Besides President Bush’s declaration that the War on Terror was making headway, the bombing against coalition forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq continue [BBC].
A British soldier has died from wounds received in an attack in Iraq on Tuesday [BBC]. In Afghanistan today a suicide bomber killed 2 US soldier and injured two others. Many civilians were also killed in the blast near a military base in Kabul. The BBC reported at least 16 dead whilst CNN reported around 13 dead in the blasts, though this was later increased. Earlier this week a British soldier was killed by a suicide bomber on the outskirts of the capital. As attacks increase, calls for increased troop numbers have been approved at a NATO meeting in Warsaw, Poland. The number of troops is likely to be in the region of 2,500. It is not clear from which countries the troops will be sent. The number of attacks in the country has risen dramatically over the last few months with at least 90 killed since January.
But it is Iraq which sees the worst violence, death and bloodshed. Bomb attacks occur almost daily and there seems to be no end in sight to the violence. This week also saw an almost symbolic handover of control to the Iraqi forces from the US and other coalition forces based in the country. But they are still small in number and ill equipped to deal with the rise of insurgency they face. The future looks far from certain and William Patey, the outgoing British Ambassador, told the BBC that he was pessimistic for the Iraqi people who themselves had no confidence in their own security services. And today a report revealed that the CIA found there was no link between Al Qaeda’s attacks on September 11th 2001 and Saddam Hussein. CNN reported tonight that there was also no evidence that showed any connection between Al Qaeda in Iraq, and its leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, and the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. This counters consistent claims by the White House over the past five years.
The dark day in American history which sparked off these continuing conflicts is commemorated this coming Monday. The events of 9/11 have been the subject of a number of documentaries and extensive 9/11 coverage on many networks.
And amidst the saturation coverage controversy surrounds The Path to 9/11, an ABC docu-drama which is set to air on the 10th and 11th of September. A former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger , former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former President Bill Clinton have all criticised their depiction within the programme. ABC claim their programme was as accurate as they could make it but would look into allegations made. One ‘inaccuracy’ in the $40 million drama suggests Bill Clinton was too busy with the Monica Lewinsky scandal to fight terrorism. Former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean, who headed the 9/11 commission and was a paid consultant on the mini-series, said some controversial scenes in The Path to 9/11 were being removed or changed. [The Australian / BBC / CNN]
The 9/11 commemorations will culminate with a speech from President Bush who will speak to the nation on Tuesday 12th September at 01:00 GMT.
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