Expert Information,Commentary,Consultancy and OSINT for the Worlds News Media
Armed Forces Intelligence,Terrorism,Conflict,Strategic & National Security Analysis

Contact  afi@supanet.com   Bookmark  www.geocities.com/afi_research/AFIindex.html

For expert commentary on the news, defence, terrorism, intelligence and conflict analysis or to subscribe to the comprehensive range of research services available to the press, broadcasters, publishing, and OSINT managers - contact Richard  M. Bennett at AFI Research
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

A massacre of Taliban prisoners....a ticking timebomb for the future?
 
In an action that may eventually undermine much of the good work achieved by the coalition in the Afghan campaign thus far, a small number of US Special Forces and British SAS were allowed to become embroiled in a disastrous slaughter of surrendered Taliban in Mazar-i-Sharif.
 
Whatever the true course of events they will no doubt be represented or misrepresented by Islamic extremists throughout the world as a massacre of Arab, Chechen and Pakistani prisoners by an Uzbek force led by Christian Americans and Britons soldiers. Already denied access to the Red Cross, many of the Taliban were in acute fear of their lives and may well have seen taking up arms again as the only means of defending themselves after, it is reported, that some had already had their arms tied behind their backs.
 
The deaths of 500 or more prisoners in Qala-i Janghi Fort will give Islamic extremists a hugely useful weapon to use against the West and a gesture towards recognizing Muslim sensibilities by President Bush and Premier Blair could go some way to defusing this particular time bomb.
 
Ill thought out actions probably cost a CIA Officer his life
 
The two CIA officers who entered the compound to apparently interrogate prisoners may well have proved to have been one too many humiliation for these fanatical fighters to stomach and a distinct lack of a well thought out policy towards the foreign Taliban certainly played a major part in this unfortunate incident. With the huge number of Covert Operations by both the USA and Britain in Afghanistan and in a number of other Middle eastern countries already under way tight control of their actions must be maintained to avoid a return to the 'bad old days' of Operation Phoenix in Vietnam and a rash of coups and assassinations that very nearly brought about the destruction of the CIA by President Carter and Admiral Stansfield Turner during the troubled years of 1977-1980.
 
However justified US feelings of revenge are in the wake of the 11th September, the coalition is fighting to preserve human rights and the rule of international law. The Americans of all people, must be the first to maintain compassion and a reasoned response even to these most loathsome terrorists. After all that is what makes our democratic society worth fighting for.
 
INSIGHT
 

__________________________________________________________________________

From the 15th December 2001 only bona fide members of the Media and Government Services
will continue to receive AFI News Releases gratis.   Subscriptions are $5 per month or a single
payment of $50 per year.  Cheques or IMO, payable to AFI, to the UK address below.
__________________________________________________________________________

AFI, a commercial organization, has a well deserved reputation for confronting major issues with both impartiality and total independence from Government and Corporate influence and with its US partners make up the AFI-Milnet-Orbat Intelligence network, offering one of  the leading international sources of expert information on the worlds conflicts, armed forces, intelligence, security services and related subjects.....contact us today to find out how we can help keep you better informed than your competition

Media Information

Senior Associate
Richard M Bennett (UK)

Associates
Dr Robert Zeidner (USA-Consultant), Michael Crawford (Milnet-USA), Ravi Rikhye (Orbat-USA),
Dr James Hawker (Australia-Consultant) and Ms Kate Bennett (UK)

International Network - US Partners
www.milnet.com/milnet/afi/
www.orbat.com (Armed Forces Intelligence)

Top Links
www.defense-i.com (Armed Forces Intelligence)    www.freelancedirectory.org (Bennett)
www.kimsoft.com/kim-spy.htm (AFI Research)   www.questico.co.uk/INSIGHT

This is the HTML version of the AFI Research international regular news feed. For those wishing to receive a text-only version contact afi@supanet.com

AFI is one of the best open sources of intelligence on the world's espionage and security services, international terrorism, armed forces, weapons and conflicts, that's why our releases are now one of the most widely used intelligence and conflict analysis news feeds.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AFI are pleased to announce a new review of some of the most important armies in world, 'FIGHTING FORCES', to be published on the 28th September by Barrons Educational Publishers of New York and written by Richard M. Bennett.

ISBN 0-7641-5343-9, priced at $29.95 with a 10% discount for orders placed on www.barronseduc.com in September.or call US Toll-free 1-800-645-3476, International  Tel: 631-434-3311 and Fax: 631-434-3217

AFI Research, The Ground Floor, 27 The Avenue, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2BZ, UK tel/fax: +44(0)1626 33 50 40