Flit

A good figure to keep in mind

From the ever-persistent Gareth Porter, a useful reminder that in Afghanistan, reports of numbers of detainees taken by ISAF forces habitually include the 90 per cent released for lack of sufficient evidence shortly thereafter. I'm afraid Gen. Petraeus really shouldn't have used those figures the way he did.

The corollary of course being that for every probable insurgent actually detained for any length of time and questioned, nine apparently innocent Afghans and their families get really pissed off at Western forces and their own government.