AfghanistanicaAfghanistanicaAn exploration of Afghanistan-related issues. Articles
Afghan Celebrity Lookalikes
2007-07-02 22:27:00 July 2, 2007. From Afghanland.com comes this amusing comparison chart. Nader Shah really does look like a bottle of Coca-Cola. If Karzai ever gets assassinated his life-story would make for a decent movie in a Shakespearian tragedy sort of way. I’ll agree with the above lookalikes and say that Kingsley would be perfect for the role. And Khalilzad really was the “political Godfather” of Afghanistan for a time. More About: Celebrity , Like , Look , Ghan , Kali
Massoud, Khalili, and Massoud Khalili: Three Different Guys
2007-07-02 22:04:00 July 2, 2007. Let’s just say that in 2001 my knowledge of the chicanery occuring inside Afghanistan was rather rudimentary. When the Arab suicide bombers blew themselves up in Mass oud’s compound on September 9th, I knew exactly who Ahmed Shah Massoud was. However, I read that Massoud Khalili was injured very badly in the blast. That confused me a little. I wondered why the Hazara leader was hanging out with Massoud in the Panjshir Valley. Obviously, I had mistaken Ahmed Shah Massoud’s friend and adviser Massoud Khalili for the Hazara leader Karim Khalili. Whoops. I figured it out when his men captured Bamiyan in November 2001. So let’s get this squared away: This is Ahmed Shah Massoud. This is Massoud Khalili. This is Karim Khalili. ... More About: Guys , Rent , Three , Lili
Video of Suicide Bomber Attack on Dostum (2005)
2007-07-01 20:12:00 July 1, 2007. This is a video of the suicide bomber assassination attempt on Rashid Dostum in 2005. I never knew that there was such a high-quality video of the attack. Be warned: it is (relatively) graphic towards the end. That’s why when you go to public Friday prayers at large mosques you go unannounced like Karzai did recently. More About: Video , Suicide , Suicide Bomber , Bomber , Cide
“Going Native” In Afghanistan
2007-06-30 23:11:00 June 30, 2007. Americans and Europeans who venture into Afghanistan as civilians usually have several barriers between themselves and the locals. These include body guards, security problems, lack of language skills, translators between the Westerner and the locals, segregated housing, lack of understanding regarding local culture, etc… And yes, I know not everybody hides behind their security guard in Shahr-i Naw. I’m sure some NGO folks feel quite proud that they went to some local’s house and had chai. It’s really cool; you take a bunch of pictures on your digital camera as proof of how you are “getting down” with the locals. But is anybody from the West “going native” in Afghanistan? But first a definition of “going native:” “The term ‘going native’ is employed to refer to the trepidation felt by the European colonizers in Africa that they may become desecrated by being assimilated into the culture a... More About: Ghan , Going , Native , Goin
Totally out of context quote #12
2007-06-29 19:25:00 June 29, 2007. “Who the bloody hell told you that?” Context : The well-known journalist and author of Taliban, Ahmed Rashid, lets Barnett Rubin know that rumours of his death in Spain while celebrating his birthday have been greatly fabricated. He confirmed that he is alive and well and visiting Norway, a rather safe place. The rumour starters at The Far Eastern Economic Review defended themselves by stating that there are number of high profile “Ahmed Rashids:” 1) a best-selling author named Ahmed Rashid, 2) a former writer for The Far Eastern Economic Review, 3) a commmentator for the BBC, and 4) a blogger for the Washington Post. And perchance one of them died? I checked out each one individually. They all sort of look and sound the same, in addition to having identical bios. But I understand if, as a journalist, you have a “scoop” and don’t have time to attempt a confirmation. If you want accurate information I suggest signing up... More About: Quote , Ally
Pashtuns Must Have Their Revenge! Sometimes!
2007-06-27 21:24:00 June 27, 2007. With wonderful Rudyard Kiplingesque hyperbole the journalists and commentators of the West write about the Pashtun code of honour, or Pashtunwali, that requires family members to seek revenge for relatives that are killed. The concept of Badal, or revenge, means that every Pashtun who has lost a family member is on the warpath, bent on revenge. [Insert obligatory image of scary, hairy Pashtun man.] So then how does Afghanistan function at all? What Pashtun hasn’t violently lost a relative? Is it possible that not every Pashtun male is lurking in the darkness, sharpening his knife or loading his AK-47 with fresh ammo? Do Pashtuns actually go on with their life without taking revenge? Has the media been exaggerating alleged aspects of Pashtun culture? Do I ask too many rhetorical questions? I would venture a guess that if it was possible to do a quantitative analysis of revenge in Afg... More About: Revenge , Must , Some
Who Will Be Afghanistan’s Next President?
2007-06-24 23:17:00 June 24, 2007. Speculating about future President ial candidates in the USA seems to be somewhat of a national sport in which political commentators embarass themselves by making horribly incorrect predictions as much as four years in advance. So, instead of sharing with you a prediction that will surely turn out to be horribly incorrect, I will offer my opinion on what makes for an electable candidate in Afghanistan . With a limit of two five-year terms Karzai can be re-elected and serve until 2014. And even with his popularity slipping, the last comprehensive polls late last year showed his approval rating at levels that Euro or American leaders would be quite satified with. The World Public Opinion poll gave Karzai a 55% “very favourable” rating while the BBC/ABC poll showed Karzai at 68% of Afghans giving Karzai a “good” or “excellent” rating. So Karzai is still electable in the next election, especially consi... More About: Ghan , Resident
American Intelligence Community Horror Story #4786
2007-06-22 20:08:00 June 22, 2007. Not enough experts, hmm? Nobody can speak the languages? The government needs people with area knowledge? Well, of course they do. And there is of course a shortage of available people with the required skill set. So why are so many experts being turned down for employment? You can find this debate discussed ad nauseum elsewhere. Instead I will share a little story about an acquaintance who was turned away by the bureaucracy of the United States government. The person in question is at the same intensive language program I am in and agreed to have their Q&A session put on Afghanistanica after being allowed to edit the text. So here it is: Q: What’s up? Why are you not in Afghanistan? A: I failed the security clearance process. The “SF” in SF-86 [the security clearance form] stood for “Seriously F***ed” in my case. Q: OK. Back up a little. Describe your “skill set.” A: I have a Master’s degree in an area studies pro... More About: Horror , Story , Community , Intelligence , American
Afghan-American Blogger Starts Mini-Controversy
2007-06-21 03:08:00 June 20, 2007. People actually care what bloggers write about Afghanistan? Apparently yes. Mohammed Fahim Khairy, a Hazara living in Arizona, wrote about recent Kuchi attacks on Hazara villages in the Hazarajat. Many parts of this opinion piece, despite its inflammatory title, are actually quite accurate. Though it is problematic in parts (i.e., calling Kuchis the “richest people in Afghanistan”). The Pashtun nomads known as Kuchis have been in conflict with the sedenatary Hazara population on and off for quite some time. It is a classic nomad-sedentary conflict with Pashtun herders wanting to bring their animals up into the Hazarajat to graze on land that the Hazaras need for their own animals and crops. Whenever the Kuchis find the opportunity (i.e., Taliban era, Abdur Rahman era, etc…) they do their best to displace Hazaras. And when Hazaras find the opportunity, they chase out the Kuchis. It is basically two groups of impoverished people fighting over gr... More About: Blogger , American , Mini , Controversy , Logger
Pashto Language Education in the United States
2007-06-18 19:56:00 June 18, 2007. My spy has reported to me that there are 9 people in the introductory level Pashto language class at Indiana University’s summer language program. And by “spy,” I mean one of the students who was coming out of the Pashto class at the end of the day. This is a great improvement over last year when there were 2 students, and two years ago when the Pashto class was cancelled because only one serious candidate applied for Pashto. The situation the last two years was especially sad due to the fact that there were unused scholarships for Pashto. So you can’t totally blame the government when there is no interest in even getting paid to study Pashto. It’s as if there needs to be further incentives to get more than nine people to study Pashto. So basically, you have Pashto at the government’s Defense Language Institute, Indiana University (year round) and occasionally at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ve heard much anecdotal ... More About: United States , Education , United , States
Two Week Writing Break
2007-06-03 19:13:00 June 3, 2007. Afghanistanica will be inactive for about two weeks I while travel to the location of my intensive language program. I received academic welfare funding to study a certain Southwestern Iranian language for eight weeks (No, I’m not studying Khuzestani, Luri or Judeo-Tat). Once I get adjusted to the program and find some sort of internet access I will start writing again, albeit at a less frequent rate since I will be spending a lot of time studying, inshallah. More About: Writing , Break , Week , Brea
Tourism in Nuristan: Book Your Trip Now!
2007-06-02 05:45:00 June 2, 2007. Recently Bonnie Boyd took a look at tourism in Turkmenistan. So I thought, why not Nuristan? What is the potential for tourism there? The governor of Nuristan, whose name of course is Nuristani, had this to say to some French journalist on that subject: It’s paradise. You can go hiking, fishing, rafting, birdwatching … in winter you can ski… Birdwatching hmm? Yes, I do so want to check off Apache, A-10 Warthog, Chinook and Predator Drone from my birder check-list. But other than watching the large mechanized birds full of Americans and the above mentioned activities, what is there for a tourist to do in Nuristan? I investigated and I found that tourists are practically crawling all over Nuristan. Here’s photographic proof, courtesy of Ranger 9865, who I assume is some sort of tour operator: Horse-back riding! Sledding in the snow! Musical Entertainment! Fine dining! World-class golf courses! (OK, I cheated. This is just downriver in Kunar, which h... More About: Tourism , Book , Trip
The Slow Death of Hizb-i Islami and the Lameness of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
2007-06-02 01:58:00 June 1, 2007. I was working half-heartedly on an assessment of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the various remnants of Hizb-i Islami. But then I came across this fine article by Matt Dupee at Afgha.com. Matt’s assessment is very close to where I was heading. My argument was going to be that Hekmatyar is overrated and mostly “out of the game.” But Matt’s article is good enough for me. And yes, I did recently make fun of Hekmatyar and then wonder why all his old buddies are dropping dead. I think I have reached my Hekmatyar quota for the year. More About: Death , Slow , Slam , Lame , Amen
Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection
2007-05-30 22:52:00 May 30, 2007. Have you ever been involved in a conversation or debate about the role of Pakistan in Afghanistan and not been able to add anything beyond agreeing that Pakistan is a continuing source for extremism? Do you wish you could throw around terms like Lashkar-i-Taiba and Lashkar-i-Jangvi? Have you ever wanted to tell someone the difference between Jami’at-i-Ulema-i-Islam and Jami’at-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan? Probably not. But if you have any desire to do the above mentioned things then a book titled Islamist Networks : The A fghan-Pakistan Connect ion is for you. Written by Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy (Columbia University Press, 2004), the book comes in at 82 pages long in its English translation so it is straight and to the point. And although the book covers events only up until mid-2003, it is a great starting point for understanding the Islamist/Jihadi networks in Pakistan and their role in Afghanistan. There are other great books that go into more detail on Pakistan, ...
What’s Behind the Shooting of Demonstrators in Northern Afghanistan?
2007-05-29 08:36:00 May 29, 2007. This is so simple yet so convoluted. It is so Afghanistan . Let’s get started… Demon strators angrily protest in the northern province of Jowzjan (Jauzjan) and at least a dozen are shot dead. Apparently, the demonstrators are loyal to Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek tough guy up north. And the object of their protest? A Karzai-appointed governor of course. According to the NY Times, the incident that sparked the demonstration was the arrest of six men for allegedly attempting to assassinate a legislator who had recently split with Dostum. Now the ANA, backed by NATO troops, has moved in to restore order. First of all, I should note that this incident is important since Uzbeks, who are about 10% of Afghanistan’s population at the most, have been very cooperative in relation to some other groups in Afghanistan. This is the first time I have noticed the Afghan government antagonizing the Uzbeks, albeit somewhat unintentionally. Before this the antagonizing has always been ... More About: Shooting , Trat , Stra
Malalai Joya Can Has Cheezburger?
2007-05-28 20:43:00 May 28, 2007. The Afghan-American (I think) blogger known as “Slanted Eyes” has crossed all boundaries of decency with this post on Mala lai Joya. Now excuse me while I try to control my laughter. PS: Confused or angry? All your questions will be answered if you check out the amazing hit phenomenon cat-caption blog I Can Has Cheezburger? More About: Lala , Urge
Slightly Biased Afghan Sports Report #1
2007-05-28 06:57:00 May 28, 2007. It appears that I have neglected to mention the goings-on in the world of Afghan sports. So without any more delay I’ll start the report with cricket before moving on to running, football and bowling. First to the cricket stadium in Kabul for the Peace Cricket Tournament. In an exciting and dramatic victory the heroic cricketers from Kunar crushed the side from Paktia, despite, I’m sure, the presence of numerous Pakistani mercenary cricketeers on the Paktia side. But Paktia’s foreigners were clearly no equal to Kunar’s magnificent Sardar, who scored 54 runs. The next day, in a match marred by biased refereeing and treacherous tactics, the cheating cheaters from Khost won a hollow victory against the fine lads from Kunar. Not that I really care anymore, but Khost did get their comeuppance in the tournament’s final when they deservedly lost to Logar. It is nice to note that no coaches were murdered, unlike what is seen in international cricket. On an unfortunat... More About: Sports , Report , Repo , Spor , Ghan
New al-Qaeda Commander for Afghanistan, Plus A Comparative Beard Analysis
2007-05-26 00:58:00 May 26, 2007. So al Qaeda has a new head of operations in Afghanistan . Or rather for Afghanistan since he will likely not set foot west of the Durand line. According to the CIA and the Pentagon (and according to himself), he’s the replacement for the last guy, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, who was nabbed by the Turks and sent to Guantanamo while on his way back to Iraq to join the struggle in his home country. So let’s look at this handsome fellow before doing any analysis. Great. That’s out of the way. First the story: In his first video address via al Jazeera the veteran Egyptian Jihadi says nothing of any value. That is unless you get a kick out of listening to yet another AQ Jihadi drone on about the impending doom that waits the crusaders and their apostate puppets at the hands of the multitudes of suicide bombers that are about to be sent into Afghanistan for their “martyrdom missions.” This all probably means very little unless Mustafa Abu Yazid has something new to offer... More About: Analysis , Al Qaeda , Plus , Commander
The Current Status of Afghan Hospitality
2007-05-25 04:02:00 May 25, 2007. The old stereotype: I read the story accompanying this photo. It was a typical description of the hospitality you expected in pre-1980s Afghanistan. Then I read an old blog entry by an NGO worker venting about the treatment she received in Afghanistan. Here is a quick quote: …most of the time I was there I worked hard to block it out. When there, I constantly echoed the Afghans’ own mantra: Afghanistan is an extremely hospitable country, Afghanistan is an extremely hospitable country… I repeated this although I was invited to about 10 times fewer homes in my two years there than my time in Russia and Tajikistan. Afghans insisting that they are hospitable does not make it so. True. I never bought into the whole “most hospitable country in the world” claim as it seems that people are hospitable to their guests everywhere in the world. Even when compared to the rest of the region; do Iranians and Pakistanis treat their guests like second-class citizens? I don... More About: Current , Hospitality , Status , Rent , Stat
Muslim Americans and the War in Afghanistan
2007-05-24 05:01:00 May 24, 2007. On Monday the Pew Research Center released a survey and report titled “Muslim Americans : Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream” (Download pdf). It’s full of signs that Muslims in America are more integrated and moderate than Muslims elsewhere and other confirmations of the obvious. Now that you have read the entire report, including the methodology section, I will pull out a couple of Afghanistan related survey results: In my opinion, the higher level of dissent on the war in Afghanistan is a symptom of several factors: 1) Almost 90% of Muslims in America are Democrats. The dissent partially comes with being against Bush for reasons of political affiliation, not necessarily religious affiliation. 2) Afghan-Americans are not even in the top 8 foreign origins for Muslim Americans. I’m assuming there is higher support for continued engagement in Afghanistan in the Afghan-American community. 3) Frustration with the slow progress in Afghanistan. And now for the parts... More About: Slim , Ghan
Canadian Prime Minister Betrays The West In Afghanistan
2007-05-23 23:16:00 May 23, 2007. In a shocking act of rank treachery, the Canadian PM Stephen Harper betrayed the West while on an unannounced trip to Afghanistan . The proof of my claim is in the photo below where Harper presents Karzai with a set of baby pajamas (or a jumper or romper if you will) for his newborn son Mirwais. Why is this a gross betrayal? look at the logo on the baby suit. It’s that of the Ottawa Senators, an ice hockey team from eastern Canada (spit on ground). The Prime Minister is from the western Canadian province of Alberta. He is a native prairie son. And furthermore, Alberta has two hockey teams: the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. This is where the betrayal of the west comes in to the picture. Why not bring a gift for Karzai’s baby that is branded with a logo of a western Canadian hockey team? So yes, that is how he betrayed the “West.” I used to think he was an honourable man. But no longer do I believe that. He is clearly subservient to the...
Khareji Gone Wild! Drunk Americans Louts and Frisky British Tomcats Paint K
2007-05-20 06:46:00 May 20, 2007. So apparently foreigners are behaving badly and partying too much. And I’m not talking about the Saudis on the Riviera. Journalist Jean MacKenzie took in a “foreigner only party” and gives details on her entertaining and informative Afghan blog. Here are some amusing excerpts: I spent one unfortunate Thursday evening at l’Atmosphere, where I found a group of twenty-somethings betting, far more loudly than was healthy, on who would be the first to “break the barrier” – which meant, I was told, getting an Afghan into bed. I had to go home and take a shower after that one. Once the restaurants start to close, the crowds move to the private parties that spring up like brush fires in various locales. The goal of party behaviour is simple: get as trashed as possible, as quickly as possible, and try to pair up for the weekend ahead. By three in the morning, it looks like Noah’s ark. As it was, all you needed was a foreign passport. I was soon draw... More About: British , Wild , Drunk , Gone , Americans
Counterinsurgency and the Training of the Afghan National Army
2007-05-19 08:28:00 May 19, 2007. I just finished reading a report on the formation and ongoing training of the Afghan National Army . The author, an Italian PhD at the London School of Economics’ Crisis States Research Centre named Antonio Giustozzi, provides an excellent analysis for the first five years of the Afghan National Army. “Looking good boys, looking good. Now if only looks could kill.” The ANA, if you don’t know already, was formed on the quick because 1) anti-Taliban/anti-AQ militias were useless and 2) the power of the Afghan government outside of Kabul needed to be increased without foreign troops stepping on local strongmen feet. But things haven’t gone exactly to plan and Giustozzi explores that fact. Antonio Giustozzi may not be a dedicated military scholar or COIN specialist, but he does provide an informed historical perspective, with long years of research on Afghanistan. And his ongoing research is all centered on conflict in Afghanistan. [IMO, he&rsquo... More About: Training , Surge , Count
Scholarly Afghanistan Blogs
2007-05-17 21:00:00 May 17, 2007. Expert analysis on Afghanistan ? From a blog? The answer is “Yes.” There are a few blogs out there that offer a high quality of analysis on Afghanistan and also have some sort of graduate diploma on the wall. And accordingly their analysis reflects a high level of scholarship. Pic: “Have you perused my Afghanistan blog?” These blogs would be Péter Marton’s My State Failure Blog, Bonnie Boyd’s Central Asia Blog, Carl Robichaud’s Afghanistan Watch, Peter from Downunder’s The Strategist, and Civil-Military Relations. I’ve linked to their “Afghanistan” category where applicable. My State Failure Blog, or MStFB, is described as a blog for scholars and students of International Relations and other social science disciplines. The author, Péter Marton, is a PhD student of International Relations at the Corvinus University of Budapest where his dissertation topic is state failure. Péter previously had led re... More About: Blogs , Hola , Logs , Ghan
Totally out of context quote #11
2007-05-16 23:40:00 May 16, 2007. “the gist of it is this: chai good, Afghanistan good, Pakistan bad, Osama in Pakistan, Osama in Islamabad, a hand-gestured demonstration that we should bomb Islamabad, and American snuff makes their heads spin.” Context : Afghan National Army soldiers and an American Embedded Tactical Trainer (ETT) find themselves without a translator. Nevertheless the Afghans manage to convey their opinions on the important issues of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Al Qaeda and chewing tobacco. This quote is from the Afghanistan milblog Bill and Bob’s Excellent Afghan Adventure, which is quite good and regularly updated. As a soldier embedded with Afghan troops the author of this blog has a much higher level of interaction with locals, which makes for rather interesting blog entries. Also, the soldier is from Cincinnati. This may explain why he went out of his way to volunteer to go to Afghanistan. I unknowingly went to Cincinnati right after the riots. I think Afghanistan may actually b... More About: Total , Quote , Ally
The Silent Campaign of Assassinations in Afghanistan
2007-05-16 06:22:00 May 16, 2007. So who is killing all the former Hizb-i Islami commanders? Over the last year and a half nearly twenty members of parliament or provincial councils have been assassinated. And in the last several months a number of high-profile assassinations have occurred. I call it a “Silent Camp aign ” because of the lack of concern that it is causing in the West, and in much of Afghan society as well. The most recent high profile killing was that of Abdul Sabur Farid, an appointed senator and former Mujahideen era Prime Minister from the northern province of Kapisa. This was soon followed by the killing of a former commander who had operated on the Shomali plains north of Kabul. And only a little while earlier Bashir Baghlani, a former Taliban-appointed governor of Baghlan province, was a victim of a “mysterious death.” What these three all have in common is that they are all former Hizb-i Islami senior level commanders who operated in the north. [Note: often ... More About: Afghanistan , Assassination
Farewell Dadullah! Hello Ambiguity!
2007-05-15 20:58:00 May 15, 2007. First things first. Apparently some people miss their dear Dadullah (sort of). Here’s a sample: Na’am, the Mullah Mujāhid was martyred: Mullah Dādullāh (rahīmahullāh). May Allāh accept him amongst the Shuhadā. Amīn. While the enemies of Allāh Ta’āla rejoice over his death with wine, we, the believers in Allāh, rejoice over his martyrdom with joyful tears and sincere du’ā. “…rejoice over his death with wine…?” The news came out on Sunday morning. Personally, I rejoiced over a cup of bad home-brewed coffee. But I can see it: American good ol’ boys uncorking a bottle of vintage 1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac at 10am on a Sunday. So it turns out both sides are happy about Dadullah’s death. If you want more of the above go visit these angry guys. Their most recent blog entry is “How to Refute a Christian in One Minute.” Turns out the advice is only good for refuting 6 year-old Catholics with ... More About: Hell , Farewell , Hello , Fare , Well
Too Close to Bush for Comfort?
2007-05-15 07:06:00 May 15, 2007. Take a close look at the seating arrangements at the lunch table: Ok, so Condoleeza Rice is sitting next to Karzai and Yunis Qanuni is playing with his napkin. But look two spots to President Bush ’s left: it’s the Emir of Herat - the Slayer of the Soviets - the Warlord of the West - the alleged puppet of Iran - the fomer Mujahideen, the esteemed Minster of Energy (or Darkness depending on who you ask) Ismael Khan! Well, are you as psyched about this as I am? Why not? If you had got the two of them in a photo standing together it would hands down beat the “Elvis meets Nixon” photo. If you believed everything that has been alleged about Ismael Khan then you would be expecting him to jump over his neighbor and stab Bush with one of the three forks they give you for these fancy meals. The headline would read “The Emir of Herat Assassinates Bush With Salad Fork.” But, alas for the dislikers of Bush, Ismael Khan has retired to a cabinet ... More About: Close , Fort , Comfort
Revisiting the Airlift of Evil: A Blunder Via Pragmatism
2007-05-14 07:14:00 May 14, 2007. There was very little controversy when numerous sources revealed, over a two-month period from November 2001 to January 2002, that the Pakistani government had rescued possibly thousands of Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban, Pakistani ISI and Army officers, Al Qaeda volunteers and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan members from the northern Afghan city of Kunduz. Defeated Taliban and Al Qaeda had fled to the city after losing battles across the north and many were negotiating surrender. But then something inexplicable happened. Over a three-day period Pakistani military planes made non-stop flights in and out of the Kunduz airport, which was controlled by the Taliban. So all the important commanders and Pakistanis escaped along a safe-flight corridor supposedly guaranteed by the Americans. Photo: This guy missed his flight to Pakistan. But he got another one to Guantanamo. Needless to say, many people were upset. Northern Alliance soldiers were livid, American soldiers ... More About: Evil , Visi , Visit , Lift , The A
Mullah Dadullah’s Death Is One Week Too Early
More articles from this author:2007-05-13 17:30:00 May 13, 2007. So Mullah Dadullah is dead. NATO/USA/ANA/Afghan Police killed him. Apparently everybody gets credit for this one. But what really aggrieves me is the timing of his death in Helmand. It is one week too early. I’ll explain why below. My problem is that I had prepared a blog entry that I was going to post this week about Mullah Dadullah. Basically, it said that unlike Mullah Omar and others in the top leadership echelon of what’s left of the Taliban, Dadullah is a true field commander. He prefers to be in the action, not staying back at Taliban HQ, which is usually some guy’s guest room. And as such, I expected him to die violently in Afghanistan, if not in battle, at least near the field of operations. Cartoon by Matt Weems You believe me, don’t you? I guess I’ve been punished for procrastination. I could have been that guy who predicted, quite accurately, the demise of the Taliban’s #1 field commander. Instead I’m the lying b... More About: Death , Week , Early , Earl 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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