Afghan Kidnap and Ransom

May 5, 2016By Richard C PendryAfghanistan, news 10 Comments

Australian kidnapped in Afganistan.  Katherine Jane Wilson a member of the Zardozi charity is another victim of Afghan Kidnap and Ransom. The 60 year old snatched from her villa in the eastern city of Jalalabad (J’bad) in the early hours of 28th April by armed men in uniforms. There is little information at present, but there … Read More

Charleston: Hate Crime or Domestic Terrorism?

July 3, 2015By Richard C Pendrynews 2 Comments

Charleston: hate crime or domestic terrorism? This is the question being asked after the slaughter of nine church goers in one of Americas oldest cities.  But the massacre has been overshadowed by another gruesome shooting in Sousse, Tunisia, with a second lone gunman taking 38 lives, the similarities between the two attacks striking.  The latter … Read More

Will ISIS destroy ancient Palmyra?

June 17, 2015By Richard C Pendrynews, Syria No Comments

In May 2015, ISIS seized the city of Palmyra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies in the Syrian Desert 215km north east of the capital Damascus. Another World Heritage Site the city of Hatra in northern Iraq has already become a casualty of the fanatical group.  The question is; will ISIS destroy ancient Palmyra? … Read More

Iraq Chaos; Afghanistan to Follow?

September 14, 2014By Richard C PendryAfghanistan, Iraq No Comments

As Iraq is pushed closer to chaos by IS/ISIS forces, there is concern that Afghanistan – the other country invaded as a result of the policies undertaken after 9/11 – will follow, as troops from the NATO derivative ISAF, will be pulled out later this year. However before the Afghans can look at the scheduled pull … Read More

Terrorist or Thief?

September 7, 2014By Richard C PendryAfghanistan No Comments

Acts of violence need to have a political context in order for them to be officially classified as a terrorist attack, if not their just criminal.   However within a conflict or post conflict environment such as Afghanistan, the lines between the differing of categories of attacks can get so blurred that they often cease … Read More

Civil War Looms for Afghanistan

April 22, 2014By Richard C PendryAfghanistan 2 Comments

With counting reaching the half way mark in the Afghan elections, there appears to be clear a favourite.  Dr. Abdullah Abdullah – the runner up to President Karzai in the 2009 elections – is way ahead of his nearest rival, the ex warlord and technocrat Ashraf Ghani, with Rassul – the candidate favoured by the … Read More

13 Months in Helmand, Afghanistan

March 4, 2014By Richard C PendryAfghanistan 2 Comments

Afghanistan, ‘The Grave Yard of Empires’, – as it has become known – consists of 34 provinces, the most infamous of which – its name now synonymous with death and destruction – being Helmand.  The following is a short account of my involvement there during 2010 – 2011, and is written in respect and admiration … Read More