Who gets southern Afghanistan now?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Tuesday, July 12, 2011 - 10:42 AM Share

It appears to be up for grabs now that President Karzai's half-brother has been assassinated. Amazing how many people are killed by their bodyguards.

I never met Ahmed Wali Karzzi, but I have eaten at the family's restaurant in Baltimore. I was a little surprised to see seafood served in an Afghan restaurant --"Helmand River salmon," as I recall.

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EXPLORE:AFGHANISTAN
 

KIESELGUHR KID

4:56 PM ET

July 12, 2011

Same chain?

Oh, very cool -- I used to eat at the Helmand in Cambridge in my student days, then when I went out to San Fran was overjoyed to find a Helmand there owned by the same family. Now I'm near Charm City -- and you're telling me they have a place there? Same family? Score; I'm on it.

 

KUNINO

5:11 PM ET

July 12, 2011

Second Karzai family man shot in recent weeks

JSOC awarded death to a cousin in Kandahar, apparently in error, back in March. The death was later officially described as "accidental." Huh. The presidential office later commented that "This case reaffirms the fact that night raids can be very devastating to the cause that we all jointly pursue."

Amazingly polite, under the circumstances.

 

SOCAL55

5:52 PM ET

July 12, 2011

Which of Wali Karzzi's many close associates bumped him off?

It could have been any one of a number of vicious warlords, drug traffickers, Taliban commanders, the CIA, JSOC, gun-runners, black market profiteers, corrupt contractors, human traffickers, private security contractors or a disgruntled Bacha bazi.

One might say he died of natural causes..

 

LIBERTARIANSOLDIER

9:49 AM ET

July 13, 2011

Eaten There as Well

My wife, who was in AFG in the 70s and 80s said it was both fabulous and authentic. My frend who took us knew the brother from having worked with Walid in Kandahar in 2004, which got us a sitdown and free drinks with the brother.

 

ALICE PEBSWORTH

9:48 AM ET

August 11, 2011

Who gets southern Afghanistan now

My wife, eva angelina, who was dead in the bombard, wrote in her diary:

A U.S. military helicopter crashed early Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans in the deadliest incident for U.S. troops since the war began.
Seven Afghan commandos were also killed.

Sources told NPR the Taliban shot down the helicopter as it was on a special overnight mission targeting an insurgent compound in Wardak province.

Many of those killed were Navy SEALs, but sources said they were not the ones involved in the May raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Their deployment in the raid in which the helicopter crashed would suggest that the target was a high-ranking insurgent figure.

 

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008.

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