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| Afghanistan |
| Ghorband Operation "Successful", But Civilian Casualties High |
| 2014-01-21 |
| [Tolo News] A number of MPs from northern Parwan province on Monday said that the joint military operation conducted by Afghan and ISAF forces last week in Ghorband district successfully killed 14 Talibs. Though the MPs said that 12 civilians were also killed in the operation. Reportedly, Taliban capo Maulavi Abdul Rahman, who was recently released from jail by Afghan authorities, was among the turbans who was killed. Rahman's death could spark blowback to the already controversial detainee release initiative being pushed by President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtunface on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... as it reinforces the argument of its opponents who claim the freed Death Eaters simply rejoin the fighting. A Review Committee appointed by Karzai has already approved 650 Bagram Prison detainees for release since last August. Five other turbans were said to have been tossed in the clink Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! by the security forces during the operation. The Parwan MPs called the operation "constructive," but accused the government of not doing enough to protect civilian lives and criticized the release of Rahman. "Down with those who killed the civilians, we have always stressed undermining support for the Taliban, but you [the government] declared them your brothers," MP Hussian Naseri said. "Maulavi Abdul Rahman committed crimes and he was tossed in the clink Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! , so down with those who released them - we say that the government is responsible for the blood shed." President Karzai has justified releasing suspected and proven Death Eaters like Rahman from detention by saying there is insufficient evidence to prosecute them or that freeing them would help advance peace talks with the Taliban. Many have criticized Karzai and his supporters, however, arguing that they are putting Afghans at risk regardless of the legal or strategic justifications they have for the releases. U.S. officials have been the most vocal opponents of the initiative. Some MPs were more upset about the civilian casualties than they were the purported "success" of the operation. Mp Abdul Sattar Khawasi said, "They [the military] claim to have modern technology, but they can't differentiate a six-year-old student with a Taliban fighter and target the innocent and defenseless people." There were not details provided by security officials on how exactly the civilians casualties occurred during the operation, and who or what was directly responsible. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 MP Khawasi's comment suggests strongly that he has not been in a heated gun battle. Perhaps he should go with the Afghan forces on a few missions until he learns how they go. (The alternative is that he knows full well the civilians were not targetted but were unavoidable collateral damage and he is just a lying politician, but I repeat myself.) |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2014-01-21 10:36 |