(2021-08-25). U.S. plans — sanctions and famine for Afghanistan. workers.org 
Aug. 23 — U.S. politicians and journalists are all feigning deep concern about leaving behind tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for them. Meanwhile, U.S. financial institutions are busy planning a horrendous crisis for all Afghans, including their loyal collaborators. Internally displaced people in Afghanistan at the Haji camp . . . |
(2021-08-25). Trudeau says Canada to keep military in Afghanistan after Aug 31. ecns.cn Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada is to keep its military personnel in Afghanistan despite US President Joe Biden's commitment for Aug 31 American military deadline in the country.
(2021-08-25). Interview with David North on the debacle in Afghanistan and the fight against militarism. wsws.org The lead candidate of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party), Christoph Vandreier, speaks with WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North about the debacle in Afghanistan and what it means for the fight against militarism.
(2021-08-25). "US goal is an endless war, not a successful war" — WikiLeaks Co-founder Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org WikiLeaks is drawing attention to its past revelations about 'America's longest war' as US chaotically withdraws from Afghanistan.
(2021-08-25). Afghanistan recriminations, cover up and calls for anti-China offensive in Australia. wsws.org The shock provided by the ignominious collapse of the US puppet regime in Kabul is particularly profound for Australia's capitalist elite.
(2021-08-25). The debacle in Afghanistan shows we should have listened to Julian Assange. zcomm.org The founder of Wikileaks informed us long ago, with documentary proof, that US/NATO troops in Afghanistan were not winning the hearts and minds of the people; instead, they were making themselves hated…
(2021-08-25). Even love is forbidden under Israeli apartheid. juancole.com By Muhammad Hussein | — Israel's apartheid system directed at the Palestinians is well documented. Within Israel's officially-recognised borders — which the state has never actually declared — as well as across the occupied Palestinian territories, the people of occupied Palestine have long faced systematic discrimination which denies them the same rights afforded to Jewish …
(2021-08-25). CODEPINK Urges PBS To Stop Censoring The Truth About China. popularresistance.org CODEPINK's letter, with nearly 4,000 signatures, calls on PBS to stop censoring Peter Getzels' and Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn's documentary film Voices from the Frontlines: China's War on Poverty. The letter addresses how PBS is depriving its viewers of opportunities for learning about collective harmony and equality by censoring this documentary and its insight into China's life-saving policies, which took 100 million citizens out of poverty, at a time when poverty, food insecurity, and houselessness are all at record levels in the United States.
(2021-08-25). How the Taliban Chased the West Out of Afghanistan. towardfreedom.org The West had 20 years to advance the cause of social development in Afghanistan. Its failure opened the door for the return of the Taliban.
(2021-08-25). In OtherWords: August 25, 2021. otherwords.org The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has created a political headache for the Biden administration, which Khalil Bendib beautifully illustrates this week. But One particularly unseemly aspect of the war is the role played by for-profit, private military contractors. Sam Pizzigati takes a critical look this week at the "merchants of death," from World War I…
(2021-08-25). It's Time to End the Great Game. counterpunch.org Oh the wailing and gnashing of teeth as the U.S. leaves Afghanistan, bringing its longest-running war to an ignominious close. Then again, there's a reason they call Afghanistan "the place where empires go to die" — and we have just been added to the long list of would-be occupiers and rulers who have dragged themselves out
(2021-08-25). ISIS-K militants look to attack US forces and its allies in Afghanistan — Biden. tass.com US President said that he is "determined" to ensure the implementation of his mission to leave Afghanistan…
(2021-08-25). Afghanistan Then — The Whole World Today. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-25). Reluctant Acceptance: Responding to Afghanistan's Refugees. counterpunch.org Do not for a minute think that this is a kind, heart-felt thing in the aftermath of Kabul's fall. True, a number of Afghans will find their way to Germany, to Canada, to the UK, US and a much smaller number to Australia. But this will be part of the curtain act that, in time,
(2021-08-25). Republicans demand return of $169mn in aid money allegedly embezzled by ousted Afghan President Ghani. rt.com 
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have called on the attorney general to investigate reports that Afghanistan's ousted US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled his country with a vast sum of stolen US aid dollars. | In letters to Attorney General
(2021-08-25). Damals Afghanistan, heute die ganze Welt. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-25). America's Afghanistan Guilt: What About the Women? counterpunch.org America's rotting two decades of war and occupation in Afghanistan is oozing an awful stench from its bloated corpse, with the entire world an involuntary witness. Quite a spectacle confronts us: —caches of arms and vehicles in the hands of burley, grim-faced victors; embassy staff hastily destroying 'stuff'; a puppet president escaping, reportedly with hordes of
(2021-08-25). Afghanistan, The Great Game Of Smashing Countries. popularresistance.org More than a generation ago, Afghanistan won its freedom, which the United States, Britain and their "allies" destroyed. When we watch the current scenes of panic at Kabul airport, and listen to journalists and generals in distant TV studios bewailing the withdrawal of "our protection", isn't it time to heed the truth of the past so that all this suffering never happens again?
(2021-08-25). G-7 holds emergency summit as US withdrawal from Afghanistan accelerates. wsws.org The Taliban warned that if Washington violates its pledge to leave the Kabul airport by August 31, they could attack US forces who remain surrounded there.
(2021-08-25). Turkey to maintain NATO's presence in Afghanistan. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com àáavu≈üoƒülu, Blinken discuss latest developments in Afghanistan Speaking in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency on Aug. 25, Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban's political office, said… "Turkey is an important country in the world and the Turkish people are brotherly Muslim people and we maintain historic, social, and cultural relationship [with Turkey]," Naeem said. …
(2021-08-25). Alex Saab, Afghanistan, and the limits of US power. zcomm.org The US government will (perhaps within a month) probably succeed in extraditing businessman Alex Saab from Cape Verde. His "crime" was being an official envoy for the Venezuelan government as he attempted to negotiate the sale of medicines from Iran to Venezuela. US sanctions have declared such activity illegal. Saab was on his way to
(2021-08-25). Taliban May Accept Compromises to Keep Control of Afghanistan, Ex-Virginia Sen. Richard Black Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A potential economic collapse in Afghanistan will significantly weaken the Taliban* which may force them to compromise to remain in power, former Virginia state Senator Richard Black told Sputnik.
(2021-08-25). John Pilger: Afghanistan, The Great Game of Smashing Countries. strategic-culture.org The invasion of Afghanistan was a fraud. In the wake of 9/11, the Taliban sought to distant themselves from Osama bin Laden. They were, in many respects, an American client with which the administration of Bill Clinton had done a series of secret deals to allow the building of a $3 billion natural gas pipeline by a US oil company consortium.
(2021-08-25). Wednesday 8/25: Rapid Response Call: How to Support Families in Haiti, Afghanistan & US Border. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2021-08-25). End of the Longest War in US History Should Wake Us Up to Failure of Militarism. truthout.org 
We look at the situation in Afghanistan, and pressure on Biden to stay longer, with CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who for years has called for an end to the longest war in U.S. history. "We didn't want it to end like this, and there should have been better planning in terms of getting people out of the country, but we were very clear we never wanted the U.S. to go in to begin with," says Benjamin. She also warns the end of the War in Afghanistan will encourage the Biden administration t…
(2021-08-25). Russian Leading Political Party Provides Prediction For Middle East's Future. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia released a statement which is an attempt to predict the future of the Middle East, Central Asia, Caucasus and even parts of the Balkans. | The LDPR is the third most popular party in Russia. | In their opinion a lot of changes will take place, some significant, some not so much. | Pakistan will unite with Afghanistan and a single state of Pashtunistan will be created. All other non-Pashtun peoples will be pushed westward towards Central Asi…
(2021-08-25). This Afghanistan Vet Became a War Resister and Anti-Racist Activist. truthout.org 
In 2008 and 2009, Rory Fanning walked across the entire United States in memory of Pat Tillman, the former NFL-player-turned-Army Ranger who was killed by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan in 2004. Fanning had served beside Tillman during Fanning's second tour in Afghanistan, when he became a war resister by refusing to carry arms. | Fanning's first Afghanistan tour was bloody and illuminating; he realized the U.S. invasion and occupation was a human rights catastrophe that made the world a much m…
(2021-08-25). The Great Game of Smashing Countries. counterpunch.org As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, history is suppressed. More than a generation ago, Afghanistan won its freedom, which the United States, Britain and their "allies" destroyed. In 1978, a liberation movement led by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) overthrew the dictatorship of Mohammad Dawd, the cousin of King Zahir Shar. It was an immensely popular revolution that took the British and Americans by surprise.
(2021-08-25). The Endless Shadow of the War on Terror. counterpunch.org It ended in chaos and disaster. Kabul has fallen and Joe Biden is being blamed (by congressional Republicans in particular) for America's now almost-20-year disaster in Afghanistan. But is the war on terror itself over? Apparently not. It seems like centuries ago, but do you remember when, in May 2003, President George W. Bush declared
(2021-08-25). Propaganda Today: How US created Taliban & al-Qaeda, and behind Afghanistan war profiteering. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Ben Norton launches his show Propaganda Today discussing US war profiteering in Afghanistan and how the CIA gave birth to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Propaganda Today is a weekly show that Ben hosts at the independent video platform Rokfin. In his first stream, he talks about corporate war profiteering in Afghanistan, and debunks media myths claiming Washington supposedly "spent $2 trillion and got nothing for it." In reality, 80 to 90% of US war spending in Afghanistan returned …
(2021-08-25). Look! Take an Afghander at that perennial FUBAR. nationofchange.org We see exactly what we see in Afghanistan right now, the logical mess at the end of nearly two decades of mistakes compounding mistakes.
(2021-08-25). UK Believes Russia And China Can Act As "Moderating Influence" Over Taliban. southfront.org 
Dominic Raab. Illustrative ImageFor London and Washington, the Russian and Chinese posture is a possibility for peace. | Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. | Apparently, the future of relations between Afghanistan and the West will depend on the level of influence of Moscow and Beijing over the Central Asian country. In a recent statement, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that his country would have to ask the Russian and Chinese governments…
(2021-08-25). It's 'Necessary to Fill the Power Vacuum' in Afghanistan, Member of Council for Power Transfer Says. sputniknews.com It has been more than a week since the Taliban seized Kabul, thus ending, in its own words, 20 years of war. What does the Taliban's return to power mean for the country and the region?
(2021-08-25). Atmospheric CO2 Levels Haven't Been This High in 800,000 Years: NOAA. commondreams.org The American departure from Afghanistan was inevitable. We shouldn't ask what went wrong? We need to ask: what could possibly have gone right?
(2021-08-25). John Pilger: The Great Game of smashing countries. greenleft.org.au As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, Afghanistan's history is suppressed, writes John Pilger.
(2021-08-25). Taliban Delegation Met With Resistance Leaders In Panjshir (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
Afghan National Army soldiers prepare to move out following an inspection of troops at the Regional Military Training Center at Tactical Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, on July 30, 2015. JARROD MORRIS/U.S. ARMY | On August 25, a delegation of 40 officials of the Taliban met with leaders of Afghan resistance forces in the Panjshir Valley for negotiations. The results of the talks are still unclear. | A day earlier, the Taliban
(2021-08-25). Afghanistan War should prompt us to query ANZUS, US military ties. greenleft.org.au The US-NATO 20-year war on Afghanistan unleashed terrible suffering, including a massive loss of life and the wholesale destruction of the country's civil infrastructure. Bevan Ramsden argues the Australia-US military alliance must be questioned.
(2021-08-25). How US Media and CIA Weaponised Women's Rights to Manipulate Public Perception of Afghan War. sputniknews.com Photos taken at Kabul Airport amid the US' hasty evacuation and circulated on social media have shown that those who were fortunate to leave the country by US aircraft were mostly young Afghan men. "Where are the women?" netizens wondered, citing Washington's longstanding campaign for the protection of women's rights in Afghanistan.
(2021-08-25). Headlines for August 25, 2021. democracynow.org Biden: U.S. "On Pace" to Withdraw from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, Taliban Blocks Afghans from Accessing Kabul Airport, World Bank Cuts Funds for Afghanistan as U.N. Warns of Looming Catastrophe, House Democrats Approve $3.5 Trillion Budget Resolution, House Passes John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Immigration: Supreme Court Revives Trump's "Remain in Mexico" Program, Judge Faults DHS for Not Considering Ecological Harm of Militarizing Border, U.S. Records 1,400 New COVID Deaths as AMA Calls for Broad Vaccine Mandates, U.S. & Cuba Pledge Vaccines for Vietnam, But Only Cuba Offers to Share Vaccine Technology,…
(2021-08-25). 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…
(2021-08-25). Wednesday 8/25: Supporting Local Aid to Afghanistan Virtual Town Hall. indybay.org Online town hall…
(2021-08-25). "Massacre of My Dreams": Afghan Reporter Bilal Sarwary on Fleeing Kabul & Afghanistan's "Brain Drain" democracynow.org 
The United States has helped evacuate over 75,000 people since the end of July from the Kabul airport, but the Taliban is now allowing passage only to people with foreign passports or an invitation from the U.S. or one of its allies. President Joe Biden says U.S. troops are on pace to leave the country by the August 31 deadline, despite pressure from U.S. allies in the G7 to stay longer to help more people flee the country. We speak with Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary, who fled Kabul in recent days after reporting on Afghanistan for 20 years. He says his plane out of the country was an encapsulation of the brain…
(2021-08-25). Medea Benjamin: Afghanistan War Is "Cash Cow" for Pentagon. Biden Must End "Delusional" China Rivalry. democracynow.org 
We look at the situation in Afghanistan, and pressure on Biden to stay longer, with CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who for years has called for an end to the longest war in U.S. history. "We didn't want it to end like this, and there should have been better planning in terms of getting people out of the country, but we were very clear we never wanted the U.S. to go in to begin with," says Benjamin. She also warns the end of the War in Afghanistan will encourage the Biden administration to pour more money and resources into a rivalry with China. "It is a delusional idea that we should be focusing on China as…
(2021-08-25). The US Endgame in Afghanistan Was Mineral Extraction, Not Democracy. commondreams.org The Blackwater founder previously pushed the Trump administration to privatize the Afghan war.
(2021-08-25). Vladimir Putin And Xi Jinping Discussed Afghanistan, Agreed on Countering Terrorism. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the telephone. | In the phone call, the two leaders "expressed their readiness to step up efforts to combat threats of terrorism and drug trafficking coming from the territory of Afghanistan," the Kremlin said in a statement. | They also spoke of the "importance of establishing peace" in Afghanistan and "preventing the spread of instability to adjacent regions". | Putin and…
(2021-08-25). Russian Defense Ministry Evacuated 500 People From Afghanistan (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
Photo: TASS / Maksim Grigoryev | On August 25, the Ministry of Defense of Russia organized the evacuation of 500 Russian citizens as well as citizens of Collective Security Treaty Organization, Belarus Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and Ukraine from the Afghan capital Kabul. | Four Russian military transport aircraft airlifted the Russian and ex-Soviet citizens from Hamid Karzai International Airport. | According to the Russian MoD, the four aircraft were carrying medical personnel and supplies to provide the necessary…
(2021-08-25). The Moral Implications of Bloodlust, White Supremacy, Christian Nationalism. counterpunch.org The war in Afghanistan reminds us that those who do not learn from past mistakes are likely to repeat them. Years ago, scholar Akhilesh Pillalamarri wrote that Afghanistan has long been known as the graveyard of empires. Nevertheless, the U.S. repeated the respective mistakes of the British and Soviet empires in the 19th and 20th centuries by invading and trying to occupy the country.
(2021-08-25). Drone Strike Hit SDF Position Amid Rumors Of New Turkish Operation In Syria. southfront.org 
File image. | On August 25, a Turkish combat drone attacked a target in the vicinity of the Kurdish-held town of al-Bayluniyah in the northern countryside of Syria's Aleppo. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the target was a position of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). No human losses were reported as a result of the drone strike. | This was the fifth Turkish drone strike to target areas held by the SDF in northern and northeastern Syria within five days. | On August 20…
(2021-08-25). Russian Warplanes Continue To Hammer Militant Positions In Greater Idlib. southfront.org 
An Su-24 taking off from Hmeimim air base in 2015. IMAGE: Russian Ministry of Defense | On August 25, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on militants' positions in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | The airstrikes targeted hills surrounding the town of Kabani in the northern Lattakia countryside. The town and its surroundings are known to be a stronghold for many terrorist groups, first and foremost al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). | No losses were repo…
(2021-08-25). Military Situation In Syria On August 25, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 24, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 23 times: 13 — in Idlib province, 4 — in Latakia province, 5 — in Hama province, 1 — in Aleppo province | On August 25, the first batch of militants who refused to settle with the SAA left Daraa al-Balad, according to implementation of the Russian road map | On August 25, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Kafr Nuran | On Augu…
