Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category

U.S. closes last detainee site in Afghanistan as troop pullout advances

KABUL The United States closed its last detention facility in Afghanistan and transferred all remaining prisoners to Afghan custody, U.S. officials said Thursday, ending a controversial chapter in Americas war against terrorism.

But attacks in Afghanistans capital and other parts of the country Thursday underscored the extent to which much of the conflict remains unfinished, even as most international troops pull out at the end of the month.

A suicide bomber killed six Afghan soldiers and wounded 14 traveling in a military minibus in the first assault in Kabul in more than a week, officials said. Hours later, a teenage suicide bomber struck during an event at a French-run school in the capital. Afghan officials said at least one person was killed and more than 20 were injured in the attack.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called the attack at the school barbaric. He said in a statement: I firmly condemn this terrorist act which caused the death of several people and left many injured. There were no French victims.

The attack at Istiqlal School, home to the French Cultural Center, unfolded during a performance of a play called Heart Beat, a production about democracy and freedom. Officials said that about 500 people were in the auditorium and that the bomber apparently was in the audience.

The suicide bomber was a boy between 15 to 16 years old who had probably hidden the explosives in his underwear, said Abdul Rahman Rahimi, Kabuls police chief.

A reporter for the television network Tolo News witnessed the attack and described it in a broadcast: While I was filming the show, I suddenly heard a huge sound. I saw dead bodies and wounded people around me, and they were crying for help. But there wasnt anyone to help them. Everyone was running away from the hall.

There were also clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents in the central market of Shindand district in western Herat province. Insurgents also fired a rocket at Bagram air base, where U.S. troops are based. But it fell into a field and caused no casualties, said Gen. Zaman Mamozai, the police chief in Parwan province, north of Kabul.

The Afghan capital has been on edge since last month after a series of attacks killed several foreigners, including a South African aid worker and his two children as well as two U.S. soldiers. Taliban insurgents unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Kabuls then-police chief and an outspoken womens activist.

Thursdays attacks, which occurred after a brief lull in the violence, came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani publicly expressed shock at a U.S. Senate reports scathing revelations about the CIAs interrogation tactics, allegedly also employed against many Afghans. At a news conference, Ghani stressed that a recent bilateral security pact between Kabul and Washington did not allow Americans to run prisons or arrest people in Afghanistan.

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U.S. closes last detainee site in Afghanistan as troop pullout advances

Afghanistans Bruce Lee Impersonator Gains Internet Fame

TIME World Internet Afghanistans Bruce Lee Impersonator Gains Internet Fame Abbas Alizada who calls himself the Afghan Bruce Lee poses for the media in front of the destroyed Darul Aman Palace in Kabulon Dec. 9, 2014. Mohammad IsmailReuters He wants to make it to Hollywood

A Bruce Lee impersonator is gaining Internet stardom in Afghanistan, thanks to his Facebook page and imitations of famous Bruce Lee moves and poses.

I want to be a champion in my country and a Hollywood star, Abbas Alizada, or Bruce Hazara, as his Facebook page calls him, told Reuters.

Alizada trains twice a week to achieve his goal. From a poor family of 10 children, Alizadas parents couldnt afford to send him to a martial arts academy, but a trainer mentored him anyway. Now, he wants to make it to the big screen and bring some good press to Afghanistan in the process.

The only news that comes from Afghanistan is about war I am happy that my story is a positive one, Alizada said.

[Reuters]

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Afghanistans Bruce Lee Impersonator Gains Internet Fame

Afghanistan veteran reunited with long-lost dog

Flagler Beach veteran John Russo reunited with Bones, the dog he was separated from for two years after he deployed to Afghanistan.

PALM COAST One of the best Christmas presents Army veteran John Russo ever received was a little puppy he named Bones. But the even greater gift was being reunited with his dog after being separated from her for about two years.

I never ever thought Id see her again, Russo said Wednesday, noting that hes been overwhelmed by media attention over the reunion, including an appearance on ABCs Good Morning America.

Russo, 27, was separated from his dog when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 for a year, plus an additional year after his return. He left the dog in the care of a former friend and didnt know what happened to Bones afterward.

Russo said he decided he was ready to get a new dog and began checking the Flagler Humane Society website when he spotted a picture of Bones. The 6-year-old American bulldog was indeed the same dog he had been forced to leave behind.

He came in like everybody does, and said, Im here to see a dog, Melissa Rock, who handled the adoption, said Thursday.

Rock was puzzled when Russo said he specifically wanted to see Bones, who had recently been adopted and returned after one day.

Bones was originally surrendered to the shelter in Palm Coast on Sept. 11.

She was crazy, Rock recalled. She was jumping all the way up, all four feet off the ground, kissing him. Ive never seen her do that.

Russo doesnt know where Bones has been since he was deployed.

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Afghanistan veteran reunited with long-lost dog

Afghanistan (Afghan) and Pakistan Bruce Lee – Video


Afghanistan (Afghan) and Pakistan Bruce Lee
Afghanistan (Afghan) and Pakistan Bruce Lee. Qasim Suleman is amongst the best karate Legend in Pakistan. He got sensational skills. Watch video.

By: Jubair Khalid

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Afghanistan (Afghan) and Pakistan Bruce Lee - Video

U.S. shuts down its last detention center in Afghanistan

The U.S. military shut its last detention center in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a day after a Senate Intelligence Committee report highlighted torture of terrorism suspects at former CIA-run prisons in the country.

The U.S. military shuttered its prison at Bagram air base north of Kabul after handing over two Tunisian prisoners to Afghan authorities, and after releasing a Jordanian prisoner, who will be sent home or resettled with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Pentagon officials said.

Under a bilateral security agreement that takes effect Jan. 1, the government of Afghanistan will be responsible for all detention facilities in the country. The Bagram facility thus closed three weeks earlier than it might have.

The Tunisians, Ridha Ahmad Najjar, (also known as Redha al-Najar) and Lutfi al-Arabi al-Gharisi, will be imprisoned by Afghan authorities. The Jordanian, Taheer Halaf, is not considered a security threat and was set free in Afghanistan, officials said.

In a statement, Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the last three prisoners in U.S. custody were transferred after careful review by the Defense and State Departments.

Effective Dec. 10, 2014, the Defense Department no longer operates detention facilities in Afghanistan or maintains custody of any detainees, he said.

Follow @ByBrianBennett on Twitter

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U.S. shuts down its last detention center in Afghanistan