The Hidden War

The stories you missed in 2010: AfPak edition.

DECEMBER 21, 2010

You couldn't read a newspaper this year without catching a story about Afghanistan or Pakistan. These two countries, the focal points of U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy, were in the news every day -- from the capture of Taliban No. 2 Mullah Baradar to a major coalition offensive in Marja, from more than 100 drone strikes in northwest Pakistan to devastating floods across the country. Afghan civilians voted and NATO in Afghanistan got a new commander. A Pakistani-American man attempted to set off a car bomb in Times Square, and U.S. troops pulled out of the bloody Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. But despite this blanket of coverage, some important stories have flown under the radar -- the growing Barelvi opposition to the Taliban in Pakistan, for example, and deteriorating security conditions in northern Afghanistan; the women's rights movement in Pakistan and Karachi's inept security services. As the year comes to an end, the AfPak Channel asked its contributors to list the "Stories You Missed" in this troubled region -- and to explain why these will be the ones making headlines in 2011.

 

JOZEF

7:46 AM ET

December 22, 2010

In our modern world it is

In our modern world it is very difficult to imagine that two countries still wage a war. To tell the truth the idea of this creates terrible and horrible pictures in my mind. I can’t imagine how people can live in such awful conditions; how people can live on pain of death. Thank you for this post.

 

CYBERFOOL

11:01 AM ET

December 22, 2010

Civilian deaths vs mistakes

I think there is an important distinction in civilian deaths. While these may represent opposite ends of the spectrum, reality is probably more like shades of gray. Here are 2 hypothetical cases:

Case 1: Militant hides weapons & IED making materials in his home. In a drone strike he is killed in his home along with wife & children and the weapons are destroyed.

Case 2: Drone strike hits the wrong house, where only women and children lived and there are fatalities. There were no weapons in the house, the house across the street was the intended target.

I'd like to know how often the strikes are similar to case 2, as these are disturbing. In case 1, when a legitimate target is hidden amoungst civilians, then the responsibility for the civilian deaths are the fault of the targeted combatant.

 

ASAD KHAN

11:10 AM ET

January 5, 2011

civilan fatalities

case2is subject of international humanitarian law.with such advaned technology with the west such things happen. Apart from the main issue,Dr.Afia siddiquis release will earn lot of goodwill for the us in pakistan. it could be done on humanitarian grounds.punjabs(Pakistan)governor can sacrifice his life for a christian woman,us can atleast consider my request.