Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Repercussions

Violent Uproar in Afghanistan Casts Shadow on U.S. Pullout

Dar Yasin/Associated Press

An American soldier guarding the Parwan detention facility near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan last year. Korans from the library at Parwan were mistakenly incinerated at the Bagram base last week.

By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and THOM SHANKER

Published: February 26, 2012

read more

Just off the press several have been killed in Jalalabad where busses have been fun into the gate and detonated. This is from the press and is not official. 

• RECOMMEND
• TWITTER
• LINKEDIN
• COMMENTS (81)
• E-MAIL
• PRINT
• SINGLE PAGE
• REPRINTS
• SHARE

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Qurans

NATO Pulls Advisers From Afghan Ministries

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 25, 2012

The commander of NATO and U.S. forces says that all NATO personnel are being recalled from Afghan ministries following an attack at the Interior Ministry in Kabul.

Gen. John Allen says staff are being recalled "for obvious force protection reasons." He says NATO is investigating Saturday's shooting and will pursue all leads to find the person responsible for the attack.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Click here

There is a news discrepancy here, if you continue and click on the AP's earlier story you will see a contribution by a reporter in Washington. This person is of course a fact checker and of course he is thousands of miles away. This is what makes me crazy about the news we get, it is disseminated through one or two reporters and journalists. Then there is a slant put on it by whomever the report is being published through.

I am eager to get back into Afghanistan and learn for myself what's really happening. In less than three weeks I will have my boots on the ground.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Qurans

EnlargeNoorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images

Afghan demonstrators burn an effigy of President Obama and shout anti-U.S. slogans in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Afghans have been rioting for three days after word that several Qurans were desecrated at a NATO base. The U.S. says the burning of the Qurans was accidental.

read more

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Korans

The bases in Afghanistan in the East especially are taking a lot of heat from this.

Gasoline trucks have been set ablaze and fire has been taken inside with lives lost. A problem with this is the fact that the US military has forgotten that the ANA are Afghan citizens and most likely Muslim. Burning the Koran is a defamation to all they believe. Religion is an interpretation. You have a population that does not agree with the most conservative interpretation, the Taliban, and they want to live in their country freely with freedom of religious interpretation. They do not object to those that want to embrace religion, but want to be allowed to interpret the Koran freely. This is what the war within Afghanistan is about.

Until Russia tried to take Afghanistan and forced the Taliban to intercede, Afghanistan was a forward thinking nation, albeit, 3rd world, but allowed women the choice of education.

But here we are, trying to intercede without teaching our soldiers the respect they need, so as to understand the people they are trying to protect...it's just heartbreaking.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Korans

When I first heard about this I couldn't believe it. How can our military be so insensitive and ignorant! It is really outrageous. Now I'm hearing that all air travel in and out of Afghanistan is on hold. I know of at least one soldier, SSGT, who is waiting to get out and go home for good.

I remember going out on patrol with a division that was on their first patrol and I was horrified at the lack of cultural knowledge that our troops knew. It seems if they were trained in the culture of the people they were invading the knowledge just went in one ear and out the other. You would think after Viet Nam our military would ingrain how important it is to know about your friends and your enemies.

read more: