(2021-08-14). US troops return to Afghanistan as regime disintegrates. wsws.org The overrunning of nearly every city save Kabul has laid bare the abject failure of the US intervention after 20 years of war and hundreds of thousands of deaths.
(2021-08-14). Imminent Collapse of U.S. Imperial project Afghanistan. indybay.org the 40+ year U.S. Imperial project in Afghanistan(started by the Carter administration back in 1979, with Uncle Sam's backing of Usama binLaden–UBL–and his band of jihadists) is now collapsing like a house of cards, sending shock waves in Washington and on the Public airwaves, especially in the NeoLiberal "Corprorate-bin-Laden" media. The rush is on to explain away the bloody hands of Uncle Sam in creating and maintaining the myth that the U.S. went in with good intentions to help "democratize" the Afghan people and, especially, to "liberate" Afghan women from oppression. The reality is almost 180 degrees from…
(2021-08-14). The Taliban Pushes Forward, Captures Two New Provincial Capitals (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
Taliban fighters in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in June. IMAGE: Parwiz Parwiz/Reuters | On August 14, the Taliban pushed forward in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, capturing two provincial capitals from government forces. | Taliban fighters took over Sharan, the capital of the eastern province of Paktika. The group faced no real resistance from Afghan government forces. | The Taliban is currently in control of Sharan governor's headquarters, the local center of the Afghan Police and the headquarters of the Afghan…
(2021-08-14). Military Situation In Afghanistan On August 14, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 13, Taliban captured Mata Khan district in Paktika province | On August 13, Taliban captured Tarinkot city, the capital of Uruzgan province | On August 13, Taliban captured Pole Alam city, the capital of Logar province | On August 13, Taliban captured Firozkoh city, the capital of Ghor province | On August 13, Taliban captured Qalat, the capital of Zabul province | On August 13, Taliban captured Kandahar city, the capital of Kandahar province | On Augus…
(2021-08-14). U.S. convoys of 165 vehicles enter Iraq with stolen Syrian oil. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US occupation brings out 55 vehicles, including tankers loaded with Syrian stolen oil towards Iraqi territory August 13, 2021 US occupation forces brought out during the past 24 hours a convoy consists of 55 vehicles, including tankers loaded with Syrian stolen oil towards Iraqi territory through the illegal al-Waleed crossing. ==== US occupation continues to …
(2021-08-14). Israeli Army Shot Down Drones Launched By Hezbollah, Hamas. southfront.org 
An Iron Dome antimissile system is installed near the Israeli side of the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. IMAGE: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS | The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that their troops shot down two drones that violated the country's airspace on August 11. | The first drone was shot down in the northern region, in the eastern part of the Blue Line that separates Israeli-held areas from Lebanon's territory. The IDF said that the drone was launched by Hezbollah. | The army did not share any addition…
(2021-08-14). Wreckage Of Another Israeli Glide Bomb Intercepted By Syrian Air Defenses Found In Lebanon (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On August 13, Lebanese news sources shared footage showing the wreckage of an Israeli SPICE 1000 glide bomb that was intercepted by Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAADF) during the The wreckage was recently found in Ehden Valley in Mount Lebanon. Ehden is located some 60 km away from al-Daba Air Base in the southern countryside…
(2021-08-14). A new Palestinian generation is leading a different media strategy. juancole.com By Linda Shalash | — ( Middle East Monitor ) — Among the most important outcomes of the events in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied Jerusalem, and the subsequent Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, is the emergence of a new, unconventional Palestinian generation, which led the media battle against the occupation locally and …
(2021-08-14). Palestine Aid on the Ground in Gaza. orinocotribune.com By Fra Hughes Belfast — Aug 11, 2021 | In 2010 a group of international activists joined Mr. George Galloway on his Viva Palestina 5 medical aid convoy to Gaza. | Their aim was to break the illegal siege, bring much-needed aid, medical equipment, and supplies to the people in distress. To bring hope, help, solidarity, and compassion to those living under a brutal medieval siege illegally imposed upon them by the apartheid state of Israel. | Nearly 2 million souls hemmed into a piece of land the size of the Ards peninsula 26 miles by 6 miles surrounded by land, sea, and air by the Zionist army, navy, and air…
(2021-08-14). Amid xenophobic campaign, far-right mob attacks Syrian refugees in Turkey. wsws.org This fascistic onslaught is a serious warning to workers in Turkey and all over the world.
(2021-08-14). Mob attacks Syrian refugees in Turkey. peoplesdispatch.org Several Syrian refugees living near Turkey's capital Ankara were attacked by right-wing mobs on the early morning of Thursday, August 12 following news of the death of a Turkish teenager in a fight with a refugee. | A violent mob in Altindag, located on the outskirts of Ankara, attacked businesses and homes of the refugees. The mob took to burning and looting and threw stones at the refugees, injuring several Syrians including one boy. | Several people on TV spoke to demand the withdrawal of all foreign refugees from the country. Video footage showed hundreds of young people breaking a police cordon and breaking…
(2021-08-14). Turkish troops, mercenaries shell Syrian schools. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkish occupation and mercenaries fire missile shells at two schools in Tal Tamer, Hasaka Turkish occupation forces and their mercenaries from terrorist organizations attacked with shells two schools in the Tel Tamer area in the northern countryside of Hasaka province, while Ras al-Ayn city witnessed infighting among Turkish regime backed—terrorists. Local sources told SANA [Syrian …
(2021-08-14). Syrian Army Killed Gunmen In Daraa Following New Attacks On Its Posts In The Governorate. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, via Sputnik, by Ilja Pitalev, source: arabic.sputniknews.com/military/201801241029455678-ÿ≥Ÿàÿ±Ÿäÿß-ÿ¨Ÿäÿ¥-ŸáÿߟàŸÜ-ÿ•ÿ®ÿØÿßÿπ/ | Early on August 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled Daraa al-Balad, the southern part of Daraa city, where more than a hundred g…
(2021-08-14). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org 1.5 million Indian power workers strike against privatisation; Korea: Seoul subway workers threaten to walk out; QUBE port terminal workers remain on strike in Western Australia…
(2021-08-14). CIA To Create New Special China Mission Center — Report. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is weighing proposals to create an independent "Mission Center for China" in an escalation of its efforts to gain greater insight into the U.S.'s top strategic rival. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the deliberations. | The proposal was made following the order of CIA Director Bill Burns to broadly review of the CIA's capabilities towards. Currently China-related missions are carried out by a the much larger Mission Center for East Asia and Pacific."As Dire…
(2021-08-14). Azerbaijan: Blood brother Turkey intimidated opponents of last year's war. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkey, Azerbaijan proved their brotherhood in practice — Administration "The relations between our countries are getting stronger every day….During the 44-day war, the whole world witnessed brotherly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan." ==== President Ilham Aliyev: Turkey's defense industry is developing very fast, and we also benefit and will benefit from it "In the early …
(2021-08-14). News on China | No. 63. dissidentvoice.org China promotes health through sports, deals with environmental threat posed by algal bloom, and trades with Africa.
(2021-08-14). Carbon Neutral Green Finance: China May Take the Lead into a Post-Pandemic World. dissidentvoice.org How the pandemic will be reshaping the world, especially in terms of economic recovery and especially the western world, remains to be seen. So far, western economic, social and health restructuring policies are chaotic, disorganized and totally uncoordinated. Western countries are skipping from lockdowns to "opening up" back to lockdown, from the first covid-wave, to …
(2021-08-14). The US continues to obstruct China. indybay.org The United States has again demonstrated its willingness to tighten the approach towards Beijing in the economic sphere.
(2021-08-14). Buffalo Democratic Machine Considers Axing Mayorship to Evade India Walton. zcomm.org Incentives to sabotage the left are structurally inherent to capitalism in the United States…
(2021-08-14). "Nobody is Above the Law" — Except the "Big Boys" dissidentvoice.org Law schools should have courses on the expanding immunities of government and corporate officials from criminal prosecution and punishment. Guest lecturers, speaking from their experience, could be Donald J. Trump, George W. Bush (criminal destruction of Iraq), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Sackler Family of opioid infamy, and the top officials …
(2021-08-14). No more Hiroshimas and Nagasakis! workers.org 
This article was first published in Workers World, August 14, 2016 August 6 and 9, 1945, went down in history as days of infamy for U.S. imperialism — and days of catastrophe for the people of Japan. At 8: 15 a.m. on Aug. 6, the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped a . . . |
(2021-08-14). North Korean floods compound precarious situation in impoverished country. wsws.org Floods caused by massive downpours and heatwaves have destroyed crops as North Korea continues to recover from flooding last year and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-08-14). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Increasing fiber intake for constipation relief. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I experience constipation almost weekly, and eating bran flakes every day isn't helping. Are fiber supplements safe to use regularly and long term? Is there anything else I can do? I'm a 53-year-old woman and otherwise in excellent health. ANSWER: When consumed at recommended levels, dietary fiber is widely recognized to have health benefits, including relief of constipation. Adult women 50 and younger should consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day. Women…
(2021-08-14). Sharing Mayo Clinic: When the answer was something other than COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org This story came in a note to the Sharing Mayo Clinic blog from Susan Fox, who wanted to share her experience finding an answer to distressing symptoms with help from the COVID-19 Nurse Line, even when the answer was something other than COVID-19. _______________________________________ I'm a 68-year-old woman in Wisconsin and have been a patient with Mayo Clinic for many years. Despite extreme caution, my husband and I both contracted COVID-19 last November. We both recovered slowly, and when…
(2021-08-14). Romania: Washington's military colony on the Black Sea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com DefMin Ciuca, US Congress delegation discuss defence part of strategic partnership Romania's Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Friday welcomed a delegation of the US House of Representatives led by Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Forces Committee…. In his conversation, Ciuca reiterated the importance of the defence part in the strategic partnership between Romania …
(2021-08-14). Saturday 8/28: Woman's Rights Day online event. indybay.org Zoom Event. Register at http: //tinyurl.com/WRD-RW…
(2021-08-14). Three Bodies Found Days After Mi-8 Helicopter Crashed Into Lake In Kamchatka, Russia. southfront.org 
In this photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, emergency personnel work near the site where a helicopter carrying tourists crashed at Kurile Lake in the Kronotsky nature reserve on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. The helicopter carrying tourists crashed Thursday into the deep volcanic crater lake on the peninsula in Russia's far east, leaving multiple people missing. Officials said several people survived. (Russian Emergen…
(2021-08-14). Military Situation In Yemen On August 14, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 137 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On August 13, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 3 airstrikes on the Sarwah district | On August 13, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 6 airstrikes on the Rahbah district | On August 13, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 2 airstrikes on the Khab and Shaaf area | On August 13, Saudi-led coalition warplanes…
(2021-08-14). Houthis Shot Down US ScanEagle Drone Over Central Yemen. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On August 14, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) shot down a US Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drone over the central Yemeni province of Ma'rib, where they have been leading a large offensive against the Saudi-led coalition and its proxies for more than five months now. | Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Yemen group, said that the drone was shot down with a "ground-to-air missile" while it was conducting "hostile acts" over the district of Medghal in western Ma'rib. | "The targeting operating is documented b…
(2021-08-13). U.S. Government Under Obama Hid The Truth About War In Afghanistan. moguldom.com Just how much do American citizens know about the U.S. war in Afghanistan and its conclusion? Not very much, according to a Washington Post book entitled "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War." The book, which will be published on Aug. 31, paints a picture of a grand illusion crafted during President Barack Obama's …
(2021-08-13). The Great Washington Ponzi Scheme in Afghanistan comes Crashing Down. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The United States lost the Afghanistan War a long time ago, as is quickly becoming apparent as the Taliban take city after city. After 2002, it was never clear what the US war aim was. You can't win a war if you don't have a clear objective. The war is …
(2021-08-13). US Sending 3,000 Troops To Afghanistan. popularresistance.org The Pentagon announced Thursday that the US is sending 3,000 US soldiers and Marines into Afghanistan with the ostensible mission of securing US diplomatic facilities in Kabul and organizing the evacuation of American civilians. Britain is sending 600 soldiers for the same purpose. The US deployment of one Army and two Marine infantry battalions has been ordered as the lightning offensive of the Taliban—and the unmitigated rout of the US-backed Afghan security forces—has steadily tightened a noose around the Afghan capital. | The collapse of security forces loyal to the US puppet regime in Kabul accel…
(2021-08-13). Humanitarians assess needs of 18.4 mln people in Afghanistan: UN. ecns.cn Relief workers in Afghanistan are determining the needs of 18.4 million people out of the nearly 40-million population as fighting spreads across the country, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
(2021-08-13). Taliban announces total conquest of Kandahar as Afghan officials confirm fall of 2nd-largest city. rt.com 
The Taliban has claimed complete control over Kandahar following fierce fighting, as officials confirm that government forces have retreated from the second-largest city. | A spokesperson for the militant group posted a statement on Friday announcing that Afghanistan's most important provinces — Kandahar, Helmand, Herat and Badghis — had been completely conquered. | Read more | | The Taliban said it had seized…
(2021-08-13). Afghan crisis: historical background. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Excerpts from an article by Muhittin Ataman in today's Daily Sabah of Turkey. Who is responsible for the chaos in Afghanistan? Afghan territories served as a buffer zone between the British Empire and the Czarist Russia during the last quarter of the 1800s. To put it correctly, modern Afghanistan is an artificial creation of the …
(2021-08-13). The Taliban's Blitzkrieg Continues: Kandahar, Four Other Provincial Capitals Claimed By The Group (Videos). southfront.org 
File image. | The Taliban continues to advance on different fronts across Afghanistan while facing very little, if any resistance from government forces. | On August 13, the Taliban imposed control of Kandahar, the second largest city in the country. The group's fighters stormed the southern city a day earlier. Afghan government forces retreated after failing to stop the Taliban. | In Afghanistan, the Taliban began to take control of the whole of Afghanistan. Afghan soldiers began to surrender to the Taliban.
(2021-08-13). Turkish NATO troops at Kabul airport "peace mission": envoy. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ankara's presence at Kabul airport a peace mission: Envoy "This is a peace mission. This is in support of peace and stability," he [Afghan ambassador to Turkey Amir Mohammad Ramin] said, adding that Turkey's extended mission at the airport "will continue to have the support of the Government of Afghanistan, as well as the support …
(2021-08-13). West Might Have No Choice But To Engage With Taliban Government. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageThe Taliban is likely to take complete power sooner rather than later. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | A recent offensive by the Taliban has resulted in major centers in key Afghan provinces to fall to the group. The Taliban are now less than 150 kilometers away from Kabul and it is only a matter of time before they conquer the capital. The rapid spread of the Taliban in Afghanistan is not a consequence of some brilliant military strategy or some…
(2021-08-13). Taliban's major offensive plunges Afghanistan into further chaos. peoplesdispatch.org The fighting in Afghanistan has intensified with the Taliban seizing two major cities Kandahar and Hera in recent days. Media reports said that the fighting in Kandahar province alone had displaced anywhere between 20,000-30,000 people. According to Al Jazeera, with the fall of Kandahar, the Taliban controls 12 of the 34 provincial capitals. Other media reports put the number of provincial capitals under the Taliban's control at as many as 15. Four provincial capitals were captured on Friday, August 13. | A day earlier on Thursday August 12, the government presented a power-sharing proposal to Qatar, which serves…
(2021-08-13). US sending 3,000 troops to Afghanistan as major cities fall to Taliban. wsws.org The rout of security forces loyal to the US puppet regime in Kabul accelerated Thursday with the fall of Herat and Kandahar.
(2021-08-13). Afghan Journalist: Only a Political Compromise Can Stop Taliban's Military Takeover of Afghanistan. democracynow.org 
The Taliban claim to have seized 17 provincial capitals across Afghanistan, including Kandahar and Herat, the country's second- and third-largest cities, as the group continues its sweep through the country. The Taliban now have almost full control of the south, west and north of Afghanistan and are advancing on the capital Kabul, where the United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in case of a Taliban defeat of the Afghan government. The sudden and dramatic Taliban gains come as the U.S. withdraws its ground troops from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war, with aid groups warning of a humanitari…
(2021-08-13). Stop Listening to the Pro-War Idiots Who Got Afghanistan Wrong. counterpunch.org You're going to read a lot of Afghan War postmortems in the coming days. Some have already been published. Don't listen to anyone who was ever in favor of occupying Afghanistan. They were wrong for thinking that the United States could have won. They were stupid to think that invading Afghanistan would prevent another 9/11,
(2021-08-13). The US Is Bombing Its Equipment That Has Been Captured by the Taliban. news.antiwar.com As the Taliban is rapidly advancing in Afghanistan, the US has stepped up airstrikes in the country. A US airstrikes have destroyed tanks, MRAPs, humvees, and D30 artillery pieces. US airstrikes have also killed civilians. In one instan…
(2021-08-13). Barack Obama Lied When He Declared End of US War in Afghanistan in 2014, Book Says. sputniknews.com In December 2014, then-US President Barack Obama announced that the Afghan war, which started in 2001 as a response to 9/11 terrorist attacks, had ended. He promised that all US troops would be pulled out of the country, but it took another seven years to kick-start the final step of the withdrawal.
(2021-08-13). Roaming Charges: Ain't That America, Something to See, Baby. counterpunch.org For years, the mantra of "anti-war" liberals, including the Peace Prize president, was that by invading Iraq, the US was fighting the wrong post-9/11 war, losing its focus on Afghanistan. In fact, the US shouldn't have been at war with Afghanistan either…
(2021-08-13). Canada Reportedly Deploys Special Op Forces to Evacuate Embassy Staffers From Afghanistan. sputniknews.com Over the last few weeks, the Taliban have established control over several provincial capitals in Afghanistan. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that it would return several thousand troops to the country to secure the departure of US embassy staffers from Kabul.
(2021-08-13). Post-mortem on America's longest war. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com From an interview with Dr. Abdul Latif Pedram, member of the Afghan parliament and leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan, in China's Global Times on August 13. Though not an endorsement of him, his party or everything he says in the interview, the following excerpts seem too apt not to share: What Afghanistan …
(2021-08-13). "It's Not So Bad In Afghanistan": Hypocritical Europe Not To Allow New Refugees. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | The leading EU states have sent a letter to the European Commission calling not to halt the expulsion of illegal migrants back to Afghanistan, despite the ongoing crisis in the country. | Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece and Belgium representatives (Interior Ministers or in charge of Migration) were among the signatories, who asked the European Commission to guarantee the forced return of certain Afghans."I have sent a letter to the European Commission calling for the…
(2021-08-13). A Viable—and Perhaps the Only—Path to Lasting Peace in Afghanistan. zcomm.org Blindness to history governs the attitude of several capitals, who know from previous experience that extremism cannot be contained within Afghanistan; it devastates the region…