Night raids in Afghanistan
In case you missed it, this past Sunday, an "agreement" was signed between General John R. Allen, the American commander in Afghanistan and Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardok regarding "special operations missions" including "night raids, relegating American troops to a supporting role and bringing the raids under Afghan authority".
Under the agreement, from that day forward, all raids would be led by Afghan troops but get this, the Afghans could ask for American military assistance in an operation including "intelligence, backup military and air support".
Oh, an Afghan court warrant is also to be required "within 72 hours of a raid", BUT the warrant could be issued AFTER a raid is conducted if intelligence indicates otherwise.
And lastly, the agreement covers "all" night raids carried out by special operations forces EXCEPT night raids carried out by CIA units which are NOT covered under the agreement.
Wardok concluded, "This is an important step in strengthening the sovereignty of Afghanistan; that it was a "national goal' and "wish of the Afghan people' that raids be conducted and controlled by Afghans."
Is he kidding? This is the "wish of the Afghan people" that these raids be conducted and controlled by Afghans? What Afghan sovereign government and what Afghan Special Forces? And court warrants "necessary" but only when they're not? And CIA operatives are not covered and allowed to conduct their special ops without any restraint? This reeks of complete hypocrisy.
In George Orwell's novel, "Nineteen Eighty Four" the government of "Big Brother" would "inform" the masses through mandatory public viewing of war related events in some off war As If they were significant developments. The reader of Orwell's novel could readily see the ruse; that these "developments" were just trumped up nonsense about some mindless, endless war.
Reading Sunday's "developments" in Afghanistan reads like an updated version of Orwell's futuristic novel i.e. "war is peace, lies are truth and black is white".
Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty Four" is a dystopian novel.
Today's war in Afghanistan is Orwell's novel brought to life.
