Rounding Up News on the Long Wars

Afghanistan War News Digest, September 12, 2011

Beaver County Peace Links via UFPJ

The 10^th anniversary of 9/11 is behind us, and the 10^th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan is quickly approaching. Most of the news coverage relating to Afghanistan in the past couple of weeks has referenced these milestones in one way or another. The 10-year mark coincided with increased analysis of the relationship between 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan. There were reports of corruption and abuses among Afghan police and security forces, but even more striking was the report that the majority of Afghan farmers in Helmand province had not heard of 9/11. A lot of attention focused on the cost of the war, in terms of the economic cost as well as the war’s impact on US troops, military families, and American culture in general.

10^th Anniversary of 9/11

What Does 9/11 Mean to People in Afghanistan?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/july-dec11/afghans9_11_09-02.html

92% of Afghan men in Helmand province in Afghanistan do not know what 9/11 was.

Generation goes from Sept. 11 classrooms to war

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iuFojksmwpJg0zmsCqKK-8VS24jA?docId=a67661c825f649c6aaad263bee835b5d

Many of the US troops serving in Afghanistan in 2011 were children or teenagers on 9/11/01.

This article profiles some members of this generation.

9/11 Media Coverage Brings Iraq, Afghanistan Wars Back Home

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/medias-911-coverage-brings-afghanistan-iraq-home_n_949376.html

10 years after 9/11, many reporters have trouble generating interest for news stories relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

September 11 widow imagines ways other than war

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/09/us-sept11-people-leblanc-idUSTRE78864L20110909

Andrea LeBlanc, whose husband was on one of the hijacked planes on 9/11, speaks out against the use of 9/11 as a justification for war.

Opinion: Did Osama Bin Laden Succeed?

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/211233/20110909/9-11-anniversary-bin-laden-win-bin-laden-succeed-iraq-costs-afghanistan-costs.htm

Some—not all—of bin Laden’s objectives were accomplished with the US’ response to the attacks of 9/11. Commentary by Jeremy B. White.

Afghanistan Developments

ISAF: Reporter killed in Afghanistan in case of mistaken identity

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-08/world/afghanistan.reporter.killed_1_suicide-bombers-suicide-vest-insurgents?_s=PM:WORLD

Reporter Ahmad Omid Khpalwak was killed in Afghanistan last July as the result of mistaken identity. He was shot by an ISAF member who believed he was an insurgent.

NATO, Afghan Forces Kill Key al-Qaida Affiliate

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/NATO-Afghan-Forces-Kill-Key-al-Qaida-Affiliate-129182898.html

Former Guantanamo detainee Sabar Lal, who became an al-Qaeda affiliate, was killed in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan by NATO and Afghan forces.

U.N. Finds Torture of Afghan Detainees

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904537404576554871473072468.html

Reports of torture have surfaced at several detention facilities in Afghanistan, according to the UN.

Cost of civilian ‘surge’ in Afghanistan: $1.7 billion

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/cost-of-civilian-surge-in-afghanistan-17-billion/2011/09/08/gIQARu9qCK_blog.html

The civilian “surge” in Afghanistan of hundreds of diplomats, government specialists, and others has cost $1.7 billion since 2009.

Rights group's report slams local Afghan police

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/12/afghanistan.police.report/

According to a report released by Human Rights Watch, the US-backed initiative to create the Afghan Local Police (ALP) lacks oversight and leaves open the potential for serious abuses, including killings, sexual assault, illegal raids, and beatings.

Other News

Rep. Duncan D. Hunter Sees U.S. in Afghanistan for the ‘Next 30 or 40 years’

http://ranchobernardo.patch.com/articles/rep-duncan-d-hunter-sees-us-in-afghanistan-for-the-next-30-or-40-years-2

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has said that the US could have a military presence in Afghanistan for the next 30-40 years—possibly up to the 50^th anniversary of 9/11.

Army Base on the Brink

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/09/ptsd-at-joint-base-lewis-mcchord-suicides-murders-and-soldiers-waterboarding-their-kids.html

Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State has seen an epidemic of suicides and violence among US troops, part of a disturbing nationwide trend.

Cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for US: $4 trillion

http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/government/how-much-do-the-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-cost5793.html

The two wars have already cost $2.5 trillion; the cost is estimated to rise to $4 trillion by researchers at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies.