The wheels come off “the good war” in Afghanistan

We have had weeks of government and army propaganda selling the “good war” in Afghanistan as being for the benefit of the Afghan people and as necessary to Britain's interests. There has been:

• Endless stories in the tabloid media about "our boys" heroism bringing "stability and security" to Afghanistan;

• Armed Services Day on 27 June, with army parades and other events up and down the country glorifying mass murder as a career;

• The sponsoring by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of toys depicting British soldiers as "action heroes";

• The rigid control of journalists reporting the war to ensure only the MoD's version of events gets media coverage.

All of this has been aimed at portraying the war in Afghanistan as an honourable cause on its way to being won. It was meant to culminate in a major British offensive in Helmand Province codenamed Operation Panther's Claw. More

War and occupation won't liberate Afghan women

"I don't believe and I don't expect any outside power to come and liberate me. If I cannot liberate myself, no one from outside can." So speaks an Afghan woman in a powerful video, which explodes the myth used to promote the war in Afghanistan, that life for women has improved since the invasion in 2001. As the film shows, for most women life is no better than it was under Taliban rule. For many the war and occupation has made it far worse. "Surge" will only bring more civilian deaths and resistance • Emergency protest at Downing Street: Monday 13 July, 5-7pm. Troops out now. • London public meeting: Afghanistan and the Media: Monday 13 July, 7pm. Details...