Senior Policy Planner Steve Pieczenik "Bin Laden had died by the time we had already gone into Afghanistan...We are in deep peril..."

The interview begins at 8:25 in the first video below.

Afghan Officials Allege that 65 Civilians Were Killed in U.S. Military Operation

From Cryptogon and The Washington Post.

Afghan government officials alleged Sunday that a U.S. military operation in the remote mountains of northeastern Afghanistan killed 65 innocent people, including 22 women and more than 30 children, the most serious allegation of civilian casualties in months.
The governor of Konar province, Fazlullah Wahidi, said that NATO forces launched the operation four days ago in the Ghaziabad district, a desolate area near the province’s northern border with Pakistan, where a lethal mix of insurgent groups operate.
“According to locals in the area, American helicopters have been constantly bombing the village and have caused tremendous civilian casualties,” Wahidi said in an interview. He said he received his information from residents “trapped” in the village.
American commanders went into crisis mode Sunday, launching an investigation into the incident to find out what happened and prevent the episode from damaging relations with the Afghan government.

Winning Over Hearts and Minds: U.S. Turns Afghan Town to Dust with 49,200 Pounds of Ordnance

From Cryptogon and Foreign Policy.

The before and after pictures sum it up.

Via: Foreign Policy:

On October 6, Flynn’s unit approved use of HIMARS, B-1, and A-10s to drop 49,200 lbs. of ordnance on the Taliban tactical base of Tarok Kalache, resulting in NO CIVCAS. Their clearance of Babur, Khosrow Sofla, Charqolba Sofla, and other villages commenced October 7, aided by USSF, ABP, and an additional infantry company from B/1-22 IN. Not long after, Flynn shared one insight into the burden of command: “I literally cringed when we dropped bombs on these places — not because I cared about the enemy we were killing or the HME destroyed, but I knew the reconstruction would consume the remainder of my deployed life.”

Happy New Year: 19 killed in US drone attacks in Pakistan

The pentagon doesn't care about silly things like the Geneva Conventions or morality. Hell, kill those removing the wounded. That's the American way. Uh, like, why are we there in their country? I dunno, just to kill I guess, defend our corrupt empire, and maybe test out some weapons.

From Prison Planet and PTI


The unmanned spy planes fired four missiles at the vehicle, killing at least five Taliban fighters and injuring several others.

A Predator drone fired two missiles at a suspected militant hideout at Ghoresta area of Spin Wam sub-division in the second strike, killing six militants.

The third strike targeted persons who were removing bodies and the injured at the site of the first attack in Spin Wam. At least four militants were killed in this attack, officials said.

Intelligence Analyst Admits "Stable Honest Government in Kabul" Is Not The War's Purpose; Suggests Mobile Mullahs And More...

The good sir, Mitchell LaFortune, former Army sergeant and intelligence analyst makes some thoughtful weekend admissions about the Afghanistan War's true purpose in an Op-ed in The New York Times. Here are some tender morsels of war strategy written in the pleasant bucolic environment of Saco, Maine and morbidly entitled Learning From Wikileaks.

In this first passage I do believe it sounds as if the good sergeant is saying that keeping in place a "quick-strike military structure" (permanently?) is the real purpose of the war.

...Many people also operate from a faulty assumption about the war’s purpose. No matter what we’ve told the Afghans, the true goal of the American-led effort should not be to create a stable, honest government in Kabul. While that would be a great benefit, what’s vital is that we keep in place the robust intelligence and quick-strike military structure we have developed in the country and across the Pakistan border...

And then here, am I to presume he means adding afghanistan journalists to the U.S. special op hit list?

...To undermine support for United States troops, the Taliban insistently remind the people that America has committed to a withdrawal beginning next summer, they jump on any announcement of our Western allies pulling out troops and they publicize polls that show declining domestic American support for the war. To counter the spin, we need to add the Taliban’s top propagandists to the high-value-target list and direct military operations at the insurgents’ media nerve centers. A major reason that people in rural areas are so reluctant to help us is that Taliban propaganda and intimidation have created an atmosphere of fear...

And then I do admire the lovely bit of alliteration in his last gem of an idea, the mobile mullah.

...While creating a network of more enlightened religious figures to compete with the hard-liners will take time, we could jump-start progress by creating a group of “mobile mullahs” — well-protected clerics who can travel through rural areas and settle land disputes and other issues. These men should come from the general areas in which they will be performing their duties and be approved by community leaders...

I feel so much safer that the USA is guided by bright minds like Mr. LaFortune, who will undoubtebly guide us through the dirty muck of the next....centuries, of armed conflict in Central Asia. Hail, O Eternal War...

Mr. Wiegel Likes The War; Washington Post Objective Reporting

From Antiwar.com Blog

On his Twitter feed Monday, Dave Weigel, journalist, posted the following (emphasis mine):

"The WikiLeaks Afghan dump is depressing. Very tired of our effort there being subjected to this kind of crap."

When Glenn Greenwald pressed Weigel to clarify what “kind of crap” he meant, Weigel answered:

"I mean the disclosing in a way that hurts us. It’s not like we’ve been prevented from knowing things are going poorly."

This caused a minor stir among Weigel’s Twitter followers, with one responding:

"You prefer being lied to? You really *have* crossed over to the dark side…"

To which Weigel replied:

"I support the war and agree to disagree with a lot of people on this."