Search

Results

Losses mount in troubled Afghanistan

26 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Letter to the Ephesians encourages unity through the bond of peace. But war-torn Afghanistan has a long way to go toward that goal, and the death of four American soldiers Monday made July the deadliest month in the war's history for the U.S. as well as for all international troops. Meanwhile, a Taliban video aired over the internet showcased a U.S. soldier being held hostage. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday voiced concern and outrage over the hostage-taking and said everything possible is being done to free him. "I mean, it's just outrageous. It's a real sign of desperation and inappropriate criminal behavior on the parts of these terrorist groups," Clinton said. "So we are going to do everything we can to get him." Also on Monday, a British fighter jet crashed at NATO's largest base in southern Afghanistan. The jet is the fourth aircraft to crash in Afghanistan in three days and the sixth this month. Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman in Kabul, said she had not heard anything to suggest a common thread tying the crashes together. "I don't think they're related," she said. "There really hasn't been a lot of similarity between the events except they all happen to be aircraft. In most cases it has not been the result of enemy activity; it has been mechanical problems or other issues." Last year there were only about 30,000 U.S. troops in the country at this time. Today there is double that number, and many more U.S. aircraft. An additional 11,000 U.S. forces are due in Afghanistan by the end of the year as part of 21,000 fresh troop reinforcements President Barack Obama has dispatched to the country. Source: Articles by Jason Straziuso for Associated Press and by Agence France Presse

afghanistan war afghanistan hillary clinton taliban christine sidenstricker
Afghanistan’s long and winding road

23 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"This saying is hard; who can accept it?" complain many of Jesus' disciples in this Sunday's gospel. Ahead of Afghanistan's presidential elections Thursday, U.S. troops were working to secure polling places amid an escalating pattern of violence that threatens to keep some Afghans from the polls. Gunfire and the thunder of explosions echoed through the capital on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the scheduled start of nationwide voting for president and provincial assemblies. Taliban commanders have warned Afghans against voting in the election, which the West sees as a crucial benchmark for Afghanistan's young democracy. At least six election workers have been killed since Tuesday in attacks blamed on insurgents. In recent days the Taliban claimed responsibility for two major suicide bombings in the capital that killed more than 15 people, and in a symbolic strike, militants even tried to lob mortar shells into the presidential palace. In Afghanistan's south, the main flash point for fighting between Western troops and the Taliban, military authorities Wednesday reported the deaths of six U.S. troops in separate incidents in the previous 24 hours, one of them from noncombat causes. Thousands of new U.S. troops arrived over the summer. Safeguarding the election was one of their primary missions. Despite their efforts, both troop deaths and civilian casualties have soared. "The danger is there, and the danger is real," Kai Eide, the top United Nations representative in Afghanistan, said in an interview. "We will make the vote as secure as we can under the circumstances." Authorities acknowledged that a clear-cut result could take weeks. A preliminary tally is expected to be released over the weekend. But a final count will not be announced for two weeks, and candidates then have two more weeks to contest the result. If a runoff takes place, it would occur in October. Source: Articles by Laura King for the Los Angeles Times, BBC News, and Associated Press

afghanistan elections taliban kai eide
Studying war some more

27 Dec 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Letter to the Colossians for the Sunday, December 27 celebration of the Holy Family implores: "Let the peace of Christ control your hearts." But even in this season celebrating the Prince of Peace, war is never far from the headlines. In contrast to recent years, Afghanistan rather than Iraq has become the central focus of U.S. concern and activity. During the year casualties on all sides mounted as U.S. forces, with their Afghan and NATO allies, battled a resilient Taliban. When presented by his generals with a request for more troops, President Barack Obama engaged in a process of lengthy deliberations this fall, which were complicated by a disputed Afghan election and allegations of widespread fraud. The president chose to send 30,000 more troops as soon as possible but also pledged to start withdrawing them by July, 2011. Allies were expected to add to the total troop increase with the hope that the surge in troops will blunt the Taliban's momentum long enough to give the shaky Afghan political and military structures time to strengthen and take over the task themselves. Militant Islam in general was a topic never far from the headlines this year. The Taliban destroyed scores of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan during the year. Hardliners in Iran resorted to fraud, censorship, and bloodshed in order to hold onto power and put down dissent after highly irregular presidential election results in July. President Obama made an unprecedented appeal to moderate Muslims in a widely lauded speech in Cairo, Egypt in June, a story that was voted the number one religion story of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association. The speech at Cairo University was broadly viewed as providing a dramatic contrast to the approach taken by the previous administration. During his talk Obama invoked the Qur'an, the Talmud, and the Bible while declaring that the United States was not at war with Islam, only with terrorism. He urged Muslims to join him in condemning extremisms of all kinds and promoting democratic values.

barack obama afghanistan war afghanistan iran taliban islamism
Heightened conflict plagues Pakistan

11 Apr 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The disciples locked the doors where they were staying, fearing for their safety after Jesus' death, we read in this Sunday's gospel. Pakistani militants attacked the U.S. consulate in Peshawar with rocket launchers and a bomb Monday afternoon. Officials said up to eight attackers armed with guns, grenades, and two car bombs tried and failed to breach the heavily fortified compound. All of the attackers as well as five security guards died in the attacks. Hours earlier a suicide bomber killed 45 people and wounded more than 70 at a political rally by the secular Awami National Party in the northwest Lower Dir district. The party has supported recent Pakistani army offensives in the region close to Afghanistan, where the United States has launched months of drone strikes against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. Militants say they attacked in response to the stepped-up campaign of strikes and promised more such attacks on U.S. targets. The heightened bombing has battered al-Qaeda and its Pakistani and Afghan allies in the area, according to a mid-ranking militant and supporters of the government there. They have cast a pall of fear over an area that was once a free zone for al-Qaeda and the Taliban, forcing militants to abandon satellite phones, all terrain vehicles, and large gatherings in favor of communicating by courier and moving stealthily in small groups, sources said. While unpopular among the Pakistani public in general, the drone strikes became a weapon of choice for the Obama administration after the Pakistani Army rebuffed pleas to mount a ground offensive to take on the militants who use the area to strike at U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. In public the Pakistani government opposes the drone attacks as a violation of sovereignty. Under U.S. pressure, however, the Pakistani intelligence agency has provided important intelligence for targets, American and Pakistani officials said. Source: Articles by Jane Perliez and Pir Zubair Shah for the New York Times and Lehaz Ali for Agence France Presse

al qaeda taliban peshawar pakistan militants consulate suicide bomber lower dir
Attempted car bomb rattles New York City

09 May 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The new Jerusalem is front and center in this Sunday's reading where the old order has passed away and pain and death are no more. That we have yet to accomplish this new order was painfully obvious with the recent attempted terrorist attack in New York City. Investigators are looking at links to the Pakistani Taliban after the arrest late Monday of Faisal Shahzad, 30, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, accused of a failed car bombing in Times Square last Saturday. Federal authorities said Shahzad has provided valuable intelligence in addition to admitting that he drove the car bomb into Times Square and received bomb-making training in the tribal regions of Pakistan. The Taliban in Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing, saying it was planned to avenge the killing in April of al Qaeda's two top leaders in Iraq as well as U.S. involvement in Muslim countries. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he believed the failed attack was a retaliation for the U.S. targeting Taliban followers."This is a blow back. This is a reaction. This is retaliation," he said. "Let's not be naive. They're not going to sort of sit and welcome you to eliminate them. They're going to fight back. And we have to be ready for this fight." "It is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in the country," Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. said at a news conference on Tuesday in Washington. In the wake of Shahzad's arrest aboard an airplane at JFK airport, the Obama administration has changed the procedures for the no-fly list. The changes come following questions about how Shahzad was able to board an Emirates flight bound for Dubai despite being identified as a suspect and added to the no-fly list earlier in the day. A White House official said Emirates seemingly didn't check the new update for Shahzad before he was allowed to purchase a ticket and board the plane. He was captured after a customs agent noticed the name and called the plane back to the gate before takeoff. Source: Mark Mazzetti, Sabrina Tavernise, William K. Rashbaum, and Jack Healy for the New York Times, CNN News, Kevin Hechtkopf for CBS News, and Jeremy Pelofsky and Edith Honan for Reuters

new york city terrorism taliban shah mehmood qureshi faisal shahzad times square car bomb
War-weary nation wonders what lies ahead

05 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In encouraging his followers to weigh the cost of discipleship, Jesus speaks of a king who weighs troop levels and the prospects for success in war. Such concerns are on the nation’s mind this week as the country marks the official end of the combat mission in a still-fragile Iraq, while in Afghanistan the troop casualty toll continues to rise. War and nation-building are costly undertakings. The U.S. has paid “a huge price” since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Obama said in an address from the Oval Office Tuesday evening marking the end of the U.S. combat mission. “To date, the war has cost more than 4,400 U.S. lives and at least $750 billion. “We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home,” Obama said. “Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it’s time to turn the page.” Even as he spoke hopefully of winding down one war, the president faces Americans’ waning patience and support for continuing the war in Afghanistan that began in 2001 and remains the central battlefield in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda. Casualties are escalating along with troop levels as the U.S. and allies make an effort to regain momentum from the Taliban insurgency. Despite the escalation, the president was quick to set limits on the U.S.’ role. “But, as was the case in Iraq, we cannot do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves,” he said, repeating his pledge to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan next July. Source: Articles by Margaret Taley and Warren P. Strobel for McClatchy Newspapers, Holly Bailey for ABC News, Helene Cooper and Sheryl Gay Stolberg for the New York Times, and Christopher Bodeen for the Associated Press

barack obama iraq war afghanistan war taliban
Military shooting shocks Afghan alliance

01 May 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

As related in this week’s gospel, the apostle Thomas initially struggled to believe his fellow disciples’ account of the appearance of the resurrected Lord, wanting to see the evidence. U.S. and NATO authorities are struggling to understand what motivated an Afghan Air Force pilot to open fire at a Kabul airport Wednesday, killing nine American trainers, they dismiss as highly doubtful claims that the killer was a Taliban agent, citing a lack of any evidence linking the two. The Afghan military said the gunman got in an argument with the American trainers during a meeting in a conference room at the Afghan Air Force headquarters. A U.S. official said the pilot left the meeting after the dispute and then returned and forced the Americans to remove their weapons before shooting them with a U.S.-provided M9 semiautomatic weapon. The shooter then apparently shot and killed himself. The Taliban quickly boasted that the gunman was a militant impersonating a military officer. The claim, however, did not seem credible, analysts said. The gunman's brother, Dr. Mohammad Hassan Sahibi, insisted his sibling was not a Taliban sympathizer, saying he had been under a great deal of stress because of financial problems and must have snapped. "He loved his people and his country. He had no link with Taliban or al-Qaida.” NATO officials said the Taliban are quick to take credit for any attack that results in the death of pro-government forces. They say militants want to undermine trust between coalition and Afghan forces, who are increasingly partnered while the Afghans prepare to take the lead in securing the nation by the end of 2014. Articles by Martha Raddatz, Luis Martinez, and Ben Forer for ABC Newsand Deb Riechmann for the Associated Press

afghanistan taliban shootings afghan air force
Is Afghan military pulling the rug out from under NATO?

05 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul took a pragmatic approach to preaching the gospel with his willingness to “become all things to all” if it helped spread the good news, we hear in this Sunday’s reading from 1 Corinthians. It appears Afghanistan’s security forces are taking a similar approach, continuing to woo Western military aid while at the same time cooperating with the Taliban opposition, according to a NATO study leaked to the press. The report reveals that despite having received billions in training and equipment from Western allies, Afghan forces are not only cooperating with the Taliban but in some cases ceding territory without a fight or even joining forces with their supposed enemies. The report is based on the interrogation of thousands of captured Taliban prisoners, but it makes depressing reading for coalition forces more than a decade after the start of the Afghan conflict. Training the Afghan police and army to take charge of security in Afghanistan is the foundation of NATO's strategy to withdraw combat troops by the end of 2014. The report, however, said detainees had claimed Afghan security forces were selling or giving away the weapons the West has supplied. According to the study, Taliban fighters believe they have overcome the U.S. troop surge, that victory and their return to power is "inevitable," and that they can easily subdue President Hamid Karzai's forces once the latter takes charge of security in 2014. It also says that despite all coalition efforts to turn Pakistan away from its covert support for the Taliban, the Pakistani government remains "intimately involved" with the insurgent group. Following the leak of the study, NATO headquarters in Kabul insisted it was not an analysis of the state of the military campaign. It said that while it "may provide some level of representative sampling of Taliban opinions and ideals," it should "not be used as any interpretation of campaign progress." Source: An article by Ben Farmer for Telegraph.co.uk

afghanistan nato taliban pakistan
Taliban execution of Afghan woman sparks outrage

15 Jul 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

After receiving their first commission from Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel, the apostles “went off and preached repentance.” Taliban hardliners in Afghanistan apparently allow little room for repentance, at least in the recent public slaying of an Afghan woman accused of adultery whose gruesome, execution-style killing has surfaced in video footageThe video shows the woman being shot multiple times about 10 days ago. The gunman was encouraged by people who stood nearby, smiling and cheering him on as “Mujahedeen,” or resistance fighters.The death of the unidentified woman, said to be in her 20s, set off a storm of condemnation. President Hamid Karzai, the U.S. Embassy, the top NATO military commander in Afghanistan, and activist groups all denounced the killing. Dozens of men and women took to the streets of Kabul on Wednesday to protest the slaying.Despite guaranteed rights and progressive new laws, the U.N. Development Program still ranks Afghanistan as one of the world's worst countries when it comes to basic human rights for women. Ending abuse of women is a huge challenge in a patriarchal society where traditional practices include child marriage, giving girls away to settle debts or pay for their relatives' crimes, and so-called honor killings in which girls seen as disgracing their families are murdered by relatives.Part of what is so shocking about the public execution is where it took place. Parwan Province lies just north of the capital Kabul and houses Bagram Air Field, a massive U.S. base. “This incident took place directly under the noses of the Afghan government and the international community,” wrote one observer. “We can ask the question what will happen when we leave,” added regional expert Christine Fair, “but let’s remember that this is actually happening while we’re still there.” Sources: Articles by Muhammad Lila for ABC News, Deb Riechmann for theAssociated Press, and Ben Arnoldy for the Christian Science Monitor

women afghanistan taliban execution christine fair
Afghanistan's orphans lead the way to reconciliation

02 Sep 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Sunday selection from the Letter of James encourages us “to care for orphans and widows in their affliction.” Perhaps no nation has witnessed more affliction over the past decade that war-torn Afghanistan, but at least the nation’s orphanages offer glimmers of hope for this divided nation.Afghanistan is full of villages and families that are bitterly split between the insurgency and the government. Eleven years into the war, efforts to bring the country together through a nationwide reconciliation process have yielded little. But when men die in Kandahar province, a Taliban stronghold, it doesn’t matter whether they’re soldiers, civilians, or insurgents. Their sons are taken to the same smattering of drab buildings and assigned to the same dorm rooms at Sheikh Zayed Orphanage.Many of their mothers are alive, but women in southern Afghanistan are often incapable of independently providing for their children, and with extended families decimated by the war, an orphanage is often the only alternative.Hamidullah, 12, and Rahmatullah, 10, are orphans profiled in a report that notes their similarities: the same haircuts, the same blue uniforms, the same jokes, the same notebooks with sailboats and convertibles on the cover. When they get older, they want to be neighbors.They arrived here—bunkmates in southern Afghanistan’s largest orphanage—under the same tragic circumstances, noted the report. Just one detail separates the best friends: Their fathers were killed fighting on opposite sides of the war.Rahmatullah’s father was killed by the Taliban. Hamidullah’s father was killed fighting for the Taliban. In the ethnic Pashtun heartland, where vengeance and pride so often dictate action, Rahmatullah and Hamidullah might have been expected to inherit their fathers’ allegiances. Instead, they started fresh, embracing each other.“No matter what their fathers did, they are friends,” said Sayyid Abdullah Hashemi, the director of Afghanistan’s orphanages. “Our goal for the country is to have the same attitude as the orphans. Source: An article by Kevin Sieff for the Washington Post

orphans afghanistan taliban sayyid abdullah hashemi sheikh zayed orphanage

← Previous 1 2 Next →