South Asia

According to the Afghanistan government, about 186 civilians have died in each of the last 6 months in the war. (Other studies suggest the bulk of them are killed in Taliban attacks). While it is true that some 300 civilians were killed in Iraq in August, or nearly twice the Afghan toll, earlier in 2010 […]

Afghan guerrillas attacked a US forward operating base in Gardez, Paktia Province, on Friday. NATO issued a press release, saying “The attack began when a vehicle, followed closely by four suicide vest-wearing insurgents, attempted to breach a fortified area of the base.” The attackers were forced to flee or were killed, and there were no […]

A helicopter crash in Zabul near Qandahar in southern Afghanistan left 9 American troops dead and 3 other persons (one an American civlian) wounded. The troops were likely a special operations unit aiming to reduce the power of the Taliban in the outskirts of this major city. NATO denied Taliban claims to have shot down […]

Turnout in the Afghanistan parliamentary elections was disappointingly light, some 40% below expectations, according to Euronews. Some 10 percent of polling stations that had been intended to be used simply did not open because of fears of Taliban attacks. Those closures were on top of the 10 percent or so that it had already been […]

As Afghans went to the polls Saturday morning, Taliban slammed a rocket into the area of the capital where the Radio and Television building stands. It caused no casualties. Pajhwok News Agency reports that 40 private hospitals in Kabul have made plans for extended hours because of the election, which they clearly expect to be […]

On Thursday, a hundred or so demonstrators gathered outside a US military base at Mirwais in southern Afghanistan on hearing that there had been a ritual Quran-burning inside the base. In fact, it had been a routine pit burn of documents. At one point in the rally, a demonstrator raised an AK-47 toward a base […]

Thousands of angry protesters rallied in West Kabul on Wednesday, chanting “Death to America,” “Death to Christians,” and “Death to Karzai,” burning tires, and blocking a road going south. Police fired in the air, killing one protester and wounding 5 others. Some reports say that 35 police officers and 10 protesters were injured. Reuters reports […]