Money for war but none for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

There isn’t a bit of news coming out of Afghanistan that doesn’t damn the US-NATO war. For the past several days, what little there is of war reporting has been shoved aside by news about the landslide in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan that UN officials claim killed 350 people but locals say killed 2,700 people.

It’s reported to be in a remote mountainous area difficult to access by UN rescue operations. But isn’t that always the case with rescue operations? That impassable roads thing has become a cliche. US-NATO can deliver all sorts of milltary equipment & bomb the hell out of a place but they can only stand by helplessly, wringing their bloody hands, & uttering pieties when a catastrophe happens. Obama took time out from war mongering against Russia to say: “I want to say on behalf of the American people that our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan who have experienced an awful tragedy.” Golly, that’s touching. But what the victims need is food, water, tents, search-&-rescue teams, & US-NATO forces have more than enough resources to deliver them.

One media source called it a paradox that while billions of dollars in foreign aid have poured into Afghanistan, there is none available for the landslide victims. Is paradox what they now call grand larceny? NGOs play a big role in the war business; they get to steal a lot of dough for keeping their traps shut about the crimes & atrocities of war.

To be fair, it must be said that we can understand the squeamishness of UN officials getting aid to Badakhshan province. It’s an impoverished part of the country with no five-star hotels.

US out of Afghanistan! US out of Iraq! No US intervention in Nigeria!

(Photo by Massoud Hossaini/AP)