Taliban capture US sniffer dog (video) & Karzai govt to ratify new wife beating law

[BobStackFan4Life]

Taliban capture US sniffer dog (video) & Karzai govt to ratify new wife beating law

It would really suck to be a dog or woman in Afghanistan.

"You see the ears? They are down, that tells you that the dog is not aggressive and just wants to feel safe. Right now the dog is terrified," said the handler, who asked not to be named while talking about Nato.

"I can see in his eyes he just wants to get his handler," he added.

A spokesman for Nato forces in Afghanistan said they were aware of the reports, and looking into them, but had no immediate comment.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/06/us-military-sniffer-dog-captured-taliban

A new Afghan law will allow men to attack their wives, children and sisters without fear of judicial punishment, undoing years of slow progress in tackling violence in a country blighted by so-called "honour" killings, forced marriage and vicious domestic abuse.

Under the new law, prosecutors could never come to court with cases like that of Sahar Gul, a child bride whose in-laws chained her in a basement and starved, burned and whipped her when she refused to work as a prostitute for them. Women like 31-year-old Sitara, whose nose and lips were sliced off by her husband at the end of last year, could never take the stand against their attackers.

But that was five years ago, and since then Karzai has presided over a strengthening of conservative forces. In the last year alone parliament has blocked a law to curb violence against women and cut the quota for women on provincial councils, while the justice ministry floated a proposal to bring back stoning as a punishment for adultery.

"In the beginning they were a little scared with the new government and media," Ghaffar said, referring to the period soon after the Taliban's fall when women's rights were a focus of international attention. "Now they do whatever they want as they have seen the government is not very democratic or strongly in favour of women's rights."

Countries that spent billions trying to improve justice and human rights are now focused largely on security, and are retreating from Afghan politics.

Heather Barr, Afghanistan researcher with Human Rights Watch, said: "Opponents of women's rights have been emboldened in the last year. They can see an opportunity right now to begin reversing women's rights – no need to wait for 2015. The lack of response from donors has energised them further. Everyone has known since May that this law could be passed but we didn't hear any donors speaking out about it publicly."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/04/afghanistan-law-victims-violence-women

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Hamid Karzai 'has been talking to Taliban for months'

The outreach to the Taliban began last November, just as Washington believed a deal for a long-term US military presence in Afghanistan was about to be signed.

After a national gathering convened to discuss the bilateral agreement endorsed it, Karzai surprised allies and much of his own cabinet by rolling out a new list of conditions.

The strategic deal is still unsigned, and billions of dollars in military and civilian aid linked to it are also in limbo.

Since then, relations between Kabul and Washington have deteriorated further with the revelation that Karzai suspects the US is behind many insurgent-style attacks, including a recent suicide assault on a restaurant in the Afghan capital that killed prominent members of the international community and two US citizens.

He has also ordered the release of dozens of prisoners considered by the US to be dangerous Taliban fighters.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/04/hamid-karzai-talking-to-taliban-for-months

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Brother of Afghan Leader Said to Be Paid by C.I.A.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/asia/28intel.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
This brother was later assassinated.

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Karzai Blasts Opium Drug Raid As Violation Of Afghan Sovereignty

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday denounced a large-scale drug raid in which U.S. forces and Russian drug agents took part, calling it a violation of Afghan sovereignty.

The incident was reminiscent of a raid carried out in July by Afghan authorities with U.S. backing, which targeted a Karzai aide accused of corruption. The president swiftly ordered his aide freed and moved to limit the powers of the two anti-corruption task forces in question.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/31/world/la-fg-afghanistan-karzai-20101031

 

[Lectro]

I'm just glad we are on the side of the "good guys" ...

I wonder what operations the dark money will finance?