Afghan, Pakistani Conflicts Spilling Into Central Asian States?

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Dushanbe, Tajikistan - A spate of militant clashes in Tajikistan may indicate that the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan are spilling beyond their borders – a top concern for neighboring Central Asian nations and Russia.

The rise in violence comes as Pakistan wraps up an assault on militants in the north and Western forces intensify a campaign against insurgents in Afghanistan ahead of an Aug. 20 election. The offensives may be pushing foreigners fighting in either country to flee the conflict and return home.

Read more ....

My Comment: It took the Communists almost 15 years to quell its Islamic insurgencies when the Soviet Union was first established at the beginning of the 20th century. The fact that the old animosities and religious/ethnic conflicts are coming back should not be surprised. Like Yugoslavia and the Caucasus, the Communists suppressed these historical conflicts, but when the Soviet Union fell so did the authority and resources that were used to enforce the "peace".

Expect things to "heat up" in Central Asia as the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan also start to expand, and the bloodshed starts to get worse.

Charlie Rose: Andrew Exum Discusses Afghan Strategy

Taped On Charlie Rose, July 28, 2009

Army Aims To Build "Zero Footprint" Camps

Green for Victory: The Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery, or TGER, at Camp Victory, Iraq can convert solid and liquid waste into electricity. Jerry Warner, Defense Life Sciences

From Popular Science:

Going green makes military sense to the U.S. Army. Self-sufficient vehicles and base camps require fewer supply convoy runs that stretch logistics lines thin across hostile territory. The Army's new "zero-footprint" concept for a camp includes a package of very cool technologies.

Soldiers could eventually obtain their drinking water from vehicle exhaust, based on water-purification technologies being developed by the U.S. Army's TARDEC and DARPA labs. Garbage and waste produced by camps could also become new sources of energy.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a fascinating read.

U.S. Lawmaker Questions Low Medal Of Honor Count

From The Mercury News/AP:

WASHINGTON — Nearly eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have left 4,000 soldiers killed in action, more than 34,000 wounded — and only six considered worthy of the nation's highest military award for battlefield valor.

For some veterans and members of Congress, that last number simply doesn't add up.

They question how so few Medals of Honor — all awarded posthumously — could be bestowed for two wars of such magnitude and duration.

Read more ....

Update: Six chosen for Medal of Honor -- Newsday

My Comment: I guess awarding medals were not the priority for the Bush Administration, and this is now continuing for the Obama Administration.

U.S. Veterans Groups Have ‘Grave Concerns’ On Health Bill

From The Hill:

Six high-profile veterans groups are raising objections to the House healthcare reform bill, warning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that it could jeopardize the care of millions of veterans.

Citing “grave concerns,” the groups are urging Pelosi to modify the House bill. If changes are not made, the veterans groups say they will actively oppose the measure.

In a letter to Pelosi that was obtained by The Hill, the groups state “the legislation could limit the health care choices for veterans, increase the cost of health care for veterans, deny coverage to dependent family members of veterans, and threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA health care system.”

Read more ....

My Comment: As a Canadian .... I have more than an intimate experience with Canada's medical system, and as such I can give a perspective to the debate that is absent in the U.S.

My advice, if health costs are going beyond your control to afford it and this is your priority, the Canadian system is then for you. But there are consequences from pursuing this action .... namely .... long waiting periods, delays in receiving aid for catastrophic illnesses (i.e. cancer), and a slow degradation of your medical service. In addition .... because many young people will not pursue a medical profession because it is no longer financially viable for them, a heavy reliance on foreign trained doctors (many with different standards of medical training) becomes the net result.

There are some exceptions to the rule .... Canadian vets are enrolled in a private system, as well as the RCMP and federally incarcerated prisoners. These "exceptions" to the rule have no desire to be part of the "public" system.

On a finishing note, I live in Montreal, Quebec. The Public medical system was mandated in this province in the mid 1960s. The last time a new hospital was built in this city and metropolitan area of 3 million was in the early 1960s.

Nigeria Ends Rebellion In The North -- News Updates August 1, 2009

Nigeria Claims Win Over Rebels -- Wall Street Journal

Police officials in Nigeria claimed victory over an Islamic fundamentalist group after five days of violence that left hundreds dead, including the group's leader, and thousands of civilians displaced.

Residents slowly began returning home Friday, as police collected hundreds of bodies from the streets in the northern town of Maiduguri, where the most of the fighting took place. Police said most of the bodies were militants, the Associated Press reported.

Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of fundamentalist group Boko Haram, was killed while in police custody late Thursday in Maiduguri, though the circumstances of his death grew murkier on Friday as witness accounts conflicted with the government's claim.

Read more ....

More News On The Unrest In Northern Nigeria

Bodies litter streets after Nigeria unrest -- AFP
600 killed in Nigeria violence -- Sify News
Inquiry call after Nigerian sect leader dies in custody -- The Guardian
Amnesty condemns "illegal killings" by Nigerian forces -- Africasia
Why The Latest Nigerian Unrest Should Matter More -- The Atlantic
Nigeria on the brink -- Times Online opinion

Afghanistan War News Updates -- August 1, 2009

U.S. Marines return enemy fire last month during operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

In Afghanistan, Taliban Kills More Civilians Than US -- Christian Science Monitor

According to a new UN report, the number of civilians killed by both sides in the conflict has risen nearly 50 percent since 2007.

New Delhi - Civilian deaths in the Afghanistan conflict surged 24 percent in the first half of 2009, according to a new report from the United Nations. Anger over the misuse of force has become a top issue among Afghans, prompting leaders on both sides recently to issue directives to their fighters to minimize civilian casualties.

The UN report is a bad news, good news document for the US and its Afghan allies. The 21-page report (PDF), issued July 31, found that insurgents killed almost twice as many civilians in the first six months of the year as the coalition did (595 deaths against 309). The UN said it was a "significant shift" from the first half of 2007, when insurgent groups killed 298 civilians and US and allied forces killed 265. In the first half of 2008 the split was 495 to 276.

Nevertheless, the absolute number of civilians killed by both sides continued to rise.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Afghanistan commander General Stanley McChrystal to call for more US troops -- Times Online
General: More troops may be needed in Afghan war -- AP
Offensive against Taliban in Full Swing in Afghanistan's South -- Voice of America
2 more US troops killed in deadliest month of Afghan war -- Boston.com/Reuters
NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan -- AFP
Afghan war troop deaths surged in July -- L.A. Times
Civilian Toll Rising in Afghanistan, U.N. Says -- New York Times
UN: Civilian Death Toll Rises in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
New Taliban code: Don't kill civilians, don't take ransom -- Christian Science Monitor
Iraq experience helps stem the growth of evil flowers in Afghanistan -- The Australian
Army missteps left troops in Afghanistan open to deadly attack, study reveals -- Seattle Times
Afghanistan Goes Digital With Link to Internet -- ABC News
Government reform key to Afghanistan effort -- UPI