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IndianaGreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 05:44 PM
Original message
Karzai hits out over Afghan deaths
Source: Al Jazeera

Karzai hits out over Afghan deaths

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has lashed out at Nato and US forces for failing to adequately protect civilians in the battle against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in the country.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Karzai said growing civilian anger may soon be the barrier to success in the country.

"The international community will not achieve in Afghanistan their objectives unless the Afghan people support them," he said.

Karzai admitted that he had also failed to do enough to ensure security, but he laid the blame for rising anger over civilian deaths with the foreign forces.

"The foundation of success is in the co-operation of the Afghan people in their own government and in the international community's good intentions," he said.


Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/01/20101515212380429.html



VIDEO at link
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Goldstein1984 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 05:50 PM
Response to Original message
1. I think Karzai is just an opportunist who sees
the inevitable outcome of this stupid "war" and is beginning to transition over to the side of the likely winner--the insurgents.

The best possible thing that could happen to the U.S. is to lose the "war" in Afghanistan and have a little of the imperial hubris kicked out of us.

Of course, then we're going to have to invade Venezuela to prove quien es mas machista.
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daleo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 05:55 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. I don't think Karzai will stay in Afghanistan, if the U.S. pulls out
Edited on Tue Jan-05-10 05:55 PM by daleo
After the Soviets pulled out, things didn't go well for their guys. I believe the top leader was killed in a rather grisly manner. Things wouldn't go well for Karzai, either.
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Goldstein1984 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 06:33 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. You are right, of course.
There is still a huge distance between complaining about the U.S. and joining the Taliban.

Karzai is probably just squirming a bit because he's discovered that once the U.S. has invaded, we tend to do things our own way.
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ShamelessHussy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 08:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
8. he done it during the chimp years, too
not to say he isn't an opportunist but that this isn't something new from him and is usually expected be expected from a leader who's civilians are being slaughtered.

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Tempest Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 05:53 PM
Response to Original message
2. Oh, the irony

"The international community will not achieve in Afghanistan their objectives unless the Afghan people support them," he said.

He doesn't even have the support of the Afghan people.
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dipsydoodle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 06:07 PM
Response to Original message
4. Well now - failure to adequately protect civilians
is a war crime isn't it ?
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frog92969 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 09:51 PM
Response to Reply #4
11. Yes, it is.
America is still committing a laundry list of war crimes.
No change there.
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Pavulon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 06:25 PM
Response to Original message
5. Did he backup the claim that US Army executed cuffed kids?
any word on that allegation. Let me guess...no. Clock is ticking. Is it ok for me to accuse people of mass murder (or fraud, embezzle) in a public forum to get attention for an event I may be hosting? I mean what if it helps my politics to do that? That is all good..umm maybe.

Not a single fucking word on aljaz even mentions the claim, in any story. If I were president I may have mentioned that. Guess it slipped his mind.
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 04:52 AM
Response to Reply #5
16. You mean these "kids"? (picture of purported dead bodies of the casualties below)
Edited on Wed Jan-06-10 04:54 AM by Turborama


From: http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2009/12/28/10-afghan-civilians-including-8-schoolchildren-killed-during-western-operation.html">10 Afghan civilians including eight schoolchildren killed ‘during Western operation’
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daleo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 10:50 PM
Response to Reply #5
17. What evidence would be sufficient in these cases?
Clearly there will be claims and counterclaims in these cases. What evidence would be sufficient to convince you that U.S. troops executed handcuffed kids? I am asking the question seriously, from an evidentiary standpoint.
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Robb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 08:22 PM
Response to Original message
7. Robbstrodamus strikes again. I totally called this one.
Not that it took a rocket scientist, but I'll take cold comfort in my small achievements. :)
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Mari333 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 09:02 PM
Response to Original message
9. oh yeah right like that asshole cares
a little american tinpot puppet.
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Alamuti Lotus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-05-10 09:25 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. Just keeping up appearances, of course
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NoSheep Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 12:52 AM
Response to Reply #9
13. Your peas, child, have landed on thy Earth.
thanks for the giggle!
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 12:49 AM
Response to Original message
12. "Although United Nations figures show far more civilians are killed by the Taliban..."
The next sentence: "Although United Nations figures show far more civilians are killed by the Taliban, deaths caused by foreign troops in Afghanistan have sparked wide resentment." Clearly not enough people know this and it shows how the Taliban have been very adept at using any civilian deaths as a propaganda tool.

Even though Karzai is straight up using this to try and deflect from his own (many) weaknesses as a leader, any killing of civilians is obviously unjustifiable.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4201322772364661561">Terrorising the population with murder and brutal sadistic punishments was how they got into, and held onto, power in the 90s. Does anyone really think the Taliban would stop killing civilians if we were to immediately surrender?
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Alamuti Lotus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 01:00 AM
Response to Reply #12
14. A semi-truck (with 3 trailers) could drive through the gaps in your knowledge of such matters
was how they got into, and held onto, power in the 90s

Working to end the situation of rampant lawlessness in the vacuum of the mujihadeen 'victory', punishing the guilty and defending the weak was more like it. Emir Omar himself got his "start", his claim to fame if you will, by tracking down a gang of rapists and thieves that were terrorizing his village outside Qandahar. The talibs tracked down the gang, brought them to the town center and stoned them on the spot. Meanwhile, the American and Saudi allies were busy shooting rockets up each others asses fighting over the privilege of being called "President" of a graveyard:--famous warlords like Rabbani, Hekmatyar, Dostum, Massoud, etc.. 50,000 perished in Kabul, Mazar, Jalalabad, etc from their strife, and it was in sweeping these warlords aside that the talibs took power. Some of what followed is distasteful to many, perhaps myself included on certain matters, but do not lie about how things began.
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-06-10 03:52 AM
Response to Reply #14
15. You're brief potted history of them "punishing the guilty and defending the weak" is pretty much...
Edited on Wed Jan-06-10 04:46 AM by Turborama
...Taliban apologetics, when considering the actual facts detailed below. Additionally, insulting my knowledge and calling me a liar doesn't make you sound like some kind of genius, you just come off as someone who has to stoop really low to try and prove a weak point. IOW ad hominems are always a sign of inept debating skills and a paucity of facts to back up an argument.

You must have a different definition of "Terrorising the population with murder and brutal sadistic punishments" than I do. For example, I don't know what else one can call the stoning people in public that you mention or the sort of 'punishment of the guilty' described below other than "murder and brutal sadistic punishment" that terrorises citizens into submission.


http://www.rawa.org/handcut.htm">Taliban flog woman, cut off two men's hands

KABUL, Feb 27,1998

=snip=

The two men, convicted of stealing goods worth 19 million afghanis ($500) from a Kabul shop, were brought in a Japanese pick-up truck and were anaesthetised before their right hands were cut off from the wrist with a sharp lance.

Three doctors from the Public Health Ministry, who had covered their faces, carried out the amputation after the convicts became unconscious and lay on the damp ground.

A Taleban fighter carried one amputated hand around and said: ``Anyone committing theft or adultery will face such punishment. Look at this, it is the hand of one of the thieves.''

Friday's was the second public amputation of thieves' hands in Kabul in a week. Last Friday, the Taleban chose a school as the venue for the punishment.

On Wednesday, the Taleban ordered the execution of three men for sodomy in the southern town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. They were ordered to be buried alive under a pile of stones and a wall was pushed on top of them by a tank.

Their lives were to be spared if they survived for 30 minutes and were still alive when the stones were removed.


Taliban Beat a mother and her daughter publicly

AP, April 16, 1999

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Thousands of Afghanis watched Friday as the Taliban's religious police lashed a young woman and her mother, both convicted of "immoral behavior" over the daughter's unmarried affair.

The two women, who were hunched over inside their all-enveloping burqa robes, wailed and cried out "Oh God!" with every stroke, witnesses said.

Farzana, 25, was accused of having illicit relations with a man. She was convicted more than a month ago but at the time was nine months pregnant from the affair. So the Taliban postponed her punishment of 100 lashes.

She gave birth to a son a few days ago, said Mullah Mohammed Sadik, the Taliban official who beat her. The child's father was punished earlier.

Farzana's mother, identified only as Gul, was also beaten with 39 lashes. She was charged with "immoral behavior" because she knew of her daughter's relationship and did not report it to the police, said Sadik.

After Sadik struck seven lashes, officials discovered that Gul, who was thought to be around 50, was wearing a heavy jacket to try to soften the blows, witnesses said. They ordered her to remove the jacket and continued with the remaining 32 lashes.

The Taliban religious army, which rules 90 percent of Afghanistan, has imposed a harsh brand of Islamic law. Murderers are executed in public squares, while thieves have their limbs removed and lesser crimes are punished with a public beating.

Women who commit adultery are stoned to death under Taliban law, but because Farzana was not married the sentence for having an illicit affair was 100 lashes, the Taliban explained.

Also Friday, nine men convicted of gambling, which also is illegal, were given 39 lashes. Four of the men wailed and cried, and Taliban police had to hold their arms and legs while another administered the beating, witnesses said.

After beating both Farzana and her mother, Sadik slammed Western criticism of the Taliban's treatment of women, saying that its laws protect their honor.

In Taliban territory, women cannot work outside the home and girls are banned from schools. Health care is segregated and often it is difficult for a woman to see a male specialist.

From: http://www.rawa.org/lashes.htm



---- --- ----

What do you think the words 'fierce', 'cleansing force', 'wipe out' and 'brutal' mean in this context...?

Prague, 18 September 2001 (RFE/RL) -- From students to conquerors, the members of the Taliban Islamic militia have come a long way fast.

The Taliban -- literally "the Seekers" -- was founded in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar by graduates of Pakistani religious colleges. Their aims were to end the political chaos that had been ongoing in Afghanistan since the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and to impose a strict interpretation of Islam.

Their ascent to power began seven years ago, when a 30-truck convoy from Pakistan was nabbed by an Afghan warlord in southern Afghanistan. A small band of Taliban militants came to the rescue, freeing the convoy and executing the hijackers in the desert.

With that initial public appearance, the Taliban emerged as a reformist force to be reckoned with -- honest, fierce, and devoutly Islamic.

=snip=

"In southern Afghanistan, there was a law and order crisis. There was rampant warlordism, and the Taliban came in as a cleansing force to establish law and order and wipe out the warlords and impose Islam, which they did. And they were quite popular doing it, initially. Their spread is really related to the support they got from Pakistan, which increased their military capability. And then they took Kabul in 1996."

=snip=

In its efforts to control the country the Taliban became as brutal as its predecessors -- killing civilians, burning houses, and destroying crops in the villages and towns it had conquered. As a result, the Afghan people became far less supportive of the ruling government. Analysts say the Taliban found it difficult to recruit native Afghan men into its ranks.

Full article: http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1097442.html


---- --- ----

What about the ethnic cleansing carried out against the Hazaris and the other articles below? Is this what you call "sweeping warlords aside" & "punishing the guilty and defending the weak"?

Genocide of ethnic Hazaras

(footage of the results of their ethnic cleansing is also in the documentary I linked to in post #12)

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghanistan/">Massacre in Yakaolang - Jan 2001

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghanistan/">Massacre at Robatak Pass - May 2000

Massacre in Mazar-e Sharif - Starting Aug 8, 1998
http://www.hazara.net/taliban/genocide/mazar/mazar.html">Compilation of reports - by Human Rights Watch, United Nations, and Sunday Times
http://www.rawa.org/times.htm">How the Taliban slaughtered thousands of people The Sunday Times , Nov.1,1998
http://www.rawa.org/killings.htm">UN report details Taliban 'killing frenzy' The News International (Pakistan), Nov.6,1998
http://www.rawa.org/herald.htm">One Massacre That Didn't Grab the World's Attention International Herald Tribune, Saturday, August 7, 1999
http://www.hazara.net/taliban/genocide/mazar2/mazar2.html">Eyewitness Testimonies - Interviews conducted by our Hazara.net Sources

http://www.hazara.net/taliban/genocide/bamyan/bamyan.html">Massacre in Bamyan - Sep 1998 to May 1999




Just Some of the punishments exacted by the Taliban during their horrific reign

http://www.rawa.org/shooting.htm">Taliban order shooting of food suppliers to opposition areas

http://www.rawa.org/hang-w.htm">Taliban Hang Convicted Prostitutes

http://www.rawa.org/stoning.htm">Taliban Stone Woman for Adultery

http://www.rawa.org/punish.htm">Taliban punish 40 for clothing, beard law violations

http://www.rawa.org/lashes.htm">Taliban Beat a mother and her daughter publicly

http://www.rawa.org/execute4.htm">Taliban publicly execute murderer, amputate two robbers

http://www.rawa.org/saeed.htm">Law & Order: Taliban Style


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