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

Iraq, ISIS and the Sunni-Shia Split

June 20, 2014By Richard C PendryIraq 2 Comments

Iraq, three years after the withdrawal of Western Coalition forces is falling apart. Is it a straightforward result of Western intervention or is there more? Lets consider the wider context of Iraq, ISIS and the Sunni- Shia Split. As the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) juggernaut gathers pace, it seems that the Iraq … 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

Jalalabad Suicide Attack

July 4, 2010By Richard C Pendrynews No Comments

Warning: This blog contains graphic images Jalalabad, Bishud bridge, Eastern Afghanistan, June 2010. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar Province in Eastern Afghanistan.  It is 150km to the east of the Kabul and is set at the confluence of two large rivers, the Kabul and Kunar, tributaries of the great Indus river which they meet … Read More