afghanistan Archive

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  Mapp’s reassurances on torture fall short - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s not good enough for Defence Minister Wayne Mapp to say he has “no information” that any of the 58 people arrested on the SAS’s joint operations with the Afghan Crisis Response Unit have been subsequently tortured. He admitted that 15 of them had been sent to facilities run by the Afghan intelligence service, the [...] read more
  October 14, 2011 2:15 pm - 5 Comments
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  What Taliban hotel attack says about NZ military involvement - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It will be a difficult time for the families of NZSAS soldiers injured in Afghanistan and my sympathy goes out to them as they wait for updates on the medical situation of their loved ones. On the political level, the Taliban raid on the Intercontinental Hotel underlines the failure of the US-led war in Afghanistan. [...] read more
  June 30, 2011 11:06 am - 6 Comments
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  Cyberwarfare a dangerous path - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  I see that “cybersecurity” one of the agenda items in this week’s tete-a-tete between Foreign Minister Murray McCully, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and their UK counterparts William Hague and Liam Fox. The first question McCully and Mapp should ask the British ministers is “Are you going to challenge the United States on its resort to [...] read more
  January 19, 2011 3:00 pm - 12 Comments
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  What Has to be Done to Get Transparency? Afghanistan and the NZ SAS - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The latest reports of coalition forces in Afghanistan handing over detainees to Afghan authorities who then torture them have concentrated the mind here once more in New Zealand. In Britain, the High Court has upheld a ban on British forces transferring prisoners to the Afghan National Directorate for Security (NDS) because of the risk they [...] read more
  August 19, 2010 12:59 pm - 5 Comments
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  Afghanistan: now America’s longest war - by frog

  
  
  
  As of today, the war in Afghanistan has become America’s longest war. The cost is estimated to be over $1 trillion (including Iraq), and rising. read more
  June 8, 2010 11:22 am - 39 Comments
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  Bring the SAS home - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  When John Key was in Afghanistan he flew a kite about extending the SAS mission there beyond the middle of next year. He’d be wise to can the idea, judging by a poll reported in yesterday’s Dominion Post. It shows that 40 percent wanted complete withdrawal and another 37 percent partial withdrawal, with only 10 [...] read more
  June 1, 2010 3:37 pm - 42 Comments
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  Afghanistan v United States of America - by frog

  
  
  
  This is not the War of Terror! It is a friendly sport competition played last Thursday between Afghanistan and the United States of America. Afghanistan won! read more
  February 14, 2010 7:53 pm - 8 Comments
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  At long last, a bit more openness about the SAS - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  I’ve welcomed the government’s move to let us know something about what the SAS is doing in Afghanistan. For eight years we’ve had to rely totally on leaks in the foreign media, or what Kiwi journalists like Jon Stephenson have been able to dig up. For eight years I’ve peppered New Zealand ministers and Defence [...] read more
  January 28, 2010 2:33 pm - 4 Comments
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  Bearded Apiata on NZ Army website - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  There are two (related) debates raging following the decision of the Herald and other newpapers to publish the photo of VC winner Willie Apiata on active duty in Kabul following a Taliban attack. The Christchurch Press argues this morning that it was just sharing a photo ‘that anyone could see on the internet’. The Press [...] read more
  January 25, 2010 12:04 pm - 14 Comments
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  Bring SAS troops home from Afghanistan! - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s good that New Zealand won’t be sending any more troops to Afghanistan. However, that’s not because John Key has just seen the light. With its existing troop commitments – in Afghanistan, the Solomons and East Timor – the NZ Defence Force simply doesn’t have any troops to spare. I’m asking John Key to look [...] read more
  December 3, 2009 9:58 am - 17 Comments
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  Afghanistan’s Agony: What in the world to do? - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Afghanistan gets progressively worse.  The US President is caught in a vice-like grip between personal judgment and political constraint.  Having characterised Afghanistan as a war of necessity to escape a war of choice (Iraq), he cannot exit early.  Yet a late exit becomes a quagmire.  He thus equivocates over the military’s request for another surge, [...] read more
  November 6, 2009 12:25 pm - 29 Comments
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  Open Letter to President Barack Obama - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Dear Mr President, Congratulations on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. Many around the world will welcome the award and be inspired by the tribute accorded to you. read more
  October 12, 2009 4:39 pm - 31 Comments
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  Secret agreement for SAS on Afghan prisoners? - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  According to Jon Stephenson in this morning’s Sunday Star-Times the SAS soldiers realise they are in for a tougher time in Afghanistan this time around. However, it is still not entirely clear what will happen to any prisoners our SAS hands over to the Afghan authorities. Jon Stephenson says Afghanistan has now promised, in writing, [...] read more
  September 27, 2009 8:35 pm - 2 Comments
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  “No Limits” to civilian suffering in US bombing - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Images courtesy of Radio Live ***** The three Kiwi soldiers in Afghanistan might have seen it as a bit of harmless fun. To help a drink promotion they slapped a Demon sticker reading “No Limits, No Laws” on a 2000 lb bomb attached to the undercarriage of a [presumably] American plane at [presumably] Bagram airbase. [...] read more
  September 4, 2009 6:22 pm - 112 Comments
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  General Debate, August 12, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  Bonn, Afghanistan, and now sea lions.  Whatever next from this government? Update: and now sheep – speaks for itself really. read more
  August 12, 2009 6:44 am - 35 Comments
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  Make peace not war - by frog

  
  
  
  And here’s more policy announcements.  Keith Locke and Kennedy Graham launched a 22 page foreign affairs policy tonight at the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute for International Affairs that: Introduces into our trading framework with other countries values like human rights, labour and environmental standards, ecologically-sustainable practices, local values and cultures, the right [...] read more
  September 17, 2008 8:55 pm - 102 Comments
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  More valuable than heroin - by frog

  
  
  
  It seems some combination of the price falling out of the heroin market and rapidly rising world food prices means that Afghan farmer are converting from poppy growing to wheat. Poor old United States with its multi billion dollar ‘war on drugs’ – all it had to do the whole time was raise the price [...] read more
  May 16, 2008 8:07 am - 13 Comments