The new and improved Afghanistan

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!

We had 158 soldiers die in Afghanistan. Canadian casualties in that hellhole were the third highest, after USA and UK. Why did all these young men and women die so far away from home?  For what?  So Canadian politicians can boast about how Canada stands with the USA in all that country's foolhardy wars?  Is Canada always supposed to follow the leader (USA) even if that leader has turned rogue?  What kind of madness is this?  AND, please, PLEASE don't tell me that Canadians do this because Canadians care about the poor Muslims in those far away lands.  You know that's not true .... so stop lying.

From Khaama:
Afghanistan issues arrest warrant over blasphemous article
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Ministry of Information and Culture were instructed to take immediate actions for the arrest of The Afghanistan Express newspaper staff.
The decision was taken on Tuesday during the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.
A statement released by the Council of Ministers said the staff of The Afghanistan Express newspaper were charged with blasphemy for publishing an article which desecrated the religion of Islam.
The statement further added that the government of Afghanistan will take strict actions against those involved behind the publish of blasphemous article.
This comes a number of the religious leaders, civil society activists and former Jihadi leaders strongly condemned the newspaper for desecrating the religion of Islam by publishing the article......

From The Guardian:
Afghan opium poppy cultivation hits all-time high 
Farmers grew 209,000 hectares of opium poppy despite US spending $7.6bn on counter-narcotics efforts since 2001
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has hit an all-time high despite years of counter-narcotics efforts that have cost the US $7.6bn (£4.7bn), according to a US government watchdog.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that Afghan farmers grew an “unprecedented” 209,000 hectares (523,000 acres) of opium poppy in 2013, surpassing the previous high of 193,000 hectares in 2007, said John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.
“In past years, surges in opium poppy cultivation have been met by a coordinated response from the US government and coalition partners, which has led to a temporary decline in levels of opium production,” Sopko said in a letter to the secretary of state, John Kerry, the defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, and other top US officials.
“The recent record-high level of poppy cultivation calls into question the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of those prior efforts,” he said on Tuesday.........