US pours millions into anti-Taliban militias in Afghanistan

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

US special forces are supporting anti-Taliban militias in at least 14 areas of Afghanistan as part of a secretive programme that experts warn could fuel long-term instability in the country.

The Community Defence Initiative (CDI) is enthusiastically backed by Stanley McChrystal, the US general commanding Nato forces in Afghanistan, but details about the programme have been held back from non-US alliance members who are likely to strongly protest.

The attempt to create what one official described as "pockets of tribal resistance" to the Taliban involves US special forces embedding themselves with armed groups and even disgruntled insurgents who are then given training and support.

In return for stabilising their local area the militia helps to win development aid for their local communities, although they will not receive arms, a US official said.

Special forces will be able to access money from a US military fund to pay for the projects. The hope is that the militias supplement the Nato and Afghan forces fighting the Taliban. But the prospect of re-empowering militias after billions of international dollars were spent after the US-led invasion in 2001 to disarm illegally armed groups alarms many experts.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/22/us-anti-taliban-militias-afghanistan

---

Hmmm,isn't there a http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Afghanistan/Afghanistan_CIA_Taliban.html">lesson from history we should have learnt by now?

[RedSock]

1. could fuel long-term instability?

i thought that was the goal.

[edwardian]

13. The continuing failure

of American foreign policy. Looks like Obama is in WAY OVER HIS HEAD! Sheesh, an intellectual president as stupid as the monkey was.
Change you can't count on.

[saigon68]

14. as stupid as the monkey was.

THIS MONKEY ?

as stupid as the monkey was.

[avaistheone1]

24. Afraid so.

Stupid is as stupid does.

It doesn't get any more stupid than escalating war in Afghanistan.

[Flaneur]

2. Just what Afghanistan needs--more armed factions.

[Beartracks]

3. Experts, shmexperts!

>"But the prospect of re-empowering militias... alarms many experts."

Thankfully, these experts are not likely to be part of the decision-making process.

:sarcasm:

[earcandle]

4. into foreign affairs, not American affairs. When do we stop this?

[Truth2Tell]

5. This is how we created Bin Laden. Stupid. nt

[boppers]

6. Read this:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216237/

The plan is to decentralize thug power, by funding "community organizers", who can re-build local cohesion.

Also, from the OP article:
"In return for stabilising their local area the militia helps to win development aid for their local communities, although they will not receive arms, a US official said."...

Re-empowering is not re-arming.

[Turborama]

7. Special forces will be able to access money from a US military fund to pay for the projects.

Is the next sentence.

Why doesn't it say ""In return for stabilising their local area the militia helps (sic) to win development aid for their local communities, although they will not receive arms, a US official said. NGOs will be able to access money from a Civilian Development Fund to pay for the projects."?

Maybe because of this in the penultimate paragraph ...

"McChrystal was always quite dismissive about APPF," a senior Nato official in Kabul said. "It was too resource-intensive and so slow we would have lost long before it had been spread to the whole country."

He added: "He wanted to move to a much more informal model, which is far less visible and unaccountable, using Noorzai to find people through his own networks and then simply paying out cash for them to defend their areas."

"defend their areas" with what? Blackboards and stethoscopes?

[boppers]

8. NGOs like Blackwater? KBR?

NGO's had their run.

Didn't work.

Turns out that "Blackboards and stethoscopes" don't have much of an impact on armed thugs.

[Turborama]

9. No, Blackwater KBR aren't NGOs. UNICEF and WHO would be a good start

Just to help you understand what NGOs actually are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

Here's a list of all the NGOs active in Afghanistan and, as you can see, there's a lot more to choose from: http://afghanistan-analyst.org/ngo.aspx

"Blackboards and stethoscopes" don't have much of an impact on armed thugs.

But you just said "Re-empowering is not re-arming."

Did you know that roughly 6, 000,000 kids go to school in Afghanistan now, compared to <1,000,000 under the Taliban?

What would you want the money going into? Development or arming the militias? Or maybe you don't want any money going in at all and just leave them to it?



More children in school in Afghanistan
Published: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | Changed: Thursday, September 17, 2009

During the Taliban’s reign, fewer than one million children went to school in Afghanistan. Now about six million children are registered in schools and about one third of them are girls. Sida’s efforts in educating boys and girls in Afghanistan have delivered results.

Women’s literacy in Afghanistan is among the lowest in the world – about 14 per cent. However, a change has taken place. Previously, only 3 per cent of girls went to school; now about 36 per cent receive education.

The State Ministry of Education in Afghanistan has produced a national education strategy and is now implementing teacher training, producing textbooks and building schools at a greater rate than previously. But capacity remains low and the ministry is being supported by UNICEF, with aid from Sida.

Sofia Orrebrink, programme officer for Education in Sida’s Afghanistan team at the department for Conflict and post-conflict co-operation, says it is common for there to be 40 pupils or more in one classroom.

“It isn’t unusual for them to sit on the floor or out in the open air,” she says. “Despite this, there is enormous pressure on the school system. One of the requirements is to educate more teachers. School buildings are needed because many of them have been destroyed during the armed conflicts, but other basic infrastructure is also missing like desks, toilets and textbooks.”

Full article: http://www.sida.se/English/Countries-and-regions/Asia/Afghanistan/Programmes-and-Projects/More-children-in-school-in-Afghanistan/

BTW http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8689609&mesg_id=8690071">I've pointed this out in another thread but it bears repeating...

[boppers]

11. See BINGO.

[Turborama]

12. See: Defense Contractors & Private Military Corporations

Defense Contractors: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Defense_contractors

Private Military Corporations: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Private_Military_Corporations

Trying to argue that KBR, Blackwater or any other DC/PMC are NGOs is a ridiculous stretch of the highest magnitutde, and one that would normally be expected from Rumsfeld, Kristol, Cheney et al.

[boppers]

18. Rumsfeld, Kristol, Cheney, WIkipedia.

One of these things is not like the others.

[Turborama]

20. What's that got to do with anything I said in the post that you're replying to?

Are you questioning the reliability of Sourcewatch as a source? Is that the best you can do? If you are, the point I made still stands.


Again, trying to argue that KBR, Blackwater or any other DC/PMC are NGOs is a ridiculous stretch of the highest magnitutde, and one that would normally be expected from Rumsfeld, Kristol, Cheney et al.

[boppers]

21. Deja Vu.

BINGO's are NGO's.

It's quite simple.

[Turborama]

22. Trying to argue that KBR, Blackwater or any other DC/PMC are NGOs is a ridiculous stretch

And one that's normally heard from NeoCons trying to justify the use of military "contractors" (aka mercenaries), it's that simple.

Plus you're using a Wikipedia acronym to justify that claim but at the same time criticising Sourcewatch for being like Wikipedia. You seem quite confused.

[boppers]

23. How many editors can be sued at sourcewatch?

I really don't know, can it be considered a reliable source?

[Turborama]

25. If that's the case then you just failed your own BINGO argument

You used a Wikipedia acronym BINGO as an argument that Blackwater & KBR are NGOs, then you say that Sourcewatch is like Wikipedia, and now Sourcewatch/Wikipedia are unreliable sources.

Let me spell it out for you. Blackwater (Xe) & KBR are Limited Liability & Public Companies respectively and do not fit into the NGO model.

Using your logic Burger King could be called an NGO which it obviously isn't.

[boppers]

26. My True Scotsman says Burger King isn't an NGO

What does yours say?

:evilgrin:

[Turborama]

28. Did you read the rest of that post?

You're clutching at straws now.


(typo fixed)

[boppers]

29. Yes, I read your post.

Did you?

[saigon68]

15. Money to buy trucks to Haul the Opium Crop to Market

Maybe a plane or 2 to fly it there.

[jasi2006]

10. We could accomplish much more by leaving.

Do we ever learn anyting from history? I thnk we learn something from history and then ignore what we learned. the money going over to Iraq and Iran could be put to better use here at home to really fuel the economy and help out our citizens here. The money we have wasted on unnecessary, illegitimate, irrational, and immoral wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is the greatest mistake in our history.

[BlueJac]

16. Fuck War and spending OUR money on it!!!

Stop the insanity NOW!!!!!!!!

[Bragi]

17. Absolutely no good will come from this /nt

[RedCloud]

19. Why not drop Nobel peace prizes on those helpless foes?

[krabigirl]

27. I don't want my tax dollars going for either war.