PressTV & Reuters & Xinhua – 2011-01-14 00:29:42
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159958.html
Afghan Girl Raped, Killed by US Troops
PressTV
KABUL (January 13, 2011) — The daughter of an Afghan politician has reportedly died of her injuries after being raped by American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan’s southwestern province of Farah.
US forces aboard five Toyota Hiace vans transferred the teenage girl along with several other Afghan women and girls to a military base in the province. They then sexually assaulted them, Afghan sources, who requested anonymity, told Iran Newspaper on Network on Wednesday.
Medical reports indicate that a young girl died as a result of severe bleeding that was caused by tears in her genitals from violent sexual penetration.
Two other victims were admitted to a nearby hospital and are currently receiving treatment for serious injuries they suffered following multiple rapes. The incident comes as violence in Afghanistan has spiked to record highs since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Statistics about civilian death tolls in Afghanistan are not available. However, it is estimated that between 14,000 and 34,000 Afghan civilians have lost their lives since the US-led war.
Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians have reportedly lost their lives as a consequence of displacement, starvation, disease, exposure, lack of medical treatment, crime and lawlessness resulting from the war. Afghan Interior Minister Zemarai Bashary said in a recent report that 2010 was the deadliest year for the civilians in the war-torn country since 2001.
Meanwhile, hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults. This situation is adding fuel to the fire of anti-US sentiment in Afghanistan and the rest of the Islamic world.
Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war. Deaths of civilians in NATO and US attacks have also fueled tensions between President Hamid Karzai and his Western allies. The American army has lost 1,455 soldiers in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war.
5 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan Clashes
Press TV
KABUL (January 9, 2011) — Fresh clashes between US-led foreign forces and Taliban militants have left at least five civilians, including a child, dead in southern Afghanistan. Three other civilians were also injured during the incident that took place in Helmand’s Nad Ali district on Saturday.
“Three civilians including a child were killed during a clash between coalition forces and militants in Helmand,” a statement released by the provincial governor’s office said on Sunday, DPA reported. The statement did not clarify which side is responsible for the casualties.
It added that two other civilians lost their lives and three others sustained injuries after militants fired a rocket “into a civilian house” in the same district on the same day.
Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry said a total of 25 civilians lost their lives in fighting in various parts of the war-torn country last week. Afghan civilian casualties were at record levels in 2010. The number of civilians killed or wounded in the Afghan war increased by 20 percent during the first 10 months of 2010, compared with the same period last year.
The Afghan Interior Ministry added that 2010 has been the deadliest year for civilians since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The ministry’s spokesman said more than 2,000 civilians were killed in violence across war-wrecked Afghanistan last year.
Mullen Says Violence in Afghanistan Likely to Rise
Xinhua
WASHINGTON (January 12, 2011) — Violence in Afghanistan is likely to rise as Spring comes, and the country remains the focus of US national security strategy, said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday. In a Washington press briefing, the top US military officer said violence in many parts of Afghanistan will likely be worse in 2011 than it was in 2010.
“We must prepare ourselves for more violence and more casualties in coming months,” the chairman said. The year 2010 is the deadliest year for coalition forces. Independent count put coalition deaths there over 700, and US deaths near 500, nearly a third of the ten-year war.
Despite the grim outlook, Mullen touted President Barack Obama’ s strategy in Afghanistan, particularly on the security side, noting the numbers of US troops and civilians, allied trainers and combat forces, Afghan army and police trainees all increased in 2010.
Mullen said he was somewhat surprised at seeing increased security around Kandahar, the southern stronghold of Taliban. He said now is time to press the advantages gained in Afghanistan and to redouble efforts as “gains we have made are tenuous and fragile, and can be lost.”
Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan revolves around the deployment of 30,000 additional troops. In releasing the administration’s review of his war strategy late last year, Obama said he was committed to the beginning of US troops drawdown in July, 2011, but noted for the gains to be sustained over time, “there is an urgent need for political and economic progress in Afghanistan.”
With US troop levels in Afghanistan set to start decreasing in July and given the goal of fully transferring security to Afghan forces by 2014, the United States must continue to build a strategic partnership with Afghanistan, said Mullen.
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