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Blackwater founder Erik Prince's controversial proposal to privatize a large portion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan is being met with growing opposition in Kabul and Washington.

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the proposal as part of his monthslong review of the war in Afghanistan, where the U.S. is locked in a stalemate with the Taliban after 16 years of fighting.

Prince touts the plan as a cost-effective way to turn the war around. Under the proposal, about 5,000 contractors would replace U.S. troops currently advising Afghan forces. They'd be backed by a 90-plane private air force. The contractors would operate under Afghan control, Prince said.

"This is very much under the authority of the central government and the control of the chief of staff of the Afghan armed forces. This is not a local militia that's going to be raised," Prince said in an interview with VOA's Afghan service.

Unaccountable

But a growing number of prominent Afghans fear that Prince's for-profit, private military would be unaccountable and say the move risks a repeat of the atrocities carried out by Blackwater guards in Iraq and Afghanistan during the 2000s.

Afghanistan's government has not yet officially responded to the proposal. But a senior Afghan defense official told VOA, "The plan has legal problems and raises questions about our mutual security agreements with the U.S."

The Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the proposal, specifically cited the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement, which went into effect in 2012, and the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which the U.S. and Afghanistan signed in 2014 during the first few months of President Ashraf Ghani's tenure as leader of Afghanistan.

His predecessor, President Hamid Karzai, had refused to sign the agreement, even after a traditional Loya Jirga (grand council) approved it.

Any amendment to the BSA in the face of the proposed plan to privatize the war could potentially call for another Loya Jirga, and that could further complicate an already complex situation in the country.

Stalemate

There are about 9,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Most are in noncombat roles, aimed at training and advising Afghan forces, since U.S.-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in 2014.

But since taking over security control of the country, the Afghan military has been losing ground to the Taliban. The Kabul government now controls just over half of the country. Top Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, now concede the U.S. is not winning the war.

The war is also expensive. The U.S. is expected to spend about $45 billion on Afghanistan this year alone.

"The United States, right now, is spending more than the entire U.K. defense budget, just in Afghanistan. And the U.S. can't continue that forever," said Prince, who claims to be able to do the job for less than $10 billion a year.

Prince's plan

Under Prince's proposal, the U.S. war would be coordinated by a "viceroy," who would consolidate what Prince calls Washington's "very chaotic and disorganized" approach to the country.

The 5,000 contractors would attach to Afghan military units and would "live with, train with and fight alongside them, when necessary," Prince said. They would report to Afghanistan's government, he added.

"These would be contracted professionals attached to the Afghan army. So even by United Nations definitions, those are not mercenaries. They would be attached to and serving with the Afghan forces," he said.

Prince also proposes a "big increase" in air support. The 90 planes in his private air force "would be badged as Afghan aircraft, with Afghan call signs, with an Afghan on board, and Afghans making the weapons release decisions," he said.

Prince, a former Navy SEAL, said he also wants to keep about 2,000 U.S. special forces in the country to "maintain a unilateral ability to go after terrorist targets."

Pushback

But Prince's plan faces an uphill battle.

Trump has said he is open to new ideas in Afghanistan. But if he decides to embrace Prince's plan, he may have to override top U.S. military leaders, who are said to dislike the proposal.

A wide range of Afghans are also skeptical. Former Afghan President Karzai said via Twitter he "vehemently" opposed the plan, calling it a "blatant violation" of Afghanistan's national sovereignty.

Rahmatullah Nabil, Afghanistan's former spy chief, said the plan would result in more civilian anger that would only help Taliban recruitment.

Hameem Talwar, a 28-year-old from the northeast province of Kunar, told VOA he feared the move would result in more civilian casualties.

"People will rise up against them, and the war will become longer and will provide an excuse for the Americans to stay even longer," Talwar said.

Thomas Johnson, who specializes in Afghanistan and national security issues at the Naval Postgraduate School, said, "This has to be one of the most insane, dangerous proposals I have ever heard.

"This would basically be a foreign mercenary force that couldn't speak the languages, would wear ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] uniforms, and would basically employ deadly military force outside the standard Law of Armed Conflict controls," Johnson said.

"It would represent one of our greatest abominations of military and international responsibilities in our history," he added.

Legal risks

Handing so many war responsibilities to private contractors could also make the U.S. more vulnerable to lawsuits, said Laura Dickinson, a law professor at George Washington University who studies the privatization of foreign affairs.

"If things go wrong, the United States could be on the hook legally for their actions," Dickinson said. "And we know from past experiences that without adequate planning, when you have a massive influx of contractors, things do go wrong."

Dickinson pointed to a 2007 incident in which four Blackwater guards were accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. A similar incident in 2010 in Kabul resulted in the deaths of two Afghan civilians.

Though Prince sold Blackwater in 2010 and now owns a Hong Kong-based company that would carry out the Afghanistan proposal, incidents like that could complicate his proposal.

Decision soon

Trump has indicated he is nearing a decision on Afghanistan. In addition to Prince's proposals, his options include boosting the U.S. troop presence there, or removing them entirely.

"We're getting very close," Trump said Thursday. "It's a very big decision for me. I took over a mess, and we're going to make it a lot less messy."

Excerpt from:
Plan to Privatize US War in Afghanistan Gets Icy Reception - Voice of America

Hes best known for his portrait of a young girl in Afghanistan named Afghan Girl from 1984. With her piercing green eyes, dark hair and red shawl draped over her head and shoulders, it made the front page of National Geographic, and went on to feature in many more magazines, becoming one of the most well known and famous front covers and a portrait that many will recognise. Its his single most striking portrait and is a timeless piece of work. As is much of Steve McCurrys work from his time travelling around Afghanistan.

On his first assignment to the country in 1979, the photographer ventured behind the lines, taking great risks, including dressing in Afghan robes in order to be smuggled across the border from Pakistan.

He journeys into treacherous and unpredictable landscapes much of which has been controlled by the Mujahideen, the Taliban and Russia. He thrives on getting out of his comfort zone to tell a story though his camera, as in many places he goes, there are no people left to tell the story.

He uses the battle-torn backdrops of the land to take centre stage for his work, in which hedelves into cultural traditions,framingeveryday people and activities, the effects of war, tribal rivalries and colonial wars, and which in turn gives a greatinsight into life in the country of his subject. But his work still retains its human interest elements, from young men selling oranges on the bonnet of a broken-down carto a portrait photographer and his Victorian-style camera on the streets of Kabul.

And despite the atrocities that have swept across the land, McCurry is able to find beauty in it too, both in the land and in the people that inhabit it. The Afhgans have always called their mountains the land of rebellion.

As his signature style, McCurry gives his work very short titles and almost no caption information, bar the location and date. The rest is left solely to the picture.

The American photographers latest book is a retrospective look back on his accomplished work across Afghanistan over the past 40 years, featuring more than 230 images that are almost all in colour, expect for a handful of black and white images from the70s and 80s.

After photographing India, the middle east and Afghanistan over the past four decades, McCurry founded ImagineAsia in 2004, which helps provide educational resources and opportunities to children and young people in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Steve McCurry is available to buy from Taschen.com

Kunar River, 1980 (Steve McCurry)

Bamiyan, 2006(Steve McCurry)

Bamiyan, 2003 (Steve McCurry)

Logar Province, 1984 (Steve McCurry)

Kabul, 2003 (Steve McCurry)

Read more here:
Afghanistan: Steve McCurry's retrospective look at a war-torn country - The Independent

According to Afghan officials 11 civilians, including women and children, were killed in Haska Mina district of Nangarhar province by a US air strike.

Photo by: AFP

Afghan women with their children walk as they flee the area where US air forces allegedly targeted a civilian vehicle in Haska Mina district Nangarhar province on August 12, 2017.

The United States on Saturday vehemently denied claims by Afghan officials that it had killed several civilians in an air strike in volatile easternAfghanistan.

Afghan officials had said 11 civilians, including women and children, were killed when a private vehicle was struck in Haska Mina district of Nangarhar province, a hotbed of Daeshactivity, on Thursday.

But United States Forces-Afghanistansaid in a statement the air strike "killed a number of militants".

"The militants were observed loading weapons in to a vehicle and were under surveillance until the vehicle was destroyed by an airstrike," said Bob Purtiman, a spokesman for American operations inAfghanistan.

"The strike was conducted in the middle of open terrain. There was zero chance of civilian casualties.

"This was the second false claim of civilian casualties in the same district in the last three weeks," Purtiman added.

Of the roughly 13,000 foreign forces inAfghanistanonly the US carries out airstrikes.

They have been regularly targeting Daeshpositions inseveral districts in restive Nangarhar.

Civilian casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the close to 16-year campaign against insurgents, prompting strong public and government criticism.

Last month a US air strike killed 16 policemen in Helmand province. It came after a US air strike in Sangin killed at least 18 civilians, mostly women and children, in February.

Civilian deaths are at an all-time high inAfghanistan. In the first half of the year, 1,662 civilians were killed and more than 3,500 injured, according to the United Nations.

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US denies air strike killed civilians in Afghanistan - TRT World

While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has been quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier.

A senior delegation of United States Senators travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The delegation, Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans Affairs committees, also visited members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in the Albanian capital.

NCRI

The NCRI is a political coalition calling for regime change in Iran and considered the main threat to Tehrans mullahs. The MEK is the main member of this coalition of a variety of Iranian dissident groups and individuals.

Led by Senator Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure relocation of all Camp Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them success in their struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran, according to an NCRI statement.

Rajavi expressed her gratitude for the tireless efforts of the U.S. Senate, particularly Senator Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK members in Iraq, and their safe relocation to Albania.

Senator Blunt was among several American dignitaries, including senior former officials, who at a July 2014 Senate briefing strongly condemned Irans highly destructive role in Iraq. While describing Tehran as part of the problem plaguing Baghdad and the entire country, Senator Blunt joined the initiative in demanding the urgent transfer of PMOI/MEK members stationed in a former US military base known as Camp Liberty near the Iraqi capital.

Senator Blunt and his colleagues John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and former Senator Carl Levin had urged former Secretary of State John Kerry to press for the protection of Camp Liberty and to expedite the resettlement of the Camp Residents to countries outside Iraq, including the United States.

NCRI

Earlier in April, Senator McCain, a long supporter of the Iranian opposition and a staunch critic of Tehrans policies, also visited the MEK in Albania and met with Rajavi. MEK members were able to depart Iraq after a long 4 year ordeal in Camp Liberty following a forced transfer from their 26-year home in Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad. From 2009 following the transfer of their security from the US military to the Iraqi government, the MEK came under eight major ground and missile/rocket attacks staged by Iran-backed proxies against Ashraf and Liberty. This was parallel to a seven-year logistical and medical siege closing them off from the outside world. After losing over 160 of their colleagues to the attacks and blockade, MEK members were finally able to transfer out of Iraq to a variety of European countries, mainly Albania.

Saturdays high-profile visit by the senior U.S. Senators comes at a time when Washington has slapped major new sanctions against Iran for its ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and human rights violations. Irans Revolutionary Guards is now subject to sanctions under Executive Order 13224, and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Considering the Guards control over 40% of Irans economy, these new sanctions come as a heavy blow to Tehrans future ambitions. Analysts believe this visit sends a strong signal to Tehran over how the NCRI is gaining momentum through a growing consensus in Congress over the necessity of adopting a policy of regime change vis--vis Iran. This time last year Irans ruling clerics appeared determined on weakening or dismantling the PMOI/MEK. Only a year later, the tides have turned and it is the Iranian opposition that is now on the offensive. More such developments threatening the very pillars of Irans rule are most likely set to come in the near future.

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Harvard-educated, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a world-renowned businessman, a leading Iranian-American political scientist, president of the International American Council on the Middle East, and best-selling author. He serves on the advisory board of Harvard International Review.

Dr. Rafizadeh is frequently invited to brief governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as speak, as a featured speaker, at security, business, diplomatic, and social events. He has been recipient of several fellowships and scholarships including from Oxford University, Annenberg, University of California Santa Barbara, Fulbright program, to name few He is regularly quoted and invited to speak on national and international outlets including CNN, BBC World TV and Radio, ABC, Aljazeera English, Fox News, CTV, RT, CCTV America, Skynews, CTV, and France 24 International, to name a few. . He analyses have appeared on academic and non-academic publications including New York Times International, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Fareed zakaria GPS, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, The Nation, The National. Aljazeera, The Daily Beast, The Nation, Jerusalem Post, The Economic Times, USA Today Yale Journal of International Affairs, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and Harvard International Review. He is a board member of several significant and influential international and governmental institutions, and he is native speaker of couple of languages including Persian, English, and Arabic. He also speaks Dari, and can converse in French, Hebrew. More at Harvard. And You can learn more about Dr. Rafizadeh on HERE.

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Senior US Senators meet Iran opposition leader in Albania - HuffPost

Sweden is violating a United Nations human-rights treaty in its attemptto deport a prominent Iranian actress who revealed her conversion from Islam to Christianity after arriving in the European nation, according to a charity that defends persecuted Christians worldwide.

Aideen Strandsson would face punishment and prison, possibly even rape and death, if returned to the mullah-led Islamic nation, arguesthe U.K.-basedBarnabas Fund.

The group citesthe 1951United Nations Refugee Convention, which statesa refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

In Strandssons case, the international Christian ministry said, she undoubtedly would face prison at a minimum for her conversion to Christianity.

In fact, Iranian prisons are a particularly dangerous environment for any woman, the organization said.

Rape has been widely used against female prisoners since the 1979 Islamic revolution on the pretext that women offenders must not be allowed to remain virgins, as this could result in them being admitted to paradise. Added to this, as both an apostate from Islam and a nationally known actress who has appeared in films and on TV, Miss Strandsson is likely to be viewed as a significant embarrassment to the Iranian government. As such, her life will be in serious danger, the Barnabas Fund said.

Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians tells of the perseverance and courage of men and women who suffer because of their faith in Jesus Christ

The organization saidthe actress had a conversion experience after watching a video in Iran of a woman being stoned to death.

I decided at that moment I dont want to be a Muslim anymore, she said.

Strandsson said that shortly after that, she had a dramatic spiritual encounter.

I had a dream about Jesus. He was sitting near me and he took my hand, she said.

But she, like many others in Iran, kept her faith quiet, allowing word of it to come out only after she safely was in Sweden.

At that point, in 2014, she asked for a public baptism.

I want to have a baptism in public because I want to say I am not afraid anymore I am free, I am Christian. I want everyone to know about that, she explained, according to Barnabas.

Now, however, Swedish officials have told Aideen that becoming a Christian was her decision and now its her problem and not theirs.

At her asylum hearing, a Swedish migration official even told her it would not be as bad for her in Iran as she is expecting because it would only be six months in prison, Barnabas said.

The U.N. convention disallows sending a refugee back to a nation where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

The planned deportation is part of Swedens attempt to tamp down the backlash to its admission of huge numbers of migrants from Muslim nations.

In a worrying new trend, which may affect Christians in other European countries which have recently allowed in large numbers of migrants, decisions on asylum appear to be influenced not just by human rights but also by government targets, with little or no recognition of the specific persecution faced by Christian minorities in countries such as Iran, Barnabas Fund said.

A lawyer working on her case, Gabriel Donner, told Barnabas Fund the government officials do not care about injuries they may create.

They have promised the public in Sweden that they will deport more people than before and so they have to fill the quota.

Donner saidmany Swedish officials are so ignorant ofreligion and Christianity they assume its simply a lifestyle choice.

A convert says, I converted because of the love I received from Jesus Christ, and they almost mockingly ask the convert, What do you mean by love? They dont understand the message in the Bible. Its just completely alien to them, he said.

Donnerestimated there are 8,000 asylum-seekers now hiding in Sweden to avoid deportation.

Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians tells of the perseverance and courage of men and women who suffer because of their faith in Jesus Christ

More here:
Sweden plans to deport Christian actress to Iran! - WND.com