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Title: Afghan blast kills 4 GIs in deadliest month for US
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URL Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/200 ... gis-in-deadliest-month-for-us/
Published: Jul 20, 2009
Author: AP
Post Date: 2009-07-20 20:28:25 by Jethro Tull
Keywords: None
Views: 398
Comments: 34
A roadside bomb killed four American troops in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, driving the July death toll for U.S. forces to the highest monthly level of the war. The latest deaths brought to at least 30 the number of American service members who have died in Afghanistan this month _ two more than the figure for all of June 2008, which had been the deadliest month for the U.S. since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban from power. July's death toll for the entire U.S.-led coalition, which includes American, British, Canadian and other forces, stands at 55 _ well over the previous record of 46 deaths suffered in June and August of 2008. U.S. commanders had predicted a bloody summer after President Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in a bid to turn the tide against a resurgent Taliban and shift the focus on the global war against Islamic extremism from Iraq. NATO's outgoing Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Monday that terrorism would spread through the world if NATO forces fail in Afghanistan. "Al-Qaida would have a free run again, and their terrorist ambitions are global," he said in a speech at London's Chatham House think tank. "Those who argue otherwise _ who say we can defend against terrorism from home _ are simply burying their heads in the sand." Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned that U.S.-led forces must demonstrate progress in Afghanistan by next summer or face a public perception that the conflict cannot be won. Heavy losses this month have already triggered a public debate in Britain that the war in Afghanistan may not be worth the price. With more troops in the country, American and British forces have been striking deeper into Taliban strongholds in the south, hoping to establish enough security for Afghans to choose a president next month and cut insurgent supply lines into Pakistan. British military authorities said Monday that bombing attacks in southern Afghanistan soared nearly 43 percent for the first five months of this year over the same period last year. U.S. troops have also stepped up efforts in eastern Afghanistan to curb the movement of militants to and from safe havens in Pakistan's lawless tribal region. A NATO statement said the four soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device in the east of the country but gave no further details. A U.S. spokesman, Lt. Robert Carr, confirmed all four were Americans. It was unclear whether the blast occurred near the area of eastern Afghanistan where Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, was taken captive June 30. Bergdahl appeared on a Taliban video posted on the Internet over the weekend _ a move denounced by the U.S. command as a violation of international law. Also Monday, the British Ministry of Defense announced that a British soldier was killed the day before by a roadside bomb during a foot patrol in Helmand province. Roadside bombs now account for more than two-thirds of all casualties among the international force as the Taliban demonstrate greater skill in manufacturing and planting the explosives. Bombings rose by 25 percent in the first four months of 2009 over the same period last year, and the U.S. command expects them to increase 50 percent this year to 5,700 _ up from 3,800 last year. The increased threat from roadside bombs and Afghanistan's formidable terrain of high mountains and deserts have forced the international military force to rely heavily on aircraft to transport personnel and supplies around the country. The increased tempo of the conflict has strained air assets and may have been behind a series of aircraft accidents in recent weeks. In the latest mishap, a British Tornado GR4 fighter jet crashed Monday on takeoff inside the Kandahar Airfield, but the two crewmen managed to eject safely, according to a NATO spokesman Capt. Ruben Hoornveld. British officials said the crash was not a result of hostile fire but the cause was still under investigation. The crash occurred one day after a Russian-owned civilian Mi-8 helicopter slammed into the tarmac at the same base shortly after takeoff, killing 16 people on board. Two Americans died Saturday when their U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed in central Afghanistan. A U.S. helicopter made a "hard landing" the same day, injuring several soldiers. U.S. officials said neither incident was due to hostile fire. Taliban militants shot down a Moldovan-owned Mi-6 transport helicopter last week in southern Afghanistan, killing six Ukrainian civilians on board and an Afghan child on the ground. Earlier in July, two Canadian soldiers and one British trooper were killed in a helicopter crash in Zabul province. Officials said the crash did not appear to be caused by Taliban fire. Also Monday, officials reported that at least a dozen Afghan civilians had been killed in violent incidents. In the northern province of Kunduz on Sunday, German soldiers fired on a pickup truck approaching at high speed and suspected of carrying Taliban fighters. Provincial Gov. Mohammad Omar said three civilians were killed, but German authorities said one died. Defense Ministry spokesman Christian Dienst said in Berlin that the driver ignored warning shots before troops fired at the vehicle's engine to disable it. Three Afghans were injured and a fourth fled, Dienst said. Prosecutors in Potsdam, where the German military's mission command center is headquartered, said they were examining evidence to determine whether to open a criminal investigation. In the western province of Farah, a van full of civilians struck a roadside bomb Sunday, killing 11 people on board, including a child and his mother, said Mohammad Younis Rasouli, the deputy governor. The bomb was probably intended for Afghan or international troops. ___
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#1. To: All, Ferret Mike (#0)
Mike, please tell us about the mission these men were on when they died. What was their objective and what is the end game?
"We" have got to keep acting like we're looking for bin Laden to keep up the illusion that he had something to do with 9/11. That really IS one of my guesses as to why "we" are still there. The others are the hope that the long-awaited gas pipeline first broached by Karzai when he was stil a Unocal exec can still be laid and also to keep the poppy fields growing bumper crops so the CIA can continue to take its cut of the trafficking proceeds with which it funds its black ops.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
It's the Caspian Sea oil, not some silly bearded fiction.
No need to expound too much on my views regarding the 911 False Flag attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. A quick summary will do. Fully 50% of Americans call it an inside job, but only 12% believe the WTC collapse was a demolition project, still relatively clueless. Basic understanding of high school chemistry and physics would lead to over 90% comprehension and suspicion (see gravity and melting point of structural steel). A missile hit the Pentagon precisely at the Army Accounting office location, which was soon to publish a report on $2.3 trillion in missing funds over two decades. The World Trade Center event on 911 was the biggest bank heist in US history, yet unrecognized officially in annals. The theft of $100 billion in gold bullion from basement vaults, along with $100 billion in USTreasury bearer bonds, and $100 billion in diamonds was truly significant. Information sources of mine are as numerous as they are independent, all consistent in the stories. The entire 911 events enabled the launch of an Iraq War to establish a military foundation in the Middle East, to motivate enormous defense contracts, to confiscate Iraqi oil to assure military oil supply, and to enable vast service contractor funds to flow for gigantic fraud and theft. Recall that $50 billion is still missing, not even being searched for, in the Iraqi Reconstruction Fund managed by the Bush II Admin. Mission Accomplished! Last was the biggest benefit of all: the capture of the Afghan narcotics prize by the CIA. That permitted the CIA to control over 80% of the global narcotics trade, whose clearinghouse is the Bank of Baghdad, managed by JPMorgan. The US Federal Reserve is well aware of the money laundering operations that reach Wall Street banks.
ping to above
Bingo, protect the poppies!
Sam... Bush should be impeached, should he not???
The others are the hope that the long-awaited gas pipeline first broached by Karzai when he was stil a Unocal exec can still be laid and also to keep the poppy fields growing bumper crops so the CIA can continue to take its cut of the trafficking proceeds with which it funds its black ops. Double amen.
It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: "All right, then, I'll go to hell" - and tore it up. - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
BushCheney should be drummed out of office, ASAP!
Yep, they have gone one step too far, invading Afghan in force. As the deaths mount, will Americans call on Bush/Cheney to withdraw??? Nooooooooooo. Sidelight, Gates yesterday brought up...increasing the number of military grunts....he neglected to say how 100,000 young men are going to be enticed.
The unemployment rate for young males in this country is skyrocketing upward so Gates shouldn't have much of a problem with that small a number.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
During the campaign, Obama said, the risk of increasing violence in Iraq “are even greater if we continue to occupy Iraq and serve as a magnet for not only terrorist activity but also irresponsible behavior by Iraqi factions.” If he’s worried about American presence as a “terrorist magnet,” then he has yet another reason to want out of Afghanistan. But no, he has said Afghanistan is a good war, and his supporters agree without knowing, or caring, why we are there.
You are correct. In 1939/40 a similar pattern was begun. Twenty millions of Americans were unemployed under the hand of that great President Roosevelt. He had six long miserable years to fix things but somehow it never got done. So the bright idea of military expansion came forth, young men were standing in line, looking for three squares and a place to sleep. Guess what, with this peace time expansion no one asked if Roosevelt had anything in mind. You are right, we were too stupid, those of the unwashed, to ask questions. Roosevelt had a good thing going and out of the blue came a peace time draft, which was to claim 16,000,000 Americans. All of those years Roosevelt time after time took to the airwaves telling us that he would never send American boys to fight foreign wars. He lied Sam.
I love how he frames the argument.
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
If you are familiar with Kondratieff Wave and similar ways of looking at the long cycles of economic growth and contraction, you have to come to the conclusion (or I do) that whenever one of these waves of contraction hits every 80 years or so, there's not much any government can do about it. I expect most of the rest of my life to be witnessing governments' futile efforts to mitigate the decades-long downturn (now about two years old). But they have to TRY to do something or the revolutionary ferment WILL begin to brew. McCain would be doing the same things as Obama, maybe not to the same degree. He would have cut taxes more and raised spending less, but he wouldn't have CUT anything. He might have tried to bomb Iran by now, but I think the generals would have been more or less symbolically wrestling him to the ground to prevent it and may have done as they did when Bush ordered it done in 2006 or so and just refused to go along with the order. But there's no way ANY politician in office would go along the Austrian School's analysis of "just let it all collapse over time and start over from a much lower level" you hear from people like Ron Paul and Peter Schiff. Their economic theory may be exactly right, but what they are calling for would lead to the kind of instability in the land the NWO has no appetite for, IMO.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
Good heavens Sam, there you go again, bringing attention to my lack of formal education and exposure to such teachings. I do have nearly 80 years of personal experience to use as a guide. My uneducated opinion in the case of this country comes in two equal parts. One...the government has grown to such huge dimensions, that only a total collapse will remove it. Two... incessant wars, endless wars have dominated my entire lifetime. Evil men will always be with us.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is the author of that statement, hails from
Holland. Thirty American kids have been killed in Afghanistan so far this
month, while no kids from Holland have died. NATO, of which he is a
functionary, should have been put in mothballs years ago.
It has more to do with credit/debt cycles. To the extent the governments have leveraged up (this really began to take off as their "strategy" during the Reagan era—the rationale was to cut taxes to such a low level that the Congress would then HAVE to cut spending, but Congress didn't agree that it HAD to do anything), they are to blame. But a lot of this extension of credit has been done by private corporations, such as the ones on Wall Street. The peons accepted the credit being extended (which made up for the fact that their average wages had not gone up since 1973) and became debt slaves and now are being blamed for borrowing in the first place by the "free market" types, usually on the right. To know where Ron Paul and Peter Schiff are coming from, it IS necessary to have at least some familiarity with what is called the Austrian School of economic thought. Just as, in order to be employed as an economist in academia or the government, it is necessary to know all about the tenets of Keynesianism. The endless wars, as you no doubt know, play a very convenient role in stoking the system with unrepayable debt. Debt is money and so "they" are continually looking for more borrowers. Governments borrowing during wars is the international bankers' version of heaven on earth. They lend to both sides. You know all this.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
Where is the hew and cry from our denizens about this senseless killing in Afghan??? On a side note... Did you notice how sly the government and MSM have been about NOT identifying the young soldier as a...POW... Rather he was kidnapped and is a captive. I thot this was a war on terror???? Government and their MSM minions are so sly.
That's the judeo way. But you already knew that.
Yes, and I also thought Obama was going to renew the casket roll out (a la
Vietnam) at Dover when the kids came home feet first? I guess that only
applied to the mishap in Iraq, and not to His righteous endeavour. These
Os are despicable when it comes to war. To the Obama door knockers and phone
bank queens, when you work for a candidate, and he wins, you get to keep the
whole hog. Not the bits and pieces you choose are palatable, you keep the
entire pig. Congratulations, you can now add "war pig" to your resume.
Would you say that might be a contradiction in fact???? I read of the outstanding qualifications of all of the people appointed to the top rungs of government. They have endless degrees, from the most prestigious of schools, one would have to assume that with their combined expertise that pitfalls would NOT occur. Am I wrong in that assumption??? For many years, these very same people, once in government have assured us time and again that this country can prosper with what appears to be an unsustainable debt. They have all been proven wrong. That debt is now engulfing us.
The most important similarity these high IQ'ers share is a complete and total lack of real life experience. They are born into "white paper" think tanks, attend university, and then return to their cocoon, awaiting assignment in Washington. None, read zero, have ever had a real job, met a payroll, or lived check to check. This is what some call "leaders" and for reasons unknown to me, earn the respect of some.
Bush is down in Texas, fat, stupid and fearful. Dallas city police are not going to guard his worthless skin for free. Now we endure Obumski, who rides around in an armored car, in a caravan, loaded with SUVs with machine guns. What on earth is it those these people that so love power, have to fear????
I don't think you've gone far enough. With the best educations available on the planet these people continually claim incompetence rather than criminality or equate their actions to "mistakes" or boo boo's rather than felonies.
Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces. De La Boétie
I will say this much for you, you do cut right to the chase, no frilly BS to obscure the view. Indeed, these golden spoon people have zero understanding of we the mob at the bottom, the "useless eaters" as some like to say.
Agreed, but they don't owe allegiance to any other than the meat eating, baby killers at the top.
Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces. De La Boétie
Correct. What was the name of the clown Obumske stuck us with that owed $38,000 in BACK TAXES and didnt know it????? Obummer and everyone agreed it was an HONEST oversight???? What BS.
I believe that was Tim Guitner (sp) now your Sec. of the Treasury. Or a high level employee of Goldman Sachs, depending on your POV.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" Tom... Sounds right. We bottom feeders know full well if we owe 38 bucks, and if we dont pay up, the goons will sell us out. This clown overlooked a debt of $38,000????????? Just the man to run the treasury.
You have to give the legions of academics credit in one regard; they never get fired regardless of how badly they perform. Greenspan never saw the economic tsunami and openly admitted he didn't understand the world of derivatives. Paulson urged that Bernanke purchase Merrill Lynch at $20 a share rather than the $3 it was worth. No excuse or apology expected or made, just a simple explanation that it was necessary. Since they play with electronic digits at that level, and not hard earned dollars, the public isn't concerned. Besides Obama has said everything is great and will get even better if we can streamline our health care into a brand new government clinic. Ah the politically blind partisans. Without their loyalty this upper crust would never be in a position to help us little people.
It was an oversight, now let's move forward.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" good post. speaking of the 80 yr cycles, i read someone who wrote that means we have 20 yrs of down time before a new era. ugh.
#2. To: Jethro Tull (#1)
#3. To: Sam Houston (#2)
#4. To: Jethro Tull, Sam Houston (#3)
Jim Willie on 911
#5. To: Ferret Mike (#4)
#6. To: christine (#4)
#7. To: Jethro Tull, Sam Houston (#0)
U.S. commanders had predicted a bloody summer after President Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan
#8. To: Sam Houston (#2)
"We" have got to keep acting like we're looking for bin Laden to keep up the illusion that he had something to do with 9/11. That really IS one of my guesses as to why "we" are still there.
#9. To: Cynicom (#7)
#10. To: Jethro Tull (#9)
BushCheney should be drummed out of office, ASAP!
#11. To: Cynicom (#10)
#12. To: Sam Houston (#11)
#13. To: Sam Houston (#11)
The unemployment rate for young males in this country is skyrocketing upward so Gates shouldn't have much of a problem with that small a number.
#14. To: Jethro Tull, all (#0)
"
Al-Qaida The US and UK governments would have a free run again, and their our terrorist ambitions are global," he said in a speech at London's Chatham House think tank. "Those who argue otherwise _ who say we can defend against terrorism murder civilians from home _ are simply burying their heads in the sand."
#15. To: Cynicom (#13)
#16. To: Sam Houston (#15)
If you are familiar with Kondratieff Wave
#17. To: PSUSA (#14)
#18. To: Cynicom (#16)
#19. To: Ferret Mike, a dedication (#0)
#20. To: Jethro Tull (#17)
#21. To: Cynicom (#20)
Rather he was kidnapped and is a captive.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#22. To: Cynicom (#20)
#23. To: Sam Houston (#18)
To know where Ron Paul and Peter Schiff are coming from, it IS necessary to have at least some familiarity with what is called the Austrian School of economic thought. Just as, in order to be employed as an economist in academia or the government, it is necessary to know all about the tenets of Keynesianism.
#24. To: Cynicom (#23)
I read of the outstanding qualifications of all of the people appointed to the top rungs of government. They have endless degrees, from the most prestigious of schools, one would have to assume that with their combined expertise that pitfalls would NOT occur
#25. To: Jethro Tull (#22)
Yes, and I also thought Obama was going to renew the casket roll out (a la Vietnam) at Dover when the kids came home feet first?
#26. To: Cynicom (#23)
They have endless degrees, from the most prestigious of schools, one would have to assume that with their combined expertise that pitfalls would NOT occur. Am I wrong in that assumption???
#27. To: Jethro Tull (#24)
They are born into "white paper" think tanks, attend university, and then return to their cocoon, awaiting assignment in Washington. None, read zero, have ever had a real job, met a payroll, or lived check to check. This is what some call "leaders" and for reasons unknown to me, earn the respect of some.
#28. To: Cynicom (#27)
Indeed, these golden spoon people have zero understanding of we the mob at the bottom,
#29. To: noone222 (#26)
I don't think you've gone far enough. With the best educations available on the planet these people continually claim incompetence rather than criminality or equate their actions to "mistakes" or boo boo's rather than felonies
#30. To: Cynicom (#29)
#31. To: tom007 (#30)
#32. To: Cynicom (#29)
#33. To: Cynicom (#31)
#34. To: Sam Houston (#18)
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