Via Americablog, Cunning Realist catches an article on SFGate on NFL star Pat Tillman, and his family's continuing effort to find the truth about his death in Afghanistan last year.

Things I didn't know: Tillman signed up expecting to serve in Afghanistan, but was first diverted to the Iraq invasion, to which he was vehemently opposed. He was openly critical of the administration and read Noam Chomsky. And he was shot three times in the forehead.

Newsweek magazine apologized to the victims of last week's deadly protests in Afghanistan, which were sparked when a Newsweek report stated that U.S. officials defiled the Koran.

Most heroin sold in Europe comes from Afghanistan's poppies. This past week, the 2005 opium harvest was in full view and going full speed in Afghanistan. The cultivators gathering resin from the crop are operating even near the main road through Kandahar and the farmers are out gathering resin from opium poppies in full view.

Last year 80% of the world's opium came from Afghanistan and production is up over 239% since 2003, according to U.S. government estimates. Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of illegal drugs.

After a quarter-century of war capped by five years of harsh rule by the Taliban Islamic fundamentalist militia, who were ousted by US-led forces three years ago for harbouring Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan is in the midst of a historic election. Voters flocked to the polling stations as soon as they opened at 7AM, despite threats of violence from the former Taliban regime and al-Qaeda, as well as fears that warlords, who still wield power through their private armies, would intimidate voters. U.S. officials have hailed the vote as a fulfilment of US promises of democracy.

As iafrica.com reports, however, the election was plunged into crisis almost immediately after 14 of the 18 candidates demanded voting be stopped due to irregularities.