Afghanistan, 9 girls killed in old Jihad bomb blast

17/12/2012

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Ten young girls in Afghanistan have been killed by a landmine. They were reportedly gathering firewood at the time. The incident happened in the eastern Afghanistan Nangarhar province. One of the girls unwittingly chopped into the bomb with an axe. Ten young lives gone in the blink of an eye. Families left bereaved and grief stricken. According to sources the girls were aged between 9 and 13. Apart from those who died two girls received serious, possibly life threatening, injuries.

The landmine was a long standing death trap waiting to happen, left over from the Afghan conflict with Russia. Perhaps it should be mentioned here that some countries in the West were keen to supply the people Arms during that conflict. Certain Afghans waged a Jihad against the Russians and we colluded. According to wikipedia " The mujahideen received wide military and financial support from Pakistan, also receiving direct and indirect support by the United States and China."

Now those same people, the Mujahideen, are enemies classed as insurgents and terrorists, the Taliban. And so on it goes.

SkyNews reportsb that "In the first six months of 2012, 1,145 Afghan civilians were killed and around 2,000 wounded, mostly by roadside bombs.  Women and children account for about 30% of this year's casualties."

The country is so heavily mined after recent conflicts that it will be nigh on impossible to ever make safe. Work goes on to try and make it as safe as possible. The UN claims that thousands of mines and explosives have been destroyed but there are so many more hidden unseen just waiting for a person to come close.

One thing that instantly sprang to this blogger's mind was that it was young girls doing this work and not boys nor men. Yes it appears that the lot of females in Afghanistan has changed little.

RIP

Updates to follow as available........

The latest news is that it was nine girls who were killed and three injured. That of course could still change. Locals claim it was an old Jihad bomb whilst some officials have said it is a recent Taliban bomb. Whoever was responsible suffice to say there are many such bombs scattered around Afghanistan, potentially killing any person or persons who encounters them.
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Kabul suicide bombers kill 11

02/05/2012

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President Obama took an undercover visit to Afghanistan last night. It was the eve of the anniversary of the death of Bin Laden. Whilst some made much of this, claiming that Obama was merely electioneering, you cannot blame him. All leaders have done the same and will no doubt continue to do so. It was probably following advice from his campaign managers anyway. Tastelss and tacky? Maybe but you need look no further than the GOP campaign for more of the same.

The ads run to remind the voters of the US that Bin Laden was finally tracked down and killed on President Obama's watch have been criticised, mainly by right wing America. Would they have acted differently in the same circumstances? Of course not.

The video footage of the visit appears to show US troops stationed in Afghanistan over the moon that the President had visited them . He was also there to broker a long term deal with the Afghan President.

Obama's arrival in Afghanistan was not readily welcomed by all and following his departure a series of explosions followed. The suicide bombings left 11 people dead and confirmed what Obama has refuted. This is that the war in Afghanistan is over. It is far from over. It may go through peaks and troughs but it is still evident.

Recent abuses by some foreign troops have furthered the cause of extremists. Such acts are one sure fire way to breed a new generation of insurgents and terrorists. In so many ways, as far as Afghanistan goes, it does not matter why 17 civilians were killed in a massacre, it merely matters that they were.

Afghanistan proved itself unwinable to the Soviet troops who occupied the country for so long. At that time the troops were fighting the Mujahideen. Perhaps the US should remember that back then they, the CIA, supplied arms and support to the Mujahideen as of course they were fighting the Soviets, that is the Reds. Having sowed the seeds they now are reaping the rewards. 

It would be prudent for countries who supply arms to terrorists, because they like the cause, as is the case in the Middle East, to remember that people are often not what or who they seem to be.

Tags: Mujahideen, Afghanistan, Taliban, War, Kabul suicide bombs, Obama visits Kabul
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