Afghanistan

Even if Trump manages to end the war in Afghanistan, he’s fueling other wars that will be even more devastating.

This is how America’s Afghanistan War ends– Not with a Bang but with a Mess

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Could Donald Trump end the Afghan war someday? I don’t know if such a possibility has been on your mind, but it’s certainly been on the mind of this retired U.S. Army major who fought in that land so long ago. And here’s the context in which I’ve been thinking about […]

Afghanistan

Why Afghanistan peace is key to rebuilding relations between the US and Pakistan

The Conversation

By Scott Lucas and Umer Karim | – At times, the press conference in the White House was surreal. While Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, looked on, Donald Trump said he could “kill 10m people” in Afghanistan to “win a war within a week”, but had decided not to. And the US president said he […]

Afghanistan

Afghans are Caught between US Civil Law & Taliban Sharia: How can they get Justice?

The Conversation

By Ali Wardak | – Getting justice in Afghanistan is a complicated business. Two main justice systems – state laws based on the civil law tradition and Islamic jurisprudence – combine with non-state institutions, such as traditional village jirgas (circles) or shuras (councils), to resolve local disputes and deal with offences. Tribal members in a […]

Afghanistan

Majority of US Veterans doubt Value of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria Wars: Pew

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A Pew Research Center opinion poll conducted among 1,284 veterans who had served since 2001 (which also polled 1,087 American civilians as a control), found that a majority of veterans holds that the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and the intervention against ISIl in Syria were not worth it. The results […]

Afghanistan

Once Again Pompeo Displays Hopeless Ignorance of Sunni & Shiite, Iran and Taliban

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Washington Post reports that when US Secretary of State “Benghazi Mike” Pompeo gave his breathless news conference last Thursday to finger Iran for the oil tanker explosions in the Gulf of Oman, he indicted Iran for another act of violence at the same time. Mary Papenfus at HuffPo notes […]

Afghanistan

How US “good guys” wiped out an Afghan family

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

By Jessica Purkiss and Mateen Arian This story was published in partnership with: The New York Times. ( The Bureau of Investigative Journalism) – It was 4am when Masih Ur-Rahman Mubarez’s wife Amina called, an unusually early time for their daily chat. When he picked up the phone, he could hear the panic in her […]

Afghanistan

Trump says ‘it’s time’ to end Afghan war – can he?

AFP

“Ultimately, we need to get to a Taliban-Afghanistan discussion”

Afghanistan

Trump & Taliban Close to Deal on US Withdrawal, but Risk of Free For All

AFP

Trump decided last month to pull half of the 14,000-strong force from Afghanistan