New York Times: Flawed Justice After a Mob Killed an Afghan Woman (included Video "The killing of Farkhunda)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Farkhunda had one chance to escape the mob that wanted to kill her. Two Afghan police officers pulled her onto the roof of a low shed, above the angry crowd.But then the enraged men below her picked up poles and planks of wood, and hit at her until she lost her grip and tumbled down.Her face bloodied, she struggled to stand. Holding her hands to her hair, she looked horrified to find that her attackers had yanked off her black hijab as she fell. The mob closed in, kicking and jumping on her slight frame. [more…]
 This video contains scenes of graphic violence!!!!

guardian: Afghan woman stoned to death for alleged adultery

Killing – shown in 30-second video of men hurling stones at woman – is blamed on Taliban, but activists say it may have been ordered by tribal leaders [more…]

guardian: Afghan judges free three jailed for torture of child bride Sahar Gul

Three freed despite imprisoning, starving and burning girl sold into marriage as new laws could prevent relatives testifying against each other [more…]

CNN: Bombers attack luxury hotel in Kabul

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Fighters armed with bombs and small arms attacked Kabul’s InterContinental Hotel, where they fought Tuesday with Afghan security forces, Chief of Criminal Investigation Mohammed Zahir told CNN.  [more…]

Al Jazeera: Hotel in Kabul under attack

Six suicide bombers stormed the Intercontinental Hotel, popular with foreigners and officials, Afghan police say. [more…]

Spiegel Online: Selbstmordkommando stürmt Luxushotel in Kabul

Ein Anschlag hat das vor allem von Gästen aus dem Westen besuchte Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul erschüttert. Nach Angaben der Polizei starben mehrere Menschen. Die radikalislamischen Taliban haben sich zu dem Angriff bekannt – das Kommando hielt die Anlage stundenlang besetzt. [mehr…]

spiegel online: Zehn Tote bei Krawallen vor Bundeswehr-Camp

Im Einsatzgebiet der Bundeswehr in Afghanistan hat es einen tödlichen Zwischenfall gegeben. Bei einer Kundgebung vor einem Lager der Deutschen kamen mindestens zehn Menschen ums Leben. Afghanische Polizisten, aber auch deutsche Soldaten sollen auf gewalttätige Demonstranten geschossen haben. [mehr…]

FP: An open letter to Osama bin Laden [Offener Brief an Osama Bin Laden]

Editors note: below and reproduced in full with the author’s permission is an open letter written by Noman Benotman, a former commander in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and a former associate of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. In al Qaeda strategy meetings in Kandahar in 2000, Benotman warned the al-Qaeda leadership of ‘total failure’ to realise their aims and called on bin Laden and al-Zawahiri to abandon violence. Soon after the 9/11 attacks, he distanced himself from al-Qaeda and later resigned from his own jihadist organisation. He has more recently been instrumental in negotiations with Libya’s government to free former LIFG leaders, and in persuading these leaders to formally renounce terrorism. He also recently joined the London-based Quilliam Foundation as a Senior Analyst.

“Is it not time for believers to humble their hearts to the remembrance of
God and the Truth that has been revealed. Quran, 57:16

Dear Osama bin Laden Abu Abdullah, ……
[more…]

Spiegel Online: “Osama, bitte beende die Gewalt!”

Wired: Cyberwar Against Wikileaks? Good Luck With That

Should the U.S. government declare a cyberwar against WikiLeaks?

On Thursday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a gathering in London that the secret-spilling website is moving ahead with plans to publish the remaining 15,000 records from the Afghan war logs, despite a demand from the Pentagon that WikiLeaks “return” its entire cache of published and unpublished classified U.S. documents. ……………..
Since the Afghan war logs were posted, it’s emerged the 77,000 records already published contain the names of hundreds of Afghan informants, who now face potentially deadly reprisal from the Taliban. WikiLeaks’ publication of those records has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and the international free press group Reporters Without Borders.
[more…]

Guardian: Afghanistan war logs: WikiLeaks urged to remove thousands of names

Human rights groups including Amnesty raise fears of ‘deadly ramifications’ for people named in secret US files.
Human rights groups have urged the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks to remove thousands of names from the leaked Afghanistan war logs over fears of “deadly ramifications” for the people identified. [more…