Eid ‘Sensations’
KABUL — On Oct. 24, two days before Eid, an opinion piece published in the elite U.S. journal Foreign Policy extolled the fact that U.S. forces are winning in Afghanistan, adding, “Why hsn’t the media noticed?” In the article, the author suggests that Taliban forces are so decimated and demoralized that they have been resigned to orchestrating “sensational attacks to give the perception [their] narrative is winning out and to reassure [their] followers.”
Eid is traditionally a time to visit family and friends, and in Afghanistan it often extends into five or six days as millions of people relish this chance to reunite with folks who they care about. At the apartment of the Afghan Peace Volunteers where I am staying, we hosted many visitors over these days, including some kids from the tutoring class that usually meets at the APV apartment in the afternoons after the regular school day is done.
Some of them had come over on their way home from the Kabul zoo. For a while we had a rousing time talking about the animals at the zoo, while one of the young toddlers carried around by his older sister crawled out of her grasp to clutch a handful of almonds and raisins from the snack tray and throw them in the air.
At the same time as this visit, one of those “sensational attacks” like the ones mentioned in Foreign Policy occurred in a mosque in Faryab province. The attack came during afternoon prayers, killing 41. For the families of these 41 people, and for all the Afghan people terrorized by the fact that such attacks could happen anywhere with increasing regularity, the morale of the Taliban is scarcely relevant. Innocent Afghans continue to die, sensationally or otherwise.
It would be bad enough if the only effect of the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan were the increase in militant recruitment and the follow-through of increased attacks against civilian and military targets. Unfortunately, the U.S. military is also an active participant in homicidal negligence, as the killing of three Ghazni farmers (a man, woman and child) in a night raid on Oct. 29 recently showed.
NATO spokespersons call such killings accidental, if they confirm the incidents happened at all, but “accidental” murder, like “sensational” murder, is still murder, no matter what label one chooses to put on it. Afghans have been vividly aware of the consequences, since they are the ones living with them. Many wonder why the same horrid drama keeps repeating. How many times can the same mistake occur before it becomes intentional?
Read more by Buddy Bell
- Walk to the NATO Summit: Striding Toward Peace – May 17th, 2012
- Why Do We Protest the NATO Summit? – March 22nd, 2012
mohammed
November 1st, 2012 at 1:52 am
I like the answer of this German Scholar when he was asked about terrorism and Islam: He said:
•Who started the First World War, which killed 37 million and injured 22, 379, 053 that includes 7 million civilians?Muslims?
•Who started the Second World War, which killed over 60 million, which was over 2.5% of the world population?Muslims?
•Who killed about 20 million of Aborigines in Australia? Muslims?
•Who drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki? Muslims?
•Who killed more than 100 million Red Indians in North America?Muslims?
•Who killed more than 50 million Indian in South America?Muslims?
•Who took about 180 million African people as slaves and when 88% of them died, threw them into the Atlantic Ocean? Muslims?
•Who invaded Iraq, Afghanistan killing over 135,000 Civilians? Muslims?
NO
They weren’t Muslims! First of all, you have to define terrorism properly…. If a non-Muslim does something bad… it is crime. But if a Muslim commits the same, he is a terrorist. So first remove the double standard… then come to the point.
*** Just for your information ***
El Tonno
November 1st, 2012 at 2:41 am
"sensational attacks to give the perception [their] narrative is winning out and to reassure [their] followers.”
Hey, who took out old soundbites from the Vietnam war? I hope that author was just the usual 20-year old flunky fresh from writing courses, a babe in the world. Let's check at FP-
"Stewart Upton is a public affairs officer in the U.S. Marine Corps currently serving in Afghanistan. These views are his own and do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and is currently serving his fourth combat tour."
Ok, not a babe then but historically clueless.
popsiq
November 1st, 2012 at 4:34 am
Or eternally optimistic. That payback mentality works wonders.
Just what, exactly, is a '9/11 survivor' these days anyway? Is it like the VietNam 'vet' who never got out of the Boston Navy Yard?
BDD
November 1st, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Please provide your source that "100 million" Red Indians were killed in North America and "50 million" were killed in South America.
By the way, are you aware of the major role that Muslims have played in the slave trade? Are you aware that Muslims today still engage in slavery in various parts of Africa?