July 2008
8 posts
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Afghanistan spiralling back to days of Taliban,... →
The Independent
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
Violence in Afghanistan has reached record highs, with unprecedented numbers of civilian casualties and terror attacks spreading into areas once thought safe, a coalition of charities warns. In a damning indictment of the international community’s effort to stabilise Afghanistan, more than 100 aid agencies claimed security is worse now than at...
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Troops turning tables on Taleban in Afghanistan's... →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey, in Lashkar Gah
BRITISH troops in southern Afghanistan are aping the Taleban’s propaganda techniques as part of an increasingly desperate battle to win support of the local people.
Psychological warfare soldiers are using a series of subtle – and not so subtle – leaflet campaigns to turn the insurgents’ messages against them.
The hardline militants...
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Pilot by day, cabbie by night – the changing world... →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey
ABDUL Tawab flies helicopters to some of the most dangerous places in the world. In an air force without any fighter jets, he is the closest Afghanistan gets to a Top Gun. He has flown countless combat missions over the past 23 years, accruing thousands of hours in the cockpit.
That is his day job. By night, he drives a taxi.
Like most of the men in his...