View this message in your browser. , Hidden behind the drama of [not yet] attacking Syria, and the government shutdown, the Obama administration is trying to extract as much as they can from the people of Afghanistan, even while the U.S. military "leaves." Notwithstanding that everyone knows Special Forces will stay; eleven U.S. military bases will remain, and a warlord system will be left intact, there is great tension over the terms under which the U.S. will withdraw combat troops. A major sticking point is whether U.S. troops will be able to keep their immunity from prosecution by Afghan authorities. From Afghanistan: The Bilateral Security Agreement and Karzai's So-called Objections: “President Barack Obama wants the Afghan government to sign an agreement that allows the U.S. to legally do whatever it wants in Afghanistan in the future, to carry out any military operations against anyone independently and without the knowledge of the Afghan government. At the same time, if American troops commit any crimes, even the massacre of sleeping villagers or the drone killing of people who are clearly civilians, to name a few recent notorious incidents, they would be legally immune from prosecution by the Afghan authorities. This is the situation now and keeping it this way, which amounts to legalizing the U.S.'s status as an occupying power, is something that the U.S. will not willingly give up.” I am looking forward to attending and presenting at the Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance Summit this weekend in Washington.World Can't Wait identified the US drone war escalation back in 2009 as a key focus, and began working with many people on this list to protest and expose what has been a "secret" program. It would be great to connect with any of you attending. Write me. I'll be live-tweeting from @dsweetwcw. Rania Khalek of Dispatches from the Underclass wrote about Faisal bin ali Jaber, who will be speaking to us about his family's experience being attacked by U.S. drones in Yemen. “Jaber’s brother-in-law, 49-year-old Sheik Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, was killed in a covert drone strike on Hadhramout in August 2012. Salem was a Yemeni cleric and father of seven who preached loudly against the extremism exhibited by Al Qaeda, which his family feared would invite violent retribution from Al Qaeda linked militants. But in the end, it was US violence that ended Salem’s life as well as that of Waleed bin ali Jaber, a local policeman who was with Salem at the time of strike.” Thanks to Jake, an intern for World Can't Wait who has been creating images, sometimes humorous, and always topical, for use on social media. You can find them all at the War Criminals Watch tumblr site. Redact This! An Interactive eBook About