-- KARAWADDIN, Afghanistan -- The Nawa District, largely out of the Afghan government’s or the American military’s reach, lies on a transit route for insurgents who travel between Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan.Not the kind of story you ever hear them discussing over at Rabble... is it?
Each patrol was a foray into villages regarded as Taliban sanctuaries. Each began with tension and the possibility of violence. But the Taliban did not confront the heavily armed paratroopers, and within minutes the mood of the patrols shifted.
Once the villagers realized that the platoons were accompanied by medics, they pushed forward sick children and pleaded for help.
The Taliban exist openly here.That's some Religion of Peace.
To limit the influence of the government and prevent it from achieving even its modest development goals, the villagers and the Afghan and American authorities said, the insurgents have sacked schools, threatened teachers and students, scared off private contractors and sharply restricted medical care.
**********
RELATED: The Wacky Will of Allah
Three car bombs have exploded in the southern Iraqi city of Amara, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 100, police say.Nice.
Two bombs exploded in a car park packed with labourers waiting to travel to work, and a third detonated as people gathered to inspect the damage.
Most of the dead and injured are said to have been caught by the third blast.
You see how they sucked in the bystanders, who rushed over to help the wounded from the initial blasts?
There's a traffic jam at the Gates of Nirvana this morning.
