Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Lesvos: Crossing to Safety by UNHCR

A relieved Afghan family, clearly still suffering from the trauma of a rough sea crossing at the hands of people smugglers, disembarks from a flimsy vessel onto a Lesvos beach.
© UNHCR/Giles Duley

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/AvAWMe

Lesvos: Crossing to Safety by UNHCR

An Afghan family of several generations disembark from an overcrowded boat. Almost 40 per cent of refugees currently arriving on Lesvos are from Afghanistan.
© UNHCR/Giles Duley

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/BkHDwD

Lesvos: Crossing to Safety by UNHCR

A boy from Afghanistan tries to keep warm after a cold and wet crossing from Turkey. Cases of hypothermia are on the increase as the weather deteriorates across the eastern Mediterranean.
© UNHCR/Giles Duley

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/AUvovP

VULNERABLE AND LOOKING FOR A HOME by UNHCR

Beghum, 80, from Afghanistan, waits to be reunited with her family. She was travelling with family members but lost them lost in the crowd.
© UNHCR/Mark Henley

via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/Af4BV2

Afghan Women’s Writing Project | Come Let Us Laugh

Afghan Women’s Writing Project | Come Let Us Laugh.

Come Let Us Laugh

I too feel pensive with all the violence
And I want peace in my small home
I want to forget our depressions
I want to see you smile

My feelings are not reflected by you
Why are you always angry?
You stole my laughter while I am still young
You choked our children’s games

I feel like a bird whose wings are tied
I wish I could fly in the open sky

I wish I could tolerate all your bleakness
But, I don’t want to
I want us to laugh again
My laughter depends on your laughter
You never laugh, and you stole my laughter too
I want to laugh again

I don’t want violence.
We’ve had enough
Life is beautiful
Come together, let us smile together

We will make our home peaceful with our love
Our children need to see our smiling faces
War and destruction are gone from our homeland
Come with me to stand once again

Take a look, the environment is calm, life is beautiful
Come let us teach our children kindness and bring hope in their future
Come let us water the flowers in our garden
Come let us bring love and kindness to our home
So our children learn to play

Their innocent smiles will calm the atmosphere in our home
Come let us laugh, and our world will laugh with us

By Mariam

Say What? Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan Meeting to Discuss Afghan War?

Personally, I think the idea of US having bases in Afghanistan from now into eternity is a really bad idea but tell me again who are our allies supposed to be? Maybe this should be another wake up call to what countries think they have long term interest in not letting Afghanistan control its own future?

Amplify’d from tribune.com.pk
ISLAMABAD: 

The United States’ decision to set up six permanent military bases in Afghanistan will be the focus of talks when the presidents of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet in Tehran on June 25, an official told The Express Tribune on Friday.

Read more at tribune.com.pk

 

Dreams of Peace and Freedom in Afghanistan

Dreams – thankfully – no nothing of borders and reach from mind to mind with a swiftness that defies miles between the dreamers.

Amplify’d from www.awwproject.org

We Will Rise

We will rise like a bird in the blue sky of Afghanistan to bring peace
We will shine like a star in the dark sky of Afghanistan to bring brightness
We will rise like a sun to cover the darkness
We will stand like a stable mountain to reach our goals 
We will plant like a gardener to raise our children 
We will fall like a drop of rain to water our homeland 
We will raise our hands to accomplish our dreams

By Pakiza

Read more at www.awwproject.org

 

Afghanistan: Time for everyone to come home in peace?

1939-1945 – that’s almost 6 years to fight an actual world war. 2001-2011 US and allied nations fighting in Afghanistan. Something wrong with this picture? Read what this former elected official in Germany has to say after visiting/researching Afghanistan since 1980. Maybe has has learned something that Americans, as well as Germans need to know.

Amplify’d from www.spiegel.de

Why Germany Must End its Deployment in Afghanistan

A Commentary by Jürgen Todenhöfer

The first lie says we’re there to fight international terrorism.
The second lie is that we’re there to defend our civilization’s values.
The third lie is that we prioritize civilian reconstruction over military activities.
The fourth lie is that we’re in the Hindu Kush to prevent the return of the Taliban for good.

Read more at www.spiegel.de

 

Both Sides Now: It Is Long Past Time to End this Afghan War; Is It Not?

Regardless of what your intentions are – the result is that children die and are maimed. Time to stop – no?

A UN report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan makes very sad reading. It shows, for example, how children have been used by anti-government elements for suicide bombings and planting explosives, or recruited to the Afghan National Security Forces, despite official government policy banning such practices.
The report also sheds light on the detention of children for alleged association with armed groups, on the number of children killed or maimed by suicide attacks and on sexual violence committed by armed groups against boys and girls.

Read more at circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com

 

Voices of Peace in Afghanistan: Dear President Obama

It will not be pretty but we should be trying to get everyone to the table, as we should in Israel/Palestine too.

A glance at the conflict in Afghanistan

US policy questioned by academics and researchers

The following letter was sent today to the President of the United States by a group of academics, journalists and NGO workers:
we ask you to sanction and support a direct dialogue and negotiation with the Afghan Taliban leadership residing in Pakistan.
discussions about Afghanistan’s political future must include all parties and not just be a quick-fix deal with members of the insurgency.
It is time to implement an alternative strategy that would allow the United States to exit Afghanistan while safeguarding its legitimate security interests.

Read more at circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com