The Senate Armed Services Committee announced this month that Defense Department security contracts resulted in millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars being funneled to the Taliban. After a year-long investigation, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said that they found “significant evidence that some security contractors even worked against our coalition forces, creating the very threat that they are hired to prevent."
One week earlier, another investigation by the U.S. Agency for International Development found that a U.S. funded development project in northern Afghanistan inadvertently paid millions of dollars to the militancy for security.
The total number of armed security guards under contract with the Defense Department has risen with the increase in our troop strength. Currently, there are 26,000, which is greater than a U.S. Army division. Most of the security personnel are Afghans.
The Washington Post reported yesterday, however, that reconstruction projects in Afghanistan are beginning to be shut down because of the Afghan government’s recent ban on the use of private security guards. The situation was described as having “far-reaching effects on the U.S.-led military campaign against the Taliban, disrupting a central component of the strategy to counter the insurgency at a critical moment in the war.”
Last week, the Department of Defense released the obituaries of six military personnel killed in Afghanistan, ranging in age from 19 to 28. Five of the fallen heroes were killed by improvised explosive devices in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.
The obituary of one 24-year-old soldier killed in Iraq was also released. His death was classified as being caused by a non-combat-related injury.
According to the website icasualties.org, total U.S. deaths now amount to 1,348 in Afghanistan and 4,426 in Iraq, for a total of 5,774.
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Comments: 13
I have heard some stories from friends about their relatives who worked for contractors and what they saw over there was mentally life changing.
I have heard stories from personal friends that where they were stationed was bad but they made an impact. We hear the bad, but a lot of times don't hear the good.
I am concerned that what you say about money being funneled to the Taliban.
I truly hope this is NOT TRUE, because if it is, this will have a really bad reflection on our current president, Obama, and there should be concerns if this was happening under Bush and possibly Clinton.
Mooch
When will we begin to set some standards for intelligence to be met by those who are given responsibility to make decisions in our nation?
I have long been saying we need to take care of our own first.
I don't mind helping others, but when we are in this much of a recession, with no end in site, I have to say right now that continuing to give to other countries is not in our best interest.
That includes a 2B loan to Brazil for offshore oil exploration, when they have not been able to pay back past loans and the U.S and other countries ahve forgiven loans made to them.
Mooch
There are the common people in this country that back this atrocity. They could care less about human suffering. Many of them are investors and want this kind of America buying and selling of others, health care comes to mind.
The military-industrial complex has gotta love the Middle East...
Thanks, Dave. Keep after it.