JANET (2022-02-08). U.S.-EU hide their role in Afghan hunger crisis. iacenter.org By Zach Kerner February 7, 2022 On Jan. 24, U.S. and European Union representatives met with representatives of the Taliban in Oslo to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The meeting's purpose, according to the U.S. State Department, was the "urgency in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan" and the need to "help alleviate the suffering of Afghans across the country." (state.gov, Jan. 27) Credit: sanctionskill.org The U.S.-E.U. statement focuses primarily on the Taliban's conduct, particularly charges of women's and human rights violations. It fails to acknowledge that the ongoing crisis in Afghanis…

_____ (2022-02-08). Pakistan in the Eye of the Storm. strategic-culture.org New trends that have appeared in regional security since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan are highly consequential for regional politics. | The joint statement issued on February 6 following the four-day visit by the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to China has been an exceptional gesture by Beijing underscoring the highest importance attached to that country as a regional ally. Beijing feels the need to underscore that not only does it back the government in Islamabad to the hilt but is determined to boost the ties, especially by boosting the flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative known as the China-Paki…

_____ (2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between U.S. And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure.

_____ (2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between US And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Washington DC – Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure. | Speakers from anti-war groups Answer Coalition, CODEPINK Women Against War, Caudia Jones School for…

_____ (2022-02-07). The Antiwar Movement That Wasn't Enough. popularresistance.org So here we are, 20 years after U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan and months since they hotfooted it out. That two-decade-long boots-on-the-ground (and planes in the air) episode has now officially been declared over and done with, if not exactly paid for. But was that an inflection point, as this country turned its military attention to China and Russia? Not so fast. I'm impatient with the conventional wisdom about our twenty-first-century wars and the reaction to them at home. Still, I do think it's important to try to figure out what has (or hasn't) been learned from them and what may have changed because of them…

Anonymous103 (2022-02-07). Death Toll Rises In Clashes On The Pakistan-Afghanistan Border And In Balochistan. southfront.org Pakistani troops walk on a hilltop post near Ladha, a town in the tribal region of South Waziristan in May 2011 | On February 6, at least five Pakistani soldiers were killed as a result of shelling on the border with Afghanistan. | According to the Pakistani military's media wing, militants from Afghanistan opened fire on Pakistani troops across the international border, targeting a border post in Kurram district. The Pakistani Army reportedly struck back, causing heavy casualti…

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-07). Freed up by Afghan withdrawal, British special operations forces train Ukrainian troops in counterinsurgency. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com That is, for war in the Donbass and not against a mythical Russian invasion. ==== UK sends over 100 special forces to Ukraine to train Ukrainian military The UK has sent more than 100 special forces (SAS, SBS, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and Special Forces Support Group) to Ukraine as military advisers to transfer experience to …

ecns.cn (2022-02-07). IAEA to visit crippled Fukushima plant ahead of Japan's plan to dump toxic water into Pacific. ecns.cn The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to visit the disaster-hit Fukushima plant next week to evaluate the safety of Japan's contentious plan to discharge radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.