Civilian Deaths, Karzai announces Warlord as running mate

100 Civilians were killed in two Afghani villages on Thursday, supposedly due to an American airstrike. The fighting started when Taliban members attacked a group of Afghani military troops. The Taliban then retreated to nearby villages, which were soon bombed by the U.S. Some say the Taliban was completely out of the villages by the time the Americans arrived. The civilian causalities sparked a very anti-American protest, with citizens chanting “Death to America”. What people are trying to figure out now is who exactly caused the casualties. American officials are blaming the Taliban- but many civilians and Afghani officials say it was most certainly the American troops. Some people say it could be a mix of grenades from the Taliban and air missiles from the Americans, but most say it was the air strike. The protesters demanded for American forces to leave Afghanistan. US Defense Secretary Gates apologized publicly for any civilian casualties, but accused the Taliban of using civilians as shields and trying to attract civilian death. He says the Taliban tries to hide behind civilians so they are killed. Although this may be true, the general consensus is that the US is responsible for these civilian deaths.


President Karzai announced that he will run for re-election this august and has selected his running mates. One of them is Mohamed Fahim, a warlord who has attracted a lot of controversy. This is a very interesting decision of Karzai’s part, as the group Human Rights Watch immediately issued press statements criticizing Karzai. One official from the group stated about Fahim, “"He is one of the most notorious warlords in the country, with the blood of many Afghans on his hands from the civil war.” They say putting Fahim in a position of power would be a step back for Afghanistan, rather than moving forwards. Karzai is backed by the West, but his administration is known for corruption and inefficiency. This is a crucial election for not only Afghanistan, but the United States and other nations that have troops in the country.

Australia Increases troops, America sets plan for summer

The prime minister of Australia announced that he will send 450 more troops to Afghanistan. He says this will help fight the Taliban resurgence and show that they will not let terrorism continue. Australia already had 1,100 troops in Afghanistan, so this is a 41% increase. The Australian prime minister says they must help fight off the Taliban so terrorists do not harbor in Afghanistan and become a threat to not only Australia, but to the United States and other countries as well. Oftentimes we forget other countries are fighting the war in Afghanistan in addition to the U.S. Most people do not think of Australia as a major force there, but this increase shows their commitment to involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

A parade for the 17th anniversary of the overthrowing of the communist government in Afghanistan has been cancelled. Last year on the anniversary, three people were killed as militants attempted to assassinate President Karzai. In preparation for something like this happening, police were deployed to prominent locations in Kabul, and the parade was cancelled. Many people are upset about this, as they cannot celebrate this anniversary. Mr. Karzai did host a meal for dignitaries for a celebration, but many people are upset that the anniversary is not being treated with enough respect. While President Karzai’s decision to scale down the celebrations this year has been met with some upset people, it makes sense after he was nearly assassinated last year.

This summer, the American military will send thousands of troops to cut off the Taliban’s opium trade. This is the terrorists’ main source of income- as it generates about $300 million a year. This is enough to sustain the group’s operations in southern Afghanistan for an entire year. This number also makes up 90% of the world’s total opium trade.
The Americans think by hurting the Taliban’s opium trade they will be making a huge dent in their income, and crippling their operations. “The Americans say their main goal this summer will be to provide security for the Afghan population and thereby isolate the insurgents.” The three main places the troops will be sent are Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul. About 20,000 marines and soldiers will be sent by August 20th. This operation, if successful, will definitely help take down the Taliban, not only by isolating the insurgents from one another, but cutting down their main economic source.

4/15 blog

A new law was signed in Afghanistan taking away many of women’s rights, and reminding the country of the oppression of the Taliban. The bill that was recently passed through congress and signed by the president is extremely controversial, making things like marital rape legal and not letting women go to school without their husband’s permission. Afghani women staged a protest demanding their rights.
The protest, staged in Kabul, was somewhat successful in creating more discussion about the law. President Karzai has received a lot of resentment from the US and other countries for signing the law, and has said he is considering changing some of the most controversial parts. Some people believe the president only signed the bill to win the favor of the Shiite clergy, as Mr. Karzai is up for re-election this year. The women who participated in the rally, though, are adamant about gaining their right. Men gathered to call them whores, and support the bill, saying they do not want NATO and other countries affecting how they treat their women.
I think the laws are disgusting. It is obviously a very different culture, but I don’t think we should be supporting a country who makes marital rape legal, and gives the husband all control over his wife. I think the Afghani president is in a tough spot- if he changes the bill, many men in his country will be outraged, but on the other hand, much of the world is again what he is doing.

The American military in Afghanistan is working hard to recruit Afghani men in fighting against the Taliban. They are convincing men to take up arms and defend their own villages against Taliban attacks. The US did something similar in Iraq in enlisting militia men to support their efforts over insurgents, and were very successful. However, some elders of certain villages in Afghanistan are not cooperating like the US wishes.
When the tactic first started, many men enthusiastically joined the US to patrol their villages. The US armed them, since they have been very supportive of the American military’s efforts. However, “The trouble came from the Pashtun enclave of Zayawalat, one of five large villages in Jalrez.” The elders of this enclave have met with American military officials many times, but cannot decide whether to send men or not because of the fear of the Taliban coming after them. The Taliban has been known to kill men and their families who have turned against them.
This is a huge risk for the US. To arm average Afghanis and trust them to do the right thing and fight the Taliban shows a great deal of faith in the militia. It seems to be working though, and hopefully it will really help fight of the Taliban. I think it is time Afghans start taking more action instead of just the Afghani and US militaries, which obviously cannot do it all themselves.

A young couple looking to elope was killed by the Taliban. The man and woman tried to escape because the woman was being forced to marry a man she did not like. The two young people intended to elope, but Taliban officials found out and hunted them down. They were both shot to death publicly in Kash Rud. NATO officials say this was a rural area and not in their region to cover. The officlal said NATO was not responsible for that area and that they have very limited presence there.
Apparently killings like this are very common in the Taliban. I think it is a very twisted, backward way of thinking to kill two people in love because the woman was being forced to marry another man. I find it odd to think no troops were aware of the very public shooting, but it was a very rural area so it is true NATO’s presence there was very limited.

Model UN reflection

I really enjoyed my model UN experience. I thought it was really cool how everything happened, and we could actually make realistic things happen. My group worked very well together, and I think it was a very worthwhile simulation.
My role was the “minister of foreign affairs” of Hezbollah. I was responsible for being knowledgeable about Hezbollah’s allies and enemies, and how they interact with others in the world. What I really liked was how everyone was able to contribute and make smart decisions together. We had the freedom to run an entire political party, and see realistic results of our actions. I also liked that we were able to use Google Earth during the simulation, which helped us in making some of our military moves. The way the news worked also made the simulation more alive. Having a news story come up was a good way of making us react. Overall, I though the whole way the simulation was run was very smoothly and realistically.
The actions I liked most that Hezbollah did was our efforts to win more seats in a new election. For the first part of the simulation, we worked very hard on internal popularity. We saw the positive effects of our efforts when the election actually happened. I wish we had done more covert operations. Hezbollah is known for its suicide bombers and drastic violence, so I thought we should have done more of the things it has been recognized for in the past. We did do a few things for our allies that were sneaky and covert, but more public strikes against Israel would have made the situation seem more real.

3/22 Afghanistan news

Suicide bombers in Afghanistan killed 4 Canadian troops and injured 8 in the province of Khandihar. Canada has about 2500 troops based in South Africa, aimed at fighting the Taliban. The death total of Canadian troops in Afghanistan is now 116. These attacks were followed by a particularly violent day, in which U.S. and Afghan troops killed 33 militants had opened fire upon them.
Canada’s mandate to end the war is 2011. We rarely remember that other countries are fighting the war in Afghanistan. American citizens think that this is “our” war, and we hear of having allies, but few rarely realize that citizens of other countries are dying in Afghanistan as well. Although Canadian troops will probably leave Afghanistan soon, the US plans to increase its troop numbers, and may ask for more assistance in the future if things get worse.


A new UN report says that civilian deaths in Afghanistan have risen nearly 40% since last year. The civilian deal tool in 2008 was 2,118, while in 2007 it was 1,523. The study found that most of the deaths were a result of insurgent violence, including suicide bombers, not by United States and its allied troops. However, Afghan forces and troops of the American-led coalition did kill 828 civilians, which is much higher than last year. There have been many episodes, in particular- airstrikes, in which civilians are killed by the US without intention. Suicide bombers, though, kill many more civilians because they look for the most popular areas people are in to try to kill as many as possible.
This not only looks bad for the US, but ultimately effects the citizens of Afghanistan. From day to day, their lives are consumed by fear. The UN’s survey also noted that 640 schools has closed down, depriving 230,000 children of an education because of the risk of suicide bombers. This rise is civilian deaths will look horrible upon the US- the war is already unpopular, and civilian deaths are one of the worst part of war. This UN study is very important to Obama in his decisions for future actions in Afghanistan.


A top UN envoy recently told Obama he should start talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Obama has said he was interested in reaching out to the “moderate elements” of the Taliban. Some people, though, say you need to include all members of the Taliban for an effective result. Therefore, president Obama’s negotiations with just some of the Taliban would not work. The UN special Envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, says Obama needs to be ambitious and address the entire Taliban movement. Eide also said he has had some contact with the Taliban- and that they had responded positively to some “humanitarian requests”. Obama , though, has said he will be sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to help fight the Taliban.
While adding troops may help stabilize Afghanistan, I think Obama needs to take Eide’s advice and start talking with the Taliban to work things out. The violence will not stop until more negotiations are made, and if Obama only addresses one sect of the Taliban, the other members may become even more radical. It will be interesting to see what Obama does in the future as far as talking to the terrorists and insurgents.

Hezbollah- foreign relations

Hezbollah is most commonly known as being an enemy of Israel and the United States, while being supported by Pakistan and Iran. Although most nations do not list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, 4 do: The US, Israel, Canada, and the Netherlands. On the contrary, Hezbollah’s ties with Iran are very strong, as well as its relationship with Syria. Without the support of Syria and Iran, Hezbollah would not have risen as fast as it did, and probably would not be as strong as it is today. Although Hezbollah, as a large part of Lebanon’s political operations, deals with many countries, these 4 (US, Israel, Syria, Iran) are the closest in contact with the group.
Iran has not kept its relationship with Hezbollah a secret. Both countries are extremely opposed to Israel, so they have a natural common interest which ties them extremely close to one another. Iran and Hezbollah have a long history of being allies, and many of Hezbollah’s followers are Iranian extremists. According to the Jamestown Foundation, “Iran uses Hezbollah as an instrument to pressure foreign elements that represent a national security threat, while giving Tehran plausible deniability.” Therefore, Iran’s support of Hezbollah strengthens it against the U.S. and Israel; countries they see as a threat to themselves. Both Iran and Hezbollah are violently opposed to peace with Israel. Iran has also trained many members of Hezbollah militarily. They provide Hezbollah with weapons and are partially responsible for some of the terrorist attacks Hezbollah has committed.
Hezbollah also has very close ties with Syria. Syria supported Hezbollah during the years 1990-2005, leading it to become a prominent political group in Lebanon. However, there have been times where Syria and Hezbollah have had lots of problems and clashed. For example, in 1987, Hezbollah kidnapped a ABC correspondent, which angered Syria, who beat Hezbollah troops over the matter. Syria had a great deal of control over Lebanon until they were kicked out in 2005, which both strengthens the ties between the two countries, but also has brewed some tension. Recently, however, the relationship between the two has been warm, which worries the U.S. and Israel. Although Syria may not agree with the Lebanese government all the time, they do continue to support Hezbollah. Militarily, Syria has provided Hezbollah with missiles and arms.
Hezbollah’s foundation is based on a hatred for Israel. Naturally, Hezbollah has come into military contract with Israel many times, and the situation is not getting much better. Hezbollah was formed in 1982 as a response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In 1985, Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon, but there is still fighting between the two countries. In 2006, a war occurred that some refer to as Israel’s “second Lebanon war”. This fight between Israel and Hezbollah forces killed over a thousand people. The fighting lasted months, until the UN helped to negotiate a cease fire. Still, the tension between Israel and Hezbollah cannot be denied.
The U.S., Britain, and other members of the U.N. have recently made moves towards negotiating with Hezbollah. President Obama met with British officials and has given his support in Britain starting to talk to Hezbollah again. They had allied with the U.S. and stopped all relations with Hezbollah years ago, but are now shifting their ways and trying to rebuild a relationship. This has been controversial, though; even though Obama supports Britain’s new relationship with Hezbollah, some US officials disagree and thing the whole organization should be treated as a terrorist faction and not negotiated with. The U.S. policy towards Hezbollah though, is “it is funded and supported by Iran, is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in the Middle East and has authority over the social welfare network of hospitals and schools for Lebanon’s Shiite community.”(Britain article) One of the main concerns the U.S. has with Hezbollah is its close ties with Iran. The U.S. has even said Hezbollah may be harder to contain than Al Quaeda because of its ties with Iran; Hezbollah has an entire country supporting it, which makes the U.S. even wearier of its powers.
Overall, Hezbollah is seen as an ally of Iran and Syria, while a distinct enemy of Israel and the US. Talks with Britain have started again, but there seems to be no end in sight for its conflict with Israel.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah, also known as “the party of god”, is a Shi’a Islamic parliamentary and political organization that is a major player in Lebanese politics. Hezbollah first came on the scene in 1982 as a militia response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. This radical group takes its inspiration from both the Iranian revolution and the teachings of Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian revolution had created great hatred towards the west, which Hezbollah was party founded upon. Hezbollah is supported by both Iran and Syria, especially Iran because of its similar bond against Israeli occupation and their stances on the Zionist entity.
Over the years, Hezbollah has become more militarily and politically strong. In the years 1983-1985, Hezbollah launched a series of suicide bombings against the U.S., including attacks on the U.S. embassy and a U.S. marine base in Beirut. In 1992, the group bombed the Israeli Embassy in Argentina. These attacks are a large reason Hezbollah came to power, and they are considered so radical because of their terrorist attacks against America and Israel. According to Globalsecurity.org, Hezbollah operates in 4 ways:
1. Bringing terrorists and collaborators through the border crossings using foreign documents
2. Setting up a terrorist organization inside Israel and in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip
3. Cross-border operations - smuggling weapons and terrorists
4. Financial support for Palestinian organizations and groups.
Hezbollah has started working with other terrorist organizations as well, particularly those in Palestine and Iran. The Lebanese government, though, refers to Hezbollah as a national resistance group, not a militia or terrorist organization. It seeks to defend Lebanon from Israel and remove all Israeli forces from Lebanese soil. The three main leaders of Hezbollah are said to be: Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah (spiritual leader), Hassan Nasrallah (senior political leader), and Imad Fayez Mugniyah (key planner of Hezbollah’s world terrorist operations). Muginyah was killed in a car bombing in early 2008, but was said to have trained with al- Fatah. These three men have been said to run the operations of Hezbollah, whose followers amount in the several thousands.
Hezbollah’s political power has become great. After a very violent outbreak in 2008, Hezbollah took over West Beirut, after which the Lebanese government shut down the organization’s communication lines. In a compromise, the Lebanese government approved a national unity cabinet, which gave Hezbollah veto power with 11 of 30 seats in cabinet. Some experts say that despite the apparent political rise of Hezbollah, they have lost some credibility after the west Beirut attacks because they had promised never to turn their guns on Lebanese people. Even so, the group has become a rising political force in the Lebanese government.
Hezbollah is regarded as a legitimate resistance movement throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world. By countries like the US, Canada, Israel, Britain, and the Netherlands, though, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization that is a threat to the free world. Both the U.S. and Israel consider Hezbollah one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, right at the top with al-Queada.