Posted on 01/25/2018 7:24:36 AM PST by Perseverando
“The full extent of child sexual assault committed by Afghan security forces may never be known.”
After 15 years of failure and undefined missions in Afghanistan, this administration claimed to finally have discovered an innovative idea. Let’s invest even more American lives in propping up the Afghan security forces, they suggested, as if we weren’t doing that for the past 15 years. But who are the Afghan forces, and how are they really distinguishable from the Taliban, or at least enough to justify the human and capital cost of a deeper investment? A new inspector general report paints a grim picture of the recipients of our blood and treasure.
The number of soldiers getting wounded and dying in our aimless mission has been creeping up in recent months, as the U.S. ramps up a mini-surge in the country and plans to double our troop level. Just yesterday, the State Department announced that “multiple American citizens were killed and injured in weekend attack on a Kabul hotel.” But we refuse to learn the lessons of the past – that you must hold ground on behalf of a stable ally in order to make the investment worthwhile. Now, a new report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the latest in a series of devastating revelations about the Afghan forces and government for which we are bleeding, reveals that there are rampant allegations of sexual abuse committed by members of these very Afghan forces.
While the report recognizes that “the full extent of child sexual assault committed by Afghan security forces may never be known,” two-thirds of those interviewed by the IG’s team confirmed “child sexual assault incidents or related exploitation by Afghan security forces.” The New York Times reported on “rampant” sexual assault of children back in 2015. This is a culturally accepted practice in the country, known as “bacha bazi” (boy play). This prompted members of Congress to ask the IG to conduct an investigation into whether the Pentagon is violating federal law by funding the Afghan security forces.
The premise of this investigation is that if indeed these behaviors are rampant, any funding of the Afghan military would violate the Leahy law, which prohibits taxpayer funding for forces involved in “serious” human rights abuses. According to the report, we have spent $71.2 billion on Afghan forces, not including the hundreds of billions spent on the broader rebuilding of the country on behalf of these same forces in power.
Recognizing that we are not going to accomplish anything in the region that hasn’t been accomplished in 1200 years and that, unlike other terror groups and state sponsors of terror, the Taliban really doesn’t pose an existential threat, top military leaders are trying to sell this investment as a mere advisory role to the Afghan forces. They claim that the “notwithstanding clause” of the Leahy law allows them to continue funding the pedophiles because it is in our national security interests. But how can anyone on earth suggest at this point that it is in our national interest to get our special ops forces killed fighting for these corrupt Islamic actors in an effort to put together a country that is ungovernable and doesn’t affect us?
As the New York Times reports, several highly decorated Green Berets were relieved of command for beating up child rapists in Afghanistan in recent years, which was part of a broader policy of remaining silent about the nature of the “allies” we were fighting for.
This report follows other findings from SIGAR that the Afghan military is weaker than ever before, that casualties are mounting, that “insider attacks” (from these same pedophiles) are increasing, that we wasted hundreds of millions on stimulating the Afghan economy, and that numerous Afghan soldiers have gone AWOL on our soil when brought here for training.
At a time when we see widespread corruption at the highest levels of the FBI and DOJ in order to protect a political agenda, isn’t it time Congress investigated what our military brass are covering up in order to continue the Afghan racket and endanger the lives of our soldiers for nothing?
Just don’t ever call it a s##thole country !!
Just saw 12 Strong about Afghanistan. (Beautiful scenery, excellent movie!). Why didn’t we know this story by heart, why didn’t we know there was a horse/soldier statue at the WTC site? Our news media that supposedly keeps us informed is nothing but a propaganda wing of the DMC.
Indeed, congress is full of perverts.... Oh, we were talking about tyrannical sick Afghanis.... Yeah,, right.
I thought this was an article about Hollywood.
My basic feeling is that “boots on the ground” is appropriate for Empire building but not much else.
I think we should have stayed out of WWI.
WWII, we were attacked by Japan and then Hitler declared war on us. The best Defense is a good Offense, so I won’t argue with the War in the Pacific and the War in Europe.
But if Europe explodes again over the Muslim invasion, I would want to sit that one out.
Afghanistan? If their government were supporting terrorism against the USA, I would suggest dropping 1 or 2 MOABs on their most populous city and then tell them “Knock it off”. But I don’t support boots on the ground.
No Blood for Opium!
The only way to fix Afghanistan would have been to simply clear out half the country, send the residents to Pakistan or elsewhere, and repopulate the newly empty quarters with more civilized people from elsewhere.
I guess that isn’t done anymore and probably wouldn’t be worth it anyway.
We seem to have a lot of Mexicans in the US. Maybe we can send them to Afghanistan.
>>We seem to have a lot of Mexicans in the US. Maybe we can send them to Afghanistan.<<
Actually, before we invaded them, Afghanistan offered to provide prison services for US criminals for the cost of $500 per criminal per year. Sounds like a pretty good deterrent for crime and a win-win for both countries;)
i think this article has double meaning.
Pedophiles are good Bolshekrat voters.
The Afghans just need freedom and democracy or something. Wasn’t that the line we were fed by the neocons about 12 years ago?
“Well, don’t ask me. I don’t give a damn.
Next stop’s Afghanistan....”
Sh*thole country with a sh*thole culture ...
Is not, and has never been worth one drop of American blood or one taxpayer cent.
My son-in-law was in Afghanistan 2007-08, and he said that every Thursday night the Afghan troops would head into town to molest the local boys. The American troops were ordered not to say anything or do anything about it, because it is their culture.
I’m surprised that the practice doesn’t make more American troops want to frag the Afghan troops. How can you work with and train men who absolutely disgust you? It must be very difficult.
illiterate, boy humping heroin dealers.
The richest Justice for them is having to live with one another, basically a roadless national prison without bars.
I am inclined to agree with you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.