Everything is so loverly, oh so loverly ... in Afghanistan

Politicians plot the impossible and soldiers and citizens pay the price for  their folly.



....Half of patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder   (PTSD) are not identified, and treatment for those who are diagnosed is only partially effective....
....PTSD has been diagnosed in more than 200,000 troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.......

Andrew Tilghman writing at ArmyTimes:
Insider attacks by Afghan troops  who turn their weapons on U.S. and NATO forces have doubled compared to last year, prompting the top U.S. commander in Kabul to step up efforts to identify potential inside-the-wire threats.

A spate of attacks in early August has brought the total of so-called green-on-blue attacks to 29 this year, military officials said. Last year, officials reported 12 similar attacks, according to data compiled by the New America Foundation.....

....Beyond the attacks, Afghan commanders have found “hundreds” of other soldiers in their ranks who appear to be linked to the Taliban insurgency or hold anti-American views, Dempsey said...

....Insider attacks have killed 34 NATO troops this year, including 20 Americans. That accounts for nearly 10 percent of the 224 U.S. troops killed in action this year. Since 2007, a total of 102 NATO troops, including 51 Americans, have been killed in insider attacks, according to the New American Foundation....