"Taliban attack on luxury hotel in Kabul kills 9 civilians" Washpost

"The Serena was also the target of a 2008 attack that killed hotel guests, but security has since been beefed up. The hotel is protected by private guards, not the Afghan government. Afghans have been gathering to mark the beginning of the traditional New Year. On Friday, a number of Afghans, including a deputy governor and a top aide, were wounded in an explosion in the southern city of Kandahar, where the devices had apparently been hidden in a box of fruit. The Thursday night attack on Serena came hours after a brazen raid by a group of Taliban militants killed 10 officers in a police station in the east of the country."  Washpost

----------------------

2008/2014  Same same.  We should get out of that country.  Let the Chinese deal with them.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-afghanistan-taliban-carry-out-two-attacks-raiding-hotel-police-station-killing-at-least-19/2014/03/21/0be8938e-b0c7-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

Comments

[Booby]

PL
Strongly concur. I don't normally say, "I told you so."; but, when we went into Afganistan, my position was go in, kill the people who needed killing & get the hell out. Historically the only thing that unites Afgans is an outside invader. I have aquaintances in the last Marine Infantry Battalion scheduled to pull out & I don't want to be reminded of Kiplings poems.

[William R. Cumming]

The Chinese extractive industry in Afghanistan seems never to be attacked even while Mosques in Western China continue to be bulldozed! Why?

[JohnH]

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko has issued another statement warning that Afghanistan faces near global blacklisting in the future because of its rampant corruption.
http://news.antiwar.com/2014/03/21/inspector-general-afghanistan-faces-blacklisting-for-rampant-corruption/

Funny how it has never seemed to bother the US political leadership or the fat cats that underwrite them.

Now that they've decided to leave, they'll probably wax sanctimonious about how corrupt Afghans are. Reminds me of the pot calling the kettle black...

Another good reason to leave, though all the sanctimony to be tough to stomach.

[Thomas]

"while Mosques in Western China continue to be bulldozed"

Where do you get this information from?

[Wunduk]

Until the attack on the Taverna (Lebanese Restaurant) on 18 Jan. 2014, Chinese held the "record" of highest amount of non-Afghans killed in a single attack; Baghlan 2004: 11 Chinese construction workers killed in the event.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/14/content_339131.htm

The Chinese attempt to develop the gas and oil in the North-West (Sar-i Pul and Jawzjan) ran into attacks, and they had to bring in a security company with extensive experience with the Taliban (Watan Risk, headed by the former translator of Mullah Zaeef, ambassador of the Taliban "Emirate" in Islamabad).

They get attacked as anyone else until the resource flow reaches the pragmatic elements among the local violence providers, and they make an effort to channel the more ideological elements into another direction.

[Margaret Steinfels]

All: Carlotta Gall, who covered Afghanistan for the NYTimes, has this piece in its magazine (March 23) arguing that Pakistan with the help of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and an assortment of jihad groups are waiting to pounce. Perhaps this attack was an effort to hurry the process along. Perhaps the Chinese will do a better job.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/magazine/what-pakistan-knew-about-bin-laden.html?hpw&rref=magazine&_r=0

[Babak Makkinejad]

Col. Lang:

China will do nothing in that regard in Afghanistan.

Maybe Pakistan will continue on the mirage of "strategic depth" against India in Afghanistan, but not China.

[Babak Makkinejad]

They are all scum - they shot 2 little boys at point blank range in that restaurant - when did Taliban decide that they are the enemy of children?

[turcopolier]

babak

This was a passing attempt at humor. Let the place called Afghanistan rot. pl