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Afghanistan: Violent Incidents Up Almost 40 Percent From Last Year

HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
edited September 2011 in Off Topic
KABUL, Afghanistan — The monthly average of armed clashes, roadside bombings and other violence in Afghanistan is running 39 percent ahead of last year's figure, U.N. reported Wednesday, with more complex suicide operations involving multiple bombers and gunmen.

The statistics show that the intensity of the nearly decade-old war is growing, not abating, as the U.S. and other nations start to withdraw some forces with an eye toward pulling all combat troops out by the end of 2014. The Taliban's resilience raises questions about whether the Afghan government and its Western allies have a solid grip on security – and whether the Afghan forces can ever secure the nation by themselves.

NATO says it has made progress in taming the Taliban insurgency by routing its strongholds in the south. But the Taliban have hit back with several high-profile attacks in the capital and assassinations of government officials and senior Afghan leaders.

In its quarterly report on Afghanistan, the U.N. said that as of the end of August, the average monthly number of incidents stood at 2,108, up 39 percent over the same period a year earlier. It did not provide comparable data. The figures include insurgent attacks as well as assaults by NATO and Afghan forces on Taliban figures and positions.

"Armed clashes and improvised explosive devices continued to constitute the majority of incidents," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his report. "The south and southeast of the country, particularly around the city of Kandahar, continued to be the focus of military activity and accounted for approximately two-thirds of the total security incidents."

The U.S.-led coalition said it disputes the U.N. figures and planned to hold a news conference Thursday to release its own statistics related to overall violence trends in Afghanistan.

Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban insurgency, was where most of the 33,000 additional U.S. troops that President Barack Obama sent to Afghanistan were deployed. The extra U.S. and other NATO forces succeeded in routing insurgents from their stronghold and now are trying to hold those areas in the south.

The militants, however, have opened new fronts in the north and west and have stepped up attacks in the east, including ones inside the heavily secured capital, Kabul.

According to the U.N. report, while the number of suicide attacks remained steady, insurgents conducted more suicide operations involving multiple bombers and gunmen. It said that on average, three complex attacks have been carried out each month from January to August – a 50 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

"Complex suicide attacks made up a greater proportion of the total number of suicide attacks," the report said.

Many of these attacks have taken place in Kabul.

On Aug. 19, Taliban suicide bombers stormed the British Council, the U.K.'s international cultural relations body, killing eight people during an eight-hour firefight as two English language teachers and their bodyguard hid in a locked panic room on the anniversary of the country's independence from Britain.

In July, gunmen strapped with explosives killed a close adviser to President Hamid Karzai and a member of parliament. The adviser was Jan Mohammed Khan, a former governor of a province in the south who advised Karzai on tribal issues.

In June, nine insurgents armed with explosive vests, rifles and rocket launchers stormed the Intercontinental Hotel, killing at least 12 people and holding off NATO and Afghan forces for five hours. Also in June, insurgents wearing Afghan army uniforms stormed a police station near the presidential palace and opened fire on officers, killing nine.

On May 21, a suicide bomber dressed in an Afghan soldier's uniform slipped inside the main military hospital in Kabul and killed six Afghan medical students.

The report reflects violence ending at the end of August, and high-profile attacks have continued since then.

On Sept. 13, militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles at the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other buildings in Kabul. The attack killed seven Afghans in a coordinated daylight assault that lasted about 20 hours. No embassy or NATO staff members were hurt.

On Sept. 20, a single suicide bomber assassinated former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading a government effort to broker peace with the Taliban. The attack also wounded a key presidential adviser working to lure Taliban fighters off the battlefield.

Three international service members were killed in a roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the U.S.-led coalition said. So far this year, 124 international troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

Also Wednesday, gunmen killed eight Afghan policemen during an ambush at a checkpoint near Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in the south. The city is one of seven areas of Afghanistan where Afghan security forces have started taking over from U.S.-led coalition forces.

Gen. Nabi Jan Mullahkhail, deputy regional commander in the south, said three policemen also were wounded in the pre-dawn attack. Mullahkhail said a policeman who was manning the checkpoint was missing. Authorities were investigating whether he might have been involved in the attack.
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Comments

  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    nuke place >:)


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
    nuke place >:)
    I wish I could agreee, but there are alot of innocent people over there whooz lives are ruined by this war.
  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    no one iz innocent d00d [-(


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    not according to god, everyone iz a sinnerz [-(


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
    There is no God /:)
  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    :-S


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
  • NOCAPNOCAP Posts: 37,202 mod
    There is no God /:)
    Faggot


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
    There is no God /:)
    Faggot
    Hater.
  • NOCAPNOCAP Posts: 37,202 mod
    There is no God /:)
    Faggot
    Hater.
    Blocked


  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    :-?


    block meh too [-O<


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • HOODSHOODS Posts: 41,866 destroyer of motherfuckers
    Ed, stop sexting me....
  • ShaneShane Posts: 15,229 balls deep
    edited October 2011
    children are.
    yup, we've killed more a million iraqi children and people still can't comprehend why everyone wants us dead
  • Stoned_CatzStoned_Catz Posts: 34,915 jayfacer
    who iz we d00d...?

    You and I had nothing to do with Iraq war... y00z aint no politicians [-(


    [-(

    blue turbins

    From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)


  • SkullAndCrossbonesSkullAndCrossbones Posts: 16,452 destroyer of motherfuckers
    who iz we d00d...?

    You and I had nothing to do with Iraq war... y00z aint no politicians [-(
    yeah, most americans had nothing to do with it and had no say in the matter whatsoever.
    "That's another thing I love about metal, it's so fuckin' huge yet certain people don't even know it exists." - Rob Zombie
  • Bottle_TreeBottle_Tree Posts: 7,166 just the tip
    who iz we d00d...?

    You and I had nothing to do with Iraq war... y00z aint no politicians [-(
    yeah, most americans had nothing to do with it and had no say in the matter whatsoever.
    But pretty much half the people support it.
  • SkullAndCrossbonesSkullAndCrossbones Posts: 16,452 destroyer of motherfuckers
    who iz we d00d...?

    You and I had nothing to do with Iraq war... y00z aint no politicians [-(
    yeah, most americans had nothing to do with it and had no say in the matter whatsoever.
    But pretty much half the people support it.
    i support the stopping of terrorism.




    i also support the beating of wives and the eating of babies so no big deal.
    "That's another thing I love about metal, it's so fuckin' huge yet certain people don't even know it exists." - Rob Zombie
  • ShaneShane Posts: 15,229 balls deep
    edited October 2011
    who iz we d00d...?

    You and I had nothing to do with Iraq war... y00z aint no politicians [-(
    yeah, most americans had nothing to do with it and had no say in the matter whatsoever.
    the people pay for the atrocities their leaders commit, this is nothing new.

    and my we i mean American's. while we see a disconnect between the people and the government here at home a vast majority of those abroad don't.
  • GnomezGnomez Posts: 17,550 master of ceremonies
    Live rock returned to Afghanistan after three long decades at the weekend as young men and women cheered and leapt into the air to the sound of heavy bass beats and punk rock.

    Bands from Australia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan served up a six-hour musical feast of blues, indie, electronica and death metal to hundreds of fans, many of whom had never seen live music before.

    Sound Central was something new in a deeply conservative Muslim country where music was banned under the austere Taliban regime. Even now music shops are attacked in some cities and musicians taunted for their clothes or hair.

    The festival retained a distinctly Afghan accent, with alcohol banned, kebabs the only snacks and a respect for strong religious values amid the rock and roll.

    Bands left the stage and the microphones were turned off twice in the late afternoon to allow the call to prayer to sound out uninterrupted from nearby mosques.

    "Where I live, there's nothing like this. I heard about it so I had to come," said Ahmad Shah, dressed in a traditional white shalwar kameez and waistcoat, who traveled from Kandahar, a southern city roiled by insurgent violence.

    "I came to escape the cancer of the Taliban and this makes a refreshing change." Violence is at its worst in Afghanistan since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.

    Young Afghans lunged toward the stage, jumping and thrusting their arms into the air to the sound of local band White Page, and the handful of security guards were overwhelmed.

    The crowd briefly parted when one man in jeans and a tight t-shirt took to the floor for an impromptu burst of back flips and break-dancing.

    The festival was held under tight security in a corner of picturesque Babur Gardens, a normally tranquil park surrounding the centuries-old tomb of Babur, the first Mughal emperor.

    The date and venue was kept a closely guarded secret until the last moment to ward off the chance of an insurgent attack.

    Despite the secrecy, the concert attracted more than 450 paid-up revelers and scores more trickled in from street markets outside. A few elderly men with turbans and long beards appeared taken aback, but not entirely disapproving.

    CHANGE THE WORLD

    The crowd's enthusiasm persuaded even security staff and police to join in, nodding and moving their legs in time with the beat.

    Loud cheers erupted when singer Sabrina Ablyaskina of Uzbek band Tears of the Sun jumped, gyrated and screamed into the microphone: "Kabul, my new friends - let's rock!"

    Tears of the Sun, now recording their sixth album, said they were surprised by the event's success.

    "We didn't expect this crowd - it's amazing, such energy," Ablyaskina. "We love Kabul, more and more every day and we'll be coming back again, of course."

    Guitarist Nikita Makapenko said: "Rock and roll will change the world, and we hope it will change Afghanistan too. This is historic, and it's just the beginning."

    Sound Central was the brainchild of Travis Beard, an Australian photojournalist who joined a band when he moved to Kabul and was inspired by the talent and dedication of local musicians.

    In the run-up to the festival, he held workshops to nurture the local talent showcased by Sound Central, and underground concerts to build the buzz and help bands rehearse.

    The festival seemed to have served his goal of not just providing a day's entertainment, but kindling a love for modern music among young Afghans.

    "We heard about the music festival from the radio, and when my friend asked whether we should go, I said 'Why not?'," said Lauria, a 19-year-old university student dressed in a bright headscarf, jeans and strappy sandals.

    "This is great. I hope we can see more of it in Kabul," she said.
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