Afghanistan War News Updates -- August 28, 2012

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Frederick Reier addresses Afghan and U.S. soldiers on Joint Security Station Hasan before a partnered patrol in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, June 14, 2012. Reier, a platoon leader, is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

Taliban Hit Afghans As U.S. Pulls Troops -- Wall Street Journal

Insurgent Fighters Behead 17 Civilians and Kill 10 Soldiers

KABUL—Taliban fighters beheaded 17 civilians and killed 10 Afghan soldiers in separate attacks in southern Helmand province, officials said, as Afghanistan's forces struggled to assert control over areas where the U.S. is withdrawing surge troops.

In another attack late Monday, an explosion targeting the convoy of the powerful police chief of Kandahar province, Gen. Abdul Raziq, killed two civilians and injured 17 others. Gen. Raziq, who worked in close cooperation with U.S. Special Operations Forces during recent offensives against the Taliban in Kandahar, was injured but his life was not in danger, the Kandahar provincial government said.

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More News on Afghanistan

ISAF Joint Command morning operational update, Aug. 28 -- ISAF
Coalition Forces Capture Key Taliban Leader -- US Department of Defense
ISAF Joint Command morning operational update -- Dvids

Police Chief in Afghanistan Survives Truck Bomb -- New York Times/Reuters
NATO Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan -- ABC News/AP

Pentagon finds soldiers who burned Korans ignored Afghan warnings -- L.A. Times
Military punishes soldiers for Quran burning, Marines for urinating on Taliban corpses -- NBC
No charges in Afghanistan Quran burning -- Al Jazeera

Taliban brutality turns Afghans away -- USA Today
Did Taliban behead 17 people for dancing? Maybe not. -- Christian Science Monitor
Differing Theories in Killing of 17 in Taliban Stronghold -- New York Times
Afghan beheadings could signal confusion in Taliban ranks -- Reuters

The Tendency Towards Trigger-Happy Temper Tantrums -- Strategy Page
Why Washington's War on Drugs in Afghanistan Isn't Working -- Jonathan Marshall, Huffington Post
A bankrupt war policy takes its toll -- James Carroll, Philly.com
Darkening days in Afghanistan -- The Australian editorial
Robert Fox on Afghanistan future after UK troops leave -- BBC

World News Briefs -- August 28, 2012

Isaac On 'Verge Of Becoming A Hurricane' As It Closes In On Gulf Coast -- CNN

New Orleans (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Isaac is close to becoming a hurricane and is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 storm Tuesday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

It is forecast to hit near the southwest pass of the Mississippi River and move slowly across the region, pounding a large swath of the Gulf Coast with heavy rain and gashing winds.

Isaac is "on the verge of becoming a hurricane," the center said on Twitter.

"Significant storm surge can be expected," the center said in an 8 a.m. ET advisory.

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MIDDLE EAST

Warplane attacks on Damascus suburbs kill 60: activists.

Growing number of Syrian refugees worries UN officials.

Iran denies plans to show nuclear sites to diplomats.

Visit by Egypt’s Morsi to Iran reflects foreign policy shift.

Gaza 'will not be liveable by 2020' - UN report.

Israeli army cleared in Rachel Corrie death.

ASIA

ASEAN struggles to cope with rival claims in the South China Sea.

India's Gandhi slams opposition MPs over deadlock.

India: One killed in fresh Assam violence.

Myanmar president reshuffles cabinet.

China invests £235 billion to tackle pollution.

AFRICA

Somalia's al-Shabab loses control of Merca port to army.

Riots grip Kenyan port city after killing.

Disease, malnutrition plague growing South Sudan refugee camp.

Pirates seize Greek oil tanker off Togo.

Rich-poor divide scars Angola as it heads for polls.

EUROPE

Catalonia seeks 5bn-euro bailout from Spain. Spain's Catalonia asks Madrid for financial help.

Russian opposition activist jailed for 8 years on drug charge.

Russian eco-warrior turns to politics to challenge Putin.

Belgian pedophile accomplice on cusp of freedom.

AMERICAS

Colombia confirms Farc peace talks.

Storm surge, rainfall biggest concern as Isaac nears.

Venezuelan state television reports that a refinery fire has been extinguished.

Daughter of Cuban vice president 'defects' to US.

Mexico keeps 12 police officers in jail in ambush of U.S. vehicle.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Kenyan Muslims riot after murder of Shabaab-linked cleric.

Al Qaeda denies Maghreb commander killed in clashes.

Saudi Arabia claims to foil 'al-Qaeda' plot.

'American Taliban' Lindh fights group prison prayer ban.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

What the Apple vs. Samsung verdict means for you.

GM suspending Chevy Volt output, retooling for Impala.

Australia's Qantas posts huge loss.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 28, 2012

U.S. Army Spc. Robert Zarlenga, front, fires his M4 carbine at insurgent forces on the outskirts of the village of Spedar in southern Afghanistan's Ghazni province, June 15, 2012. Zarlenga is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

Campaigns Pass On Afghanistan -- DoD Buzz

The Republican Party accidentally released its platform Friday afternoon much to the chagrin of political journalists in DC figuring it’s leak would mean a long Friday night analyzing the document.

Defense editors and reporters had no such worry. In fact, a prominent defense editor in DC sent an e-mail to a colleague saying he’d have to wave off happy hour because of the platform’s release. After reading the 12-page document, the defense editor rescinded on his cancellation and arrived to a well known DC watering hole promptly.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

AF, Navy Evacuating Planes Ahead of Isaac -- Military.com

China's aircraft carrier begins 10th sea trial -- China.org.cn

Iran's military chief suing US over sanctions -- Boston.com/AP

Air force general Tom Lawson to head Canadian Forces -- Toronto Star

5 issues facing Canada's new top soldier -- CBC

Over 600 Afghan soldiers killed during the past 2 months -- Khaama Press

The Great Submarine Sailor Shortage -- Strategy Page

Austrians to vote on abolishing military service -- CNBC

US troops escape criminal charges for incidents that outraged Afghanistan -- The Guardian

U.S. troops punished over Koran burning, urination video -- Reuters

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service seeks more influence on the web -- Examiner

Israel Military Industries develops bullet, shrapnel and fire proof grenade -- Washington Post/AP

Stavridis Expects Busy Autumn for NATO, Eucom -- US Department of Defense

General’s wife: ‘Raptor Cough’ contributed to husband’s suicide -- Defense Tech

This Is What It Takes To Fire The Biggest Gun On The Destroyer USS Barry -- Business Insider

Military Spending on Biofuels Draws Fire -- New York Times

Drone U. rides flight boom -- Washington Times

‘Degrade, Disrupt, Deceive’: U.S. Talks Openly About Hacking Foes -- Danger Room

Russian Troops Welcomed Into NORAD, America’s Cold War HQ -- Danger Room

Laser-Guided Bullets Will Change The Future Of Warfare -- Business Insider

Military hopes antidepressant nasal spray will prevent suicides -- NBC

GOP plank decries ‘social experimentation’ in military -- Washington Times

National Security Virtually Vanishes From GOP Conversation, Convention -- Aol Defense

Survey of Army leaders: Military not headed in right direction -- Human Events

Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks Suspect, Returns To Military Court -- Huffington Post

Ward unlikely to face court-martial for AFRICOM misdeeds -- Washington Post/Stars and Stripes

US officials checking SEAL raid book for secrets -- SFGate/AP

U.S. Military Honors Legacy of Neil Armstrong -- USNavySeals.com

Legal Problems On The Horizon For Ex-Navy SEAL Author

The Document That Might Spell Trouble for Ex-Navy SEAL Author -- The Atlantic

If ex-Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette discloses classified information in his upcoming tell-all on the mission to kill Osama bin Laden, he could be subject to criminal prosecution under the Espionage Act, as we noted earlier. But even if he doesn't divulge any secrets, he's still got major legal problems. That is, according to a document surfaced by Steven Aftergood, a secrecy expert with the Federation of American Scientists.

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My Comment: Ex-Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette has made a lot of people upset with his forthcoming book .... I hope that he has prepared himself for the onslaught.

Russia's New Tsar

Photo: President Vladimir V. Putin may be wealthy, but the trappings of his office are even richer. Pool photo by Sergei Karpukhin

Vladimir Putin: The Russian President’s 'Life Of Four Yachts And 58 Aircraft’ -- The Telegraph

Vladimir Putin once compared ruling Russia to being a “galley slave”, but four yachts that come with the job, not to mention palaces, aircraft and a wealth of luxury perks help explain his refusal to quit the presidency, leading critics said on Tuesday.

Listing 58 planes and helicopters and 20 homes with opulent fittings worthy of the tsars, not to mention 11 watches which alone are worth several times Putin’s annual salary, a report published under the ironic title “The Life of a Galley Slave” by opposition leader Boris Nemtsov denounced a “blatant and cynical challenge” to millions of Russians barely managing to survive.

The Kremlin, which has long portrayed the 59-year-old president as a man of simple tastes and a liking for popular sports and active outdoor pastimes, did not immediately comment.

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Update #1: "Galley slave" Putin savours yachts, planes, palaces, critics say -- Reuters
Update #2: For Putin, Report Says, State Perks Pile High -- New York Times

My Comment: What can I say .... but life for some is very good.

The Slow Withdrawal From Afghanistan Is Resulting In An Escalation Of The Violence

U.S. paratroopers fire at insurgent forces during a firefight on the outskirts of Spedar village in southern Afghanistan's Ghazni province, June 15, 2012. This was the first of several firefights U.S. and Afghan soldiers encountered during their daylong partnered patrol. The soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

Afghanistan: A Ragged Retreat Threatens To Turn Into A Slow-Motion Rout -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

The latest killings in Afghanistan are a stark reminder to western leaders of the folly of ignoring the situation in the country.

The killing of 17 people by Taliban insurgents in Musa Qala, the deaths of 10 Afghan army personnel in a separate, large-scale assault in Helmand, and the killing of two US soldiers by an Afghan national army recruit could be dismissed as just another bloody day in Afghanistan.

Alternatively these gruesome events, taken together, might sensibly be seen as another urgent warning to neglectful western politicians that their policy of gradual, go-slow withdrawal is rapidly unravelling. It is a warning they may ignore at their peril.

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My Comment: The situation is unraveling in Afghanistan .... albeit at a slow and methodical pace. The Afghan army is clearly incapable of maintaining the peace, and the Taliban have shown no interest in reducing the violence.

Will President Obama Issue An Executive Order On Cybersecurity?

Obama Faces Delicate Decision as Cyberattack Fears Rise -- National Journal

Experts urge action, but the politics of cybersecurity can be tricky.

At the height of the economic crisis in 2008, Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” comedy news show rolled out the character Oscar Rogers as a faux financial commentator. His advice on how to restore the economy? “Fix it! It needs to be fixed! Now!”

Four years later, lawmakers are grappling with a cybercrisis, and despite rising concerns, legislative debates over how to secure U.S. networks and infrastructure have often resembled nothing so much as Oscar Rogers yelling “Fix it!”

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My Comment: I never like the idea of this President or any other President circumventing Congress .... the precedent that it establishes all but guarantees abuses and problems in the future.