The reasons for my decision are personal. I did not come to it lightly or quickly, but given the considerations behind it, I recognized in the end it was the only choice I could make. While I won’t go into the details, my primary concern is for the health of my wife, who has sacrificed so much for so long.General John Allen • Announcing his resignation today, in a statement. Allen’s decision comes as, according to him, he wants to spend more time with his wife, who he’s said suffers numerous chronic health issues, among them an autoimmune disorder. Allen served as the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan for 19 months, was caught up in the fringes of the Petraeus sex scandal (but subsequently cleared), and had been the Obama administration’s nomination to serve as NATO supreme allied commander until now. Said President Obama: “Today, I met with General John Allen and accepted his request to retire from the military so that he can address health issues within his family.” source
This is weird and sad. AP:
Serbia’s ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.
By the time his shocked colleagues reached him, Branislav Milinkovic was dead.
His motives are a mystery. Three diplomats who knew Milinkovic said he did not appear distraught in the hours leading up to his death Tuesday night. He seemed to be going about his regular business, they said, picking up an arriving delegation of six Serbian officials who were to hold talks with NATO, the alliance that went to war with his country just 13 years ago.
Belgian authorities confirmed that the ambassador had killed himself.
“It was indeed a suicide,” said Ine Van Wymersch of the Brussels prosecutor’s office. She said no further investigation was planned.
It must be rather traumatic to be in a jovial conversation with someone one minute, then witness them abruptly leap to their death the next. Milinkovic, who was an anti-Milosevic activist back in the late 1980s, was appointed a special ambassador to NATO in 2004 in conjunction with “Partnership For Peace”, a NATO program which attempts to sustain friendly relations between NATO and non-NATO states in Europe. Our best wishes go out to Milinkovic’s loved ones.
Preventing violence: According to the Afghan Defense Ministry’s head of intelligence, Gen. Abdul Manan Farahi, many of the soldiers were expelled after it was discovered they did not provide adequate documentation at the time of enlistment. Others, the army believes, were not properly vetted to verify their allegiance to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. “In some cases we had evidence against them, in others we were simply suspicious,” said Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi, who told members of the press the investigation began about six months ago. Afghan officials hope the purge will help curb a rash of “insider killings” — the term used when a uniformed member of the Afghan military opens fire on U.S. or NATO forces — that have already claimed 45 lives in 2012. (Photo via Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) source
» With plans to leave the region in October, United States and NATO forces are making a final push against the Taliban in Afghanistan’s mountainous Nuristan region. After being expelled from the region, then officially abandoning it altogether, U.S. forces are offering a final round of training and aid for Afghan forces in the area. “There are a lot of Taliban around,” said Mohammad Ghazi, an Afghan militia member being treated at the NATO post in Nuristan. “If the (U.S.) supports the Afghan government it will be very good in future. If not, it will be worse.”
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» The NATO action, according to British PM David Cameron, was “extraordinarily difficult” to decide to go through with. He nonetheless approved the plans after increased concern as to the hostages’ safety, among them 28-year-old Brit Helen Johntson. The kidnapped four (two of whom were Afghans) who were held in Gulati, a town in Afghanistan’s northern region near the Tajikstan border. It’s reported that numerous Taliban members were slain in the operation, but the NATO forces escaped unscathed. “We will never be able to publish their names,” Cameron said, “but the whole country should know we have an extraordinary group of people who work for us who do amazingly brave things.”
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» Molotov cocktails, or home brew supplies? That’s at question in the case of three activists arrested on terrorism charges, days prior to the NATO summit in Chicago. They’re charged with constructing explosive devices, which they intended to use against very high-profile targets — the Obama reelection headquarters, and the home address of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The attorney for the three men (identified as Brian Church of Florida, Jared Chase of New Hampshire, and Brent Betterly of Massachusetts) claims the police planted weapons at the scene of the arrest, and supporters have claimed what the police called “molotov cocktails” were actually equipment for personal beer brewing. The National Lawyer’s Guild, which has volunteers representing the men, also asserts the police “broke down doors with guns drawn and searched residences without a warrant or consent.”
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The U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan is under-reporting the number of times that Afghan soldiers and police open fire on American and other foreign troops.
The coalition routinely reports attacks in which a coalition soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform. But it does not report the instances in which an Afghan wounds U.S. or NATO troops or misses his target.
So, what don’t we know? Do we want to know?
After five days of intense protesting across Afghanistan, NATO has recalled all personnel working in its Kabul ministries. The move comes on the heels of reports that two U.S. officials — allegedly one colonel and one major — were shot and killed at the Afghan Interior Ministry building this morning. A NATO spokeswoman would not confirm the rankings of the two servicemen, but did confirm that they were killed by someone who turned a weapon on them. She declined to comment when asked if the killer was a member of the Afghan military or police force. In an emailed statement to the press, the Afghan Taliban claimed credit for the killings, saying they were in retaliation for the burning of Korans at Bagram Air Base earlier this week. (image courtesy of Reuters/Ahmad Masood) source
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I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident. I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies. … The error was inadvertent. I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible.President Obama • Apologizing to Afghan president Hamid Karzai about the Koran-burning incident earlier this week, which has sparked widespread demonstration in the country and led to the deaths of at least eight people — the most recent of which happened when a man, wearing an Afghan Army uniform, opened fire on two coalition soldiers, killing them. This is not going to be an easy one for coalition forces to get past.
Advice of the day: Disposing of Korans should be done with the utmost care. Especially if you’re NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and you’re in Afghanistan. And apologize quickly if you do not follow these common sense standards, like so: “ISAF personnel at Bagram Air Base improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Korans,” said Gen. John R. Allen. “When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them. The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities.” There are photos of burned/damaged Korans floating around the wires. There are some here, but note we’re only linking this. (photo by Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images)
Libyan NTC claims credit for Gaddafi killing: It’s been a rather wild day as far as world news is concerned, which you’d probably expect when a notorious dictator of forty years is slain; in the aftermath, Libya’s National Transitional Council has said that Gaddafi’s capture and subsequent death (what happened exactly is yet unknown, as video has surfaced of Gaddafi once being alive under rebel custody, albeit in chaotic circumstances) was the work of Libyans, contrary to speculation NATO may have had a hand in it. Said spokesman Ahmed Bani: “It was our courageous revolutionaries who have killed the tyrant and not NATO.” source
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