Attack in Kandahar City

tbergs · October 2018

The Taliban wiped out the entire leadership of Kandahar City, but somehow missed the US Commander. I have some co-workers from that region and they are are having a hard time with the continued murder and devastation occurring back home.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In one of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the war, the entire top leadership of Kandahar Province was wiped out on Thursday in an attack that missed the top American commander, Gen. Austin S. Miller.

The gunfire in Kandahar City killed the region’s powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, as well as the provincial governor and intelligence chief, and wounded three Americans, Afghan officials said.

Agha Lalay Datagiri, the deputy governor of Kandahar, confirmed the deaths of General Raziq, Gov. Zalmai Wesa, and the province’s intelligence chief, Gen. Abdul Momin. The American military released a statement confirming that General Miller was not hurt, and that two Americans had been wounded.

Mr. Datagiri said that it was not clear whether there had been more than one gunman, but he suggested that it could have been an insider attack, by a turncoat among the Afghan security personnel there.

“It’s hard to know who opened fire, but it comes from security guards accompanying the officials,” Mr. Datagiri said. “It’s believed that one of the governor’s guards opened fire, but it is not yet confirmed.”

In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had specifically been aimed at General Raziq and General Miller.

Coming just 48 hours before nationwide parliamentary elections, the loss of the Kandahar leadership casts a further shadow on a political season already marred by violence. One-third of polling stations will not open because of security, and at least 10 candidates and dozens of their supporters have been killed. The Taliban have threatened to attack polling places on Saturday.

Another major attack last year inside the Kandahar governor’s office took a heavy toll on officials, killing a deputy governor, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, and members of Parliament. The governor at the time survived with burns and wounds. General Raziq had just stepped out of the room.

General Raziq was widely considered to be an indispensable security chief with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland. He was valued by American commanders as a fierce ally against the insurgents, and survived dozens of attempts on his life.

But human rights advocates criticized him for brutal tactics that at times swept innocent civilians up as well as militants.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/kandahar-afghanistan-attack.html

Halifax2TheMax · October 2018

tbergs said:

The Taliban wiped out the entire leadership of Kandahar City, but somehow missed the US Commander. I have some co-workers from that region and they are are having a hard time with the continued murder and devastation occurring back home.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In one of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the war, the entire top leadership of Kandahar Province was wiped out on Thursday in an attack that missed the top American commander, Gen. Austin S. Miller.
The gunfire in Kandahar City killed the region’s powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, as well as the provincial governor and intelligence chief, and wounded three Americans, Afghan officials said.
Agha Lalay Datagiri, the deputy governor of Kandahar, confirmed the deaths of General Raziq, Gov. Zalmai Wesa, and the province’s intelligence chief, Gen. Abdul Momin. The American military released a statement confirming that General Miller was not hurt, and that two Americans had been wounded.
Mr. Datagiri said that it was not clear whether there had been more than one gunman, but he suggested that it could have been an insider attack, by a turncoat among the Afghan security personnel there.
“It’s hard to know who opened fire, but it comes from security guards accompanying the officials,” Mr. Datagiri said. “It’s believed that one of the governor’s guards opened fire, but it is not yet confirmed.”
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had specifically been aimed at General Raziq and General Miller.
Coming just 48 hours before nationwide parliamentary elections, the loss of the Kandahar leadership casts a further shadow on a political season already marred by violence. One-third of polling stations will not open because of security, and at least 10 candidates and dozens of their supporters have been killed. The Taliban have threatened to attack polling places on Saturday.
Another major attack last year inside the Kandahar governor’s office took a heavy toll on officials, killing a deputy governor, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, and members of Parliament. The governor at the time survived with burns and wounds. General Raziq had just stepped out of the room.
General Raziq was widely considered to be an indispensable security chief with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland. He was valued by American commanders as a fierce ally against the insurgents, and survived dozens of attempts on his life.
But human rights advocates criticized him for brutal tactics that at times swept innocent civilians up as well as militants.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/kandahar-afghanistan-attack.html

I thought Team Trump Treason was going to win this war. He’s smarter than all his generals, dontcha know?

tbergs · October 2018

Halifax2TheMax said:

tbergs said:

The Taliban wiped out the entire leadership of Kandahar City, but somehow missed the US Commander. I have some co-workers from that region and they are are having a hard time with the continued murder and devastation occurring back home.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In one of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the war, the entire top leadership of Kandahar Province was wiped out on Thursday in an attack that missed the top American commander, Gen. Austin S. Miller.
The gunfire in Kandahar City killed the region’s powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, as well as the provincial governor and intelligence chief, and wounded three Americans, Afghan officials said.
Agha Lalay Datagiri, the deputy governor of Kandahar, confirmed the deaths of General Raziq, Gov. Zalmai Wesa, and the province’s intelligence chief, Gen. Abdul Momin. The American military released a statement confirming that General Miller was not hurt, and that two Americans had been wounded.
Mr. Datagiri said that it was not clear whether there had been more than one gunman, but he suggested that it could have been an insider attack, by a turncoat among the Afghan security personnel there.
“It’s hard to know who opened fire, but it comes from security guards accompanying the officials,” Mr. Datagiri said. “It’s believed that one of the governor’s guards opened fire, but it is not yet confirmed.”
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had specifically been aimed at General Raziq and General Miller.
Coming just 48 hours before nationwide parliamentary elections, the loss of the Kandahar leadership casts a further shadow on a political season already marred by violence. One-third of polling stations will not open because of security, and at least 10 candidates and dozens of their supporters have been killed. The Taliban have threatened to attack polling places on Saturday.
Another major attack last year inside the Kandahar governor’s office took a heavy toll on officials, killing a deputy governor, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, and members of Parliament. The governor at the time survived with burns and wounds. General Raziq had just stepped out of the room.
General Raziq was widely considered to be an indispensable security chief with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland. He was valued by American commanders as a fierce ally against the insurgents, and survived dozens of attempts on his life.
But human rights advocates criticized him for brutal tactics that at times swept innocent civilians up as well as militants.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/kandahar-afghanistan-attack.html

I thought Team Trump Treason was going to win this war. He’s smarter than all his generals, dontcha know?

Well conveniently, the target of the attack is still alive. I would like to hear some more details about what took place, but I'm sure this will get about as much in depth coverage as when we dropped the MOAB last year.

Meltdown99 · October 2018

Isn't it time to abandon that war? The US and her Allies are just the latest armies that stand no chance in Afghanistan...

Jason P · October 2018

tbergs said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

tbergs said:

The Taliban wiped out the entire leadership of Kandahar City, but somehow missed the US Commander. I have some co-workers from that region and they are are having a hard time with the continued murder and devastation occurring back home.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In one of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the war, the entire top leadership of Kandahar Province was wiped out on Thursday in an attack that missed the top American commander, Gen. Austin S. Miller.
The gunfire in Kandahar City killed the region’s powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, as well as the provincial governor and intelligence chief, and wounded three Americans, Afghan officials said.
Agha Lalay Datagiri, the deputy governor of Kandahar, confirmed the deaths of General Raziq, Gov. Zalmai Wesa, and the province’s intelligence chief, Gen. Abdul Momin. The American military released a statement confirming that General Miller was not hurt, and that two Americans had been wounded.
Mr. Datagiri said that it was not clear whether there had been more than one gunman, but he suggested that it could have been an insider attack, by a turncoat among the Afghan security personnel there.
“It’s hard to know who opened fire, but it comes from security guards accompanying the officials,” Mr. Datagiri said. “It’s believed that one of the governor’s guards opened fire, but it is not yet confirmed.”
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had specifically been aimed at General Raziq and General Miller.
Coming just 48 hours before nationwide parliamentary elections, the loss of the Kandahar leadership casts a further shadow on a political season already marred by violence. One-third of polling stations will not open because of security, and at least 10 candidates and dozens of their supporters have been killed. The Taliban have threatened to attack polling places on Saturday.
Another major attack last year inside the Kandahar governor’s office took a heavy toll on officials, killing a deputy governor, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, and members of Parliament. The governor at the time survived with burns and wounds. General Raziq had just stepped out of the room.
General Raziq was widely considered to be an indispensable security chief with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland. He was valued by American commanders as a fierce ally against the insurgents, and survived dozens of attempts on his life.
But human rights advocates criticized him for brutal tactics that at times swept innocent civilians up as well as militants.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/kandahar-afghanistan-attack.html

I thought Team Trump Treason was going to win this war. He’s smarter than all his generals, dontcha know?

Well conveniently, the target of the attack is still alive. I would like to hear some more details about what took place, but I'm sure this will get about as much in depth coverage as when we dropped the MOAB last year.

I imagine the general does not rely on local forces for protection in his security detail. It's harder for Taliban to infiltrate when their name isn't Keith from Nebraska.

PJ_Soul · October 2018

Who cares??? Elizabeth Warren once said she had Native heritage when filling out her info in a Harvard phone directory! Focus tbergs! Focus!

Honestly, I can't even really think of anything to say about this.... I mean, is there any conceivable solution? A realistic one? I can't think of one. I have no fucking idea how troubles in Afghanistan should be dealt with. Is it at all moral at this point to pick up and completely vacate and let the Taliban completely take over the country again? Solely for the sake of the girls and women there, I would say absolutely not. But any and all alternatives seem hopeless too.

brianlux · October 2018

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Jason P · October 2018

brianlux said:

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Logistics and mining costs make those minerals worth jack squat. Remember, that country is land-locked. Add in a bunch of dudes willing to drive toyotas packed with bombs into a freight convey and there are better ways to make a profit.

Meltdown99 · October 2018

brianlux said:

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Are Opioids made from the poppy seed? Might explain the explosion in Opioids addictions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

PJ_Soul · October 2018

Meltdown99 said:

brianlux said:

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Are Opioids made from the poppy seed? Might explain the explosion in Opioids addictions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

That is a much more complicated issue that includes use of prescription drugs (tied to the irresponsible over-prescribing of the pain killers in many cases), street heroin (which is more tied to what you're talking about), and the use of fentanyl in illicit drugs (the main guilty party for the fentanyl supply is China). But the guiltiest party by far when it comes to the opioid crisis is the pharmaceutical industry. Afghanistan drug trafficking is certainly in there somewhere though, since it's the world's biggest illicit opium supplier, not a big legal market supplier for prescription drugs.

brianlux · October 2018

Meltdown99 said:

brianlux said:

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Are Opioids made from the poppy seed? Might explain the explosion in Opioids addictions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

PJ_Soul said:

Meltdown99 said:

brianlux said:

Does anyone else believe that were it not for large reserves of resources such as minerals and metals in that region that none of this would be happening? Toss in some religious fanaticism and it's another quintessential SBSD, FUBAR, SNAFU and of course, clusterfuck.

Are Opioids made from the poppy seed? Might explain the explosion in Opioids addictions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

That is a much more complicated issue that includes use of prescription drugs (tied to the irresponsible over-prescribing of the pain killers in many cases), street heroin (which is more tied to what you're talking about), and the use of fentanyl in illicit drugs (the main guilty party for the fentanyl supply is China). But the guiltiest party by far when it comes to the opioid crisis is the pharmaceutical industry. Afghanistan drug trafficking is certainly in there somewhere though, since it's the world's biggest illicit opium supplier, not a big legal market supplier for prescription drugs.

Good points. No doubt fire poppies from which opioids are made is a factor.

Attack in Kandahar City

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