Five British soldiers killed
Slaughter raises Afghan fears of the enemy within
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Independent Minds
Susannah Ireland
Flashback to 18 August 2009, when five Afghan National Police officers were killed after their vehicle was destroyed outside the ANP district head quarters in Nad-E-Ali, hit by an Improvised Explosive Device.
More pictures
The bomb had sliced the pick-up truck in half, the cab flung 20 yards down the road, the flatbed at the back twisted and torn into an unrecognizable shape. Five policemen travelling in the vehicle were killed, parts of their bodies ending up on roadside trees.
The charred wreckage had been gathered together and put on display outside the police station at Nad-e-Ali as a reminder of how the force had lost far higher numbers from their ranks than either Western troops or the Afghan army - cannon fodder in this savage war against the Taliban.
“Our transport do not have any protection against bombs, the enemy are better armed than us, our families live here and they get intimidated, and my men often don’t get paid” said Captain Haji Laljan . “Yes, some of them go over to the other side and join the Taliban we are aware of this. We try to stop it, but it will happen.”
Today’s killings in Nad-e-Ali ,the joint highest death toll for British soldiers in the Afghan conflict, was carried out by one of Captain Laljan’s men, probably with the help of others in the rank, raising fears in the ranks of the troops that they cannot turn their backs on the men who are supposed to be allies against the insurgents.
The Afghan security forces are the key in the West’s exit strategy from this bloody and increasingly unpopular war. The police, in particular, are supposed to be the lynchpin of a safe civic society. As part of his grand strategy to turn the tide of this war, the US general commanding Nato forces, Stanley McChrystal, has called for the size of the force to be increased from the current 82,000 to 160,000.
But the police are poorly equipped and paid, badly trained with many members steeped in corruption using their uniforms and guns for extortion of the local population. Many deal in drugs or are themselves addicts. Now it is the rising prevalence of police officers taking part in attacks against Western troops and officials which has raised deep worries about just how much the force has been infiltrated by the Taliban.
Four weeks ago a policeman in Wardak province opened fire on American soldiers out on patrol, killing two of them before fleeing. Last year, over a period of less than a month, Afghan police twice attacked US forces, killing two soldiers and wounding three others. Last week men in police uniforms forced their way into a guest house in Kabul and murdered five UN election workers. They were not members of the force, but had police issue radio transmitters and detailed information on the target of their attack, which, say investigators, could only have come from official sources.
It is in the Helmand frontline, in areas like Nad-e-Ali, that there is the most apprehension that police officers may switch sides - either due to intimidation or money or religious and ideological commitment.
Unlike the Afghan army, which deploys its members away from home areas, the police have to live and work in communities which has its share of Talibs. At the same time, the police have access to the camps of their mentors, British and other Nato forces and share accommodation at checkpoints.
Sitting in the UK headquarters in Nad-e-Ali, Lieutenant Mohammed Shakir said “I do not care if they try to frighten me. But in some cases the terrorists will threaten them with doing harm to the children, to the parents, and say you must help us if you want them to be safe. And sometimes you see this is working.
On average an Afghan policeman gets $120 a month. Due to corruption and inefficiency in the system they often go unpaid, or have some of their wages taken by senior officers. Private Ghour Khan said “ It is not a lot of money for risking your life every day and then sometimes other people take their cuts or you have to wait a long time to get the money. The Taliban pay their fighters and they pay them on time, so there is temptation. What we need to do is get rid of the corruption.”
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Comments
If you support prohibition, then you also support the black market economy that funds most of the terrorist groups in the world today. Including the Taliban and alQaida.
A regulated and licensed distribution network would put responsible adult supervision in between children and premature access to drug distribution outlets. Regulated and licensed distribution would reflect and respect society's values, thus preventing children obtaining easy access to theses dangerous substances. What we need is legalised regulation. What we have is a non-regulated black market to which everybody has access and where all the profits go to organised crime and terrorists..
Peace & love
It was during the Black Rights movement in the US that the CIA flooded the black communities with crack cocaine, proof of which was the downed CIA plane that contained tonnes of cocaine. This destroyed thousands of lives and hundreds of communities; to this day hundreds of thousands of families are affected by this addictive drug that was created in governmental science lab. Drugs are an insidious form of control.
RUC shoot an Irish an Irish Republican he gets a commendation
When a Libyan shoots a LondonPolice officer nothing happens
When a Libyan shoos down awhole plane is let go
When a Met bullet shoots a illega Brazilian a big stink
Can anyone explain to me the logic in this
Failing that, Gordon Brown.
I'm sure either one would be able to explain it most eloquently & when you've politely listened & discreetly disposed of your sick bag, please explain it to me!
This sort of incident is an absolute tragedy and a further nail in the West's disastrous policy in the country. Surely it is only a matter of time before somebody finally realises that the longer we stay there, the more brave soldiers are killed (pointlessly). Why is this simple fact not hitting home with the numskulls in government who are actually in a position to do something about it?
8 years we have been there. And what for?
For Uncle Fucking Sam, that's what for!
They haven't had enough time to work that one out yet.
It's a different story every time, so the one that sticks best when they leave, will be the answer.
You'd have though that the Ruperts would have enough sense to order that our men should be on their guard every second in Ghastly Ghan. But no, doubtless under orders from our useless Nu Liebore politicos, the men's procedure was to put down their weaponry and take off their body armour, to show how friendly they are, in the meeting where the shooting happened. The result of such idiotic procedures was mayhem, which was inevitable sooner or later anyway in such a situation where plain commonsense is disregarded because of fatuous orders from above. Once again Nu Liebore has blood on its hands.
We are not going to impose, at the point of a bayonet, a puppet Western regime on the people of Afghanistan. They have their own traditions, lifestyles and standards. Until our stupid politicians accept that there will be no end to the bloodshed - five foreign invaders today, but how many Afghans have died in this mindless US conflict - thousands.
"Gee even in Vietnam the VC routinely infiltrated South Vietnam forces in great numbers. Why would Afghanistan be any different?"
Yes it is a mindless conflict and all politicians are too craven to say:
"We got it wrong - let's go home - let's not repeat these mistakes ever again"
Get our troops out now!
What are we fighting for?
don't ask me I don't give a damn,
Next stop's Afghanistan.
And its five, six, seven, eight
Open up the pearly gates.
Ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee
We're all gonna die.
Only when thay public take to the streets like the American antiwar movement did during the war in Vietnam will things change, impose the will of the people on parliament, do not let Brown (or Cameron) impose his will on the British people.
There'll be tinkering on the edges of US policy, a lot of high powered speeches, cool and breezy appearences on tallkshows which are inclined towards him, media attention (less as time goes by) and in the end, he may only be regarded as America's first multi-ethnic/racial President..............hard US power will continue in economic, political and military spheres, and at the end he will get a Presidential library, an autobiography and a high powered position with a top University or International Organisation...
The British will continue to talk of the special relationship, the French will posture, and pretend to be humanitarian, the Russians will be eternally suspicious, Africa will remain poor, divided, war and famine will consume it while its natural resources are plundered.
China, India and Brazil will drive on their economies and their populations of billions, the EU will talk a lot and have the odd military adventure; big business will be looked after and debates will rage about enlargement, do we really want the Bulgarians? The Romanians? The Turks? The Syrians?
Workers situations across the world will vary from total servitude to 'aren't I lucky to have a job', the climate will continue to decline, well intentioned documentaries and articles will outline what we already know, but which big business refuses to listen to because the siren call of profit and the good life is too much.
Floods, famines, wildfires, earthquakes will continue and the middle classes will ring their hands and make a small contribution to Greenpeace so they can feel better while the religious pray for the second coming......the rest will pay the bills, make love to their wifes and husbands, raise their children and hope they can get through this thing called life without too much hassle or tragedy.............while the media will be controlled by 5 then 3 major figures which will keep is ill-informed and stupid.
In between all the madness, the potential for something beautiful and remarkable remains, the look of a beautiful girl, the sun on an Autumn morning, the good deed of a stranger, which may just make this whole experience worth living and the hope, not the faux Obama hope, but real, deep seated hope, that maybe just maybe, humanity can turn this around and we can all start living equally and freely.
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