Egypt Election: Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Could Face...
While Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency on an antiwar platform in relation to the Iraq War, his administration has led a major escalation of military operations in Afghanistan. This includes a troop surge, as well as increased drone attacks over the border in Pakistan. While civilian deaths and displacement are rising, public support for the policy in many NATO countries is eroding. Democracy Now! speaks with independent journalists, civilians living in the conflict zones, scholars, and grassroots activists on Obama’s policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the realities on the ground.
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US, NATO Air Strikes Triple Civilians Deaths in Afghanistan
Civilian deaths in Afghanistan from US and NATO air strikes have nearly tripled from 2006 to 2007, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. Air strikes killed at least 321 civilians in 2007, compared with at least 116 in 2006. The tally for this year is expected to be even higher. We speak with Kathy Gannon, an award-winning Associated Press correspondent who has covered Afghanistan and...September 08, 2008 | Story -
In Wake of Deadly US Air Strike, Jeremy Scahill Questions Lawmakers About Obama’s Afghanistan Policy
A UN probe in Afghanistan has backed claims of a massive civilian death toll from a US air strike last Thursday. The UN mission in Kabul says investigators found some ninety civilians, including sixty children, were killed in the attack. Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill goes inside the Democratic National Convention to ask lawmakers about Barack Obama’s foreign policy plan to deploy...August 27, 2008 | Story -
Afghan Civilians Bear the Brunt of Taliban Violence and US, NATO Bombings
As violence escalates in Afghanistan, both Barack Obama and John McCain support sending more troops. "Both of them are wrong," says Sonali Kolhatkar, host of Uprising on Pacifica radio station KPFK and co-author of the book Bleeding Afghanistan. "You really cannot solve the situation in Afghanistan by throwing more troops at it, because over the last several years tens of thousands...August 22, 2008 | Story -
The Forgotten War: Sonali Kolhatkar on Why Afghanistan is "Just as Bad as Iraq"
Coming on the heels of Barack Obama’s highly publicized visit to Afghanistan — what he calls a central front in the so-called war on terror — we play an address by Pacifica radio host Sonali Kolhatkar, one of this country’s leading voices against the occupation of Afghanistan and co-author of the book Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence...July 24, 2008 | Story -
Stop-Loss: A Look at the US Military Policy that Creates a "Backdoor Draft" to Force Soldiers to Continue Service
With about 175,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the US military has been forced to rely on a controversial policy known as "stop-loss" to force soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints had ended. We speak with two US soldiers: one on active duty in Iraq on his second tour of duty after being stop-lossed, the other facing redeployment after being stop-lossed....July 11, 2008 | Story -
"Descent Into Chaos": Ahmed Rashid on How the US Aid to "War on Terror" Ally Pakistan is Aiding the Taliban
Veteran Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid explains how the US ally Pakistan has armed and financed the Taliban after the US invasion of Afghanistan; how the CIA pays Pakistan to arrest al-Qaeda operatives, but Pakistan uses the money to fund the Taliban resurgence in northwest Pakistan; and how the US and NATO’s failure to deal with Afghan civil society has led directly to the huge rise of the...June 10, 2008 | Story -
Memorial Day Special...Winter Soldier on the Hill: War Vets Testify Before Congress
War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month to testify before Congress and give an eyewitness account about the horrors of war. Like the Winter Soldier hearings in March, when more than 200 service members gathered for four days in Silver Spring, Maryland to give their eyewitness accounts of the injustices occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan, "Winter Soldier on the...May 26, 2008 | Story -
Mary Tillman, Mother of Slain Army Ranger and former NFL Star Pat Tillman, on Her Four-Year Quest to Expose the Military Cover-Up of Her Son’s Death by Members of His Own Unit
Pat Tillman left behind a lucrative NFL contract to enlist in the military after 9/11. On April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed while serving in Afghanistan. He died, the military said, while charging up a hill toward the enemy to protect his fellow Army Rangers. But that wasn’t the real story. Tillman was killed by his own men. What’s more, the military knew that within hours but waited five...May 22, 2008 | Story -
"Winter Soldier Marches Again"
Last weekend, in the lead up to the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a remarkable gathering occurred just outside Washington, D.C., called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations. Hundreds of veterans of these two wars, along with active-duty soldiers, came together to offer testimony about the horrors of war, including atrocities they witnessed or...March 19, 2008 | Blog Post -
Half a Decade of War: Five Years After Iraq Invasion, Soldiers Testify at Winter Soldier Hearings
Five years ago tonight, on March 19, 2003, the US launched the invasion of Iraq. Half a decade later, as the occupation continues with no end in sight, some of the most powerful voices against the war have been the men and women who have fought in it. For four days this past weekend, soldiers convened at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland for Winter Soldier, an eyewitness account...March 19, 2008 | Story -
Winter Soldier CONT’D: US Vets, Active-Duty Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan Testify About the Horrors of War
As we mark the five-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq this week, we continue to bring you the voices of US veterans and active-duty soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan testifying about the horrors of war. For four days, soldiers convened at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland for Winter Soldier, an eyewitness indictment of atrocities committed by US troops during the ongoing...March 18, 2008 | Story -
Winter Soldier: US Vets, Active-Duty Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan Testify About the Horrors of War
US veterans gathered in Maryland this past weekend to testify at Winter Soldier, an eyewitness indictment of atrocities committed by US troops during the ongoing occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers spoke of free-fire zones, the shootings and beatings of innocent civilians, racism at the highest levels of the military, sexual harassment and assault within the military, and the torturing...March 17, 2008 | Story -
Winter Soldier: Hundreds of Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Gather to Testify in Echo of 1971 Vietnam Hearings
Hundreds of veterans and active-duty soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are gathering today for the Winter Soldier hearings. The soldiers plan to give eyewitness accounts of the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, the gathering is modeled after the 1971 Winter Solider hearings organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. [includes rush transcript]March 14, 2008 | Story -
Taxi to the Dark Side: Oscar-Nominated Documentary Film Explores U.S. Abuses in "War on Terror"
Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney joins us to talk about his Academy Award-nominated film Taxi to the Dark Side. The documentary investigates some of the most egregious abuses associated with the so-called "war on terror." Gibney also directed the award-winning Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. [includes rush transcript]February 01, 2008 | Story -
BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE : Yemeni Man Imprisoned at CIA "Black Sites" Tells His Story of Kidnapping and Torture
Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, a victim of the CIA rendition program — kidnapped, held in secret jails, and tortured — speaks out in his first broadcast interview. In the fall of 2003, Bashmilah was detained in Jordan and turned over to the CIA. He was eventually flown to a secret prison he later found out was in Kabul, Afghanistan. In CIA custody, Mohamed says he was held in a freezing-cold...December 18, 2007 | Story -
As 250 Killed in Clashes Near Afghan Border, British-Pakistani Author Tariq Ali on Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Ongoing U.S. Role in Regional Turmoil
The acclaimed British-Pakistani historian, novelist, political campaigner and commentator Tariq Ali joins us with his analysis of the latest from Pakistan. Days after General Pervez Musharraf’s re-election in a boycotted contest, at least 250 people have been killed in clashes along the Afghan border. Musharraf and his policies have generated a maelstrom of opposition from a broad spectrum...October 10, 2007 | Story -
As Nation Marks Sixth 9/11 Anniversary, a Look at "Why America is Losing the War on Terror"
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. In the aftermath of the attacks, the Bush administration launched the so-called "war on terror." Is the world a safer place as a result? We speak with Georgetown law professor David Cole, co-author of "Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror." [includes rush transcript]September 11, 2007 | Story -
"The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan": Part Two of Our Interview With Afghan Feminist and MP Malalai Joya
Afghanistan’s most outspoken female lawmaker has been suspended for the rest of her term after she publicly criticized the Afghan parliament. For years Malalai Joya has been a leading critic of her government and the U.S. role in her country. She’s faced constant harassment and attempts on her life for her views. [includes rush transcript]July 24, 2007 | Story -
Historian and Ex-National Security Council Member Roger Morris: Defense Secretary Robert Gates Dealing with Blowback from Policies He Directed at CIA
Award-winning historian and investigative journalist Roger Morris has just published the final chapter of an exhaustive three-part series on Robert Gates and the CIA. Morris writes that to appreciate who Gates was "is to retrace much of the shrouded side of American foreign policy and intelligence for the last half-century or more." [includes rush transcript]June 28, 2007 | Story -
"The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan": Malalai Joya Speaks Out Against the Warlord-Controlled Afghan Government & U.S. Military Presence
Afghanistan’s most outspoken female lawmaker has been suspended for the rest of her term after she publicly criticized the Afghan parliament. For years Malalai Joya has been a leading critic of her government and the U.S. role in her country. She’s faced constant harassment and attempts on her life for her views. [includes rush transcript]June 19, 2007 | Story
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By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
Web Exclusives
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]
