July 2009
14 posts
Jul 20th
3 tags
Caught in the crossfire
The Australian By Jerome Starkey in Lashkar Gah Pictures by Jeremy Kelly Their homes have been destroyed, their schools have been closed and all three students know someone who has been killed in the fighting. Helmand, their homeland, has been transformed in the past 60 years from a beacon of international development into a giant narco-farm controlled by the Taliban. But the three students...
Jul 20th
2 tags
Afghanistan: 'Britain is backing the Taleban' →
The Scotsman By Jerome Starkey in Lashkar Gah DESPITE the grim toll of British soldiers’ bodies coming home in coffins, many Afghans believe British troops have been helping the Taleban. “Of course we think they are supporting the Taleban,” said shopkeeper Saad Alikhi in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. “When the international troops first came here, they...
Jul 15th
2 tags
Afghan dispatch: Locals think British are... →
The Evening Standard By Jerome Starkey in Lashkar Gah People in Helmand believe in the wild conspiracy that British troops have been helping the Taliban. Despite the grim toll of bodies going home in coffins, many Afghans in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, are convinced that British troops have been supporting the insurgents. “Of course we think they are supporting the...
Jul 13th
2 tags
WatchWatch
Photographer Jeremy Kelly and I travelled to Lashkar Gah on board an Ariana Airlines Antonov 24, from Kabul. It was one of the first commercial flights for more than 50 years. Our trip was the first time Western journalists had visited the city without a military “embed” for almost a year. These are Jeremy’s pictures. A rare glimps of the people at the tip of America’s...
Jul 12th
1 note
8 tags
Eyewitness: 'I can't remember a single day of... →
The Independent By Jerome Starkey in Lashkar Gah Their homes have been destroyed, their schools have been closed and all three know friends and family who have been killed in the fighting. Helmand, their homeland, has been transformed in the past 60 years from a beacon of international development into a giant narco-farm controlled by the Taliban. But the three students I met in Lashkar Gah...
Jul 12th
2 tags
WatchWatch
Bamiyan, Band-e Amir, the Ajar Valley and the places in between. An amazing five day roadtrip. More than 800km along bone-jarring roads. Not bad for a week in the office.
Jul 11th
3 tags
Jerome Starkey: The deadly task of fighting... →
The Independent The grim toll of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan in coffins is testimony to the brutal contest being waged in the poppy fields of Helmand. For three years, British troops have been massively undermanned, underequipped and overstretched as they have tried to convince a deeply cynical population that they are safe from the Taliban. Most of the province was beyond the reach of...
Jul 10th
2 tags
Law will let Afghan husbands starve wives who... →
The Independent By Jerome Starkey in Bamiyan An Afghan law which legalised rape has been sent back to parliament with a clause letting husbands starve their wives if they refuse to have sex. President Hamid Karzai ordered a review of the legislation after The Independent revealed that it negated the need for consent within marriage. President Barack Obama described it as “abhorrent”,...
Jul 9th
Jul 7th
Jul 7th
3 tags
Surge and destroy: New British and US strategy to... →
The Sunday Times Michael Smith, Sarah Baxter and Jerome Starkey in Kabul In the baking heat and dust of Afghanistan last week Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe was heading into hostile territory to check on his men engaged in a big operation against the Taliban. He was riding in the front passenger seat of a Viking BVS10, a tracked vehicle with two cabins, originally designed for Arctic...
Jul 4th
2 notes
1 tag
Britain's help to the Third World to be rebranded... →
The Independent By Kim Sengupta and Jerome Starkey in Kabul Britain’s development ministry is to change the name of its key aid distribution arm in a major rebranding exercise. Operations by the Department for International Development (DfID) in the developing world will be known as “UKAid” in an attempt to make clear that the contributions are coming from Britain. The...
Jul 3rd
3 tags
Analysis: Troops surge may see Nato finally... →
The Scotsman By Jerome Starkey in Kabul THIS is proof that the surge has started. The blitz into southern Helmand is Nato is flexing its newly arrived US muscles. The American marines have the same mission Nato troops have had for years: the doctrine of “clear, hold, build” is nothing new. But until now, it has been impossible.
Jul 2nd