Meanwhile In Afghanistan

[Chris Werb]

[Simon Tan]

A lot of criminal activity. Surprisingly a lot of it comes from China. Mostly pharma grade narcotics like fentanyl and meth going to Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.

[Colin]

Yea we are starting to crack down on Chinese imports of the stuff, I think the party sees it as a return of the opium favour...

[Roman Alymov]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/08/world/asia/us-misleads-on-afghanistan.html

How the U.S. Government
Misleads the Public on Afghanistan

By ROD NORDLAND, ASH NGU and FAHIM ABED SEPT. 8, 2018

KABUL — Seventeen years into the war in Afghanistan, American officials routinely issue inflated assessments of progress that contradict what is actually happening there.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Roman Alymov

[Simon Tan]

NY Times is Kremlin propaganda outlet.

[Adam Peter]

A lot of criminal activity. Surprisingly a lot of it comes from China. Mostly pharma grade narcotics like fentanyl and meth going to Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.

 

Just few days ago there were a huge fentanyl catch in Budapest at the airport, while they were checking simple postal packages. About 500 grams was just send as fitness dietary supplement by mail, while LD50 said to be 0.03 micrograms per kilogram.

[Roman Alymov]

 

A lot of criminal activity. Surprisingly a lot of it comes from China. Mostly pharma grade narcotics like fentanyl and meth going to Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.

 

Just few days ago there were a huge fentanyl catch in Budapest at the airport, while they were checking simple postal packages. About 500 grams was just send as fitness dietary supplement by mail, while LD50 said to be 0.03 micrograms per kilogram.

 

Does it mean it is more lethal than VX ("as estimated for 70 kg human males via exposure to the skin is reported to be 10 mg" - it is 0.14 mg per kilo, 5 times less lethal) and about as deadly as "deadly nerve agent Novichok" ("deadliest ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent than VX")?

[Panzermann]

 

 

A lot of criminal activity. Surprisingly a lot of it comes from China. Mostly pharma grade narcotics like fentanyl and meth going to Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia.

 

Just few days ago there were a huge fentanyl catch in Budapest at the airport, while they were checking simple postal packages. About 500 grams was just send as fitness dietary supplement by mail, while LD50 said to be 0.03 micrograms per kilogram.

 

Does it mean it is more lethal than VX ("as estimated for 70 kg human males via exposure to the skin is reported to be 10 mg" - it is 0.14 mg per kilo, 5 times less lethal) and about as deadly as "deadly nerve agent Novichok" ("deadliest ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent than VX")?

 

 

well Novichok is certainly May's favourite chemical substance.

But more seriously chemical warfare agents must fufill other requirements than medicinal drugs. Like being made spontanously from two precursor substances that are easy to handle for example. Good spread in atmosphere, but not too volatile etc. etc.

 

 

 

Depends on the vector into the body. injected, ingested, transdermal... whhat dose has to be used. Also individuals can have bult up tolerance towards opiods throough long use of painkillers.

 

 

About 2 milligramms of fentanyl are enough to kill an average man. In 50% of instances, because that is what LD50 means.

 

Half of the lab mice die at dosage X. Also these numbers are not perfectly transferable, because humans and mice are different and mice are most often used as standins for humans.

 

 

some further reading: https://www.oxfordtreatment.com/fentanyl/lethal-dose/

 

 

The lethal dose for fentanyl is generally stated to be 2 milligrams. Again, this lethal dose considers that the individual has not developed significant tolerance; however, even in individuals with significant tolerance, the lethal dose of fentanyl is extremely small compared to the potential lethal doses of many other opiate drugs.

 

 

that FEntanyl is so potent makes it so useful in medcine as a painkiller e.g. in patches to be absorbed through the skin in very small doses. Other substances cannot bring enough through the skin barrier to have much of any effect. also the rise of overdoses comes from this, because there is a very small window of error in measuring the dose. And who can trust some random ampoule off the street?

[bojan]

Fentanyl smentanyl. It is not a gas...

Ethenone is a scary word, it was trialed as a poisonous gas (as were some other ketenes) and if it was not for extreme reactivity it would probably see use since LD 50 is about twice lower than phosgene with some more added "benefits".

I made in at university*, and so did another 10+ people in the same course and countless people over years. It is "easily"** made from acetone, and apparatus is commercially available. More stupid heroine producers make it since it is a precursor for a pure acetic anhydride and usually remove themself from a gene pool quickly.

 

*Only time I was scared shitless. Flicking a switch on the hot wire in the glass bottle full of acetone fumes was scary enough, but wondering if fume hood is working properly (there is no well enough with this one) or did you forgot to to grease (with concentrated sulphuric acid, since it will eat any other grease) every last joint on the glassware....

**Easily as a process. Surviving process OTOH might not be easy.

Edited September 25, 2018 by bojan

[DB]

Dimethyl mercury may (!) be more lethal, certainly than a solid/powder product that has to be ingested. Of course, you get plenty of time to realise you're dying, so maybe more of a punishment than a mass poison.

[bojan]

There were attempts to weaponize it (well, not DMM, but other similar organic mercury compounds, symptoms delay was usually too much to even consider it as an area denial weapon.

[Panzermann]

Fentanyl smentanyl. It is not a gas...

 

Correct. I forgot to mention the too obvious.

 

 

Ethenone is a scary word, it was trialed as a poisonous gas (as were some other ketenes) and if it was not for extreme reactivity it would probably see use since LD 50 is about twice lower than phosgene with some more added "benefits".

I made in at university*, and so did another 10+ people in the same course and countless people over years. It is "easily"** made from acetone, and apparatus is commercially available. More stupid heroine producers make it since it is a precursor for a pure acetic anhydride and usually remove themself from a gene pool quickly.

 

*Only time I was scared shitless. Flicking a switch on the hot wire in the glass bottle full of acetone fumes was scary enough, but wondering if fume hood is working properly (there is no well enough with this one) or did you forgot to to grease (with concentrated sulphuric acid, since it will eat any other grease) every last joint on the glassware....

**Easily as a process. Surviving process OTOH might not be easy.

Only had that in chalk in organics. That is, on a chalk board in pure theory. HAd Been years since they had actually synthesised that at my university.

 

And yes, the really scary stuff in chemistry is when you read things like "grease with conc. sulphuric". Then you know it is serious. Or that description I used to have a as a signature with the high pressure flouride in a chamber with a glowing hot plate in it.

[Dark_Falcon]

Afghanistan has now seen the 1st ever combat use of the F-35B:

 

 

US F-35 fighter jet conducts first-ever airstrike

 

(CNN)The US military's F-35B joint strike fighter conducted its first-ever airstrike in the last 24 hours, according to three US defense officials.

The strike took place in Afghanistan against a fixed Taliban target. The aircraft involved were the US Marine Corps' variant of the aircraft flying from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship.

The F-35 stealth jet has been called the most expensive weapons system in history, and its development was beset by multiple delays before it was deemed combat ready.

It is touted as the future of military aviation: a lethal and versatile aircraft that combines stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor.

The F-35B is one of three variants of the F-35 aircraft and the only one with the ability to land vertically like a helicopter. It can also take off in a much shorter space than other fighter jets. The Marine Corps variant was the first to be designated combat ready.

[Dark_Falcon]

 

Afghanistan has now seen the 1st ever combat use of the F-35B:

 

 

US F-35 fighter jet conducts first-ever airstrike

 

(CNN)The US military's F-35B joint strike fighter conducted its first-ever airstrike in the last 24 hours, according to three US defense officials.

The strike took place in Afghanistan against a fixed Taliban target. The aircraft involved were the US Marine Corps' variant of the aircraft flying from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship.

The F-35 stealth jet has been called the most expensive weapons system in history, and its development was beset by multiple delays before it was deemed combat ready.

It is touted as the future of military aviation: a lethal and versatile aircraft that combines stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor.

The F-35B is one of three variants of the F-35 aircraft and the only one with the ability to land vertically like a helicopter. It can also take off in a much shorter space than other fighter jets. The Marine Corps variant was the first to be designated combat ready.

 

 

Video is here.

[Simon Tan]

A job a Super Tucano can do.

[Leo Niehorster]

A job a Super Tucano can do.

Shhh, don't interrupt the narrative!

[Simon Tan]

We is huntin wabbits....

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

 

Afghanistan has now seen the 1st ever combat use of the F-35B:

 

 

US F-35 fighter jet conducts first-ever airstrike

 

(CNN)The US military's F-35B joint strike fighter conducted its first-ever airstrike in the last 24 hours, according to three US defense officials.

The strike took place in Afghanistan against a fixed Taliban target. The aircraft involved were the US Marine Corps' variant of the aircraft flying from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship.

The F-35 stealth jet has been called the most expensive weapons system in history, and its development was beset by multiple delays before it was deemed combat ready.

It is touted as the future of military aviation: a lethal and versatile aircraft that combines stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor.

The F-35B is one of three variants of the F-35 aircraft and the only one with the ability to land vertically like a helicopter. It can also take off in a much shorter space than other fighter jets. The Marine Corps variant was the first to be designated combat ready.

 

 

Video is here.

 

 

Jesus, the amount of jet blast from it compared to the Harrier is ridiculous. Im glad we bought a bigger carrier now.

[Dark_Falcon]

We're hunting wabbits....

 

"Huh huh huh huh." Correction made to make the phrase fit how Mel Blanc voiced Elmer Fudd (Fudd didn't drop the 'g' or use 'is' instead of 'are').

[Panzermann]

this attack in Kandahar has hurt the afghan government:

Top American General In Afghanistan Survives Insider Attack That Wiped Out Senior Afghan Officials

By Paul Szoldra and Jeff Schogol

on October 18, 2018

An apparent insider attack has essentially wiped out the top leadership of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

Kandahar’s police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, and intelligence chief were killed in the attack, according to The New York Times. Initial reports suggested that the provincial governor, Zalmay Wesa, was also killed, but he is currently being treated “at a Resolute Support treatment facility,” a spokesman said.

One of the governor’s bodyguards reportedly opened fire after a meeting at the governor’s office, according to Afghanistan’s TOLO News. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, which it said targeted top American commander Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, who was present at the meeting.

Miller was not injured by the gunman, Col. Knut Peters, a Resolute Support spokesman, told Task & Purpose.

 

“There was a situation at the Kandahar palace today. Initial reports indicate this was an Afghan-on-Afghan incident,” Peters said.

Peters’ colleague Army Col. Dave Butler tweeted that one U.S. service member and two contractors had been wounded in the shooting. One of the contractors is American. They were listed as stable and had been medically evacuated. Butler also said the attacker was dead.

Butler, who witnessed Thursday’s shooting, disputed the Taliban’s claim that they had targeted Miller.

 

“The shooter aimed and shot Lt. Gen. Raziq,” Butler told Task & Purpose in an email.

In a series of tweets, Butler said the U.S. personnel were wounded in the crossfire.

 

The Afghan Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Task & Purpose.

Butler tweeted a statement from Miller on Thursday about the death of Raziq, an important U.S. ally in southern Afghanistan.

“Today I lost a great friend Lt. Gen. Raziq,” Miller said. “We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the Kandahar Governor had been killed. The story has been updated to reflect that he was wounded, and is currently hospitalized.

 

 

 

https://taskandpurpose.com/insider-attack-afghanistan-kandahar/

 

 

taliban claim of the attack: https://alemarah-english.com/?p=36232

 

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/10/taliban-attack-meeting-attended-by-general-miller-kills-kandahar-police-chief.php

 

https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/raziq%E2%80%99s-death-leaves-massive-void-south

 

 

 

 

---

 

the taliban thtreaten the coming elections: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/taliban-attacks-threaten-afghan-parliamentary-elections-181017092304383.html

Edited October 18, 2018 by Panzermann

[Simon Tan]

The inability of the Afghan government to take the war to the Taliban and the failure of US to broker the sort of Syrian Iraqi cooperation. In many ways the IRGC is much better ally than the KSA.

[Nobu]

Only Trump could go to Tehran. Doing so would, if nothing else, cement his legacy as a broker of power. Perhaps he should, as that is what the man, like him or not, was born to do.

[Panzermann]

The inability of the Afghan government to take the war to the Taliban and the failure of US to broker the sort of Syrian Iraqi cooperation. In many ways the IRGC is much better ally than the KSA.

 

Well the dead warlord police general was very hard working towards this:

 

https://harpers.org/archive/2014/09/kandahars-mystery-executions

 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/17/will-afghanistan-prosecute-kandahars-torturer-chief

 

 

No wonder the Taliban tried about two dozen times to kill him before they succeeded.

[Roman Alymov]

[Roman Alymov]