Despite the progress announced at Helmand, no news in our media about up to 130 civilians being killed by US bombs last year at nearby Haydarabad, to mention just one “mistake”.

Nothing lately also about the UNHR Commissioner Louis Arbour’s report of torture in jails by Afghan and US forces. Amnesty International reported that Canada stopped transferring detainees to Afghan forces last November but now that the spotlight is off, the system has been quietly resumed.

Of the financial assistance from USAID, more than half goes to 5 US Contractors, mainly for corporate profits, wages and expenses. 40% of aid flows out of the country and the rest is significantly drained by internal corruption.

According to UN OCHA, schools and clinics that could have been renovated for $50K per building but were costing $226K and were still sub-standard.

Although there is an illusion of a legitimately elected government, the method of appointment continues to be based on the tribal system and is still marred by a ruling system built on corruption and brutality.

Karzai is supported by the most brutal of Warlords now appointed to Cabinet and Ministerial positions. For example, Gul Agha Sherzai, UN’s “Warlord of the Year”, was involved in bribery, extortion, drug-dealing and theft during the 1990’s. After the US occupation he was made Governor of Kandahar but later replaced by Asadullah Khalid who was accused last April of being personally involved in torture.

From a 94% reduction just prior to the 2001 invasion the Opium Trade has returned to it’s historical levels – up 17% in 2006 and 34% in 2007 alone, and is still accounts for up to a third of their economy.

About half of the 720 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul still remain closed due to violence or threats.

Refugee Women in Development say that “Now warlords fight on the side of the U.S. during the day, but at night they rape and pillage the population.”

And so on. All this seven years after "victory"?

I bet the Contractors hope it goes on forever.

Paul is an ignorant, tendentious poster. I've corrected him on numerous occassions and he can't maintain a legitimate, logical argument. eg. http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=1777&page=0#35440

PaulL. you begin with the assumption that ASIO can not ever be criticised or questioned, unless you are part of the organisation and privy to the details of their operations. That's absurd as you can observe the past and the effect of it's present actions. 'Authority beyond question' is a fascist/stalinist viewpoint that serves dictatorships very well. ASIO has a history of being incompetent:

"ASIO: the enemy was within"
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/asio-the-enemy-was-within/2008/05/27/1211654031664.html
I can provide other links to conclusions, but for present times if i need to.

PaulL's next blunder is his ad hominem attack on "green and socialist" news sites and that I must read them.
1. It's an exceptionally partisan comment.
2. A gross assumption.
3. It's wrong.
4. It's an ad hominem fallacy.
5. It's a sickness of his. He can't get enough of bashing the left, but it's proof at least of his bias and idiocy.
6. Guess what PaulL? All these supposed leftists were CORRECT about the WMD and all the other things that sites you might identify with no doubt denied on a regular basis. Your presumption of attack and derision is seriously problematic for you.

Paul>"Mate that it definitely the most ignorant thing I have yet heard anyone say on this site in at least a year. "

What you are finding hilarious is something you can't attribute to my statement. I never said they should take their primary information from these sources. But there is certainly information out there that shows how ignorant and incompetent they have been throughout the ongoing wars. Some of this information existed before these wars took place.

The Prime Minister is advised directly by ASIO and various other agencies. They got it wrong remember? No WMD, no Iraqi connection to 9.11. For slightly different reasons... Now either they were incompetent, or it was a conspiracy to go to war, or both. There is absolutely no other explanation for the grievous errors.

Dear Steel,

Thank you for this thread - and for pointing out the horrors of war, in a country that has a tribal culture - where nothing is going to change - and proping up corrupt Governments is not going to achieve anything worthwhile for the country.
Thanks to Rache as well.

'The Age' newspaper of April 2, 2008 had an Editorial Opinion entitled,
'PM's world tour, and obligations to neighbours.' I'd like to quote
you some of it:

"The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, this week arrives in Bucharest to attend a NATO summit at which member nations, other countries and institutions such as the World Bank, will debate the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Mr Rudd and his Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, are taking to the summit a commitment that Australia is in Afghanistan for the long-term. Yet this pledge carries a caveat: while Australia might have 1000 troops in the country as part of the International Security Assistance Force of almost 50,000, it will not increase its troop strength unless similar vows, and a willingness to shoulder more of the responsibility for fighting the Taliban, are forthcoming from other European nations..."

Susan Biddle of the 'Washington Post,' quotes the US Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates as well as the top US Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan as, "arguing that the alliance's shortcomings are of some member states being unwilling to risk combat casualties..." This is apparently undermining NATO'S
future and the Afghan war.

It may be time for our PM to re-examine the situation - and see where our commitments should actually lie.

Thanks Foxy. So it's a long term presence for Rudd? In my opinion, that is very unhealthy for the people there, to live under occupation for a quarter of their lives being bombed on a daily or weekly basis. Also Australians throwing money into the fire on military hardware and fuel costs doesn't bode well for anyone but those profitting from it here in Australia. The money could go to much better ends here, rather than idealistic and hypocritical wars.

Foxy,

I did not mention NATO, I was following up your UN-obligation comment.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has nothing to do with the UN and nothing to do with Australia – ‘North Atlantic’ is the clue.

Australia is overstretched, so your excuses for the absence of other UN members – which alleviates their obligation, apparently – don’t’ measure up.

I’m sure you find John Pilger impressive and believe what he says. Does he approve of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan? He seems not to agree with anything Australia does.

I think Mr. Pilger is an embarrassment to Australia and a quite awful man. That’s life; we don’t all agree with each other. I have read his books in the past, but I simply do not agree with his politics.

I don’t know why you quoted the book ‘blurb’; that doesn’t make him right or wrong.

I hope your family problems are squared away, and I note that you are female.

Thanks for the response.

Dear Mr Right,

You may be interested in reading the entire editorial opinion given by 'The Age' newspaper, April 2, 2008:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/pms-world-tour-and-obligations-to-nei...

Perhaps then you will understand the point that I was trying to make.

As for John Pilger, I gave you the summation of his credentials because I thought that perhaps you were not aware of them. Obviously you are, and of course you're entitled to your opinion