We have yet another example of how well our war in Afghanistan is going after tens of thousands of deaths and wounds (and hundreds of billions of dollars): the commander of an Afghan special forces defected to the Taliban and took a Humvee filled with U.S. supplied weapons and equipment. That, believe it or not, is a fortunate outcome. We have repeated had Afghan allies shoot U.S. soldiers in the back before running off to join the enemy. Nevertheless, the Obama Administration has been pressuring Afghanistan to allow thousands of U.S. soldiers to remain in the country and continues to pour huge amounts of money into the country.
Monsif Khan left his 20-man team in Kunar’s capital Asadabad to join the Hezb-e-Islami organization.
He sent his men sightseeing or on leave and then loaded up their weapons and materials to join the other side.
Over the last month alone, there have been 10 insider attacks by Afghan military. These attacks are now responsible for an astonishing one in every five coalition combat deaths.
By the way, he picked an appropriate group to join. We trained and supplied Hezb-e-Islami before Gulbuddhin Hekmatyar switched sides. It is now considered one of the most anti-American and lethal insurgent groups.
Khan will now be able to use his U.S. training to kill Americans and of course stop girls from going to school, children from getting polio shots, and other priorities for the morally correct Islamic insurgency.
Dredd, I did not think you were calling me a liar. I was speaking of those that do. It will cease.
nick spinelli 1, October 21, 2013 at 7:04 pm
Dredd, Some of allegedly progressive, inclusive people here throw out, “racist, homophobe, liar, sexist” indiscriminately. I believe Mr. Turley spoke to that earlier today. I have NEVER called anyone here a liar. I am sure as I can be they are sometimes, but you don’t say that unless you have proof. What’s your philosophy on calling someone a liar? Is there a burden of proof, or is it just how you feel or think?
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I didn’t call you or anyone else a liar, I said when one takes certain positions and trumpets it, as you mentioned, one risks being a liar.
The T-party androids are a prime example.
The bushie neoCon hand holding and warmongering is a liar’s foreign policy.
The Sauidis who held hands with Bush II are now going to go find another lover cause we won’t bomb Syria and Iran for them (Saudi Arabia set for diplomatic shift away from US).
The bushies and the T-party are the very worst, the democrats are second, and other parties are racing for third place.
Whoopie do.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/us-afghanistan-funding-haqqanis-idUSBRE99L09F20131022
“Afghan businessman accused of channeling aid money to insurgency”
By Jessica Donati and Mirwais Harooni
KABUL | Tue Oct 22, 2013 3:49am EDT
Excerpt:
(Reuters) – U.S. inspectors are on the trail of a successful Afghan businessman they believe has channeled millions of dollars in aid to the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, one of the deadliest insurgent groups in Afghanistan, but still has donor-funded reconstruction contracts around the country.
The investigation, detailed in a trove of documents obtained by Reuters, comes at a crucial time for Afghanistan and its foreign allies, who have poured billions of dollars into leaving behind a stable, viable state when most NATO-led combat troops pull out next year.
Development aid to Afghanistan – approaching $100 billion after 12 years of war – and the contractors who receive it are being scrutinized by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), with one case in particular involving businessman Haji Khalil Zadran linked to the Haqqanis.
“It makes absolutely no sense that individuals and entities designated as supporting the insurgency could receive U.S. contracts,” John Sopko, the chief of the U.S. watchdog agency, told Reuters.
“If they get a contract not only do they get U.S. taxpayer money, but they could gain access to U.S. personnel and facilities, putting our troops at risk,” he said.
Zadran rejects the allegations, saying it is simply a case of mistaken identity.
SIGAR believes Zadran’s case is one of dozens that show a sinister side to the story of how endemic corruption, a charge often leveled at President Hamid Karzai’s government, has undermined efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
Zadran left school to drive trucks and went on to build an empire that has won more than $125 million in donor-funded construction projects.
His fortune should reflect the potential for success in post-war Afghanistan. Instead, the SIGAR investigation paints a picture of how aid has been siphoned off to maintain a web of corruption, violence and failure.
The inability over many years to stop firms believed to be supporting the insurgency from winning multi-million-dollar contracts exposes the lack of control that donors have over cash once it is handed over to the Afghan government.
Those transfers make up an increasing proportion of aid. U.S. federal agencies want more than $10.7 billion for reconstruction programs in 2014, SIGAR says, and the government has promised at least half will be granted directly to Afghan institutions to spend as they see fit.
Much of the evidence against Zadran is classified, but the cache of documents given to Reuters by U.S. officials on condition of anonymity show that he has close business ties with the Haqqani network’s leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani.
The Haqqanis, Islamist insurgents who operate on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, are believed to have introduced suicide bombing into Afghanistan. (continues…)
Why not….. From one corrupt government to another….. It’s a gift….
Bring the troops home NOW. And leave Karzai behind.