09 September 2010

Afghan Intelligence Officer Bragged About Torture, Documents Show, The Globe and Mail, 8 September 2010

EXCERPT: "A member of Afghanistan's notorious intelligence service boasted to Canadian military officers in the spring of last year that his organization was able to 'torture' or 'beat' prisoners during the course of its investigations, federal documents say. The startling declaration, believed to be the first...

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09 September 2010

US Troops "Murdered Afghan Civilians and Kept Body Parts", BBC News, 9 September 2010

EXCERPT: "A group of US soldiers murdered a number of Afghan civilians and took body parts as trophies, documents released by military officials allege. The charging sheets relate to allegations that five US soldiers were involved in the murders of civilians in January, February and May of this year. A further seven servicemen are accused...

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09 September 2010

Whistleblower Claims Many US Interpreters Can't Speak Afghan Languages, ABC News, 9 September 2010

EXCERPT: "More than one quarter of the translators working alongside American soldiers in Afghanistan failed language proficiency exams but were sent onto the battlefield anyway, according to a former employee of the company that holds contracts worth up to $1.4 billion to supply interpreters to the U.S. Army. 'I determined that...

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09 September 2010

, The New York Times / Reuters, 9 September 2010

EXCERPT: "Despite some electoral reforms, detecting graft in Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary election will be harder than in last year's presidential poll due to the current voting system, a Western observer group said on Thursday. Relatively peaceful areas could also see a spike in violence and voter intimidation on polling...

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