A polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs
Why are we bombing clinics?  The wrong way to win hearts and
minds in Afghanistan  This magazine has called for the
government to set a date for withdrawal of British troops from
Helmand, and has questioned whether the Afghan conflict is
"winnable".  But supporters of the war point to polls which
suggest that most ordinary Afghans still welcome our military
presence even though, eight years into the fighting, "the danger
and insecurity facing millions of Afghans continues and in fact
is higher now than ever".  Counter-insurgency experts also wax
lyrical about the need to win hearts and minds, but I wonder how
we'll pull that off while coalition forces continue to bomb
civilian targets and destroy Afghanistan's already crumbling
infrastructure. Here is a report from yesterday's Toronto Globe
and Mail of how US and Afghan forces, backed by a US Apache
helicopter, targeted a medical clinic in Paktika Province for
attack:  US and Afghan forces attacked