Category: Afganistan

Are 28,500 US Troops Enough to Stop North Korea Invading South Korea?; North Korea’s Latest Missile Launch

Veteran Middle East and Asia correspondent Donald Kirk says the “Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act,” recently proposed to Congress, could represent anything but peace for South Korea. North Korea would only agree to officially ending the Korean War on condition of the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, he says. Even with…


Afghanistan Is ‘A Massive Safe-Haven for Al Qaeda, ISIS’—Feat. Marine Corps Veteran Elliot Ackerman

Best-selling author and veteran U.S. Marine Captain Elliot Ackerman describes Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, as descending into a black hole. This is a circumstance we’ve seen before in other parts of the world, he says: “What eventually crawls out of that black hole is some type of terrorist group that is going to lash out…


San Diego Supervisors Support Plan for Afghan Refugee Resettlement

SAN DIEGO—The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a comprehensive plan for Afghan refugee housing and resettlement on Oct. 6. Supporting a proposal by Supervisor Joel Anderson, the board also directed the county to work with Congress to utilize frozen Taliban assets to pay for Afghan refugee resettlement activities. “I am thankful that my colleagues…


New Generation of Afghans Protest Taliban Rule; Taliban Targets Journalists

It’s been about a month since the chaotic full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Since then, there have been many reports of violence and even murder of Afghans left there who allied with the United States. There are also reports of journalists, protesters for women’s rights, and others being targeted by the Taliban. What…


Afghan Central Bank Drained Dollar Stockpile Before Taliban Takeover: Report

The Afghan central bank was drained of the majority of its U.S. dollar cash reserves in the weeks before the Taliban takeover of Kabul, according to an assessment prepared for the country’s international donors. Afghanistan’s severe cash shortage began before the Taliban terrorist group seized control of Kabul, according to a confidential, two-page brief, obtained…


Remains of Marine Returned From Afghanistan, Thousands Pay Tribute in Procession

LA VERNE, Calif.—On Tuesday, Sept. 21, the body of Dylan R. Merola was returned home to California. Merola was among the dozens killed in an Aug. 26 bombing at a Kabul airport in Afghanistan. From the airport to the cemetery, more than 10 overpasses along the way were crowded with people holding American flags to…


Liberal Cabinet Minister Monsef Loses Seat in Sept. 20 Election

Minister of Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef lost her seat in the Sept. 20 election.  Monsef, who was seeking re-election for a third term in Peterborough-Kawartha, received over 22,000 votes, around 3,000 votes shy of her Conservative rival Michelle Ferreri.  Monsef’s campaign was marred with controversy when she made an impassioned appeal directly to the Taliban…


Liberal Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef Loses Seat in Election

Minister of Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef lost her seat in the Sept. 20 election.  Monsef, who was seeking re-election for a third term in Peterborough-Kawartha, received over 22,000 votes, around 3,000 shy of her Conservative rival Michelle Ferreri.  Monsef’s campaign was marred by controversy after she made an impassioned appeal to the Taliban in late…


Taliban Seeks Mining Cooperation With South Korea, China Upset

Afghanistan’s newly ensconced Taliban regime has been looking to China for major economic support, but the Taliban’s lithium-mining invitation to South Korea has displeased the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To keep Beijing happy, the Taliban offered it copper mining rights. Enduring 20 years of war, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world….


Deep Dive (Aug. 31): 87 Ex-Military Officers Call on Milley, Austin to Resign Over Afghanistan

Nearly 90 retired generals and admirals are calling on Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, to resign over the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Their open letter reads, “The hasty retreat has left an unknown number of Americans stranded in dangerous areas controlled by a brutal…