Mahmut Cengiz (2021-12-11). New Threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Taliban's Capacity, Tehrik-i Taliban, and ISIS-Khorasan. moderndiplomacy.eu Authors: Mahmut Cengiz, Asma Ul Hussna Durrani, Andrea Quinn The world was stunned by the Taliban's quick takeover of Afghanistan. The former Afghan government's military was four times larger than the Taliban's, but the world saw how the Afghan military surrendered to the Taliban in a short time. Overlooked or at least underestimated were the …

Udani Samarasekera (2021-12-11). [Perspectives] Zarlasht Halaimzai: striving to provide a better future for refugees. thelancet.com When Zarlasht Halaimzai was 11 years old, she and her family were forcibly displaced from Kabul, Afghanistan, as the civil war in the early 1990s escalated. "When we left it was very sudden, done in a moment when everything was very insecure and hopeless. In Kabul, food was difficult, it was difficult to get water, there were militias everywhere. Normal life had completely collapsed", she recalls. Their displacement continued for 4 years, during which time the family became separated and Halaimzai missed out on much education.

Jonathan Cook (2021-12-10). Assange ruling a dangerous precedent for journalists and British justice. dissidentvoice.org On Friday, the English High Court paved the way for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States and tried over the publication of hundreds of thousands of documents, some of which contained evidence of US and British war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The decision reversed a ruling in January by …

teleSUR (2021-12-10). Afghanistan: Two Blasts Rock Western Part of Kabul City. telesurenglish.net Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti confirmed that two civilians were killed and three others injured as a blast targeted a mini-bus in Dasht-i-Barch district in Kabul on Friday. However, eyewitnesses believed that the number of casualties could be higher than reported. | RELATED: | The official also confirmed that another blast almost in the same area injured a woman on Friday afternoon, but he…

Staff (2021-12-09). "An Outrage": House Passes Largest Military Budget in Generations Despite End of Afghanistan War. democracynow.org President Biden may soon approve the largest military spending bill since World War II, which ramps up spending to counter China and Russia. Separately, the Senate voted down a bipartisan bid by Senators Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul and Mike Lee to halt $650 million in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid the devastating ongoing war in Yemen. "The last thing we need to do is be throwing more money at the Pentagon," says William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy. "This whole idea that China and Russia are military threats to the United States has primarily been…

Uran Botobekov (2021-12-09). The Deadliest Enemies: China's Overseas Military Bases in Central Asia and Uyghur's Turkestan Islamic Party. moderndiplomacy.eu Amid the burgeoning sentimental relationship between Beijing and the resurrected Taliban's Emirate 2.0, the al Qaeda-affiliated Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) has aggravated its propaganda war against Communist China, hence cleverly concealing its historically faithful jihadi bonds with the Afghan Taliban. Despite the Taliban's assurances of non-interference in China's internal affairs, Beijing is building up its …

Staff (2021-12-07). Ukraine asks for weapons meant to fight Taliban — report. rt.com Ukraine has requested a supply of American military equipment that was originally intended to go to Afghanistan, before the American-backed government fell to the Taliban earlier this year. | Minister of Defense Alexey Reznikov made the request during a visit to Washington last month, according to a report published in Foreign Policy magazine on Monday. He had flown to the US to ask for assistance in a number of military matters, including support for air and naval defense, as well as electronic warfare. | An unnamed Ukrainian defense official reportedly told Foreign Policy that Reznikov's list of requests fea…

_____ (2021-12-07). U.S.-Ukraine Plan Emerges… Make Another Afghan Quagmire for Russia. strategic-culture.org U.S. President Joe Biden and his top aides continue to assert that Russia is building up forces to attack its western neighbor. | A senior U.S. Democratic Senator revealed more than he intended when he gleefully expressed a desire to see Russia invade Ukraine and for it to become another "Afghan quagmire". | Senator Chris Murphy who sits on the policy-influencing Senate Foreign Relations Committee

_____ (2021-12-07). How Congress Loots The Treasury For The Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex. popularresistance.org Despite a disagreement over some amendments in the Senate, the United States Congress is poised to pass a $778 billion military budget bill for 2022. As they have been doing year after year, our elected officials are preparing to hand the lion's share – over 65% – of federal discretionary spending to the U.S. war machine, even as they wring their hands over spending a mere quarter of that amount on the Build Back Better Act. | The U.S. military's incredible record of systematic failure—most recently its final trouncing by the Taliban after twenty years of death, destruction and lies in Afghanistan—cri…

Staff (2021-12-07). Whistleblower accuses UK of manipulation to save face during Afghan pull back. rt.com Thousands of emails about Afghans seeking help after the Taliban takeover were marked as read as part of a "public relations" effort to allow the UK government to claim there were no unread messages, a whistleblower has said. | The allegations are part of damning

Nicolas Frank Bà∂hmer (2021-12-07). Lithium in Afghanistan: Gold or Dust? moderndiplomacy.eu With Lithium being much in focus due to the increasing demand for the electrification of many areas on the planet, expectations and dreams around the delicate metal grow by the day. Many electronics devices, most devices with rechargeable batteries, modern electric vehicles in particular, but also in storage and balancing battery systems for the electric …

Staff (2021-12-07). Raab 'proud' of Kabul evacuations, blames chaos on US. rt.com In response to whistleblower allegations, former British foreign secretary Dominic Raab has praised the "Herculean" evacuation from Afghanistan and said the UK was dependent on the US timetable. | Speaking to Sky News' Kay Burley on Tuesday, Raab hailed the evacuation of British nationals and allied Afghans from Kabul as "an absolutely heroic and Herculean effort." | "We did everything we could," he argued, adding that the airlift was "a record that those involved, particularly those working on the ground, should be proud of." | According to Raab, the Royal Air Force evacuated more than 15,000 people between…

Nicolas Frank Bà∂hmer (2021-12-07). Lithium in Afghanistan: Gold or Dust? moderndiplomacy.eu With Lithium being much in focus due to the increasing demand for the electrification of many areas on the planet, expectations and dreams around the delicate metal grow by the day. Many electronics devices, most devices with rechargeable batteries, modern electric vehicles in particular, but also in storage and balancing battery systems for the electric …

_____ (2021-12-06). Yemen: No Winners But Who Actually Loses? journal-neo.org Joe Biden has taken a lot of stick for the disorganised withdrawal from Afghanistan, and for his comment that "After 20 years I've learned the hard way that there is never a good time to withdraw US forces". However he was absolutely right — there would never have been a good time for the US …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-06). U.S. Senator Murphy warns/threatens Russia of/with "next Afghanistan" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Senate warns Russia about possibility of repetition of 'Afghan lesson' in Ukraine Democratic United States Senator for Connecticut and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee Chris Murphy on December 5 warned Russia that "Ukraine can become the next Afghanistan for Russia." Murphy said this on Sunday program of Fareed Zakaria on CNN. Warning …

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-06). U.S. Senator Murphy warns/threatens Russia of/with "next Afghanistan" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Senate warns Russia about possibility of repetition of 'Afghan lesson' in Ukraine Democratic United States Senator for Connecticut and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee Chris Murphy on December 5 warned Russia that "Ukraine can become the next Afghanistan for Russia." Murphy said this on Sunday program of Fareed Zakaria on CNN. Warning …

F. William Engdahl (2021-12-03). Who Gains from Ethiopia Tigray War? dissidentvoice.org If you want to know who is likely to be at war, just look at who is given the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian (NATO) Parliament. Obama got it just days into office before he escalated the war in Afghanistan. Henry Kissinger got it in the 1970'S. And two years ago the Prime Minister …

Eric Walberg (2021-12-03). Afghan Emirate's Challenge to the World. dissidentvoice.org What happened to news about Afghanistan? After their spectacular sweep of the entire country and overnight victory, there is no news now. And Taliban websites remain closed. Just human interest stuff about traitors/ cowards/ whatevers fleeing to the US or wherever. A convening of Afghan women parliamentarians, holding a mock Afghan parliament in exile (a …

teleSUR (2021-12-03). Taliban Supreme Leader Issues Decree On Women's Rights. telesurenglish.net On Friday, the Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a special decree regarding women's rights and directed relevant authorities to take actions to safeguard these rights. | RELATED: | "The Islamic Emirate's leadership directs all relevant institutions, Ulema-e Karam (scholars), and tribal elders to take serious action to enforce women's rights," Afghan caretaker government spokesman Zabihullah Mu…

F. William Engdahl (2021-12-03). Who Gains from Ethiopia Tigray War? dissidentvoice.org If you want to know who is likely to be at war, just look at who is given the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian (NATO) Parliament. Obama got it just days into office before he escalated the war in Afghanistan. Henry Kissinger got it in the 1970'S. And two years ago the Prime Minister …

Eric Walberg (2021-12-03). Afghan Emirate's Challenge to the World. dissidentvoice.org What happened to news about Afghanistan? After their spectacular sweep of the entire country and overnight victory, there is no news now. And Taliban websites remain closed. Just human interest stuff about traitors/ cowards/ whatevers fleeing to the US or wherever. A convening of Afghan women parliamentarians, holding a mock Afghan parliament in exile (a …

Matt Sedlar (2021-12-02). La bataille d'HaàØti n'est pas finie. cepr.net Le Monde diplomatique | A priori, tout sépare HaàØti et l'Afghanistan, à commencer par plusieurs océans. Mais le fléau des interventions étrangères a transformé ces deux nations en jumelles. Le 7 juillet 2021, le président de la République d'HaàØti, Jovenel MoàØse, était assassiné par un commando probablement composé d'anciens officiers de l'armée colombienne. Après plusieurs mois d'enquête et l'incarcération d'une quarantaine de personnes, les cerveaux de l'opération n'ont toujours…

Matt Sedlar (2021-12-02). La bataille d'HaàØti n'est pas finie. cepr.net Le Monde diplomatique | A priori, tout sépare HaàØti et l'Afghanistan, à commencer par plusieurs océans. Mais le fléau des interventions étrangères a transformé ces deux nations en jumelles. Le 7 juillet 2021, le président de la République d'HaàØti, Jovenel MoàØse, était assassiné par un commando probablement composé d'anciens officiers de l'armée colombienne. Après plusieurs mois d'enquête et l'incarcération d'une quarantaine de personnes, les cerveaux de l'opération n'ont toujours…

Staff (2021-12-01). Headlines for December 1, 2021. democracynow.org Omicron Detected in Europe Days Before South Africa Reported Variant; FDA Endorses Merck COVID Pill, Michigan High Schooler Kills 3 Other Students in Shooting Rampage, Mark Meadows to Testify Before House Jan. 6 Cmte, Panel Pursues Jeffrey Clark Contempt Charges | , U.S. Removes FARC From Terror Blacklist, HRW: Taliban Have Killed or Disappeared 100+ Ex-Afghan Security Forces Since August, German Court Convicts Ex-Member of Islamic State For Genocide of Iraq's Yazidi Community, France Inducts Josephine Baker into Pantheon As Far-Right, Racist Pundit Announces Presidential Bid, Rep. Ilhan Omar Shares Violent, Isla…

Rick Rozoff (2021-12-01). Riga: NATO powerhouses U.S., Turkey discuss Ukraine, Caucasus, Syria, Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Top Turkish, US officials discuss bilateral, regional issues Turkey's Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, US Secretary of State Blinken meet on 2nd day of NATO foreign ministers' meeting Cavusoglu stressed that they have many issues to discuss…. He also noted that as two NATO allies, they will exchange views on bilateral relations and regional issues such as …

Marzieh Rahmani (2021-12-01). "To Die in the Pure Water" shines at Swedish Sama FilmFest. en.mehrnews.com "To Die in the Pure Water", directed by Tehran-based Afghan brothers Navid and Jamshid Mahmudi was selected as the best film at the 12th edition of the International Sama Film Festival in Sweden.

_____ (2021-12-01). Syria is Actively Emerging from International Isolation. journal-neo.org The complete fiasco of Washington, which for 20 years participated in the complex Afghan conflict, ineptly squandered $ 2.3 trillion taken from the pockets of American taxpayers and killed more than 2,400 military personnel there, albeit on a smaller scale, but is completely repeated in Syria. And the failure of this policy does not slow …

MK Bhadrakumar (2021-12-01). India, Pakistan and the Taliban working together. asiatimes.com The three-week-long "anti-terror operation" undertaken by the Indian Army from October 11 in the Bhatta Durrian forest in Poonch district after the killing of nine soldiers, including two junior commissioned officers and two policemen, was billed as "one of the longest" in the history of the insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. Yet no Indian functionary …