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The International Committee of the Red Cross last week held a press conference in Afghanistan to highlight growing concerns about the humanitarian situation in the country. The organization, which generally operates without much public fanfare, took the unusual step of calling media attention to the fact that its staff can no longer even travel to many parts of Afghanistan due to the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country. Casualties from roadside bombs and other violence, are up 25% since last year. The Red Cross also asserted that growing numbers of ordinary Afghans are caught in the crossfire between various sides of the US war – the number of internally displaced refugees also increased significantly from last year. Meanwhile, the 30,000 new US troops sent in by President Obama have been making little headway toward ending the war. Still, the administration, in its year-end review of the war released on Thursday was guardedly optimistic in its assessment of progress. But just days earlier the New York Times reported on two new classified intelligence reports that “offer a more negative assessment.”

GUESTS: Simon Schorno, Spokesman for the ICRC in Northern Afghanistan, Robert Greenwald, President of Brave New Films

Find out more at www.icrc.org and www.rethinkafghanistan.com.