(2021-08-26). US State Department admits few Americans remain to be evacuated from Afghanistan. wsws.org The statement from the State Department undermines one of the principal pillars of the media campaign for a more aggressive US military intervention at the Kabul airport.
(2021-08-26). Grandson of Notorious Warlord: My Family Is Celebrating the Taliban, But I Fear for My Friends' Lives. democracynow.org 
As the United States has begun the final phase of evacuations of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from the Kabul airport, we speak with Obaidullah Baheer, an Afghan academic who has decided to stay in Kabul despite the risks. Baheer's grandfather, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is a former mujahideen fighter once nicknamed the "Butcher of Kabul," now among the senior political figures in the country attempting to shape a post-U.S. government with the Taliban. "This country needs more educated people," says Baheer. "They're not going to have enough technocrats for a functioning government to be in place. That's why some of u…
(2021-08-26). John Pilger: Afghanistan, the great game of smashing countries. mronline.org 
In 2010, I was in Washington and arranged to interview the mastermind of Afghanistan's modern era of suffering, Zbigniew Brzezinski. I quoted to him his autobiography in which he admitted that his grand scheme for drawing the Soviets into Afghanistan had created "a few stirred up Muslims". "Do you have any regrets?" I asked. "Regrets! Regrets! What regrets?" – John Pilger…
(2021-08-26). Israeli attacks injure scores of Palestinians demanding the end of blockade in Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org Wednesday's demonstrations were organized following the Israeli attack on a similar protest on Saturday, which killed one Palestinian and injured several others, including a 13-year-old…
(2021-08-26). And So It Begins Again: The Media Recycles Afghanistan War Lies. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-26). American religious groups have a history of resettling refugees — including Afghans. Stephanie J. Nawyn, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Gender in Global Context, Michigan State University 
(2021-08-26). What Does IPCC's Latest Climate Report Tell Us? popularresistance.org The UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its latest comprehensive report on the state of the earth's climate. The much-anticipated report dominated the headlines for a few days in early August, then quickly disappeared amidst the latest news from Afghanistan, the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in the US, and all the latest political rumblings. The report is vast and comprehensive in its scope, and is worthy of more focused attention outside of specialist scientific circles than it has received thus far. | The report affirms much of what we already knew about the stat…
(2021-08-26). Only Religious War Remains. counterpunch.org The Taliban seizure of Afghanistan underscores an ugly 21st century fact: Religion-based warfare remains the world's worst type of armed conflict, and the "holy warriors" display barbaric cruelty. After America's CIA under President Reagan helped brutal Muslim tribal warlords drive the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, victorious warlords fell into conflict with each other. That's
(2021-08-26). U.S. Costs to Date for the War in Afghanistan, in $ Billions FY2001-FY2022. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-26). Afghanistan: How Iran and Its Allies Are Relying on Soleimani's Deals with the Taliban. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-26). Afghanistan: The Abomination of "White Man's Burden" and Fake Feminist Narratives. dissidentvoice.org Take up the White Man's Burden, send for the best ye breed, Go bind your sons to exile, to serve your captives need — new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child… Take up the White Man's burden, the savage wars of peace. — Rudyard Kipling (1899) The 2011 UK census recorded that Asian groups together numbered …
(2021-08-26). "Don't Worry Baby": The War on Terror Will Continue. counterpunch.org There are reasons, and then there are the actual reasons. The top 10 so-called defense contractors ("The top 10 defense contractors," Bloomberg Government, June 10, 2021) in the US have done quite well during both wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. How many trillions of dollars (Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson Institute) pissed down the drain
(2021-08-26). Afghanistan: The challenges of a health system dependent on foreign aid. peoplesdispatch.org 
The health infrastructure set up during the US occupation was already inadequate to meet people's needs, and now it faces new challenges after the Taliban seizure of power. Long distances with conflict zones along the way and even higher costs mean that healthcare remains out of reach of the majority of Afghans…
(2021-08-26). ÔªøShocker: ÔªøMilitary-industrial complex doesn't want wars to end. therealnews.com 
Former generals and elected officials are flooding the airwaves to demand the US continue its occupation of Afghanistan, without disclosing their ties to the defense companies that have profited handsomely from the war or having to answer for the decisions they made that prolonged the conflict. | TRNN's Jaisal Noor sits down with Sarah Lazare of In These Times to discuss the roles the media and military-industrial complex play in building support for and justifying endless war. Lazare is a web editor and reporter for In These Times and has written extensively about the US military-industrial complex, includ…
(2021-08-26). Sarah Chayes: Afghanistan Was an "Afterthought" for U.S. as Bush Was "Hellbent" on Invading Iraq. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. proceeds with evacuating people from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country, we speak with author and former NPR reporter Sarah Chayes, who covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, then lived in Kandahar until 2009, where she ran a soap factory, and went on to become a special adviser to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Mullen in Kabul. She says it was apparent shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan that the country was an "afterthought" for the Bush administration, which was "hellbent" on invading Iraq. "Well into 2002, there was basically no one home at the U.S. Embassy,"
(2021-08-26). Everything Went Wrong in Afghanistan. zcomm.org The best approach for the United States at this point in Afghanistan, although unlikely, is to encourage Taliban moderation by exhibiting in deeds and words its acceptance of the outcome in Afghanistan…
(2021-08-26). Jeremy Corbyn: All of the Worst Predictions About the Afghanistan War Came True. truthout.org 
We get reaction to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan from British member of Parliament and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, one of the leading critics of the Afghan War in Britain. He says critics who warned against invading Afghanistan, and later Iraq, have been vindicated, and calls for an official inquiry into the war. "It's horrible to read back to 2001 and 2003 and say all the worst predictions that any of us ever made have all come to pass," Corbyn tells Democracy Now!.
(2021-08-26). Corporate Media Were Complicit in Afghanistan War, and They're Still Obfuscating. truthout.org 
The corporate media in the U.S. were complicit in the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, argues historian In this exclusive Truthout interview, Gurman — a professor at New York University Gallatin who studies both U.S. foreign affairs and American political culture — offers a critical analysis of why mainstream corporate media h…
(2021-08-26). The Defeat Of The US In Afghanistan & Decline Of US Imperialism with George Wright. indybay.org WorkWeek interviews Professor George Wright about the collapse of the US government and military in Afghanistan and the history of US intervention during…
(2021-08-26). Afghanistan War Is "Cash Cow" for Pentagon. zcomm.org Biden Must End "Delusional" China Rivalry…
(2021-08-26). "An Inquiry Needs to Take Place": Jeremy Corbyn on Afghanistan & Preventing the Next War. democracynow.org 
We get reaction to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan from British member of Parliament and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, one of the leading critics of the Afghan War in Britain. He says critics who warned against invading Afghanistan, and later Iraq, have been vindicated, and calls for an official inquiry into the war. "It's horrible to read back to 2001 and 2003 and say all the worst predictions that any of us ever made have all come to pass," Corbyn tells Democracy Now!
(2021-08-26). Saturday 8/28: Stop Killing of Afghans! SF Rally in Support of Afghanistan People & Refugees. indybay.org United Nations Plaza @ 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94102 | Please wear a mask & follow COVID guidelines; This is a peaceful, respectful demonstration…
(2021-08-26). How the Taliban Chased the West Out of Afghanistan. zcomm.org The United States has begun to cut off Afghanistan from its own money in U.S. banks and from financial networks. It will use these means to isolate the Taliban…
(2021-08-26). Wednesday 8/25: Supporting Local Aid to Afghanistan Virtual Town Hall. indybay.org Online town hall…
(2021-08-26). "I Was Living Like Scarface": The Ludicrous Costs of the War in Afghanistan Revealed in New Documents, Testimonies. orinocotribune.com 
By Alan Macleod — Aug 25, 2021 | "Holy cow, I was living like Scarface…I was paying out anywhere between $300-400,000 per week to $5 million per week at times. All in cash." Matthew Hoh, U.S. Marine Corps Captain and former State Department official | WASHINGTON — The conflict in Afghanistan — for the U.S. at least — appears to be over. Essentially admitting defeat, American planes are beating a hasty and ignominious retreat from Kabul, with images of the withdrawal bearing a striking resemblance to those from the fall of Saigon 46 years previously. | As the Taliban complete their takeove…
(2021-08-26). More Russian Airstrikes Hit Greater Idlib, Monitoring Group Says 60 Targeted The Region In August (Photos). southfront.org 
A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti | On August 26, a new wave of Russian airstrikes hit militants' positions in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out five airstrikes on the hills surrounding the town of Kabani in the northern countryside of Lattakia and three airstrikes on the outskirts of the town of al-Fatterah in the southern Idlib countryside. | Bo…
(2021-08-26). Syrian Army Pounds Western Daraa Town Following Deadly IED Attack (Video). southfront.org 
FILE IMAGE: Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev. | On August 26, a soldier of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was killed and eight others were wounded when their vehicle came under attack in the northern countryside of Daraa. | The vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) as it was passing on a road between the towns of Nawa and al-Sheikh Maskin. The soldiers were not on a combat mission. They were reportedly on their way to distribute food rations to SAA posts in the area. | The attack was most likely carried out by former r…
(2021-08-26). Kurdish Forces Share Footage Of Guided Missile Strikes On Turkish-Backed Syrian Militants. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, fighters of the Afrin Liberation Forces. Via the Hawar News Agency (ANHA). | On August 26, the Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) announced that its fighters carried out a series of attacks on the Turkish military and its proxies in the northern countryside of Syria's Aleppo between August 17 and 23. | The Kurdish guerilla group has been active in the northern Aleppo countryside since March of 2018, when Afrin area was occupied by Turkish forces. | In a statement, the ALF listed its recent attacks as follows:…
(2021-08-26). Central Syria Insurgency: Dozens Of Russian Airstrikes, Syrian Artillery Strikes Hit ISIS Cells. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On August 25, dozens of Russian airstrikes and Syrian artillery strikes targeted ISIS' remaining cells in Syria's central region. | According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 30 Russian airstrikes hit hideouts of the terrorist group in the following areas: | The outskirts of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern Homs countryside; | The outskirts of the town of al-Sholah in the western Deir Ezzor countryside; | The outskirts of the town of al-Resafa…
(2021-08-26). De-Escalation: Dozens Of Gunmen Depart Daraa Al-Balad After Pressure From Syrian Army (Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. | Gunmen in the southern part of the Syrian city of Daraa, known as Daraa al-Balad, have finally succumbed to the demands of Syrian authorities and begun to leave the area. | On August 26 afternoon, 50 wanted gunmen departed Daraa al-Balad along with their families in several buses provided by Syrian authorities. The gunmen will most likely settle in Turkish-occupied areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo. Russian forces are reportedly facilitating…
(2021-08-26). "Blood for Blood": On Jenin and Israel's Fear of an Armed Palestinian Rebellion. dissidentvoice.org 
The killing of four young Palestinians by Israeli occupation soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, on August 16, is a consequential event, the repercussions of which are sure to be felt in the coming weeks and months. The four Palestinians — Saleh Mohammed Ammar, 19, Raed Ziad Abu Seif, 21, …
(2021-08-26). Palestine's Africa Dichotomy: Is Israel Really 'Winning' Africa? zcomm.org Why is Israel so keen on penetrating Africa? What made African countries finally succumb to Israeli pressure and lobbying?>
(2021-08-26). ANZUS at 70: Together for decades, US, Australia, New Zealand now face different challenges from China. Patricia A. O'Brien, Visiting Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University 
(2021-08-26). Birth of the Cruel: How Truckee Pioneered Modern Anti-China Hate. counterpunch.org formation of the Caucasian League, a violent, heavy-drinking secret society dedicated to driving Chinese out of the woodcutting business via a campaign of persuasion that looked a lot like intimidation and terror. In 1878 "somebody" set fire to a woodcutter's cabin on Trout Creek in Truckee and shot at the Chinese rushing out to escape and get water to fight the flames.
(2021-08-26). Los Talibán, tan lejos y tan cerca de América Latina. globalizacion.ca Afganistán está muy lejos de América Latina y es uno de los países de Asia Central que menos puntos de contacto tiene con nuestra región ya que ni siquiera hubo corrientes migratorias importantes como las hubo de Ucrania, Rusia, China…
(2021-08-26). Russia's COVID-19 response slowed by population reluctant to take domestic vaccine. Arik Burakovsky, Assistant Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University 
(2021-08-26). Corporate Media Politicize WHO Investigation To Vilify China. popularresistance.org FAIR (10/6/20, 6/28/21) has previously critiqued Western news media's credulous coverage of evidence-free "lab leak" speculations. One key factor in spreading suspicion that the coronavirus might have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is media's early and ongoing politicization of the World Health Organization's investigation into the pandemic's origins. Much of this politicization weaponizes Orientalist tropes about China being especially, perhaps genetically, untrustworthy—the sort of people who would unleash Covid-19 on the world. | While no new evidence has emerged suggesting that the v…
(2021-08-26). The Dangers of Nuclear War: "Global Stability" Requires the Reintroduction of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), with Inclusion of China. globalresearch.ca …
(2021-08-26). Germany and Australia to work together on China. indybay.org As part of the Indo-Pacific strategy, Germany is deepening political and military engagement with Australia as its main partner in the region. In recent months, Berlin's more active vector in the Indo-Pacific region has been presented as fully meeting the current and promising challenges from the PRC.
(2021-08-26). USA wants its corporations to ditch China. indybay.org The leadership of the United States again raised the issue of the Uyghurs and attempted to provoke an "allergic reaction" of Beijing. The economic agenda goes in parallel with it.
(2021-08-26). India: Motherson autoworkers outraged by Maoist-led union's shutting down of 11-day strike. wsws.org When workers returned to the plant, they were furious to see that the demands the LTUC leadership claimed had been "agreed" were not fulfilled by management.
(2021-08-26). Video: The Truth About the GMO Situation in India and How it Destroys the Family Farm. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-26). The World must pay attention to the violence against Muslims in India. mronline.org 
From Ajmer to Indore, recent incidents show that the continuing hate-mongering by right-wing forces is having a direct impact.
(2021-08-26). Taliban's religious ideology — Deobandi Islam — has roots in colonial India. Sohel Rana, PhD Student, Indiana University 
(2021-08-26). Iran Two Months Away From Nuclear Bomb: Israel Defense Minister. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Tehran is two months away from nuclear weapons capacity, according to Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz."Iran is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a nuclear weapon," Gantz told a gathering of 60 ambassadors in Tel Aviv. | Gantz said that the world needed an alternative to the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal, in case it fails entirely."We do not know if the Iranian regime will be willing to sign an agreement and come back to the negotiation table [md…
(2021-08-26). Iran's New Cabinet Designed to Confront COVID-19, US Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday gave votes of confidence to 18 out of 19 ministers proposed by President Ebrahim Raisi, as Iranians hope that the new ministers may successfully tackle the challenges facing the country. | RELATED: | The process of parliamentary discussion on the qualifications of the proposed Iranian cabinet members started on Saturday. "We know that the time for service is short and the pains and problems of…
(2021-08-26). 'Ultra-Vaxxed' Israel Sees Huge Surge in COVID as 'Experts' Avoid the Only Logical Conclusion. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-26). As Israel shoots protesters, Egypt helps tighten Gaza noose. electronicintifada.net Qatar yields to Israel's demands on money transfers.
(2021-08-26). 1.6 million Moderna Covid vaccine doses pulled in Japan after foreign material found in some vials. rt.com 
Around 1.6 million doses of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine are being pulled from circulation in Japan as a precaution after foreign material was discovered in some vials. An investigation was launched into the incident. | The Health Ministry said on Thursday that it has withdrawn doses manufactured at the same production line following consultations with drug maker Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the vaccine in the country. | Takeda asked Moderna to conduct an urgent investigation after foreign substances were found in 39 unused vials. The material in question is believed to be a few millim…
(2021-08-26). Pregnant or worried about infertility? Get vaccinated against COVID-19. Matthew Woodruff, Instructor of Human Immunology, Emory University 