Killing Fields of Iraq & Afghanistan: Who’s Telling The Truth?
November 22nd, 2007
By SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist
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The situation continues to be uncertain in Iraq and Afghanistan despite claims of substantial progress by the US and NATO forces. While one report says that suspected al-Qaida fighters killed two Iraqi soldiers early Thursday, then used their Humvees to kill at least 18 rival Sunnis south of Baghdad, another report claims that more than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control.
“In another example, a suicide car bomber blasted a police checkpoint outside a courthouse on Wednesday, killing up to six people and wounding as many as 22 in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in Iraq and the site of the genesis of the anti-al-Qaida sentiment among Sunni tribal leaders and even some former insurgents,” says AP.
Another report by the Senlis Council think-tank says that more than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control and the Nato force in the country needs to be doubled in size to cope with the resurgent group. A study by the group found that the Taliban, enriched by illicit profits from the country’s record poppy harvest, had formed de-facto governments in swathes of the southern Pashtun belt, reports The Independent.
“The Afghan government and its Nato allies strongly deny the Senlis version of what is taking place in the country and say the extent of alleged Taliban control – 54 per cent – is a major exaggeration. In particular, British troops in Helmand have, in recent months, recovered territory lost to the Islamist group.
“But senior defence sources say that a lack of frontline combat forces has meant that areas clawed back from the Taliban often cannot be held and have to be retaken after costly and fierce fighting. There is also an acknowledgement that the dangers on the ground have meant that aid efforts are being stymied.
“Yesterday’s Senlis dossier coincided with an Oxfam report saying that Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis in which millions face ’severe hardship comparable with sub-Saharan Africa’. It highlights the fact that US spending on aid in the country, $4.4bn since 2002, was only a fraction of its military expenditure of $35bn in 2007 alone.
“Meanwhile, Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said civilian casualties caused by military action has reached ‘alarming levels’ this year. ‘These not only breach international law but are eroding support among the Afghan community for the government and international military presence, as well as public support in contributing states for continued engagement in Afghanistan,’ she said.”
So what’s the ground reality in Afghanistan and Iraq?
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