PEOPLE AND PLACES

PEOPLE AND PLACES

Saturday, November 1, 2014

THE LAST DAYS OF ENTANGLEMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN



There is no question that we should honor people who fight for justice and liberty. Many veterans enlisted in the military thinking that they were indeed serving a noble cause, and it’s no lie to say that they fought with valor for their brothers and sisters to their left and right. Unfortunately, good intentions at this stage are no substitute for good politics. The war on terror is going into its 14th year.  If you really want to talk about “awareness raising,” it’s years past the time when anyone here should be able to pretend that our 18-year-olds are going off to kill and die for good reason. How about a couple of concerts to make that point?
Description of  KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09:  Children watch as soldiers with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment climb back into their MRAP vehicles following a patrol into a village on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.  U.S. President Barack Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09: Children watch as soldiers with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment climb back into their MRAP vehicles following a patrol into a village on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) #
Description of  An Afghan boy flies a kite on the Nadir Khan hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 9, 2014. Kite flying is a popular pastime in Afghanistan, where opponents go after the kite wafting in the air after its line gets cut by another player in the so-called kite fighting.(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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An Afghan boy flies a kite on the Nadir Khan hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 9, 2014. Kite flying is a popular pastime in Afghanistan, where opponents go after the kite wafting in the air after its line gets cut by another player in the so-called kite fighting.(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Description of  KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09:  Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment eat lunch at an Afghan National Police (ANP) outpost during a patrol on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.  U.S. President Barack Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09: Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment eat lunch at an Afghan National Police (ANP) outpost during a patrol on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) #
Description of  KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09:  A young boy checks out SPC Brian Colip from Vacaville, California with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment while he keeps watch during a patrol through a village on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.  President Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 09: A young boy checks out SPC Brian Colip from Vacaville, California with the U.S. Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment while he keeps watch during a patrol through a village on March 9, 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan. President Obama recently ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a pullout from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or his successor refuses to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) #
Description of  An Afghan carpet seller holds up a framed carpet depicting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his store in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 30, 2014. Afghans go to the polls April 5, 2014 to choose a new president, and that in itself may one day be considered Karzai's greatest achievement. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
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An Afghan carpet seller holds up a framed carpet depicting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his store in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 30, 2014. Afghans go to the polls April 5, 2014 to choose a new president, and that in itself may one day be considered Karzai's greatest achievement. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. #
Description of  An Afghan special force soldier stands guard next to the damaged entrance of a Lebanese restaurant that was attacked in Kabul, on January 18, 2014.  At least 14 people were killed, including foreigners, in a multiple Taliban suicide attack on a popular restaurant in Kabul on January 17, officials said, with two gunmen launching an "indiscriminate" killing spree inside the venue. JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan special force soldier stands guard next to the damaged entrance of a Lebanese restaurant that was attacked in Kabul, on January 18, 2014. At least 14 people were killed, including foreigners, in a multiple Taliban suicide attack on a popular restaurant in Kabul on January 17, officials said, with two gunmen launching an "indiscriminate" killing spree inside the venue. JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Former Taliban fighters sit alongside their weapons, prior to handing them over as they join a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province on January 19, 2014. NATO formally transferred responsibility for nationwide security to Afghan forces in June 2013. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
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Former Taliban fighters sit alongside their weapons, prior to handing them over as they join a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province on January 19, 2014. NATO formally transferred responsibility for nationwide security to Afghan forces in June 2013. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan schoolgirls attend class in Kandahar on May 1, 2014. The literacy rate in Afghanistan is about 30 percent and about 42 percent of the country's population is under the age of 14. According to UNICEF more boys than girls attend classes in primary school in Afghanistan. JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan schoolgirls attend class in Kandahar on May 1, 2014. The literacy rate in Afghanistan is about 30 percent and about 42 percent of the country's population is under the age of 14. According to UNICEF more boys than girls attend classes in primary school in Afghanistan. JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  A Pakistani man leads his donkey-cart past a burning trailer truck transporting NATO vehicles following an attack by gunmen in the Wazir Dhand area of Khyber on May 5, 2014. Gunmen attacked three container trucks carrying NATO supplies en route to Afghanistan in Pakistan's troubled northwest killing two people, officials said. AFP PHOTO/STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images
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A Pakistani man leads his donkey-cart past a burning trailer truck transporting NATO vehicles following an attack by gunmen in the Wazir Dhand area of Khyber on May 5, 2014. Gunmen attacked three container trucks carrying NATO supplies en route to Afghanistan in Pakistan's troubled northwest killing two people, officials said. AFP PHOTO/STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan men protest following a suspected Taliban rocket attack during the night, in Ghazni province on May 14, 2014. Tens of Ghazni residents gathered in front of the provincial governor's office in the city, carrying the body of a dead child who was killed in rocket attack at their house in Qalai Qazi area of Ghazni.  A suspected Taliban rocket attack on the city hit a residential house in Ghazni killing three people including a child and a woman, officials said, with three children wounded in the attack. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan men protest following a suspected Taliban rocket attack during the night, in Ghazni province on May 14, 2014. Tens of Ghazni residents gathered in front of the provincial governor's office in the city, carrying the body of a dead child who was killed in rocket attack at their house in Qalai Qazi area of Ghazni. A suspected Taliban rocket attack on the city hit a residential house in Ghazni killing three people including a child and a woman, officials said, with three children wounded in the attack. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan rescuers search desperately for survivors trapped under the mud in Argo district of Badakhshan province on May 3, 2014 after a massive landslide May 2 buried a village. Rescuers searched in vain for survivors May 3 after a landslide buried an Afghan village, killing 350 people and leaving thousands of others feared dead amid warnings that more earth could sweep down the hillside. Local people made desperate efforts to find victims trapped under a massive river of mud that engulfed Aab Bareek village in Badakhshan province, where little sign remained of hundreds of destroyed homes. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan rescuers search desperately for survivors trapped under the mud in Argo district of Badakhshan province on May 3, 2014 after a massive landslide May 2 buried a village. Rescuers searched in vain for survivors May 3 after a landslide buried an Afghan village, killing 350 people and leaving thousands of others feared dead amid warnings that more earth could sweep down the hillside. Local people made desperate efforts to find victims trapped under a massive river of mud that engulfed Aab Bareek village in Badakhshan province, where little sign remained of hundreds of destroyed homes. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  An aerial view shows the site of Friday's landslide that buried Abi Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, Monday, May 5, 2014. Hundreds of people were killed in a horrific landslide and authorities are trying to help the 700 families displaced by the torrent of mud that swept through their village. The families left their homes due to the threat of more landslides, Minister for Rural Rehabilitation Wais Ahmad Barmak said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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An aerial view shows the site of Friday's landslide that buried Abi Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, Monday, May 5, 2014. Hundreds of people were killed in a horrific landslide and authorities are trying to help the 700 families displaced by the torrent of mud that swept through their village. The families left their homes due to the threat of more landslides, Minister for Rural Rehabilitation Wais Ahmad Barmak said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Description of  An Afghan woman, center, shakes a sheet from dust, near the site of Friday's landslide that buried Abi-Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, Sunday, May 4, 2014. As Afghans observed a day of mourning Sunday for the hundreds of people killed in a horrific landslide, authorities tried to help the 700 families displaced by the torrent of mud that swept through their village. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
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An Afghan woman, center, shakes a sheet from dust, near the site of Friday's landslide that buried Abi-Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, Sunday, May 4, 2014. As Afghans observed a day of mourning Sunday for the hundreds of people killed in a horrific landslide, authorities tried to help the 700 families displaced by the torrent of mud that swept through their village. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) #
Description of  An Afghan security force member destroys an illegal poppy crop in the Noor Gal district of eastern Kunar province on April 29, 2014. Citing the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, John Sopko, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said January 2014 that the rise in opium production is expected to continue and threaten the stability of the Afghan government. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan security force member destroys an illegal poppy crop in the Noor Gal district of eastern Kunar province on April 29, 2014. Citing the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, John Sopko, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said January 2014 that the rise in opium production is expected to continue and threaten the stability of the Afghan government. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan children buy candy floss from a street vendor near Qargha Lake in the outskirts of Kabul on May 9, 2014. Qargha Lake, located 9 kms outside of Kabul, is a popular recreational spot and known for its swimming and boating activities. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan children buy candy floss from a street vendor near Qargha Lake in the outskirts of Kabul on May 9, 2014. Qargha Lake, located 9 kms outside of Kabul, is a popular recreational spot and known for its swimming and boating activities. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  This photograph taken on May 9, 2014 shows an Afghan youth playing over the remains of a Soviet-era tank, graffitied with heart symbols, at a hilltop near Qargha Lake in the outskirts of Kabul. Afghanistan remains at war, with civilians among the hardest hit as the Taliban wage an increasingly bloody insurgency against the government. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
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This photograph taken on May 9, 2014 shows an Afghan youth playing over the remains of a Soviet-era tank, graffitied with heart symbols, at a hilltop near Qargha Lake in the outskirts of Kabul. Afghanistan remains at war, with civilians among the hardest hit as the Taliban wage an increasingly bloody insurgency against the government. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan residents queue to receive their voter cards at a voter registration centre in Kabul on March 30, 2014. Crowds queued up outside voter registration centres in Afghanistan and presidential candidates held large outdoor rallies for supporters six days ahead of elections that have been shaken by Taliban attacks. The vote, which will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreign troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the fierce Islamist insurgency raging across the south and east of the country. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan residents queue to receive their voter cards at a voter registration centre in Kabul on March 30, 2014. Crowds queued up outside voter registration centres in Afghanistan and presidential candidates held large outdoor rallies for supporters six days ahead of elections that have been shaken by Taliban attacks. The vote, which will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreign troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the fierce Islamist insurgency raging across the south and east of the country. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  In this picture taken on March 17, 2014, Afghan soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) joke around as they sit together in the late afternoon near their barracks at a forward operating base in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images
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In this picture taken on March 17, 2014, Afghan soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) joke around as they sit together in the late afternoon near their barracks at a forward operating base in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan National Security Forces members jump onto a vehicle after an attack by a suicide squad on the former Afghan intelligence headquarters in the center of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. Police officials said three insurgents who tried to storm the former headquarters of Afghanistanís intelligence service in southern Kandahar died in a gunbattle with security forces. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)  - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
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Afghan National Security Forces members jump onto a vehicle after an attack by a suicide squad on the former Afghan intelligence headquarters in the center of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. Police officials said three insurgents who tried to storm the former headquarters of Afghanistanís intelligence service in southern Kandahar died in a gunbattle with security forces. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. #
Description of  Afghan security personal surround the area after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan killing police guards on Monday, the most serious in a wave of attacks marking the start of the insurgents' annual spring offensive. In the Taliban heartland in the south, an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand province killed many policemen. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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Afghan security personal surround the area after Taliban fighters stormed a government building in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 12, 2014. Taliban fighters stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan killing police guards on Monday, the most serious in a wave of attacks marking the start of the insurgents' annual spring offensive. In the Taliban heartland in the south, an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand province killed many policemen. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Description of  A U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Sergeant Shawn M. Farrell II, as U.S. Army Major Gen. Thomas A. Horlander, U.S. Army Major Dennis Call, and U.S. Air Force Col. Ladd Tremaine salute, Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Farrell, of Accord, N.Y., died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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A U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Sergeant Shawn M. Farrell II, as U.S. Army Major Gen. Thomas A. Horlander, U.S. Army Major Dennis Call, and U.S. Air Force Col. Ladd Tremaine salute, Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Farrell, of Accord, N.Y., died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) #
Description of  In this file photograph taken on March 23, 2014, Afghan mourners offer final prayers over the flag-covered coffins of slain AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, his wife and their two children during his funeral in Kabul.  Six weeks after surviving a Taliban attack on a Kabul hotel that left his father, mother, brother and sister dead, miracle child Abuzar Ahmad, son of slain AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, arrived in Canada on April 30, 2014 to start his life anew. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
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In this file photograph taken on March 23, 2014, Afghan mourners offer final prayers over the flag-covered coffins of slain AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, his wife and their two children during his funeral in Kabul. Six weeks after surviving a Taliban attack on a Kabul hotel that left his father, mother, brother and sister dead, miracle child Abuzar Ahmad, son of slain AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, arrived in Canada on April 30, 2014 to start his life anew. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  In this file photograph taken on April 6, 2014, Abuzar Ahmad, the youngest son of slain Afghan AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, sits in bed during a visit by family members at a local hospital in Kabul.  Six weeks after surviving a Taliban attack on a Kabul hotel that left his father, mother, brother and sister dead, miracle child Abuzar Ahmad arrived in Canada on April 30, 2014 to start his life anew. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
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In this file photograph taken on April 6, 2014, Abuzar Ahmad, the youngest son of slain Afghan AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, sits in bed during a visit by family members at a local hospital in Kabul. Six weeks after surviving a Taliban attack on a Kabul hotel that left his father, mother, brother and sister dead, miracle child Abuzar Ahmad arrived in Canada on April 30, 2014 to start his life anew. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  In this Monday, March 17, 2014 photo, Afghan men play cards under a huge election poster showing Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghanistanís former defense minister, shaking hands with soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan. Wardak pulled out of the presidential elections, but warlords with a violent past have played a role in influencing Afghan politics since a U.S.-led coalition helped oust the Taliban in 2001. But they are emerging to play an overt political role in next monthís presidential elections as President Hamid Karzai leaves the scene. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)  - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
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In this Monday, March 17, 2014 photo, Afghan men play cards under a huge election poster showing Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghanistanís former defense minister, shaking hands with soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan. Wardak pulled out of the presidential elections, but warlords with a violent past have played a role in influencing Afghan politics since a U.S.-led coalition helped oust the Taliban in 2001. But they are emerging to play an overt political role in next monthís presidential elections as President Hamid Karzai leaves the scene. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. #
Description of  An Afghan villager carries election materials over his shoulders as he hikes back to his village along a country road high in the mountains of Shutul District in northern Afghanistan on April 4, 2014.  Afghans will vote on April 5 in the country's third presidential election to choose a successor to Hamid Karzai, who has led the country since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan villager carries election materials over his shoulders as he hikes back to his village along a country road high in the mountains of Shutul District in northern Afghanistan on April 4, 2014. Afghans will vote on April 5 in the country's third presidential election to choose a successor to Hamid Karzai, who has led the country since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan women queue outside a school to get their registration card on the last day of voter registration for the upcoming presidential elections outside a school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)  - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
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Afghan women queue outside a school to get their registration card on the last day of voter registration for the upcoming presidential elections outside a school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. #
Description of  An Afghan soldier, left, and a police man peek through a window as they queue with others to get their registration card on the last day of voter registration for the upcoming presidential elections outside a school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)  - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
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An Afghan soldier, left, and a police man peek through a window as they queue with others to get their registration card on the last day of voter registration for the upcoming presidential elections outside a school in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) - Niedringhaus, 48, was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday, April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan. #
Description of  Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai wait for his speech during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 22, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off today. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
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Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai wait for his speech during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 22, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off today. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) #
Description of  Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah arrives for a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Front-runner Abdullah says that still there is time for the Elections Complain Commission to continue to their assessments ahead of the final election result announcements regarding the concerns over 1433 ballot boxes across the country and this assessment would have impact on the final results. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
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Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah arrives for a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Front-runner Abdullah says that still there is time for the Elections Complain Commission to continue to their assessments ahead of the final election result announcements regarding the concerns over 1433 ballot boxes across the country and this assessment would have impact on the final results. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) #
Description of  Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, center, looks on during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 22, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off today. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
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Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, center, looks on during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 22, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off today. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) #
Description of  Afghan schoolgirls holds balloons and flags as they attend an election rally by presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in Gardez, capital of eastern Paktia province on May 24, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in the run-off on June 14 to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan schoolgirls holds balloons and flags as they attend an election rally by presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in Gardez, capital of eastern Paktia province on May 24, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in the run-off on June 14 to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  An Afghan policeman searches a vehicle passenger at a checkpoint in Ghazni province on May 27, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in a run-off on June 14, to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan policeman searches a vehicle passenger at a checkpoint in Ghazni province on May 27, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in a run-off on June 14, to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  In this picture taken on March 16, 2014, Afghan soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) walk in the rain in the early evening near blast walls inside at a forward operating base in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images
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In this picture taken on March 16, 2014, Afghan soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) walk in the rain in the early evening near blast walls inside at a forward operating base in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Mahdi, 27, a drug addict, is bound in a cell in his 40-day incarceration at the Mia Ali Baba shrine in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 1, 2014. It is believed locally that 40 days of chaining to a wall with a restricted diet at the 300-year old shrine can cure the mentally ill, drug addicts and those possessed by spirits. If a shrine keeper decides their situation is improving, they may be unchained for a few minutes. However, shrines such as Mia Ali Baba are frowned upon by health care professionals and other critics who say the remedy is ineffective and that those who run the incarceration prey on vulnerable people's religious beliefs and superstitions to make a profit. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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Mahdi, 27, a drug addict, is bound in a cell in his 40-day incarceration at the Mia Ali Baba shrine in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 1, 2014. It is believed locally that 40 days of chaining to a wall with a restricted diet at the 300-year old shrine can cure the mentally ill, drug addicts and those possessed by spirits. If a shrine keeper decides their situation is improving, they may be unchained for a few minutes. However, shrines such as Mia Ali Baba are frowned upon by health care professionals and other critics who say the remedy is ineffective and that those who run the incarceration prey on vulnerable people's religious beliefs and superstitions to make a profit. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Description of  An Afghan labourer works at an aluminium workshop in Herat on May 27, 2014. Some 100 people work in the Herat Aluminium factory with around around 70 to 100 tons of aluminium produced each month, with most all of its products used domestically. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan labourer works at an aluminium workshop in Herat on May 27, 2014. Some 100 people work in the Herat Aluminium factory with around around 70 to 100 tons of aluminium produced each month, with most all of its products used domestically. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images#
Description of  An Afghan labourer poses at an aluminium workshop in Herat on May 27, 2014. Some 100 people work in the Herat Aluminium factory with around around 70 to 100 tons of aluminium produced each month, with most all of its products used domestically. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan labourer poses at an aluminium workshop in Herat on May 27, 2014. Some 100 people work in the Herat Aluminium factory with around around 70 to 100 tons of aluminium produced each month, with most all of its products used domestically. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images#
Description of  Afghan security forces watch a house burn at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces at the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, May 23, 2014. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan's Herat province Friday, an assault that injured no diplomatic staff, police said. Indian officials said there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan, but gave no other details. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)
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Afghan security forces watch a house burn at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces at the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, May 23, 2014. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan's Herat province Friday, an assault that injured no diplomatic staff, police said. Indian officials said there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan, but gave no other details. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi) #
Description of  An Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldier fires his weapon at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces on the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, May 23, 2014. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan's Herat province Friday, an assault that injured no diplomatic staff, police said. Indian officials said there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan, but gave no other details. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)
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An Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldier fires his weapon at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces on the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, May 23, 2014. Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan's Herat province Friday, an assault that injured no diplomatic staff, police said. Indian officials said there had been a threat against its diplomats in Afghanistan, but gave no other details. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi) #
Description of  Afghan security policemen stands guard on a rooftop as smoke rises following an attack by insurgents on the Indian consulate in Herat on May 23 ,2014.   Four insurgent gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on May 23, before being repelled by security forces, in an assault highlighting instability as NATO troops withdraw. There were no casualties among Indian staff but at least two policemen were wounded when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan security policemen stands guard on a rooftop as smoke rises following an attack by insurgents on the Indian consulate in Herat on May 23 ,2014. Four insurgent gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on May 23, before being repelled by security forces, in an assault highlighting instability as NATO troops withdraw. There were no casualties among Indian staff but at least two policemen were wounded when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  A sand storm approaches Camp Bastion from the west on May 16, 2014 in Afghanistan. Within an hour the worst of the storm had passed. (Photo by Cpl Daniel Wiepen RLC/Ministry of Defence Crown via Getty Images)
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A sand storm approaches Camp Bastion from the west on May 16, 2014 in Afghanistan. Within an hour the worst of the storm had passed. (Photo by Cpl Daniel Wiepen RLC/Ministry of Defence Crown via Getty Images) #
Description of  An Afghan farmer and child work on a wheat field in the outskirts of Jalalabad on May 9, 2014. Only about 15 percent of Afghanistan's land, mostly in scattered valleys, is suitable for farming with about 6 percent of the land actually cultivated with wheat being the most important crop. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
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An Afghan farmer and child work on a wheat field in the outskirts of Jalalabad on May 9, 2014. Only about 15 percent of Afghanistan's land, mostly in scattered valleys, is suitable for farming with about 6 percent of the land actually cultivated with wheat being the most important crop. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan wrestlers compete at an outdoor arena in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif on April 29, 2014. Wrestling is a popular sport in Afghanistan, and is traditionally practiced among poorer members of Afghan society. FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan wrestlers compete at an outdoor arena in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif on April 29, 2014. Wrestling is a popular sport in Afghanistan, and is traditionally practiced among poorer members of Afghan society. FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan policemen search a motorcyclist at a checkpoint in Ghazni province on May 27, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in a run-off on June 14, to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images
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Afghan policemen search a motorcyclist at a checkpoint in Ghazni province on May 27, 2014. Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will compete in a run-off on June 14, to determine who leads Afghanistan into a new era without the assistance of NATO combat troops to help fight the Taliban insurgency. Rahmatullah Alizadah/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, back to camera, arrives at a campaign rally in Paktiya province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, May 24, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off on Thursday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, center, back to camera, arrives at a campaign rally in Paktiya province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, May 24, 2014. The campaign season for the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election kicked off on Thursday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Description of  An injured Afghan security personnel watches during an attack by insurgents on the Indian consulate in Herat on May 23 ,2014.   Four insurgent gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on May 23, before being repelled by security forces, in an assault highlighting instability as NATO troops withdraw. There were no casualties among Indian staff but at least two policemen were wounded when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
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An injured Afghan security personnel watches during an attack by insurgents on the Indian consulate in Herat on May 23 ,2014. Four insurgent gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on May 23, before being repelled by security forces, in an assault highlighting instability as NATO troops withdraw. There were no casualties among Indian staff but at least two policemen were wounded when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  In this picture taken on March 17, 2014, the Afghan national flag flutters in the wind behind barbed wire at a forward operating base where soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) live in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images
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In this picture taken on March 17, 2014, the Afghan national flag flutters in the wind behind barbed wire at a forward operating base where soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade, 201 Army Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) live in Khogyani district. In the eastern district of Khogyani, the war against Taliban militants is a day-to-day struggle for control of fields and villages just outside Jalalabad, one of Afghanistan's biggest and most strategic cities. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images #
Description of  President Barack Obama gets a briefing by Marine General Joseph Dunford, commander of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), right, after arriving at Bagram Air Field for an unannounced visit, on Sunday, May 25, 2014, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
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President Barack Obama gets a briefing by Marine General Joseph Dunford, commander of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), right, after arriving at Bagram Air Field for an unannounced visit, on Sunday, May 25, 2014, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) #
Description of  US President Barack Obama addresses US troops during a surprise visit to Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, in Afghanistan, May 25, 2014, prior to the Memorial Day holiday. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
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US President Barack Obama addresses US troops during a surprise visit to Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, in Afghanistan, May 25, 2014, prior to the Memorial Day holiday. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images #




















































































































History of
American False Flag Operations

The leaders of smaller and less industrialised nations are not madmen (whatever the media claims). They also are generally better informed than their citizens. In a war an attacker does not need equal forces compared to the enemy. The attacker needs a 5-fold local superiority, or better. No one begins wars without very definite objectives and a quick victory in sight. If a war with more even military balance erupts, someone has been mislead and walked into a trap (usually arranged by third party).
After the American war of Independence (1776-1779), and an English challenge to that independence (1812-1814) no single nation has planned an offensive war against the USA. It is probable that a strong coalition of Anglo-French-led European nations planned to split the USA into two states through diplomatic recognition of the Confederate states possibly followed up by naval blockade embargoing the Union. At that time the British Empire was the strongest naval power, and the French the second strongest. The events led, however, into the Civil War (1860-1865) and due to the Russian intervention 1863 (1863) on the Union's side, those European plans were quietly abandoned.
Mexican wars 1819, 1846-48: Long series of operations, commencing with the annexion of Florida (1819) and followed by a declaration of independence of Texas from Mexico (1836). Provocative troop movements near the U.S. southern border caused an incident which led to war. (It is said the US built a fortification 150 km inside the Mexican border.) The annexation of Texas by the USA and the conquest of California, New Mexico, and nearby territories followed. Mexico had a weak government at that time, because after Napoleon conquered Spain (1809) their former colonies soon revolted. Mexico had been a colony of the Spanish kingdom but now they revolted and formed a republic. There were a series of revolts, not just one.
Spanish-American war, 1898: The surprise explosion of the battleship Maine at Havana, Cuba. 255 of the crew died. The Hearst press accused the Spanish, claiming that the explosion was caused by a remote-controlled mine. The USA declared war on Spain, and conquered Philippines, Guam and Cuba. Subsequent investigations revealed that the explosion originated inside the Maine and that it was either an accident, such as a coal explosion, or some type of time bomb inside the battleship. Divers investigating the shipwreck found that the armour plates of the ship were blown bending outwards, not inwards.
World War I, 1914-1918: A U-boat torpedo hit ocean liner Lusitania near Britain and some 1200 people, including 128 Americans, on board lost their lives. Subsequent investigations revealed that the major explosions were inside the Lusitania, as it was secretly transporting 6 million pounds of artillery shells and rifle ammunition, as well as other explosives on behalf of Morgan banking corporation to help their clients, the Britain and the France. It was against US laws to transport war materials and passengers in the same ship.
World War 2, 1939-1945: A U-boat torpedo hit the ocean liner Athenia near Britain with some 1100 passengers, of which 311 were Americans. The sea was calm and only 118 people on board lost their lives. The ship was sunk because it behaved like a military transport, blackened out and zigzagging. This incident wasn't enough to precipitate war, and the Germans also refused to be provoked by several American acts of war. Americans confiscated German merchant ships, and Americans started to support the British with various lend-lease items, US volunteer pilots joined the RAF and some RAF pilots were trained in the US, US gave the British 50 old but usable WW1 destroyers and 20 modern torpedo boats, tanks, light bombers, fighter aircraft like P-40s and so on. American destroyers also escorted the convoys bound to Britain, and attacked German U-boats even far away from those convoys. The US did not maintain a neutral stance attitude towards the warring nations.
The US naval intelligence, chief of Japan desk planned and suggested "8 insults", which should bring Japan into war with the US. President Roosevelt executed this plan immediately and also added some other insults, enraging the Japan. The most serious one was a total blockade of Japanese oil imports, as agreed between the Americans, British and the Dutch. FDR also declared an all-out embargo against the Japan and forbade them the use of Panama canal, impeding Japan's access to Venezuelan oil.
The Flying Tigers volunteer air group successfully fighting the Japanese in China with some 90 fairly modern P-40Bs was another effective provocation that is not generally acknowledged by historical accounts of World War 2, most of which fail to mention any air combat action prior to 7th December 1941. But at that time the Japanese had already had lost about 100 military aircraft, mostly bombers, to the Tigers. After Pearl Harbor these squadrons were some of the the hardest-hitting ones in the US service.
The attack on Pearl Harbour followed some 6 months later. Having broken the Japanese encryption codes, the Americans knew what was going to happen, when and where, but the president did not dispatch this information to Pearl Harbor. Americans even gave their friends the British 3 Magic decrypting machines which automatically opened encrypted Japanese military traffic. But this same information was not available to the commanders of Hawaii. The movement of the fleet was also visible in the very effective radio direction finding network. Japan had an alliance with Germany, and the Germans upheld their promises by declaring the war against the USA right after the Japanese declaration.
Two scapegoats, the navy commander Admiral Husband Kimmel, and the army commander Lt. General Walter Short were found incompetent and demoted as they were allowed to retire. Short died 1949 and Kimmel 1958. In 1995, the US Congress re-examined this decision and endorsed it. Then in 2000 some archive information came to light and the US Senate passed a resolution stating that both had served in Hawaii "competently and professionally". In 1941 they were denied vital information, and even on presidential orders purposefully mislead into believing that the Japanese feet could be expected from the southwest. These commanders have yet to be rehabilited by the Pentagon.
Korean War, 1950-1953: South Korean incursions (the Tiger regiment etc.) into North Korea (1949) led to contrary claims and into war. The cause of this war propably was covert action involving leaders of Taiwan, South Korea and the US military-industrial complex (John Foster Dulles has been mentioned as an organizer of the hostilities.) After the unpublished hostilities in 1949, the communist powers were strongly backing North Korea.
Chiang Kai Sek was being abandoned, isolated and falling prey to the powerful communist Chinese operations. The right-wing South Korean ruler was expected to loose the soon-to-be-elections. The American military-industrial complex went into high gear again, and huge government orders for equipment were flowing in.
The American-led UN forces had difficult times early in the war, but after sufficient forces arrived they advanced victoriously and penetrated deep into the North Korea. The strong Chino-Russian intervention into the war once again turned the tides, the Chinese with vast armies on ground, and the Soviets less visibly with large numbers of aircraft, nearly costing the UN forces the war.
Finally the front stabilised along the original 38th parallel armistice line. The war resulted in the death of 3 million Korean Chinese and the destruction of virtually all of the Korean cities, and left Taiwan in strong American protection and South Korea firmly in the hands of the right-wing president Syngman Rhee. Some 55,000 Americans lost their lives.
Vietnam War: "The Tonkin incident", where American destroyer Maddox was supposedly attacked twice by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats in 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin never happened. What was happening at the time were aggressive South Vietnamese raids against the North in the same general area. Huge American presence wasn't decisive and President Nixon negotiated a "peace with honour" in 1973. This war was lost, when North Vietnam finally conquered South Vietnam in 1975.
Grenada invasion: The Grenadian leader, Maurice Bishop, favouring the left and having invited Cubans to help build the infrastructure including by extending the airport to accomodate long range Soviet aircraft, was deposed and executed in October 19, 1983. Six days later the US invaded, with the proffered reason that the American medical students studying in the Grenada were in danger due the Cuban presence. The new leader supported by the US favoured more traditional values and the right.
War on Drugs: The war was launched by Richard M Nixon sometime around June 17,1971. The drug problem was found bad within the army in Viet Nam around 1968 prompting action was required towards the end of the war. Nowadays it is estimated that the military will never win the War on Drugs. The street prices of illicit drugs did not change significantly in the USA despite the military action in foreign drug-producing countries. The Colombian experience, with local military supported by the US, has shown that peace is more important than war against drugs. The Colombians have successfully negotiated some 1000s of guerrilla fighters back into the society and out of jungle.
This "war" actually seems to be a pretext for military invasions into less developed countries, where covert "bad" drug lords on behalf of western intelligence services are producing drugs into US and first world markets. This operation produces huge incomes, generating black budget money for those intelligence services managing the global drug operations.
Panama invasion: The incident between American and Panamanian troops led to invasion. The leader Noriega was changed and the earlier Carter administration plan to hand control of the canal over to Panama was cancelled. The strategic importance of the canal has surpassed any more just thinking in the US global domination policy.
US-Israeli sponsored war between Iraq and Iran, 1980-1988: The US has built power bases in the Middle East in Iran starting with the CIA-organised coup 1953, where Iranian prime minister Mossadeq was replaced with the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi and he by his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Iran was equipped with the best western military equipment, including the American F-14 fighters with Phoenix missiles and the British Chieftain MBTs. Unfortunately there was in 1979 a coup of ayatollah Khomeini replacing the Shah and founding an Islamite nation.
After this, the US warmed up relations with their good Iraqi friend Saddam Hussein, and started to build a nation capable of challenging the Iran. Iraq acquired large numbers of effective weapons including factories able to produce older versions of gas warfare agents. These would later be called WMDs, which of course they were not, being the WW1-vintage weapons.
The war broke out and was fought to exhaustion because third-party powers, especially Israel, were carefully monitoring the power balance supplying more weapons to the side which seemed to be loosing. "Too bad they both cannot loose" is how Kissinger evaluated this situation.
Desert Storm (First Gulf war), 1991): Hussein asked for permission from the US (via their ambassador April Gillespie) and got an answer that the US does not care Arab quarrels. That was a trap, and after Saddam occupied Kuwait, George Bush Sr. mobilised a coalition of some 40 nations to "liberate Kuwait" and to smash the recently-built Iraqi military power base. This also involved a media hoax, where the daughter of Kuwaiti US ambassador played nurse on TV and testified to "witnessing" Iraqi soldiers throwing babies out of incubators in Kuwait.
War on Terror: The war was launched by Bush administration October 2001. The war was claimed to be the response on terrorism, especially the 9-11 incidents. Most of the people in the world today know that these reasons are false and that those events were based on MIH type (make it happen) inside job.
Description of  An Afghan labourer poses at an aluminium workshop in Herat on May 27, 2014. Some 100 people work in the Herat Aluminium factory with around around 70 to 100 tons of aluminium produced each month, with most all of its products used domestically. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan invasion), 7.10.2001-: Without any evidence, the former CIA-asset, a Saudi-Arabian Osama bin Laden was claimed to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 strikes at the WTC and the Pentagon. Such a complex operation, if actually executed which it was not, in this case would be much beyond the capabilities of anything in Afghanistan. Only some top ten intelligence services in the world could hope to be successful in such an operation involving forgery, infiltration, living "underground" in a foreign non-Muslim country, coordination of moves, illegal arms, hi-quality flight training, accurate aircraft navigation in no-visibility conditions and so on. Perhaps even less, because the friends of the US (at that time, still most of the world) would also have been interested in stopping the attack.
Enduring Justice (Second Gulf war), 20.3.2003-: later known with less irony as Operation Iraqi Freedom The claimed reason of the attack was that Iraq was a clear and present danger to the US with wmd's available within less than an hour after the decision to assemble them has been made. Since no wmd's were found, and after the Iraqi also scrapped some 800 long range Scud style missiles before the US coalition attack, the reason for the invasion was changed into "bringing the democracy into Iraq".



Ultra-rare colour images of Afghanistan in 1928 reveal a land of manicured gardens, elegant palaces and serene tree-lined avenues

  • Late French photographer Frédéric Gadmer spent several months exploring Afghanistan in 1928
  • He had been recruited as part of a global photography project initiated by French philanthropist, Albert Kahn
  • Gadmer's colour photos show various landmarks in the region that have since been laid to waste 
Looking idyllic with manicured gardens, grand historical buildings and stunning mountain ranges, this is Afghanistan in the late 1920s. 
This series of ultra-rare colour photographs shows a country that stands in stark contrast to the war-blighted nation that we're more familiar with today. 
They were taken as part of The Archives of the Planet photography project, which was initiated by the late French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn and resulted in an archive of 72,000 pictures from around the world. These are now housed at the Albert Kahn museum in Paris. 
Between 1909 and 1931, Kahn sent photographers out to more than 50 countries to document what they saw. This set of photographs was taken by Frédéric Gadmer, who explored the region for several months in 1928. Gadmer's sun-drenched snapshots of a peaceful Afghanistan were recently unearthed by RFE/RLphotographer Amos Chapple
The collection includes an image of the Darul Aman Palace, as it looked in 1928 - a tribute to the optimism of the age. Its grandiose exteriors were to be a foretaste of a new capital city, Darulaman, which was to be built around it, about 16 miles southwest of Kabul. However, a change in leadership thwarted its completion and any aspirations of becoming the capital.
Another shot shows the stunning gardens in the town of Paghman. They used to be a picture of paradise with colourful flowers and classical fountains but now the area has been completely bulldozed and even the trees have been wiped out. Scroll down to see a time when Afghanistan buzzed with beauty, instead of bullet fire...  
Looking idyllic with manicured gardens, grand historical buildings and stunning mountain ranges, this is Afghanistan in the late 1920s. This series of ultra-rare colour photographs shows a country that stands in stark contrast to the war-blighted nation that we know today. Above, a view over the landscaped gardens in Paghman, which were commissioned and built in the early 1900s by Amanullah Khan, the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929
Looking idyllic with manicured gardens, grand historical buildings and stunning mountain ranges, this is Afghanistan in the late 1920s. This series of ultra-rare colour photographs shows a country that stands in stark contrast to the war-blighted nation that we know today. Above, a view over the landscaped gardens in Paghman, which were commissioned and built in the early 1900s by Amanullah Khan, the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929
A fountain in the Paghman gardens in 1928 - a more charming and genteel period in Afghanistan. Waves of fighting in the 1980s and 1990s obliterated the gardens, reducing it to unrecognisable rubble
A fountain in the Paghman gardens in 1928 - a more charming and genteel period in Afghanistan. Waves of fighting in the 1980s and 1990s obliterated the gardens, reducing it to unrecognisable rubble
Though these visitors to Kabul's Paghman gardens are captured in 1928, nine years after Afghanistan gained independence from the British, their pith-helmeted getup and the architectural backdrop hark back to a more colonial era  
Though these visitors to Kabul's Paghman gardens are captured in 1928, nine years after Afghanistan gained independence from the British, their pith-helmeted getup and the architectural backdrop hark back to a more colonial era  
A European woman poses for a portrait in the capital city, Kabul
A classically-designed clock tower in the town stands at a slight angle. The structure was reportedly smashed to rubble during the civil war that blighted Afghanistan in the 1990s
The images were taken by photographer Frédéric Gadmer over several months while he explored the region in 1928. Gadmer was one of the photographers recruited by the late French banker and philanthropist, Albert Kahn, for his incredible Archives of the Planet photography project. Left is a European woman posing for a portrait in the capital city, Kabul, while a classically-designed clock tower in the town stands at a slight angle on the right
Mr and Mrs Girard, who were the directors of Kabul's school of agriculture, strike a pose for the camera
Elegant sculptures can be seen in Paghman gardens
Mr and Mrs Girard, who were the directors of Kabul's school of agriculture, strike a pose for the camera (left), while elegant sculptures can be seen in Paghman gardens (right). In 1992, a former resident who had lost his family and home after eight years of war returned to the town of Paghman and told a New York Times reporter: 'It was once so beautiful and now it is all gone'
The Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani, located in the city of Kandahar, pictured in September 1928
The Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani, located in the city of Kandahar, pictured in 2014
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The Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani, located in the city of Kandahar, pictured in September 1928 (left) and in 2014 (right). It is the resting place of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who is seen as the founder of the state of Afghanistan
Gadmer's sun-drenched snapshots of a peaceful Afghanistan were recently unearthed by RFE/RL photographer Amos Chapple and kindly shared with MailOnline Travel. Above, a manicured garden on the outskirts of Kabul, complete with a pond and fountain 
Gadmer's sun-drenched snapshots of a peaceful Afghanistan were recently unearthed by RFE/RL photographer Amos Chapple and kindly shared with MailOnline Travel. Above, a manicured garden on the outskirts of Kabul, complete with a pond and fountain 
A triumphal arch in the Paghman gardens near Kabul, in 1928, commemorates those who lost their lives to gain independence
The top of the triumphal arch in Paghman gardens was blasted off during fighting in the Soviet-Afghan of the 1980s but is shown restored to its former glory in 2007
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A triumphal arch in the Paghman gardens near Kabul, seen in 1928 (left), commemorates the victims of the 1919 war against the British, which is known in Afghanistan as the War of Independence. The top of the structure was blasted off during fighting in the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s but is shown restored to its former glory in 2007 (right)
The Darul Aman Palace, as it looked in 1928, on the outskirts of Kabul, was to be a foretaste of what would be the new capital
After one civil war and two fires, the exterior of the Darul Aman Palace is a shadow of its former 1920s grandeur in 2011
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The Darul Aman Palace on the outskirts of Kabul as it looked in 1928 (left). It was to be a foretaste of what would be the new capital. The palace was another project of Amanullah Khan but, after Islamic hard-liners forced him from power in 1929, its construction was stalled and Darulaman's aspirations of becoming the capital were thwarted. The palace has suffered considerable damage over the years as an image from 2011 shows (right)
The Darul Aman Palace, as depicted from the back in 1928, was to herald an age of grandeur in a new capital city - a dream that was never realised.
The Darul Aman Palace, a beacon of 1920s optimism fell into disrepair, during the conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s, so its bullet-pocked appearance, shot in 2002, became more symbolic of Afghanistan's lawlessness
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The Darul Aman Palace, as depicted from the back in 1928 (left), was to herald an age of grandeur in a new capital city - a dream that was never realised. The beacon of 1920s optimism fell into disrepair during the conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s, so its bullet-pocked appearance - shown here in another modern-day shot, this time in 2002 (right) - became more symbolic of Afghanistan's lawlessness. Plans are afoot to restore the palace to its former glory in time for the centenary of Afghan independence in August 2019A goldsmith at work in a mud-walled courtyard in Kabul in 1928 (above) embodies Afghanistan's prosperity in the Roaring Twenties. He is one of the subjects immortalised by photographer Frédéric Gadmer during the Archives of the Planet project
A goldsmith at work in a mud-walled courtyard in Kabul in 1928 (above) embodies Afghanistan's prosperity in the Roaring Twenties. He is one of the subjects immortalised by photographer Frédéric Gadmer during the Archives of the Planet project
The pastel-painted exterior of a Kabul corner house in 1928 (above), set amid foliage, conveys an innocence that is to be lost
The pastel-painted exterior of a Kabul corner house in 1928 (above), set amid foliage, conveys an innocence that is to be lost
The blue and white neo-classical portico adorning the facade of a Kabul house in 1928 (above) is reminiscent of Wedgwood 
The blue and white neo-classical portico adorning the facade of a Kabul house in 1928 (above) is reminiscent of Wedgwood 
After gaining independence from the British in 1919, Afghans were keen to stamp their own identity on their country while still borrowing from European style. Flowers, trees and statuary in a Kabul garden in 1928 (above) are testament to the inspiration
After gaining independence from the British in 1919, Afghans were keen to stamp their own identity on their country while still borrowing from European style. Flowers, trees and statuary in a Kabul garden in 1928 (above) are testament to the inspiration
With a backdrop not unlike a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, explorers take in the Farah Citadel, in western Afghanistan, in 1928. The 2,500-year-old structure - which has housed Alexander the Great and a Mujahadeen arms depot in its time - has miraculously managed to escape harm during various feuds and heavy bombardment
With a backdrop not unlike a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, explorers take in the Farah Citadel, in western Afghanistan, in 1928. The 2,500-year-old structure - which has housed Alexander the Great and a Mujahadeen arms depot in its time - has miraculously managed to escape harm during various feuds and heavy bombardment
A woman wearing an elegant outfit is spotted going for a stroll along a tree-lined avenue in Kabul during the summer of 1928
A woman wearing an elegant outfit is spotted going for a stroll along a tree-lined avenue in Kabul during the summer of 1928
A group of camel herders take a break while journeying through a desert in southern Afghanistan in 1928
A group of camel herders take a break while journeying through a desert in southern Afghanistan in 1928
In a more serene 1928, a European woman strolls through the Paghman gardens, which these days host dog-fighting contests
In a more serene 1928, a European woman strolls through the Paghman gardens, which these days host dog-fighting contests

TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN AFGHANISTAN 

August 1919:  A peace treaty recognising the independence of Afghanistan from British influence is signed at Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) on August 8, with the region under the sovereign rule of Amanullah Khan.
November 1933: After Amanullah Khan flees due to social unrest, Zahir Shah is crowned king and Afghanistan remains a monarchy for the following four decades.  
December 1979: The Soviets invade Afghanistan on December 27.  They want to make Afghanistan a modern socialist state and support the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
April 1988: Afghanistan, the USSR, the US and Pakistan sign a set of peace accords after years of negotiation. The Soviet Union begins pulling out troops. 
February 1989: The Soviets leave Afghanistan, largely defeated.
1992: Civil war breaks out as the Mujahedeen groups throw out the Communist government and turn their guns on each other.
1996: The Taliban seizes control of Kabul prohibiting women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments such as stoning to death and amputations.
1997: The Taliban is recognised as the legitimate ruler by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. It now controls about two-thirds of country.
Oct 7, 2001: President George W. Bush announces that US and British troops have begun striking Afghanistan for harbouring the al-Qaeda terrorists blamed for the September 11 attacks. 
May 2011: Bin Laden is found hiding in neighbouring Pakistan and is killed in a US special operations raid. There are still about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
June 2011: Saying the US is meeting its goals in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama announces his withdrawal plan: Bring home 10,000 troops by the end of 2011.
May 2014: Obama announces his plan to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016, when his second term in office will be drawing to a close.
October 2015: In a reversal, Obama says the situation is too fragile for the American military to leave. He announces plans to keep the force of about 9,800 in place through most of next year to continue counter-terrorism missions and advise Afghans battling a resurgent Taliban. The plan is for the number to decrease to about 5,500 troops in 2017.
September 2016: Afghanistan's government signs a draft peace deal with the militant group Hezb-e Islami and grants immunity to its leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
August 2017: President Donald Trump commits more US troops to Afghanistan to fight a resurgent Taliban.
December 2018: The Taliban welcomes news of the US plan to withdraw half its troops from Afghanistan by the summer, as Afghan generals warn it would be a blow to the morale of the country's beleaguered security forces.
























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