2020-12-18 12:01:14

CIA-Backed Afghan Death Squads Massacred Children Inside Religious Schools in Campaign of Terror

A shocking exposé in The Intercept reveals CIA-backed death squads in Afghanistan have killed children as young as 8 years old in a series of night raids, many targeting madrassas, Islamic religious schools.

In December 2018, one of the death squads attacked a madrassa in Wardak province, killing 12 boys, of whom the youngest was 9 years old. The United States played key roles in many of the raids, from picking targets to ferrying Afghan forces to the sites to providing lethal airpower during the raids.

The Intercept reports this was part of a campaign of terror orchestrated by the Trump administration that included massacres, executions, mutilation, forced disappearances, attacks on medical facilities, and airstrikes targeting structures known to house civilians.

"These militias … were established in the very early days of the Afghan War by CIA officers, many of whom had been brought back into the fold after the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 who had previously been working in Afghanistan during the 1980s," says reporter Andrew Quilty.

"This network of militias was set up and appear to be entirely under the control of the CIA but made up entirely of Afghan soldiers."

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. 

Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode?  Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change. 

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.

Afghanistan Amy Goodman CIA Democracy Now! Free Speech TV Terror The Intercept Trump administration United States Wardak

War and Peace

Democracy Now!

"Automated Apartheid": How Israel Uses Facial Recognition to Track Palestinians & Control Movement

"Automated Apartheid": How Israel Uses Facial Recognition to Track Palestinians & Control Movement

Democracy Now!

Jeffrey Sachs on China's "Historic" Push for Multipolar World to End U.S. Domination

Jeffrey Sachs on China's "Historic" Push for Multipolar World to End U.S. Domination

Rising Up With Sonali

Antiwar Lessons, 20 Years After the Iraq War Invasion

Antiwar Lessons, 20 Years After the Iraq War Invasion

Democracy Now!

Death, Destruction & Resilience: Nadje Al-Ali on the 20th Anniversary of U.S. Invasion of Iraq

Death, Destruction & Resilience: Nadje Al-Ali on the 20th Anniversary of U.S. Invasion of Iraq

Related

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | President Biden Strikes with UAW and Writers Guild Reach A Tentative Agreement

Democracy Now! | President Biden Strikes with UAW and Writers Guild Reach A Tentative Agreement

Democracy Now!

Inmate P01135809: Trump Surrenders to Jail in Georgia, Booked on 13 Felony Counts

Inmate P01135809: Trump Surrenders to Jail in Georgia, Booked on 13 Felony Counts

Democracy Now!

Why No Insurrection Charge? Ralph Nader on How Trump Could Still Be Reelected Unless DOJ Acts

Why No Insurrection Charge? Ralph Nader on How Trump Could Still Be Reelected Unless DOJ Acts

Democracy Now!

100 Years of Statelessness: Kurdish activist walks 300 miles from D.C. to U.N. to demand Kurdish rights

100 Years of Statelessness: Kurdish activist walks 300 miles from D.C. to U.N. to demand Kurdish rights

Proud Partners