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Subscribe to RSSAn Afghan policeman laced food with sleeping pills and then killed nine of his colleagues as they slept Friday, a police officer reportedly said.
The attack in the eastern province of Paktika was the latest in a string of rogue shootings that has also targeted foreign forces.
Two policemen were detained after the attack in Yahya Khil district, while a third officer was missing. It was not clear if the assailant was among the pair detained, said Mukhlis Afghan, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Citing Paktika police chief Dawlat Khan Zadran, The New York Times reported that the assailant, who it named as Assadullah, put drugs in the food served Thursday night.
Kevin Frayer / AP
In southern Afghanistan, the focus of the U.S. war effort, nearly all the Afghan soldiers are foreigners too. Photographer Kevin Frayer shows these soldiers in a series of portraits.
The man then waited until the drugs began to take effect and then opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle after midnight Friday, the Times said.
Shooter joins Taliban
The Taliban said that soon after the attack, the assailant came over to the group, bringing a vehicle and weapons taken from the dead policemen.
US soldier dies saving Afghan girl
"He has joined our mujahedeen," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message to reporters that arrived as news of the shooting emerged.
Afghan massacre echoes for hotline vets
A series of attacks on NATO personnel by Afghan soldiers and policemen have stoked fears that the security forces have turned against their western allies, or have been infiltrated by the Taliban insurgents.
Children at Afghan massacre: Bales not alone
At least 16 NATO soldiers have been killed in a wave of so-called rogue attacks since January, raising questions about the ability of the Afghan forces to take over full security responsibility by 2014, when the bulk of foreign combat troops leave.
3-hour firefight: Afghan militants ambush NATO convoy
The policemen in the latest attack were members of the Afghan Local Police, a branch of the police which has been set up in villages where the national force is weak.
Paktika is a stronghold of the Haqqani militant group, which has targeted U.S. troops and the Afghan forces working with them.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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This newstory clearly shows the futility of further involvement of western forces in Afghanistan. Once again, Americans should call on the President to bring our troops home immediately. It is not our responsibility to protect the Afghan people from their own aggressors. There are some things that are doomed to fail. We should not be afraid of admitting the truth to ourselves and ending this ridiculous adventure.
Obama won't listen the people, that's the problem. Vote him out of office, that's the only answer.
Tarzan,
Think about this for a second; who is more likely to end the war in Afghanistan: a second term president with no further elections to worry about or a new incoming president who is worried about his re-election in 4 years and is afraid that he'll be seen too weak on national defense?
You have to know that the only reason Obama hasn't pulled out all the troops is because the opposition was going to jump all over him for that. I voted for the man (and will again), but think that is chicken sh!t reason to stay. On the other hand here is what Romney told Fox news (not exactly unfriendly territory). Tell me where you have heard that before. Talk about chichensh!t non answers.
Yo dumb dumb the republican leader had no vision or direction whuch stalled the effort for 7 years. Now the President is trying to pick up the pieces from your great leader. All Hail the wonders of republican leadership! it is sooo great.
The Afghan government of Karzai has little control within the capitol of Kabul and virtually no control in the provinces. The provinces are ruled by tribal leaders and warlords. As soon as the US leaves, the central government will collapse completely. There will be a period of total anarchy until either the Taliban again takes control or Pakistan moves in. The most likely scenario is that the Taliban will once again gain control by either intimidating or bribing enough of the tribal leaders and warlords to back them, or at least not fight them. It does not matter whether the US remains in Afghanistan for 6 months or 6 years, the outcome will be the same. The culture of the country is not one that is going to support a workable central government that can maintain control and enforce laws throughout the country. The society is far too tribal and the different tribes each have their own traditions that drive their laws. The only type of government that would have any hope of keeping control would be one that ruled by force and kept control through oppression and intimidation of the people and the tribal leaders. There is just no way a democratic government based on the rights of the individual is going to survive in this part of the world.
We might as well just cut our losses and pull all of our troops out now. Nothing that we do is going to change the reality on the ground that this is a tribal culture that still lives by the same laws and traditions they have since about the 7th century. There is no point in risking any more American lives in this losing battle against the ignorant, backward culture of Afghanistan.
What is SOC CAL?
Probably Socialist Californian.
The war in Afghanistan was lost the moment the United States put it on the back burner in favor of an adventure into Iraq - chasing 9/11 terrorists that weren't there, weapons of mass destruction that haven't been found and promoting "democracy" in a nation ripe for theocracy. This Afghan war was winnable in real terms and at an acceptablely low cost before we decided to give ourselves another tax cut and then go invade Iraq. We aren't good at this foreign involvement, We should stay at home unless there is a true imperitive to go to war for the next several years.
Everybody is killing everybody and I'm in complete agreement with those that recognize Afghanistan is an exercise in futility. The U.S. could remain in that country for 10 more years and when we finally leave, the result will be the same because half of the Afghan army is either corrupt or Taliban, or both.
The time to go is now.
Why write about this stuff? This is what these people do. Often, it's a big part of their recreation, along with raping women and young girls. The mainest thing here is; we should not get so excited.
You can't put a number on corruption in a place where corruption is a way of life. Where honor is "flexible" and family ties to 10 degrees of separation are documented and called upon ... regularly.
It is expected and demanded that you repay an honor debt which your family incurred as far back as generational memory survives. You are expected to repay that debt ... regardless of any new debts, agreements, vows, oaths are in-place today.
Every Afgan soldier should always be suspect. not because he may have signed up with any intention to break his oath - but because, if someone can come up with a pre-existing oath ... he must fulfill that one first. As you can see - killing an anonymous American or his own company - in a contest, you lose.
If only the nazis had gotten ahold of afghanistan, They are the only ones who could win there. Not advocating genocide, just saying, sometimes the only answer solution for the goal of winning there would be genocide. So lets leave or get on with the gas chambers.
I'm not following your logic. He obviously had enough supporters to out-vote his opposition. He promised his supporters that he would immediately end the war in Afghanistan if elected. Yet he increased the war in Afghanistan. Maybe he would increase/regain his support base if he pulled the troops out.
I agree that there is enough support from the American public for immediate withdrawal. I WANT and immediate pull-out and I disagree with the President's decision to slow-walk the withdrawal thru 2013-14; and unfortunately, I also understand why he can't just take his ball and go home.
My point is that with an upcoming election he didn't want to look weak nor did he want the images of the ensuing carnage post-US-departure playing on a 24-hour loop on cable TV so close to the elections. You just know the chorus from the R's, lead by McCain and Graham, would be deafening. They would be telling us how badly Obama f#@ked up Dubbya's fine work. All that blood and treasure lost. Blah,blah,blah.
If the U.S. Government would let the U.S. soldier fight maybe we could see a different picture. As it stands now U.S. soldiers and Afgan soldiers go off the deep end and no solution in sight. There is only ONE way to win this war and no one will want to even think about it. Pull out all troops then nuke the region. Otherwise lets get the hell out of there and let them kill each other. WE NEED TO LET AFGHANISTAN GO!!!!!!!!!
There is no win. Just face it.
@JoeDGlenn:
I don't agree that Afghanistan went downhill b/c we went into Iraq. Our strategy in Afghanistan was wrong from the start. In a tribal insurgency, establishing the networks of support crucial to the insurgency is extremely time consuming. It involves a lot of sit downs and drinking tea. The Taliban was recovering from the initial shock-and-awe in 2001 and began reestablishing their networks. Around 2007 the trend in Afghanistan began to shift from harmless to WTF!? It was inevitable in my opinion. It was the same when the Soviets were there. Afghans have an expression: "You have the watches, but we have the time."
This story really hits home for me. I just spent a year in Paktika and worked in Yahya Khil. It was one of the quietest places we went to and the police chief there seemed to have the police force working better then most villages we had been in. This seems to reinforce the idea that nothing there is what it seems.
You want to stick with the POTUS that doubled & then doubled again the US Troop levels in Afghanistan. Then CHANGED the Military leadership, because the US Troops could/would not fight under the NATO & Geneva Conventions. Then CHANGED the General AGAIN, because he stated that the operation would FAIL with POLITICAL restrictions...
That Bush and the UK were incorrect to turn the 'Afghanistan Nation Building' over to the UN & 52+other Nations. Even when this would have VIOLATED the AUMF, that the US Congress voted on and APPROVED...
Unlike the present POTUS who IGNORES; the US Constitution, the US Congress, or the US People...
For those who have read your WORLD History - Name ONE invading force that has ever won in Afghanistan??? Except maybe Ghingis Khan, who assimilated the nations he invaded...
Yea, I thought so... POTUS George Bush was RIGHT, on this call...
If the US was succesful using Containment as its policy against the Soviet Union then it should have no problem using the same policy against Afghanistan if and when the Taliban takes over that country after the US leaves.
As for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda that is strictly police work. There's no need to invade countries to chase after them.
How long has the United States been engaged in diplomatic dialog with the Taliban? The Afghan Government is in constant dialog with them, right? These are the kind of pussy fart, spineless, turds who would slip a room full of good men a mickey, and then slit all their throats as they slept. That is the taliban. This story is the taliban. What is so heartbreaking about our war there is not that we've been there for over eleven years, but that during those eleven years, we talked at all wih the taliban. You know what the taliban deserve to hear from us? They deserve to hear a strange whistle followed by the sound of thier @#$holes going through the top of their foreheads by way of a well aimed one five-five, that's what. The taliban make the Japanese in WWII seem amateur, and there is only one way to deal with people like that. Gotta put em to sleep.
"A series of attacks on NATO personnel by Afghan soldiers and policemen have stoked fears that the security forces have turned against their western allies, or have been infiltrated by the Taliban insurgents."
Afghan war will be good case study material on how not to fight wars!
1. Having wrong ally, Pakistan. Compound the blunder by pumping all economic and military aids to Pakistan, which diverted part to forces fighting NATO forces.
2. Dumping friends like Northern Alliance, who helped the NATO forces in the beginning.
3. Getting into another war front in Iraq. Only idiots will get into another toughest battle zone!
4. Fighting wars with all restrictions and manuals of human rights and so on in mad places. Soldiers hands are tied to the back and then asked to fight.
5. Not learning from previous wars like Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.
Now the same gung-ho gangs, who are rarely affected, are screaming of Syria and Iran!
I read the post of "shock and awe" on Syria too!
Afghanistan is hopeless.
Leave them to kill each other. The world will be a better place.
Ahhhh yes, wonderful, wonderful people. But we will civilize them yet even if takes twenty more year's, Isn't that right Mr. Obama?? Crazy crazy damn people and we are bring them to this country by the planeload. They used to call this country a "Melting pot". Now it's nothing more than a Garbage can in my opinion.
Did you have this much criticism for President Bush for starting that war? Or only President Obama for perpetuating it?
Obama is getting us "out" of Afghanistan ... Bush Got us into Afghanistan. Check the date when our troops entered that Hell hole. Then check the date Bush pull troops out - then opened a front in Iran. But failed to fund either of them or send additional troops... to fight what was actually a "War of Opportunity".
We had no immediate need to start a war in Iran at the time. We did have a good opportunity to consolidate the rule of Law in Afghanistan - at the time.
Can you say - Opportunities missed? So - I agree, we need to get out of there... just remeber how it happend, leave the fariy tale to Mother Goose.
Beoweolf - When was that date? The U.S. never left Afghanistan. The media just shifted focus. The media is like flies on a hot turd - just zipping around the freshest pile of $h!t and drawing attention to themselves for no obvious useful gain.
As for funding, the prez doesn't control the purse strings of the country - that's congress' job. Bush was no less effective at "funding" the wars than obama.
But I will agree with you on one point
Mama obama
the thinker-318752,
The US and UK turned the Afghanistan operations over to the UN Dec 2001. As the foreign Nations assumed their responsibilities BOTH the USA and UK lowered their troop levels...
Cappy-1911,
What has Obama accomplished, besides KILLING more US Troops than Bush, in Afghanistan???
DO not give me the BS about ben Laden. The intel that drove that raid was obtained by the CIA, during the Bush Jr rein. Using the Bush CIA directives that were CHANGED by Obama...
You are correct, however since the cupboard was bare on GW's exit. He was very adept at funding, non budget expenses, which congress was unaware were being spent.
Now whether or not Congress recognize officially the costs of the war - that they really, were unaware of costs the war was costing us ... it was still an open secret that million (Billions (?)) were being expended everyday, because the Bills were coming due and moving men and equipment was not free, never has been.
That's like seeing your kid driving a new car, not having a job, buying drinks for his friends, wearing new clothes - and paying the bills. The trying to claim ignorance when the Police knock on your door and take him away for crimes. But I didn't know, he was such a good boy -- there must be some kind of mistake? yea.. right. Selective blindness is curable - by a subpoena and grand jury investigations.
The money for the war machines was funding jobs in various States - which Congressmen represented. They knew their state was rolling in jobs in war industries, but didn't know where those munitions and equipment were going? Poppy cock!
Its hard to fanthom how businesses were providing the munitions of war, getting paid ... yet Congress was "Unaware" of where the money was coming from.
Not "trying" to "Blame Bush"... just trying to cure your amnesia...
Following excerpts from: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40682.pdf
Knock-knock-knock! Time to go!
Congress, Mr. Obama. take the hint while you can, or risk unemployment. Believe me, it's a tough world out here when you're not living in the Ivory Palace.
Tarzan7 you obviously are not doing anything to help, but if you want to help LEAVE US!!!!!!
It looks as if the conditions in country are much worse that we have been led to believe. Many seem to be cracking under the strain. Cops killing cops, soldiers killing kids, and people in general are blowing up the neighborhood...
I think that even though there are mineral riches beyond belief there we need to just leave and let the natural selection process proceed.
I would say let them just kill each other, unfortunately they tend to also want to kill us so you can't leave and give them the free rain to do so. And all you morons blaming US presence in Afghanistan on President Obama-go play in traffic and stop voicing your ignorant and empty opinions.WE HAVE NO CHOICE WE CANT JUST LEAVE THAT HELL HOLE. IF we leave, the Taliban and all the evil sand monkeys will occupy it. It would be a matter of months before attacks began on the west. That stupid country is in ruins from its economy to government. It will be a cesspool of hateful, envious, and violent Muslims burning American flags and blowing things up. And it will spill over to other places in that region. The Muslin Spring left many countries susceptible to the demagoguery of Muslin cowards hiding behind the quran preaching death to the west. Afghans are some of the least intelligent people I have ever had the displeasure of knowing they prefer to be ruled by fear and violence I truly believe they like it. As of now there is no solution.
For some reason, I am always surprised that the Dem/Repub fanatics jump on every story so quickly, regardless of the subject. I don't think Assadullah had any of that in mind when he murdered his fellow officers, but to hear these people tell it, Assadullah was clearly influenced by said Dem/Repub political party. Is it possible that he is just a sick f**k who does not give a crap about any of your politics? Has it ever crossed any of your minds that there is even the slightest possibility that none of these situations are politically affiliated in any way? I swear some of these folks could make going to the toilet a political freakin rant, but I digress
It isn't JUST Obama, it is our brain dead CONGRESS that could put a stop to this if they REALLY wanted to. But as long as our government is paying for all that oil and gas that is used in this so called "war effort" and the oil companies are making billions while backing re-election officials, it's a no brainier.
NO END IN SIGHT!
I think you are the moron D. Urbanski, we can leave. It wasn't the Taliban that attacked us on 9/11, it was the Saudis. You must work for Bin Laden or did huh. His plan was to have us extend ourselves all over the world and break us and 10 years later he is almost successful. The war on terror is going to be in the shadows, special forces, precision bombing and most important intelligence. I don't know if can read or just think you are that smart, urbanski but if you can read read a little history on Afghanistan, it has been this way for a very long time. Containment worked in the cold war and some form of that is what we are going to have to do now and do now, Somalia and other places. But we can pull out of this war and we should now. If we are going to do nation building, lets do it here.
Arn't Muslim's just lovely? Leave them to their own and they start acting like the uncivilized desert rats they are. This is the land of futility and death. The US needs to vacate this and all lands of Islam, they will be happy and we will be better off.
Obama can't bring the troops home. That would increase unemployment and cost him some votes. Nothing in the world means more to Barry than votes. He has proven that over and over.
No problem.
The troops can be redeployed in Syria and Iran.
You see: oil prices are falling and Sunni Saudis & co need protection from the Shiites.
Saudis want to have their Sunni barbaric and beastly one-way Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques all over the world. They are missing in many places.
May be your street needs one!
Bastard!!!!! Please get the troops out of there for GODS SAKE!
Seriously, Time to get out! The US is isolated in Afghanistan....Pakistan is no longer cooperating and Karzai is corrupt. According to a Pakistani author the Afghan Taliban are tired of war and are asking for talks for a cease fire. Bin Laden is dead and that was the rationale for the war. 10 (?) years is enough and we are sacrificing our brightest treasures....our troops!
Seems like the type of cowardly attack fit for the Taliban.
Your right he should have used a drone that’s not cowardly at all is it?
So are you a Muslim and sticking up for the muslims ? The drone attacks are no more cowardly than killing men when you drug them. Is not any more cowardly than hijacking airplanes full of innocent people and crashing them into the towers. Is not anymore cowardly than shooing coalition soldiers in the back of the head while dressed in afghani uniforms on an afghani base. Is not any more cowardly than killing 6 soldiers over the burning of a book. Is not anymore cowardly than killing women and children at the market with car bombs, roadside bombs and suicide bombs.
JJ1962
I don’t know if your post is directed at me but I’m going to assume it is, as such to answer your questions 1 no I’m not Muslim 2 since I don’t buy into this whole us vs. Muslim mentality then no I’m not sticking up for Muslims and 3 I’m simple asking what is the difference between using a drone to kill people (which puts the user in no risk at all) and doing what this guy did, in terms of cowardice? Face it had this guy done what he did to the Taliban we’d all be saying how brave he was to infiltrate a hostile base and kill all those people but as he was working for the Taliban he’s now a coward? It’s a bit of a double standard
resourcefull to say the least. it's even like something from a movie but its not from a movie. (although they prob learned it from a movie).
but straight up, do we even WANT to make an effort any more, is it even worth it. they are all jumping around hedging their llifes- literally- on who comes out on top after we go.
WE on the other hand are doing what we can as quick as we can to make it as good as we can before it all goes to trash as we walk out the door.- cause you know it going straight south the second we cast off.
truthfully the best thing we can do is to start exposing the real potential to the afghans now so they can either roll over or stap up. butits time for them to take it - good or bad- and us to leave.
I don't know what Obama expect by staying in Afghanistan any longer. Its clear there is nothing more that the US can do for its people and the mission there have been jeopardized by the killing of civilian two weeks ago and the burning of the Koran. I watched "The Battle of Marjah" and it proved that Afghanistan is a lost cause. Marjah was a city that the US try to clear of Taliban control in 2010 during the surge, but after 6 months, the Marines left and the city went back to the Taliban. We are wasting resources, lives and money the longer we stay. No one knows who the Taliban are, and this story proves that point.
Man that is cold to kill your own unit and then run off and join the Taliban. But it looks like he was Taliban to begin with.
This is nothing compared to what these Islamic seventh century mindset barbaric beasts have been doing since the time Islam set its foot in the region!
If you look back at history first the French went there & tried for years to control them, then the USSR went in for years and tried to control them; both left with there tails tucked between there legs and many good soldiers killed for nothing. We originally went in just to find Osama Bin Laden but then we ended up getting caught up in the same mess as they did. Now it is time for us to tuck our tail between our legs and leave after having many of our good soldiers killed for nothing! The rest of the world needs to realize that the ONLY way anyone is ever going to stop those people from killing anyone and everyone that doesn't think like them is to drop in enough nuclear weapons to eradicate them all! Then in a hundred years or so we can repopulate it and extract anything of value from that desolate piece of real estate!
Be careful what you ask for, remember, they have nuclear weapons too.
Before going there, American forces should have more closely examined why the Soviets, at that time possessing the world's most powerful troop-based military force, lost in Afghanistan in the 1980's.
FYI, the only reason, >>> the Soviets lost was::::::::: because WE Mericanos TRAINED O'SAMMMMMAAAAH bin Laden and then we ARMED all of the TALIBAN (HIZZ FOLLOWERS) and every WAR-LORD around the countrieeeee side too. Then we gave-um a few ka-billions aah doh-lerzz to hep'um out a lil more, w/PROMISES of MUCH MORE to come too!!!!
JUS >>> AAAAAASKKKKKKKK OLLIE NORTH and our Senators & CONGRESSMEN!!!!!!!!!! NO BULLSHYTTT!!!
Islam, the loving, caring, wonderful religion!
Sorry but the majority of that whole region is a waste. Supply them all with weapons and then leave. Let them work it out for themselves. It's a sad waste of humanity and I feel bad for their children, being brought up in that culture. But not bad enough to lose any more of our children over there.
has the entire planet been doused with alien gasses making people crazier than usual?
Don't blame it on aliens, blame it on religion! And the only reason most of us think its crazy is because none of us live in a place where religion is the rule of law. It seems to be okay to murder and destroy lives as long as its done in the name of god. It's yet another reason why these people will never know our brand of democracy, it's not possible in that part of the world. So as crazy as this story is, it fits in that country and nobody bats an eye.
Angelo...
although I'd like to agree with you...I look elsewhere & see many many senseless murders...would be great if this behavior was confined to religion...