attempt to negotiate a settlement of its decade-old war in Afghanistan.
Another year of death and destruction in the AfPak War
By James Cogan, 3 January 2012
The tenth year of the US and NATO occupation of Afghanistan was among the deadliest and most destructive of the entire conflict.
Slideshow presentation: Afghan refugees in Paris speak out
By Shantan Kumarasamy, 29 December 2011
Homeless Afghan asylum seekers discuss their dangerous journeys to Europe and their desperate struggles for survival.
Cameron visits Afghanistan as UK prepares further interventions in region
By Julie Hyland, 23 December 2011
A strict media blackout was in force for Prime Minister David Cameron’s pre-Christmas visit to British troops in Afghanistan Tuesday.
US generals balk at Obama’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan
By Bill Van Auken, 8 December 2011
In the latest round of conflict between Obama and his top military commanders, the senior US general in Afghanistan is opposing the administration’s plans for the withdrawal of troops from the US-occupied country.
Bonn conference on Afghanistan dominated by crisis and pessimism
By Bill Van Auken, 6 December 2011
A decade after the first international conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, delegates returned to the former West German capital under conditions of growing regional crisis and increasing pessimism over the 10-year-old war.
Australian elite troops prepared for decade-long operations in Afghanistan
By Patrick O’Connor, 14 November 2011
The SAS forces are highly valued by American commanders, having functioned for years as brutal death squads, hunting down and assassinating individuals identified as opponents of the US-led occupation.
Afghan army trainee kills three Australian soldiers
By Will Morrow, 4 November 2011
Far from “stabilising” Afghanistan, the continued presence of foreign troops is generating deep-seated enmity that will inevitably lead to further attacks.
UN report documents systematic torture of Afghan detainees
By Barry Grey, 12 October 2011
A report released Monday by the United Nations documents what it calls "systematic" torture at Afghan government prisons of suspected insurgents captured by US, NATO and Afghan authorities.
A decade of neo-colonial war in Afghanistan
By Peter Symonds, 8 October 2011
The war has been a disaster for the Afghan people and a tragic waste of the lives of American and allied soldiers. It has profoundly destabilised regional and world politics.
India-Afghan pact further poisons Afghan-Pakistan relations
By James Cogan, 6 October 2011
The agreement is a clear threat that India, in conjunction with the US and its allies, will continue to build its political and economic influence in Afghanistan at Pakistan’s expense.
Two dead in shooting at CIA headquarters in Kabul
By Oliver Campbell, 29 September 2011
The Taliban’s ability to penetrate the security structures in Afghanistan stems from the deep-seated resentment felt by broad layers of the population to the decade-long US occupation.
Assassination of top Afghan negotiator undermines “peace talks”
By Peter Symonds, 22 September 2011
The killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani will only exacerbate ethnic tensions and weaken the Afghan government as it balances precariously between the country’s rival factions and tribal groups.
NATO admits killing BBC journalist in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 16 September 2011
NATO admitted last week that a US soldier shot dead BBC journalist Ahmed Omaid Khpalwak in Afghanistan in July.
US embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul under fire
By Peter Symonds, 14 September 2011
Coordinated Taliban attacks in the Afghan capital yesterday have again highlighted the tenuous nature of the US-led military occupation of the country.
Multiple deaths in attack on British Council compound in Kabul
By Harvey Thompson, 23 August 2011
The compound of the British Council headquarters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, came under a sustained guerrilla attack on Friday, resulting in nine deaths and 22 casualties.
Obama’s bloody “endgame” in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 18 August 2011
Nearly two months after President Obama announced plans for a limited withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, US strategy in the nearly 10-year-old war points to a steady escalation of bloodshed.
US retaliation in Afghanistan in wake of helicopter downing
By Bill Van Auken, 11 August 2011
The Pentagon claimed Wednesday to have killed the Afghan fighters responsible for last week’s downing of a helicopter that resulted in the worst US losses to date in the decade-old war.
Helicopter shootdown in Afghanistan hits Navy SEALs
By Patrick Martin, 8 August 2011
Nearly 10 percent of the elite SEAL Team 6 were killed in the incident Saturday.
High profile assassinations continue in southern Afghanistan
By James Cogan, 3 August 2011
The Taliban government-in-exile has claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks last month in which assassins were able to circumvent the security surrounding their intended victims.
Second Karzai ally assassinated in Afghanistan
By James Cogan, 20 July 2011
The deaths of Karzai’s half-brother, and now Jan Mohammad Khan, are significant blows to the US puppet regime in Kabul.
Remote control murder: Afghan drones operated from Nevada and Virginia
By Julie Hyland, 15 July 2011
Last week’s admission that Britain’s Royal Air Force killed four civilians and injured two others in Afghanistan has highlighted the growing resort to remote-controlled “drones” as weapons of choice by the major powers.
Documents prove Australian complicity in Iraq war crimes
By James Cogan, 13 July 2011
Defence department records released this week show that the Australian government covered up the torture committed by American forces at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison in late 2003.
Killing of Karzai’s brother deepens US crisis in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 13 July 2011
The killing of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Afghan president’s half brother, represents a serious blow to US strategy in the key southern province of Kandahar.
US air strikes kill women and children in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 7 July 2011
The latest civilian casualties come amid indications that the phased withdrawal of the US troops sent into Afghanistan as part of Barack Obama’s surge will mean an escalation of the bloodshed.
European think-tank warns: Insurgency strengthening in Afghanistan
By James Cogan, 5 July 2011
The ICG report contradicts President Obama’s claim that the US-led occupation was in a “position of strength”.
Kabul hotel attack shakes US occupation regime in Afghanistan
By Alex Lantier, 1 July 2011
The June 28-29 attack by Afghan insurgents on the luxury Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul has again exposed the political isolation of the US occupation regime in Afghanistan.
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