A new tweet from the editor of The Guardian:
Massive leak of 92k secret files exposes true nature of Afghan war http://is.gd/dHVoW
The true nature of the war detailed at The Guardian:
- Hundreds of civilians killed by ISAF forces.
- Increased Taliban attacks.
- Fear Pakistan and Iran fueling insurgency.
- A secret “black” unit of special forces hunting down Taliban leaders and Al Qaeda.
- Taliban has acquired deadly surface-to-air missiles (and US government didn’t tell us)
- Increasing use of deadly Reaper drones to hunt and kill Taliban targets by remote control from a base in Nevada.
- Taliban has caused growing carnage with a massive escalation of its roadside bombing campaign, which has killed more than 2,000 civilians to date.
Now I realise that some people may not follow the war in Afghanistan as closely as others, but most of the above is not shocking news. The increasing use of drones (deadly ones, as opposed to those that deliver cupcakes) and the concern about Iran and Pakistan has been widely reported. The regrettable loss of civilian life in attacks is hardly unexpected, unless you are the sort of person who thinks a war can be fought without any civilian casualties.
The secret black ops unit? It would be shocking if it didn’t exist.
The missiles? That’s new, or is it? The news item about the missiles seems to suggest the cover-up may be more of a debate about a single-attack on a Chinook, while the dangers of missiles (including old stingers and Iranian supplied missiles) is appreciated as real.
Perhaps the only surprising thing in the bullet points above, is the fact The Guardian highlighted the casualties directly related to the Taliban’s war against the Afghan people.
