June 21, 2012:
The government fired four Pushtun academics for publishing a book on the ethnic groups of Afghanistan that described the Hazara as "liars, stubborn, violent, and anti-Islamic." Hazara politicians and non Pushtuns in general were enraged. That's because to
the
Pushtuns,
anyone
who
is
not
Pushtun
is
"them" and nothing but trouble. Same
deal
with
the
northern
tribes,
who
are
weakened
by
their
lack
of
ethnic
and
tribal
unity
(the
Uzbeks
are
Turks,
the
Hazara
are
Mongols,
and
the
Tajiks
are,
like
the
Pushtuns,
cousins
to
the
Iranians
and
Indians).
Thus
no
matter
how
successful
the
Taliban
might
be
in
the
south,
among
their
fellow
Pushtun
(many
of
them
anti-Taliban),
they
still
have
to
face
"
them": the
northern
tribes,
who
now
have
powerful
foreign
allies
that
proved
invincible
in
2001,
and
can
do
so
again
if
called
on. The Afghan government survives by maintaining some form of good relations between the haughty Pushtuns and the real majority of Afghanistan (the non-Pushtuns). The Hazara have long been a particular target of Pushtun anger. In part, it's because the Hazara are Shia, while most Afghans are Sunni. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are Sunni radicals, and Sunni radicals consider Shia heretics and in need of killing. The other reason for Hazara hatred is that the Hazara are the descendants of the Mongol conquerors of Afghanistan. The Pushtun do not like to be reminded of what the Mongol invaders did to them.
The
Hazara are living reminders that the
legendary
Afghan
warriors
keep
getting
their
collective
asses
kicked
by
better
trained
and
equipped
professional
soldiers.
This
is
nothing
new,
it's
been
happening
for
thousands
of
years.
Alexander
the
Great's
pros
walked
all
over
the
Afghan
tribesmen.
Less
gentle
Mongol
armies
wiped
out
entire
tribes.
Persian
and
Indian
armies
regularly
moved
in,
brushing
aside
the
tribal
fighters.
The
British
were
unwilling
to
use
the
brutal
tactics
and
major
efforts
of
earlier
professional
troops
(going
after
the
less
mobile
families
and
food
supplies
the
tribes
needed
to
survive and killing everyone in sight to make a point) and
spread
the
myth
of
the
indomitable
Pushtun
("Pathan")
warrior.
But
when
the
myth
hits
reality,
reality
wins.
And
so,
the
Pushtuns, who consider themselves the mightiest warriors of all, stick it to the Hazara whenever they have a chance.
The U.S. is demanding that the Afghan government stop taxing reconstruction and aid efforts paid for by the United States. These "taxes" are another form of bribe. The Afghans will resist this demand because so many Afghan officials are getting rich off the foreign aid.
The Taliban have returned to terror tactics because their groups of armed Taliban have failed to maintain much control in the countryside. The tactics of the foreign troops (UAVs and airpower in general, plus plenty of smart bombs and other guided weapons) have proved devastating for Taliban morale. Even Afghan security forces (police and soldiers) have access to this highly accurate firepower and surveillance. This constant surveillance has even made it difficult to plant the roadside bombs that have long been the most effective Taliban weapon. So now it's back to suicide bombs. Sometimes the suicide bombs are accompanied by some gunmen, who are also suicidal as they seek to get into a military base or government compound and commit some major mayhem. These attacks tend to fail as well, but you only have to succeed once in a while to score major media points.
Last year the government made a deal with China to allow Chinese oil companies explore for oil in the northwest (the Amu Darya basin). The government has had to send 300 police to guard the Chinese as a local warlord is demanding payments to allow the exploration.
June 20, 2012: For the third day in a row the Taliban launched a major terror attack at American troops. Today a suicide bomber hit a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, killing three American soldiers and 18 Afghans (two police, 16 civilians).
June 15, 2012: In eastern Afghanistan Afghan and NATO forces cornered and killed local Haqqani Network commander Eid Mohammad and several of his bodyguards.
June 11, 2012: President Karzai, succumbing to pressure from desperate drug gangs (who have made many members of the Karzai clan rich), has ordered that smart bombs and missiles no longer be used on Afghan homes or structures. This order is opposed by most Afghans, especially members of the police and army. NATO ignored Karzai's order, understanding it was made to keep the drug gangs happy. Locals often urge such attacks on Taliban, drug gangs, or bandits who have fled to a compound and are using civilians as human shields. The outlaws are much feared and most Afghans want them dead whenever the opportunity presents itself. Most Afghans understand the human shield drill and civilians flee when they see the bad guys coming. The Taliban usually have to hold their human shields at gunpoint. The foreign troops have a large array of smart munitions and will often still be able to pick off the gunmen without killing civilians. Afghans know that the Taliban and other gangs are responsible for over 80 percent of civilian deaths and that the foreign troops kill far more bad guys than civilians.