Reports of civilian deaths following airstrikes by NATO forces engaged in operations in Afghanistan have prompted Afghan President to publicly call for fewer airstrikes. Yet, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force continues to refute most such claims. On Oct. 28, Hamid Karzai, responding on CBS’s “60 Minutes” to a question about whether he had asked the US to curtail airstrikes, said: “Absolutely. Oh, yes, in clear words.” Meanwhile, an Oct. 28 ISAF statement revealed that an investigation into an Oct. 22 airstrike in the Wardak Province provided “no credible information” to support news reports of 11 civilian deaths. The province governor had confirmed the ISAF finding. An ISAF spokesman told reporters, “We take all allegations of injuries to Afghan civilians very seriously and have a dedicated team to ensure that a timely and thorough investigation is conducted in such cases, even if the allegations may be due to insurgent propaganda.”
DNI: Cyber Is The Common Weapon Among Top Adversaries
April 17, 2021
The top four U.S. adversaries—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—are improving their military capabilities but relying increasingly on cyber means to challenge the U.S. and blunt its influence around the world, the intelligence community's annual threat assessment says. The report comes amid military tensions with both China and Russia.