# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread February 2009



## GAP (31 Jan 2009)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread February 2009  *               

*News only - commentary elsewhere, please.
Thanks for helping this "news only" thread system work!*


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## GAP (1 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 1, 2009*

 New Afghan Security Unit to Police Dangerous Areas   
By VOA News 01 February 2009
Article Link

Afghanistan's interior minister says plans are underway to form a U.S.-funded community program that will provide security in areas threatened by Taliban fighters.

Mohammad Hanif Atmar says the paramilitary-style force will use the same weapons as Afghan police, and will be assigned to protect schools, highways and other government institutions.  He refused to say where the unit will operate, citing security concerns.

Atmar also says the security force will be under the command of the Interior Ministry, noting it is not a regional militia.  He says the U.S. military in Afghanistan is supportive of the program.

In other news, International aid group, Oxfam, says the United States must shift its policy in Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis in the country.
More on link

 Further drops likely in Afghan opium production: survey
2 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL (AFP) — Opium production in Afghanistan is expected to decline again this year, largely because of falling prices in a saturated market and a drought, according to a UN and Afghan government survey released Sunday.

But the lucrative crop, of which Afghanistan is the source of more than 90 percent of the world's supply, could bounce back if deteriorating security is not checked, the Opium Winter Assessment warned.

The impoverished country's massive trade in the drug, much of which is turned into heroin inside its borders, puts millions of dollars into the coffers of extremist insurgents and feeds rampant government corruption.

Wiping out the crop has been a key component of international efforts to stabilise and build Afghanistan -- called a "narco state" by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

"Overall, the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan is likely to decrease in 2009," said the report, citing surveys of 484 villages across the country over December and January.
More on link

 Iran police kill 10 drugs smugglers in east-report
Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:18pm GMT
Article Link

TEHRAN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Police have killed 10 drugs smugglers in clashes in eastern Iran and seized more than 1,000 kgs of narcotics in the past three days, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

It quoted the head of police in Khorasan Razavi province, which borders Afghanistan, Hamid Fahimirad, as saying the clashes happened around the town of Taybad.

Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan and Pakistan is a busy smuggling route for drugs and other contraband. Security forces often clash with smugglers in the area
end

 Suicide bomber hits foreign forces in Kabul
Sun Feb 1, 2009 6:25pm IST
Article Link

KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide car bomber hit a convoy of foreign troops on the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday, wounding two Afghan civilians and slightly injuring a French soldier, officials said.

The attack took place on Kabul's western edge near a bridge where Italian troops and a Turkish diplomatic convoy have been attacked by Taliban insurgents in the past 18 months.

Two Afghan civilians were wounded, the Interior Ministry said, while a spokesman for NATO-led forces said a French soldier received minor injuries in the blast.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack
More on link

 Afghanistan to found auxiliary police   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-31 20:38:00   
  Article Link

    KABUL, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Interior Ministry, in efforts to further stabilize security and ensure law and order in the war-torn country, has decided to form auxiliary police soon, Minister for Interior Mohammad Hanif Atmar said Saturday. 

    Describing it as "Public Protection Police", he said "the new police force after formation would provide security for highways, schools, health clinics and public institutions." 

    Nevertheless, the minister did not specify the strength of the proposed force, but added that preliminary work for its formation had already begun and its strength could be up to 20,000 depending on situation. 

    The minister made this announcement amid increase in the rate of militancy, robbery and criminal activities in parts of the country mostly in the militancy-plagued southern region. 

    In addition to increasing Taliban-linked insurgency, the war-weary Afghans have been suffering from robbery, kidnapping for ransom and other types of criminal activities. 
More on link

 Afghan vote delayed over harsh winter, not violence
Updated Fri. Jan. 30 2009 8:06 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

It wasn't security concerns that prompted Afghan officials to delay upcoming presidential elections, but rather the harsh winter that has rendered many parts of the country inaccessible, says the governor of Kandahar province. 

Speaking to Canada AM from Ottawa, Gov. Tooryalai Wesa dismissed reports that ongoing Taliban violence prompted the delay. 

The election -- only the second time Afghans will participate in a democratic process to choose their president -- has been moved from late April to Aug. 20. 

"The reason for postponing the election is not the insurgency, the security situation. It is because of the severe winter we're having here in Afghanistan. Some of the places are very difficult to reach here in the country because of snow and heavy rain," the governor told CTV's Canada AM
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (1 Feb 2009)

New air wing offers troops safer passage 
Edmonton-based chopper squadron gets soldiers off dangerous roads, increases surveillance
_Edmonton Journal_, Feb. 1
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/wing+offers+troops+safer+passage/1241336/story.html



> About a month ago, one of Canada's forward operating bases in Afghanistan badly needed an engineer to work on some damaged equipment.
> 
> It was a quick job, but to get an engineer there and back would have meant a four-day round trip over difficult terrain with the ever-present threat of roadside bombs and enemy ambushes. Enter the Griffon helicopter, which ferried the engineer there and back.
> 
> ...



Weight of Combat Gear Is Taking Toll
The Loads Are Contributing to Injuries That Are Keeping Some Troops on the Sidelines
_Washington Post_, Feb. 1
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101717.html



> Carrying heavy combat loads is taking a quiet but serious toll on troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, contributing to injuries that are sidelining them in growing numbers, according to senior military and defense officials.
> 
> Rising concern over the muscle and bone injuries -- as well as the hindrance caused by the cumbersome gear as troops maneuver in Afghanistan's mountains -- prompted Army and Marine Corps leaders and commanders to launch initiatives last month that will introduce lighter equipment for some U.S. troops.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (2 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 2

Pakistani forces regain control of region in Swat
_The Long War Journal_, Feb. 1, by Bill Roggio
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/02/pakistani_forces_reg.php



> The Pakistani military retook control of a Taliban-controlled district of Swat six days after launching the latest operation designed to free the region from extremist control.
> 
> Heavy fighting was reported in the Charbagh area and other regions as Pakistani forces launched air and artillery attacks against suspected Taliban strongholds. Forty-five civilians, 16 Taliban fighters, and four security personnel were killed over the past day during fighting throughout the district.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## Nfld Sapper (3 Feb 2009)

Not sure if this is the right place.

Bridge bombed on supply route for Afghan mission
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 | 9:19 AM ET CBC News







The bombing of a 10-metre iron bridge about 25 kilometres northwest of Peshawar early Tuesday was the latest in a series on the Khyber Pass by insurgents seeking to hamper the U.S.-led mission against the Taliban. (Mohammad Sajjad/Associated Press)

A major supply link for NATO forces in Afghanistan has been temporarily severed after militants bombed a bridge in northwest Pakistan, government officials said Tuesday.

Militants bombed the 10-metre iron bridge in the Khyber Pass, about 25 kilometres northwest of the city of Peshawar, early Tuesday, said Hidayat Ullah. An estimated 75 per cent of supplies for international forces in Afghanistan — including U.S. and Canadian soldiers — travel through the Khyber Pass.

"Militants blew up the bridge and it's going to take some time to fix it," another government official, Rahat Gul, told Reuters.

He could not say how long access to the bridge would be cut off.

A NATO spokesperson said shipments through the route will be halted "for the time being," but international forces in Afghanistan were in no danger of running out of food or other supplies.

Army looks for other routes
The latest attack continues a militant strategy to squeeze supply lines for Western forces in Afghanistan. The U.S. army has had to look for alternate routes in response to militant pummelling of the road between Peshawar and Pakistan. The route had previously closed twice, albeit briefly, since September.

It was not immediately clear whether supply convoys could bypass the destroyed bridge and still reach Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces, using artillery and helicopter gunships, killed at least 35 Islamist militants overnight in Swat Valley, an area in the northwest known to be overrun by insurgents, Pakistan's military said in a statement.

There is no way of being able to independently verify the casualties, as the Swat region is now considered too dangerous for reporters to visit.

Swat was once a popular tourist destination, but in the past couple of years has become a haven for militants. The state responded with force, but residents say militants increasingly hold sway.

With files from the Associated Press


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## Nfld Sapper (3 Feb 2009)

Canadian troops could soon target Afghan drug trade: top soldier
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 | 10:05 AM ET CBC News 

Canadian soldiers participating in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan could soon be ordered to hunt down drug lords and attack the country's poppy trade, which is inextricably linked to the Taliban insurgency, Canada's top general says. 

So far, Canadian soldiers have not been involved in anti-drug operations in Afghanistan, but that could change, said Walter Natynczyk, Canada's chief of defence staff.

"We haven't yet," Natynczyk told CBC News. "We're still waiting for NATO to come out with their guidance."

As the CBC first reported Saturday, NATO nations are embroiled in a tense debate over whether attacking drug lords is a war crime.

An initial order to go after the drug trade issued by NATO's military commander was rejected by officers on the ground in Afghanistan because the NATO order failed to distinguish between drug traffickers and those who directly support the Taliban, the CBC's James Cudmore reported.

But Natynczyk said the ties between the drug trade and the insurgency are too strong to dismiss any longer, as profits or product often end up directly in the hands of fighters. 

"Most times that we have operations, our soldiers, sailors and airmen have found drugs right there with Taliban," he said. "So the nexus between drugs and terror is very, very strong."

Canada is waiting for NATO's top commander to issue an order authorizing the attacks, Natynczyk said.

"It's a legal question, absolutely," he said.

International law forbids nations from using military force against civilian targets, even if they're criminals. But drug traffickers with links to the insurgency could be a legitimate target. 

The order is being reviewed after some European countries claimed the NATO order went too far, saying it could expose troops to allegations of war crimes.

Once NATO has made up its mind, the Canadian government will review the order, before deciding whether Canadian soldiers should follow it, Natynczyk said.

With files from James Cudmore


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## The Bread Guy (3 Feb 2009)

> ....As the CBC *first reported* Saturday (31 Jan 09)....


...and as reported in Der Spiegel three days earlier (28 Jan) , and on which ISAF commented on two days earlier (29 Jan).


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## GAP (3 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 3, 2009*

 Three Canadian women flying over Afghan skies
Updated Mon. Feb. 2 2009 10:02 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

It may come as a surprise to know that only three Canadian women are flying Griffon helicopters in combat missions over Afghan skies. 

Even more surprising is that these soldiers are among the first female helicopter pilots to ever serve in combat roles for the Canadian forces. 

Pilot Tressa Olson is one of these three Canadian soldiers. But she doesn't like being identified by her gender. 

"I don't like to be singled out as a female," Olson told CTV News. 

"And I don't think it's necessarily a big deal to be a female here." 

But it took a long time for the women of the Canadian Forces to get the respect that they deserve. 

For generations, women were not allowed to serve in combat roles when they joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. They were told it was too dangerous to get near the front lines. 

It wasn't until 1981 that the Canadian Forces allowed women to pilot military choppers. 

Today, only three women are flying combat missions over Afghanistan, providing aerial cover for their fellow soldiers and ferrying their colleagues to and from the battlefield. 

And they are among the best in the Canadian Forces. 

One of the women says that even over her career, she has seen significant changes. 

Capt. Andie Gallagher said she remembers when the air force used to be much more close-minded towards women in their ranks. 

"The number of those dinosaurs, if you will, that are around now are few and far between from what they were only seven years ago when I got my wings," Gallagher told CTV News. 

"And seven years from now, it's going to be even more different." 
More on link

Secret Report Urges New Afghanistan Policy
Politico: Pentagon Will Recommend U.S. Focus On Stabilizing Region, Eliminating Insurgency, Rather Than Boosting Democracy
Feb. 3, 2009
Article Link

(The Politico) The Pentagon's top military officers are recommending to President Barack Obama that he shift U.S. strategy in Afghanistan - to focus on ensuring regional stability and eliminating Taliban and al Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan, rather than on achieving lasting democracy and a thriving Afghan economy, officials said. 

The recommendations to narrow U.S. goals are contained in a classified report by the Joint Chiefs of Staff that is likely to be shown soon to Obama as part of a review of Afghanistan strategy announced by the new administration. 

Obama is expected to announce later this week his decision on a request for additional forces from the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. David McKiernan. Several officials said they expected the president to approve sending three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, totaling roughly 10,000 to 12,000 troops. 

But a decision by Obama about whether to approve a more far-reaching shift in U.S. objectives in Afghanistan will be made later as part of the strategy review, the officials said. In addition to the Joint Chiefs, Obama will hear recommendations from Gen. David Petraeus, in charge of U.S. Central Command, and from Richard Holbrooke, Obama's civilian envoy to Afghanistan. The review is not expected to be completed for several months. 

As he weighs his options, Obama will have to balance his calls during the campaign for intensified effort in Afghanistan against recent warnings by some of his senior advisers, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, of the dangers of getting deeply engaged in a place that has a long and bloody history of resisting foreign occupations. 

Obama has indicated in recent weeks that he favors the idea of setting limited objectives, including ensuring that Afghanistan "cannot be used as a base to launch attacks against the United States." He cited the need for "more effective military action" while warning of Afghan hostility to foreign troops. His "number one goal" is to stop al Qaeda, he said. 
More on link

 'I'm a field man'
By Richard Bulliet Published: February 3, 2009
Article Link

The news broke Monday about the kidnapping of John Solecki, the top UN official in Pakistan's Baluchistan Province. When I heard the news, I could not help but think back to earlier moments in John's career. He had been a student of mine in Columbia College, and I got to know him even better when he worked for a master's degree in the School of International and Public Affairs. We became good friends, and in those days I remember him often wondering about the kind of career he might have.

Then he started working with refugees, first on a contract basis and then for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. A few years later he told me he had found his calling. "I'm a field man," he said. Working with refugees in the field is what he does best. He is imperturbable. He soothes the feelings of people in distress. They know without his having to say it that he is doing his best to help them. And he does help them.

Though his career path has pushed him toward being an administrator, he seems to always end up in the field again and again. John has brought aid and comfort to people in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi-Iraqi border, Kurdistan, Egypt, and finally Quetta in Pakistan. The next stop is supposed to be Kabul, Afghanistan. He is looking forward to that: John goes where the refugees are.

Why would anyone kidnap a man who has spent his entire career serving the needs of people in distress under the auspices of the United Nations? He is an American citizen, but he doesn't work for or represent the United States government. John has been moving from one chaotic region to another, not as a soldier or a military contractor, but rather, as a "field man" for the world's desperate refugees. The refugee camp is his beat, not the field of battle. He does not travel with a bodyguard or shun populated areas.
More on link

 Pakistani militants cut off key NATO supply line to Afghanistan
The attack highlights the need for alternative routes.
By Liam Stack posted February 03, 2009 at 10:10 am EST
Article Link

Islamist militants in Pakistan blew up a bridge through the mountainous Khyber Pass early on Tuesday, severing a key supply route for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Periodic attacks on the route have pushed the international forces to seek alternative ones outside Pakistan. 

All traffic on the bridge has come to a halt, The Press Trust of India reports, including dozens of supply trucks bound for US and NATO forces. 

The bridge connects Peshawar, the largest city in the Northwest Frontier Province, with the Khyber Pass, the primary route into Afghanistan. 

Militants have harassed NATO supply lines in northwest Pakistan for several months, conducting ambushes on convoys and attacking truck depots in Peshawar itself, according to the news service. It says Tuesday's bridge attack may be a result of increased security at supply depots. 

The Associated Press reports that the bridge is about 15 miles northwest of Peshawar. 

A NATO spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed that supplies along the route had been halted "for the time being," but stressed the alliance was in no danger of running out of food, equipment or fuel.... 

It was not immediately clear whether supply convoys could reach Afghanistan through alternative routes in the region, nor how long it would take to rebuild it. 

The Khyber Pass is one of two routes into Afghanistan from Pakistan, according to Reuters. The other connects the Pakistani province of Baluchistan with the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. 

While the military provides few specifics of its supply operation, observers believe most of the supplies travel through the Khyber Pass, says Reuters. 

The U.S. military and NATO have not given details of the supplies they get via Pakistan or a breakdown of how much comes on the two routes. The U.S. Defense Department says the U.S. military sends 75 percent of supplies for the Afghan war through or over Pakistan, including 40 percent of fuel. 

Pakistani customs officials say under normal circumstances about 300 trucks with Western force supplies travel through the Khyber Pass crossing at Torkham every day, compared with about 100 through the Chaman crossing. 

With the US planning to expand its Afghan operations, Tuesday's bridge attack highlights the need for secure supply routes. US planners say they are actively looking for routes that avoid Pakistan's volatile border areas. 
More on link

 Upset with West, is Karzai turning east?
Tue Feb 3, 2009 12:32pm By Sayed Salahuddin - Analysis
Article Link

KABUL (Reuters) - Frustrated with some of his Western allies, in particular the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has begun to reach out to Afghanistan's giant northern neighbour Russia.

U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to make Afghanistan his top foreign policy priority and will be unlikely to give Karzai an easy ride, having accused him in the past of failing to get "out of the bunker" and rule effectively.

Karzai, once the darling of the West, is no longer assured of the unwavering support he enjoyed from former President George W. Bush, and European leaders have joined the chorus continually calling for good governance -- more implied criticism of Karzai.

"When Karzai sees his former allies are not in power and the rest criticise him, instead of helping him, then he looks for new allies," said Shukriya Barakzai, a prominent parliamentarian.

The new allies, she said, were led by Russia, and included neighbours Iran and China who have economic interests in Afghanistan, but also reservations about the presence of foreign troops.

Russian diplomats have said the West was making the same mistakes the Soviet Union made during its ill-fated 10-year occupation of Afghanistan.

On the eve of President Barack Obama's inauguration, Karzai's office released a statement saying Moscow had accepted his request for providing defence aid to Afghanistan.
More on link

 Security peddlers eye Afghan windfall
By David Isenberg 
Article Link

As the President Barack Obama administration in the United States grapples with what to do about Afghanistan, one thing is certain; it is good news for the private military and security industry. As the United States sends more troops there they will be accompanied by an increase in private contractors. 

The US military expects to send three additional combat brigades - between 10,000 and 12,000 troops - to Afghanistan between late spring and midsummer. 

More troops means more supplies, which means more trucks and tankers carrying weapons, food, fuel, and construction materials to build barracks and support structures are needed, driven in

from Pakistan or Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, or even Russia. As these are favored targets of the Taliban the military needs to hire protection services from private security firms, as it does not have enough forces to guard them all. 

But it is not clear whether even private security firms will be capable of providing sufficient protection. Roadside bombs have become the primary threat to forces in Afghanistan. The number of incidents involving "improvised explosive devices”, or IEDs, rose 33% in 2008 from a year earlier, and the number of casualties caused by these roadside bombs increased by the same amount, according to statistics compiled by the US-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (3 Feb 2009)

Canuck helicopter team adds vital eye in the sky
_Edmonton Sun_, Feb. 3



> Cpl. Christopher Lucas grows quiet, momentarily choked with emotion.
> 
> "I'd rather not talk about it," the 33-year-old Edmontonian replies when asked about his relative, who is among the 108 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
> 
> ...



Griffon helicopter crews make history over Kandahar
Air Force News Room, Feb. 2
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/news_e.asp?cat=114&id=7695



> On January 6, 2009, the crews of two CH-146 Griffon helicopters made history: they flew a group of soldiers to a Forward Operating Base, thus completing the first sorties by Canadian helicopters in a theatre of war. Both helicopters belong to the Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan, part of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) Air Wing.
> 
> "We've waited a long time to be here, and it feels really good to finally be adding to the overall mission," said mission commander and pilot Major Trevor Teller of 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Edmonton. "Some of us have only been on the ground for a short time, and to already be flying missions with the Griffon is a huge success for the Wing. There was a heightened sense of anticipation for me, and to have actually flown the first mission in Afghanistan was incredible."
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (4 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 4

Plans Emerge for New Troop Deployments to Afghanistan (good map at link)
_Wall St. Journal_, Feb.4
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123370741624945711.html



> Senior U.S. commanders are finalizing plans to send tens of thousands of reinforcements to Afghanistan's main opium-producing region and its porous border with Pakistan, moves that will form the core of President Barack Obama's emerging Afghan war strategy.
> 
> Local residents cross a river Tuesday after militants destroyed a bridge in northwest Pakistan, near Peshawar, cutting a major supply route for U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.
> 
> ...



Obama Seeks Narrower Focus in Afghan War
Situation Is Much Worse Than New Administration Realized and Will Take Time to Address
_Washington Post_, Feb. 4
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020302858.html?hpid=topnews



> As President Obama prepares to formally authorize the April deployment of two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, perhaps as early as this week, no issue other than the U.S. economy appears as bleak to his administration as the seven-year Afghan war and the regional challenges that surround it.
> 
> A flurry of post-inauguration activity -- presidential meetings with top diplomatic and military officials, the appointment of a high-level Afghanistan-Pakistan envoy and the start of a White House-led strategic review -- was designed to show forward motion and resolve, senior administration officials said.
> 
> ...



With attacks on Afghan supply lines in Pakistan, US turns to Uzbekistan
US rebuilds ties with Central Asian nation to secure new military supply routes.
_CS Monitor_, Feb. 4
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0204/p04s01-wogn.html



> Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Desperate for a new military supply route into Afghanistan, the US is quietly rebuilding ties with leaders of this Central Asian nation, despite its grim human rights record.
> 
> The need for a more reliable land link was underscored Tuesday after Taliban militants cut the existing major coalition supply route by blowing up a bridge in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pass region.
> 
> ...



UN: 2,100 civilians killed in Afghanistan in 2008
Reuters, Feb. 3
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5123KR20090203



> More than 2,100 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in 2008, a 40 percent rise from the previous year, the United Nations said Tuesday.
> 
> It also cited partial figures saying that the Taliban and local warlords were responsible for 1,000 out of 1,800 civilian deaths up to the end of October, mainly due to suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## PMedMoe (4 Feb 2009)

Article found Feb 4, 2009.
Canadian troops troll gas stations for fuel, info
Article Link

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan — Canadians soldiers spent the day Wednesday visiting all the gas stations on a major thoroughfare in Zhari District, west of Kandahar City.

If gas stations seem an odd target for a military patrol, it's because the Taliban have been known to use them for staging operations during the summer fighting months. The gas stations — particularly the abandoned ones — are recognizable, offer ample space to gather and provide easy cover for insurgents.

The problem is, the Canadians don't know much about the stations — who owns them, what they're called and whether the Taliban or Afghan National Army extorts them for fuel.

So, Wednesday's mission was simple — buy some gas, get some information.

Afghan gas stations are a far cry from those in Canada. They feature dilapidated old pumps that may not work and, instead of an inside cash register, they tend to have a collection of men outside who explain the price.

More on link


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## old medic (5 Feb 2009)

Suicide bombing ring is brought down in Afghanistan, officials say

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-suicide-bombers4-2009feb04,0,5200378.story

Afghan authorities say 17 men in an alleged bombing cell have been arrested. The group is thought to be allied with Pakistani militants and to have received aid from the Pakistan spy agency ISI.

By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King
February 4, 2009





> Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Istanbul, Turkey -- Afghan authorities said Tuesday that they had broken up a suicide bombing cell responsible for a string of attacks in the capital, including a massive explosion last month that killed an American serviceman and wounded five other U.S. soldiers.
> 
> In a disclosure likely to stoke tensions with Pakistan, a spokesman for Afghanistan's main intelligence service said the 17 men arrested in Kabul were believed to be affiliated with a Pakistan-based militant group known as the Haqqani network and that the cell's ringleader was a Pakistani national.
> 
> ...


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## MarkOttawa (5 Feb 2009)

Afghanistan: focusing the lens
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up, Feb. 5
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1233863965

GENERAL CRADDOCK'S CONTENTIOUS ORDER
Time May Be Short for NATO High Commander
_Spiegel Online_, Feb. 5
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,605780,00.html



> At the end January, SPIEGEL reported that NATO High Commander General Craddock had ordered troops to attack drug traffickers -- without checking to see if they were also insurgents. He lost the internal dispute that ensued and his time may now be short in the Western alliance.
> 
> On Jan. 30, General Bantz John Craddock gave up. On that day, the NATO High Commander retracted an order calling on troops fighting in Afghanistan with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to attack drug traffickers and facilities. Many of Craddock's comrades found the order unpalatable -- it explicitly directed NATO troops to kill those involved in the drug trade even if there was no proof that they supported insurgents fighting against NATO or Afghan security forces.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (5 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 5, 2009*

 A Canadian Combat First
February 5, 2009
Article Link

This year Canadian troops have, for the first time, flown in a Canadian helicopter in a combat zone. Two CH-146 helicopters flew soldiers to a Canadian base in Afghanistan. The last time Canadian troops were in large scale combat, during the Korean War (1950-53), there were few helicopters available (the first use of helicopters in combat had occurred in 1945), and they were all American. 
Canada has established its own little air force in Afghanistan. The Canadian Air Wing will have, by this Summer, six leased Russian made Mi-8 transport helicopters, six newly purchased U.S. CH-47 transport helicopters and eight Canadian made CH-146 armed transports to escort the larger choppers. The Wing will have about 450 personnel to support the twenty helicopters and some UAVs. 

A primary function of the choppers will be to keep Canadian troops off the roads, where half the casualties have been suffered because of roadside bombs. Previous to the establishment of the Wing, the 2,500 Canadian troops had much less access to helicopter transport than their American or NATO allies fighting in the south. This is the first time, since the Korean War (1950-53) that Canadian forces have established an Air Wing in a combat zone. 
More on link

 Canadian troops pump gas station owners for info.
By Archie McLean, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 4, 2009
Article Link

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan - Canadians soldiers spent the day Wednesday visiting all the gas stations on a major thoroughfare in Zhari District, west of Kandahar City.

If gas stations seem an odd target for a military patrol, it's because the Taliban have been known to use them for staging operations during the summer fighting months. The gas stations - particularly the abandoned ones - are recognizable, offer ample space to gather and provide easy cover for insurgents.

The problem is, the Canadians don't know much about the stations - who owns them, what they're called and whether the Taliban or Afghan National Army extorts them for fuel.

So, Wednesday's mission was simple - buy some gas, get some information.

Afghan gas stations are a far cry from those in Canada. They feature dilapidated old pumps that may not work and, instead of an inside cash register, they tend to have a collection of men outside who explain the price.

Three light armoured vehicles pull up to the first station and the soldiers spill outside. The owner is leery of the Canadian presence, explaining through an interpreter that the military vehicles and soldiers scare his customers away. It is a sentiment that is echoed several times during the day.

At first he refuses to sell them diesel at all because he is afraid of being seen collaborating with the military. After Lieut. Jeff Lloyd, the platoon commander, explains he only wants 10 litres in a jerry can, the owner relents.
More on link

 U.S. Searches for Alternative to Kyrgyz Base
By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ELLEN BARRY Published: February 5, 2009 
Article Link

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration scrambled Wednesday to come up with an alternative to a crucial United States air base in Central Asia, used to supply the growing military operation in Afghanistan, after the president of Kyrgyzstan ordered the American base in his country closed.

Defense and State Department officials said they had concluded that Russia had pressed Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, to expel the Americans. Russia has promised not to impede the American-led fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan, but has also sought to push United States forces out of bases it began leasing in Central Asia in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The Kyrgyz Parliament planned to vote next week on a measure that would close the base at Manas, a major air hub for troops and cargo. Loss of the base would present a significant problem for the Obama administration as it deploys as many as 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan over the next two years. Taliban attacks have made another prime supply route to Afghanistan — an overland pass through Pakistan — highly unreliable.
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 Feds block inquiry into transfer of Afghan prisoners.
By Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 4, 2009
Article Link

OTTAWA - Less than two weeks before it was to begin hearing evidence from witnesses into Canada's handling of detainees in Afghanistan, the government has again blocked the inquiry of the Military Police Complaints Commission.

Commission chair Peter Tinsley, who had planned to begin full-scale public hearings on Feb. 17, issued the indefinite adjournment order this week after the Justice Department filed a motion in Federal Court calling for the inquiry to be stayed.

The commission has criticized the government for not co-operating with its inquiry, launched after a complaint by Amnesty International Canada and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, which alleges military members allowed Afghan detainees to be transferred to local authorities with due consideration they would face torture.

Paul Champ, the Ottawa lawyer for Amnesty International, said it's clear the federal government is trying to kill the inquiry.

``They don't want any of the Canadian Forces officers, or military police, or Department of Foreign Affairs officials, getting on a stand where there's television cameras and newspaper reporters to say what they've seen done and heard in Afghanistan with respect to detainees,'' said Champ.
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 Taliban burns 10 trucks on Afghanistan-Pakistan supply route
By Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King February 5, 2009 
Article Link

Reporting from Istanbul, Turkey, and Peshawar, Pakistan -- A day after blowing up a crucial land bridge, Taliban militants torched 10 supply trucks returning from Afghanistan to Pakistan on Wednesday, underscoring the insurgents' dominance of the main route used to transport supplies to Afghan-based U.S. and NATO troops.

Months of disruptions on the route from the Pakistani port of Karachi through the historic Khyber Pass have forced NATO and American military authorities to look for other transit options. About three-quarters of the supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan -- mainly food and fuel -- are ferried through Pakistan by contractors, usually poorly paid, semiliterate truckers. Many now refuse to drive the route because of the danger.
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## GAP (6 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 6, 2009*

Tajikistan ready to help US with Afghanistan supplies
7 hours ago
Article Link

DUSHANBE (AFP) — Tajikistan said Friday it was ready to allow US and NATO supplies for Afghanistan to transit its territory, after neighbouring Kyrgyzstan ordered the closure of a vital American airbase.

The decision by the Kyrgyz government to shut down the Manas airbase has troubled Washington, which had used the facility as a vital route for flying in supplies for coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said after meeting the US ambassador that his country was ready to allow supplies including construction materials, medicines, fuel and water to transit its soil by road.

"Tajikistan is ready to offer the United States and NATO countries help with the transit of humanitarian and commercial supplies to Afghanistan," he said in a statement.

He said the supplies would be of a non-military nature and should be not just for the benefit of coalition forces.

"They should be destined not only for the military but it is also important they are used for the reconstruction of Afghanistan," he added.

US ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson said the transit would take place by land and would employ a new bridge over the Panj river funded by Washington that opened in August 2007 and links the south of Tajikistan with Afghanistan
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 Russia to help U.S. deliver cargo to Afghanistan
Article Link

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia will assist the U.S. in the transit of non-military cargo to Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

An overturned truck on the bridge in Khyber, Pakistan, destroyed by militants.

 Lavrov said on Russian television that his country intends to cooperate to help get vital cargo to NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The United States had asked to transport the cargo through Russian territory to Afghanistan, Lavrov said.

In recent days, the United States has faced setbacks in its ability to resupply troops.

Kyrgyzstan decided to close a U.S. military base used as a route for troops and supplies to Afghanistan.

And Pakistan officials confirmed Friday a key bridge in Khyber was blown up Tuesday on the supply route from Peshawar to Afghanistan.

The attack suspended NATO supply lines between the countries and prompted authorities to look for alternate supply routes for supply trucks and traffic.

On Friday, a suicide attack near the same bridge injured seven people. On Wednesday, suspected militants fired rockets on NATO trucks in Khyber, one of seven semiautonomous tribal agencies along the Afghan border.
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 2 Afghans face death over translation of Quran
By HEIDI VOGT – 12 hours ago 
Article Link

KABUL (AP) — No one knows who brought the book to the mosque, or at least no one dares say.

The pocket-size translation of the Quran has already landed six men in prison in Afghanistan and left two of them begging judges to spare their lives. They're accused of modifying the Quran and their fate could be decided Sunday in court.

The trial illustrates what critics call the undue influence of hardline clerics in Afghanistan, a major hurdle as the country tries to establish a lawful society amid war and militant violence.

The book appeared among gifts left for the cleric at a major Kabul mosque after Friday prayers in September 2007. It was a translation of the Quran into one of Afghanistan's languages, with a note giving permission to reprint the text as long as it was distributed for free.

Some of the men of the mosque said the book would be useful to Afghans who didn't know Arabic, so they took up a collection for printing. The mosque's cleric asked Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai, a longtime friend, to get the books printed.

But as some of the 1,000 copies made their way to conservative Muslim clerics in Kabul, whispers began, then an outcry.
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## GAP (11 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 11, 2009*

Talking, rather than fighting, in Afghanistan
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Article Link

President Obama held his first prime-time news conference Tuesday night. When questioned on Afghanistan, he replied, "This is going to be a big challenge." He also was asked whether he would change the Pentagon policy banning the filming and photographing of the flag-draped coffins of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he was reviewing it. The journalist who asked the question also pointed out that it was Joe Biden several years ago who accused the Bush administration of suppressing the images to avoid public furor over the deaths of U.S. service members. Now Vice President Biden predicts a surge in U.S. troops in Afghanistan will mean more U.S. casualties: "I hate to say it, but yes, I think there will be. There will be an uptick."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press recently cited a classified report drafted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommending a shift in strategy from democracy-building in Afghanistan to attacking alleged Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
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 Russia says may offer aircraft for Afghan transit
Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:11am GMT  
Article Link

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia could offer its military aircraft to help supply NATO-led soldiers fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

The Kremlin views Afghanistan as an area where Russian interests coincide with those of the United States, despite fierce disagreements on other issues.

When asked about ways to improve ties with the United States under new President Barack Obama, Lavrov said Russia was ready for close and wide cooperation on Afghanistan.

"Non-military transit has already been granted as part of our agreements with NATO and the United States very recently received our agreement... for delivery of their cargoes for the needs of the international forces," Lavrov said.
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 If Obama asks us to stay in Afghanistan, can we refuse?
For years, Canada has been asking others to step up to the plate
L. IAN MACDONALD, The Gazette Published: 13 hours ago
Article Link

Under beware of what you wish for, Canada has long asked the United States and other NATO partners to step up their commitments to the mission in Afghanistan.

Welcome Barack Obama, who wants to double the U.S. commitment to 60,000 troops on the ground there. The problem for Canada is that after asking for reinforcements as a condition of prolonging our stay there for another two years, Stephen Harper announced during last fall's campaign that we would be leaving the country in 2011.

So, while a liberal Democrat makes one campaign promise to shift the military focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, and even to Pakistan, a Conservative Canadian leader is saying we've done our part and are leaving the neighbourhood. Huh?
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 Canada defends rising Afghan costs as crisis bites
Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:47am EST  By David Ljunggren
Article Link

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said on Monday that the rising cost of the country's military mission in Afghanistan was worth the expense, even though the economic crisis is starting to bite hard.

Skeptical opposition legislators grilled MacKay over why, at a time of big budget deficits and soaring unemployment, Ottawa was pouring billions of dollars into a combat mission that critics say shows few signs of success.

Last October, Parliament's budgetary officer said the mission could cost C$18 billion ($15 billion) if Canada's 2,700 troops stayed until the end of 2011 as planned.

"Afghanistan was the largest exporter of terror in our lifetime so our efforts there to bring about some semblance of security and democracy continue to be a very worthy cause," MacKay told reporters.

"Now that's costly. A military mission by its very nature is expensive ... but we are making gains," he said after testifying to Parliament's defense committee.

So far, 108 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents are making gains. Senior western officials openly admit the NATO mission is in trouble.

Late last month Canada's Conservative government, under pressure to tackle the deepening economic crisis, unveiled a stimulus laden budget that will rack up a deficit of C$64 billion over the next two fiscal years.

MacKay, who went to the committee to explain why he was requesting an extra C$441 million for the Afghan mission, faced some tough questions from opposition parliamentarians.
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 US grappling with Canada's exit from Afghanistan
By LARA JAKES – 19 hours ago  Article Link

OTTAWA (AP) — Two weeks before Christmas, Canadian Master Cpl. Mike Trauner lay near death after a mortar exploded while he was on patrol in Afghanistan. He lost one leg below the knee, the other just above the knee, and his hand remains swollen with embedded shrapnel.

Trauner said he would like to be deployed again, yet it's doubtful that the 29-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario, will return to Afghanistan — and not because of his injuries. The Canadian government plans to withdraw its combat troops by 2011, feeling the loss of more than 100 troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001. About 2,500 serve there now.

The looming absence of one of its closest allies has left the United States grappling with how to eliminate terror threats and government corruption in Afghanistan with its own troops already stretched thin from years in Iraq.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, paid homage to Canada's fallen and praised the nation's Afghanistan mission during a daylong visit to Ottawa on Tuesday.

Mullen called Canadian combat forces in Afghanistan "absolutely critical" but said the issue of their withdrawal did not come up during his meetings.
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## GAP (13 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 13, 2009*

  children killed during Australian operation in Afghanistan
By Richard A. Oppel Jr. and; Published: February 13, 2009
Article Link

Five children were killed in predawn fighting Thursday between Australian special operations troops and Taliban guerrillas in south-central Afghanistan, the latest incident of rising civilian casualties that have hurt support for American and NATO troops here.

The skirmish, which occurred in darkness in a village called Sarmorghab in Oruzgan Province, north of Kandahar, was condemned by the provincial governor, Assadullah Hamdam, who said it would have a "negative effect." He also said provincial officials had already pleaded with troops not to carry out raids where civilians are  present.

The deaths come amid a growing chorus of complaints about civilian casualties from Afghan officials, including President Hamid Karzai, as well as new fears that plans to add as many as 30,000 more American troops will only lead to more such fatalities.

Afghan leaders will press their case over the next few days with Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Holbrooke, who arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday after visiting Pakistan, is expected to meet with Karzai and perhaps a dozen other senior Afghan political leaders and parliamentarians, as well as with United Nations and American and NATO officials.

A statement by the Australian military about the Oruzgan deaths said the Australian troops began shooting after they were attacked by Taliban insurgents. "A number of people have been killed and wounded during this incident," the statement said. In addition to the five children, a "suspected insurgent" was killed and two children and two civilians were also wounded. None of the Australian troops were hurt.
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 Army doc, 74, soldiers on toward 3rd tour overseas
By RUSS BYNUM – 6 hours ago  Article Link

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — Dr. John Burson balked when a skeptical Army staffer asked him to undergo a three-day physical exam to make sure he was fit to deploy as a field surgeon to Afghanistan.

"Look, I'm training to run a half-marathon," replied Burson, 74, a retired lieutenant colonel. "You come down and check to see if I can make it."

Burson won the debate and was declared fit for duty. The ear, nose and throat specialist from northwest Georgia wrapped up a weeklong training course this week at Fort Benning before his scheduled deployment Friday for a 90-day rotation with a unit of the 101st Airborne Division.

The first of two stints in Iraq proved unforgettable back in 2005, he said. Burson was among several doctors assigned to keep watch over an imprisoned Saddam Hussein.

The fallen dictator, who was three years younger than Burson, told him: "I'm glad they sent me one with gray hair this time."

Several of Burson's uncles and cousins enlisted during World War II, inspiring him to seek an Army officer's commission in the 1950s. But it would be five decades before he went to war.
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 NATO green-lights attacking Afghan drug operations with Taliban links
23 hours ago Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — NATO has ironed out its legal concerns and formally issued orders to treat Afghan drug lords who fuel the violent Taliban insurgency as legitimate military targets.

Bombing narcotics shipments, arresting drug barons and blowing up opium processing labs with a verifiable link to militants is now a key priority - one that senior commanders and political leaders of the military alliance are confident will not violate international law.

"This discussion within the chain of command is now complete and the orders issued," James Appathurai, a spokesman for NATO's secretary general, said Thursday in an email to The Canadian Press.

Appathurai said NATO lawyers have reviewed the new policy, which requires that any case against Afghan drug dealers be proven through intelligence.

"The orders require the demonstration of a link between the narcotics facilities and facilitators, and the insurgency."

The formal issuing of the order clears the way for stepped-up operations to begin "within days," said other senior military officials.
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 British to play smaller role as US troops fight ‘losing battle’
Article Link

Britain's military is to be handed a significantly diminished role on the front line in southern Afghanistan when President Obama completes a strategic review of a war that US officials say is in danger of being lost. 

Mr Obama is preparing to make his first key deployment as US Commander-in-Chief over the next few days, with reports suggesting that he may send between 3,500 and 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. 

The Americans are to build two huge new bases in the south. One will be one on the Helmand border with Kandahar at Maiwand - a place famous as the site of the destruction of a British army during the Second Afghan War of 1881. The other will be in Zabul, a province now largely controlled by the Taleban and criminal gangs. 

Commanders have requested a surge of up to 30,000 soldiers, but the President is said to be carefully weighing up his options and the capacity of Nato allies before making a decision next month.
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## MarkOttawa (13 Feb 2009)

A bloody day in Kabul 
Amid a terrifying Taliban attack, I got a first-hand view of the progress made by Afghan security forces
_Ottawa Citizen_, Feb. 13, by Nipa Banerjee
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/bloody+Kabul/1284211/story.html



> I was at a meeting in Kabul on Wednesday, discussing with Afghan civil servants how Afghanistan's National Development Strategy's progress toward results can be monitored and reported, how results can be measured.
> 
> A young Afghan raised his hand to a question on security. He enumerated a number of measures: reduction in suicide attacks, reduced number of deaths from IED explosions, reduced number of abductions, reduced attacks on police, government offices and schools. He cited an article by Hekmat Karzai, who heads up a conflict and peace studies institute, which reported that insecure conditions forced the closure of 50 per cent of schools in southern Afghanistan.
> 
> ...



Feinstein comment on U.S. drones likely to embarrass Pakistan
The Predator planes that launch missile strikes against militants are based in Pakistan, the senator says. That suggests a much deeper relationship with the U.S. than Islamabad would like to admit.
_LA Times_, Feb. 13
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-uspakistan13-2009feb13,0,4776260.story



> A senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown from an air base in that country, a revelation likely to embarrass the Pakistani government and complicate its counter-terrorism collaboration with the United States.
> 
> The disclosure by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, marked the first time a U.S. official had publicly commented on where the Predator aircraft patrolling Pakistan take off and land.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (13 Feb 2009)

Afghanistan: shadows and bombs
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up, Feb. 13
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1234557908

Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (15 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 15, 2009*


 Obama's men in Afghanistan
Misconceptions in the new administration could set back progress in the fight against the opium economy 
THOMAS SCHWEICH From Saturday's Globe and Mail February 14, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST
Article Link

Earlier this month, the United Nations released a report predicting a decline in opium cultivation in Afghanistan for the second year in a row. Because Afghan heroin funds the insurgency, corrupts the government and interferes with legitimate agricultural programs, this was good news for everyone. Four years ago, farmers grew poppies in all 34 of Afghanistan's provinces. Three years ago there were six poppy-free provinces; two years ago, there were 13; last year, there were 18; and experts predict that 22 of the 34 will likely be poppy-free this year. Nationwide, poppy cultivation was down 19 per cent last year, and it will likely fall even more this year, prompting the top UN diplomat in Afghanistan to say a few days ago, "This year could be a turning point" in the war against Afghan heroin.

As one of the U.S officials who developed and co-ordinated the counternarcotics strategy currently in effect, I felt heartened, but only a little. We — the international community and the Afghans — should have done a lot better. We have not delivered an effective counternarcotics campaign in two insurgency-ridden southern provinces — Helmand and Kandahar — the source of more than three-quarters of the heroin produced on Earth. The principal culprits are the Taliban, who protect their fields aggressively (killing dozens of Afghan narcotics police each year), and corrupt Afghan officials, many of whom come from these two provinces, and need the support of powerful drug lords in upcoming elections.

Outside Afghanistan, there are, regrettably, two other reasons we could not make inroads in Helmand and Kandahar: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Lieutenant-General Karl Eikenberry. U.S. President Barack Obama has just chosen Mr. Holbrooke, a former Clinton administration official, as his special representative in the region, and Lt.-Gen. Eikenberry as his ambassador to Afghanistan. We all wish them well, but, if they are to succeed, they need to get their facts straight, establish clearer lines of authority, and avoid the increasing militarization of civilian projects.
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 Canadian soldier injured in Afghan bomb attack
 By Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunJanuary 19, 2009
Article Link

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A Canadian soldier remains in hospital with serious injuries following a roadside bomb attack Monday morning.

Military authorities said the soldier was on foot patrol with the Afghan security forces in the IED-prone Panjwaii district, about 23 kilometres west of Kandahar City, when the explosion occurred.

The soldier was flown by helicopter to the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield where his condition was listed Monday evening as "fair."

Authorities said the soldier's identity will not be released due to privacy concerns. His family has been notified of the incident.
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 Pakistani militants free Chinese engineer
Sun Feb 15, 2009 2:23am EST  (Adds details, Chinese embassy statement, background) By Kamran Haider
Article Link

ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban militants have freed a Chinese telecommunications engineer after holding him captive for more than five months, a spokesman for the militants and Chinese officials said on Sunday.

Long Xiaowei had been freed as a "goodwill gesture" to the Chinese people, said Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the militants in the northwestern Swat Valley.

"He has been released. He's fine," Khan said.

Security has deteriorated sharply in Pakistan since August, with troops battling Islamic militants in various parts of the northwest as well as along the border with Afghanistan.
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 Afghan cop a rarity in force rife with corruption
 By Archie McLean , Canwest News Service February 14, 2009
Article Link

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- The line of cars on the dusty Afghan road is growing longer. It's the equivalent of morning rush hour here and villagers are becoming impatient with the delay of their shopping trips.

Muhammed Khan and his police officers - on patrol in Taliban territory with Canadian soldiers - don't panic. They calmly and methodically search each vehicle, patting down the men and checking the cargo for explosives or other suspicious material. Running a vehicle checkpoint may be a simple task for a professional police force, but this is the Afghan National Police, an organization that is often, and rightly, criticized here for incompetence, drug use and corruption.

Khan's unit is the exception. He strictly enforces a no-drug-use policy and has no patience for corruption. His Canadian mentors say if the fledgling force had more commanders like Khan, their job would be redundant.

"We wouldn't need to be here," says Master-Cpl. Gary O'Brien. "These guys are more seasoned than some of our soldiers." 

Khan and his officers have proven themselves time and again to the Canadian soldiers, including in numerous firefights, some as long as five or six hours.
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 US supplies via Russia to start soon
By JIM HEINTZArticle Link

MOSCOW (AP) — The shipment of U.S. military supplies for Afghanistan through Russia will begin soon, news agencies quoted Russia's foreign minister as saying Saturday.

"The transit will take place literally within days," Sergey Lavrov told TV Tsentr, according to the Interfax, ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti agencies.

Foreign Ministry officials could not be reached for comment late Saturday, and the reports did not say whether the supplies would transit Russia by land or air. However, Russia announced last week that it would allow U.S. shipments of non-lethal military supplies to Afghanistan.

Supply routes to Afghanistan for the U.S.-led international military operation have become an increasingly critical issue in recent months amid growing militant attacks on the land routes through Pakistan that carry about 75 percent of U.S. supplies.

The U.S. plans to send around 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan this year.

Concerns rose further this month when Kyrgyzstan's president announced that the Central Asian country intends to evict a U.S. military base that is an important transit point for Afghanistan-bound troops and supplies. The base also is home to tanker planes that refuel military aircraft over Afghanistan.
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 'Pashtunistan' holds key to Obama mission
Jason Burke in London, Yama Omid in Kabul, Paul Harris in Washington, Saeed Shah in Islamabad and Gethin Chamberlain in Delhi 
The Observer, Sunday 15 February 2009 
Article Link

The mountainous borderlands where Afghanistan meets Pakistan have been described as a Grand Central Station for Islamic terrorists, a place where militants come and go and the Taliban trains its fighters. Now Barack Obama has made solving the 'Af-Pak' question a top priority. But could the battle to tame the Pashtun heartland become his Vietnam?

Article history

Relaxing one evening last week at the Cuckoo's Cafe, a rooftop restaurant in the heart of the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, Barack Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan seemed on the point of causing a major incident. 

As ever in the region, there had been no warning. The weather was just right, a warm late winter evening. The view was even better - unmarred by the security subtly positioned on surrounding buildings. From his table, Richard Holbrooke, 67, the diplomat charged with calming what fellow members of the administration call the most dangerous place in the world, looked out over the giant Badshahi mosque and the imposing Lahore Fort, both more than 300 years old. Carefully invited politicians, writers, human rights activists and journalists from Lahore's liberal elite chatted at tables around him.

It was not that Holbrooke did not enjoy the barbecued spicy kebabs, Lahore's speciality, it was just he had one special request. He wanted daal, the plain lentil curry that is the humblest dish in South Asia. For such a distinguished guest, none had been prepared. "The bulldozer", credited with negotiating an end to the war in the Balkans in the 1990s, usually gets his way and this time was no exception. Daal was soon on its way.

Tonight Holbrooke will land at the Palam air force base, adjacent to the main civilian airport in New Delhi. It will be the last stop on a journey that has led the diplomat across the broad swathe of territory stretching from central Afghanistan to Pakistan's Indus river. Call it the central front of the global "war on terror", the fulcrum of the "arc of crisis", Pashtunistan or simply, in the most recent neologism, "AfPak", no one doubts that this is the biggest foreign policy headache for Obama's new team.
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 Is U.S. repeating mistakes Soviet regime made in Afghanistan?
By JONATHAN S. LANDAY McClatchy Newspapers
Article Link

Twenty years to the day after the last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan, Dastagir Arizad ticked off grievances against President Hamid Karzai and the United States that are disturbingly reminiscent of Moscow's humiliating defeat.

"Day by day, we see the Karzai government failing. The Americans are also failing," said Arizad, 40, as he huddled against the cold in the stall where he sells ropes and plastic hoses. "People are not feeling safe. Their lives are not secure. Their daughters are not safe. Their land is not secure. The Karzai government is corrupt."

"The problems we are having are made by the Americans. The Americans should review their policies," he said Saturday. "They should not support the people who are in power."

As Arizad spoke, President Barack Obama's special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, was holding his first talks with Karzai in the presidential palace nearby amid mounting U.S.-Afghanistan tensions fueled by mutual recriminations over the growing Taliban insurgency.

Some Afghan experts are worried that the United States and its NATO allies are making some of the same mistakes that helped the Taliban's forerunners defeat the Soviet Union after a decade-long occupation that bled the Kremlin treasury, demoralized Moscow's military and contributed to the Soviet Union's collapse.

Among the mistakes, these experts said, are relying too heavily on military force, inflicting too many civilian casualties, concentrating too much power in Kabul and tolerating pervasive government corruption.
More on link


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## Yrys (15 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 15, 2009*


 US to include Afghans in review, BBC News

Afghanistan will send a team to the US to take part in a major policy review of the region, 
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced. In a joint news conference with the new 
US envoy in the region, Richard Holbrooke, Mr Karzai said he was "very thankful" to be 
involved in the talks.

In recent weeks US officials have been critical of Mr Karzai's leadership. US President 
Barack Obama, who regards Afghanistan as a priority, accused his government of being 
"very detached".

The BBC's Martin Patience, in Kabul, says Mr Karzai and Mr Holbrooke appeared keen 
to smooth over any apparent discord at the news conference on Sunday. But our 
correspondent says it is widely thought that Mr Karzai is no longer popular in the White 
House - and it may take more than a news conference to change that perception.

*Civilian deaths*

Mr Holbrooke said he hoped at least one senior US official would be in Afghanistan every 
month "to find ways to improve our joint effort". Meanwhile, Mr Karzai said he had 
requested permission to send a delegation to the US as part of Obama government's review.
"I'm very very thankful that President Obama has accepted my proposal of Afghanistan 
joining the strategic review of the war against terrorism in the United States," Mr Karzai said.
The Afghan leader also said that "very specific measures" had been agreed between Nato, 
the US and his government to prevent civilian casualties.

According to UN figures 1,800 civilians died in the conflict between January to October last year.
Taleban militants and local warlords were blamed for about 1,000 of the fatalities. US and Nato 
forces were held responsible for 700 deaths, mainly through air strikes.

*Inherited 'mess'*

Mr Holbrooke, the new envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has also visited Pakistan as part of 
his tour - but has so far made only brief statements. He said earlier he was in the region to 
"listen and learn". Before his trip, Mr Holbrooke said Afghanistan would be "much tougher" 
than Iraq and he had not "seen anything like the mess we have inherited". During talks with 
Pakistani leaders, reports say the envoy stressed Washington's financial commitments to the 
country but underlined the need to purge militant safe havens in the north-west region, along 
the Afghan border.

Analysts say Mr Holbrooke will be a key player in a renewed effort to reverse the deteriorating 
security situation on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Mr Holbrooke has now arrived in India.


Afghanistan to take part in U.S. review of mission, CTV.ca News Staff

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government will participate in a review of the war 
in Afghanistan currently being conducted by U.S. officials, a move that signals a new spirit 
of co-operation between the two countries.

Karzai said Sunday that his foreign minister, Dadfar Rangin Spanta, would lead the Afghan 
delegation. However, it is unclear which review Afghan officials would join, as the U.S. has 
several reviews open into the Afghan mission.

Karzai had recently sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama proposing Afghan involvement 
in a review of the mission. On Sunday, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard 
Holbrooke, said Obama "welcomed the suggestion." "I am very, very thankful that President 
Obama has accepted my proposal of Afghanistan joining the strategic review of the war on 
terror in Afghanistan," Karzai said Sunday.

The U.S. government is reviewing its Afghan mission, during which troops have faced increasing 
numbers of violent attacks from Taliban militants. Militants have also consolidated their influence 
across rural areas that the Afghan government has failed to put under its control.

Obama has announced that he would like to pull back U.S. military involvement in Iraq while 
boosting troop levels in Afghanistan by about 30,000. However, some Afghans fear that a 
stronger U.S. presence in the country will lead to greater violence from Taliban militants, 
said the Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith.

"So just about everybody's predicting that the upcoming fighting season, which you can expect 
to see starting in April in the north and then sweeping down to the south around May, will bring 
higher levels of violence than we have seen so far in Afghanistan," Smith said Sunday during an 
interview on CTV Newsnet from Afghanistan. However, Smith also pointed out that Afghan 
security personnel may appreciate greater U.S. troop strength in the country.

Officials are increasingly concerned about the security situation in Afghanistan, Smith said, 
particularly after a team of suicide bombers attacked government buildings in Kabul last week, 
killing 20 people.

Speaking on Sunday after a visit by Holbrooke, Karzai also expressed his gratitude for the U.S. 
decision to allow Afghan forces to participate in the planning and execution of military maneuvers.
The move is an attempt to reduce civilian casualties during U.S. missions in the country. Karzai 
would like to see the number of nighttime raids conducted by U.S. troops, which repeatedly cause 
civilian deaths, reduced. However, U.S. officials have not said whether they will order a halt to 
overnight raids.

Karzai's recent criticism of the raids has ratcheted up tensions between the two countries.
In an interview on Friday, Karzai confirmed that he had not spoken on the telephone with Obama 
since his inauguration last month. In contrast, Karzai was very close to former president George 
W. Bush, with whom he spoke regularly.

Smith said that during Holbrooke's visit, the U.S. envoy seemed unwilling to conduct a joint press 
conference with the Afghan leader, signalling a change in attitude toward the Afghan government.
"What's really changed here is the Americans are re-thinking their strategy towards this country 
in a very dramatic way and trying to decide wither the president is the right person to be working 
with," Smith said.

_With files from The Associated Press_


----------



## Yrys (15 Feb 2009)

*Article posted February 12, 2009*


 US 'lost track of Afghan weapons', BBC News






The Pentagon admits that there are 
failures tracking weaponry

The US military has failed to keep track of thousands of weapons shipped to Afghanistan, 
leaving them vulnerable to being lost or stolen, a report says.

The report has been compiled by congressional auditors, the US Government Accountability 
Office (GAO). It found that, in the four years up to June 2008, the US military failed to keep 
complete records on some 222,000 weapons entering the country. The report will be 
discussed in the US House of Representatives on Thursday. It states that weapons supplied 
by the US to the Afghan military "are at serious risk of theft or loss".

The report says:

    * US military officials failed to keep proper records on about 87,000 rifles, pistols, mortars 
       and other weapons sent to Afghanistan between December 2004 and June 2008 - about 
       a third of all the weapons sent
    * There was a similar lack of management of a further 135,000 light weapons donated to 
       Afghan forces via the US military by 21 countries
    * The military failed even to record the serial numbers of some 46,000 weapons, making it 
       impossible to confirm receipt of weapons or identify any which had fallen into the hands 
       of militants
    * The serial numbers of 41,000 weapons were recorded, but US military officials still had no 
       idea where they were

"Lapses in accountability occurred throughout the supply chain," concludes the report, which is 
due to be discussed on Thursday at a panel hearing of a House Oversight and Government 
Reform subcommittee.

In response, the Pentagon agreed that it needed more people to help train the Afghanistan 
government to track the weapons, the AP news agency reported. It said it had made attempts 
to address the problems with registering serial numbers and monitoring weapon locations.

The report's findings came just a day after an audacious attack on three government buildings 
in the Afghan capital Kabul left 28 people, including eight attackers, dead. The report is 
reminiscent of an August 2007 study, also by the GAO, which found the US military could not 
account for some 190,000 rifles and pistols given to security services in Iraq.

One of the US lawmakers who will discuss the report findings on Thursday, Democratic 
Representative John Tierney, suggested the report could prompt Congress to legislate on 
weapons-handling in Afghanistan. "The challenges here are immense, but this is just too 
important not to get it right," he said. 



*Article posted February 5, 2009*

 Nosedive in Afghan-US relations, BBC News





Joe Biden's meeting with President 
Karzai reportedly did not go well

Relations between President Karzai's Afghan government and Washington are at an all-time low. 
As Richard Holbrooke - President Obama's envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan - prepares to make 
his first visit to the region since being appointed, the BBC's Ian Pannell in Kabul looks at why the 
relationship has soured.

Hamid Karzai has become increasingly vociferous in his criticism of American military tactics and 
has been making half-hearted threats to shift his allegiance to Moscow if he does not get his way.

Washington has yet to publicly declare its hand but a series of well-placed leaks, briefs and snubs 
have raised the prospect that it could move its support elsewhere in this year's presidential election.

One Afghan newspaper spoke of "a new cold war". A senior Afghan government official says the 
new Obama administration has insulted President Karzai and one prominent MP accuses America 
of "running a shadow-government".

*'Narco-state'*

The decline in relations began with a visit last year by Joe Biden, now the vice-president, to Kabul. 
At the time, as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, he attended a private meeting with 
Mr Karzai. A well-placed source describes Mr Biden, exasperated at not getting "straight answers" 
on drugs and corruption, launching into a verbal tirade and storming out of the meeting. In a country 
where honour and decorum are second only to God and country, this was less than tactful.

On the campaign trail and more recently in confirmation hearings, senior members of President 
Barack Obama's team have questioned the effectiveness and honesty of Hamid Karzai's government.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's written statement to Congress during her confirmation hearing 
called Afghanistan a "narco-state" that was "plagued by limited capacity and widespread corruption".
She may have been wise enough not to use the phrase in her public testimony but by the time it was 
reported on the front page of the newspapers in Kabul, it did not really make much difference.

*'Potential impediment'*

Earlier in January the Nato secretary-general wrote an opinion piece about the lack of leadership in 
the country, laying the blame not at the feet of the Taleban but the lack of governance. Then there 
was a recent article in the New York Times. Quoting anonymous "senior administration officials", it 
said Washington planned to take a tougher-line with Kabul and that Hamid Karzai was now regarded 
as "a potential impediment to American goals" in the country.

Hamid Karzai is an avid reader of the Western press and is known to be highly sensitive to criticisms 
they may have of him. Publicly he has not responded but he is now under considerable pressure. His 
government's writ is limited to Kabul, the north and a few urban spots elsewhere in the country. His 
own popularity has fallen and some whisper privately and mischievously about his "state of mind".
When asked whether the country was heading towards a crisis, one senior political figure responded 
that the country was already in one.

*Old Afghan hand*

President Karzai has been holding a series of meetings with former Mujahedeen commanders in the 
past few weeks amid suggestions that he is trying to align the country with Russia. That has certainly 
been his public stance. As well as a deliberately leaked "letter of understanding" with Moscow, President 
Karzai publicly warned America that unless it supplied the military hardware he wanted, he would look 
to other countries for support.

No-one was in a moment's doubt who this meant. The Russian ambassador, Zamir Kabulov, an old
Afghan hand, was seen strutting around parliament last week. He has warned that the US and Nato are 
repeating the same mistakes of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. As he was posted to the Soviet 
Embassy at the time, his opinion is worth considering.

Now President Karzai has sent a document to Nato outlining new "rules of engagement". If implemented 
they would substantially alter the mandate for foreign forces in the country. It seems inconceivable that 
there could be a real and lasting schism between Kabul and Washington. It will be the job of Richard Holbrooke, 
the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, to ensure that does not happen.

But the date has been set for Afghanistan's presidential election and the West's disappointment with Hamid 
Karzai can no longer be disguised. A number of challengers are jostling for American support and in the
current climate, their chances are starting to improve.


----------



## GAP (17 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 17, 2009*

 Airstrike in Afghanistan kills Taliban commander
By HEIDI VOGT and AMIR SHAH – 1 day ago 
Article Link

KABUL (AP) — A coalition airstrike has killed a powerful Taliban commander who broke a promise to renounce violence after village elders persuaded President Hamid Karzai to free him from prison, officials said Monday.

The Sunday night attack destroyed a building housing Ghulam Dastagir and eight other militants in the village of Darya-ye-Morghab, near the Turkmenistan border, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Dastagir was responsible for a surge in violence in the province in recent months, including a November attack on an Afghan army convoy that killed 13 soldiers, the statement said.

"He was like the shadow governor of Badghis," said Gen. Mohammad Ayub Nizyar, the former police chief of the province.

Dastagir had previously been captured and imprisoned in Herat province, but he was released about four months ago after elders of his home district pleaded with Karzai and high-level officials to let him go, saying he would not return to violence, according to provincial police spokesman Noorhan Nekzad. Karzai issued a decree ordering his release.
More on link

 Newest US troops in dangerous region near Kabul
By JASON STRAZIUSO – 18 hours ago  Article Link

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AP) — Close to 3,000 American soldiers who recently arrived in Afghanistan to secure two violent provinces near Kabul have begun operations in the field and already are seeing combat, the unit's spokesman said Monday.

The new troops are the first wave of an expected surge of reinforcements this year. The process began to take shape under President George Bush but has been given impetus by President Barack Obama's call for an increased focus on Afghanistan.

U.S. commanders have been contemplating sending up to 30,000 more soldiers to bolster the 33,000 already here, but the new administration is expected to initially approve only a portion of that amount. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday the president would decide soon.

The new unit — the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division — moved into Logar and Wardak provinces last month, and the soldiers from Fort Drum, N.Y., are now stationed in combat outposts throughout the provinces.

Militants have attacked several patrols with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, including one ambush by 30 insurgents, Lt. Col. Steve Osterhozer, the brigade spokesman, said.
More on link

 US train formed in Latvia to head for Afghanistan
23 hours ago
Article Link

RIGA (AFP) — A US supply train for NATO troops in Afghanistan, due to transit via Russia, is being formed in Latvia, an official from the Baltic state's defence ministry told AFP Monday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to give further details of the shipment, which Moscow has said could leave within days.

A US embassy official said supplies were being shipped into Riga for loading onto the train, which would carry 100 containers across Russia and other countries to Afghanistan.

If successful, 20-30 trainloads per week could eventually be sent, the embassy said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday the United States had asked about shipments to Afghanistan, and that he had ruled out weapons or ammunition being carried.

"We have clearly stated we were ready to do it, because it corresponds completely to the agreements we have concluded with NATO and this transit will literally take place in the coming days," Lavrov said.
More on link

 Pakistan Agrees to Enforce Islamic Law in Violent Region  
Article Link

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan government officials said they struck a deal on Monday to accept a legal system compatible with Shariah law in the violent Swat region in return for peace.

The agreement contradicted American demands for the Pakistan authorities to fight harder against militants, and seemed certain to raise fears in Washington that a perilous precedent had been set across a volatile region where U.S. forces are fighting Taliban militants operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The latest sign of the battle came early on Monday when a suspected United States drone fired four missiles into another area of northwestern Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, killing 31 people, according to a government official and a resident.

The deal on the Swat region was conditional on both sides fulfilling their side of the bargain, government officials said.

They said the authorities agreed to a legal system rejecting any law that did not comply with the teachings of the Koran and the sayings and teachings of the prophet Muhammad, known as the Sunnah.

“After successful negotiations, all un-Islamic laws related to the judicial system, those against the Koran and the Sunnah, would be subject to cancellation and considered null and void,” said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister of the North West Frontier Province, according to Reuters.

The region’s Swat Valley was once one 
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (17 Feb 2009)

Afstan: US surge for real 
_The Torch_, Feb. 17
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/02/afstan-us-surge-for-real.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (18 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 18, 2009*

 Australia could bolster Afghanistan troop numbers  
The Associated Press Wednesday, February 18, 2009 
Article Link

CANBERRA, Australia: Australia welcomed a U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan and could also send more soldiers if European allies agreed to do the same, Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Wednesday.

Fitzgibbon told Australian television he looked forward to discussing details of the plan to deploy an additional 17,000 U.S. troops to battle al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a NATO forum in Krakow, Poland, this week.

President Barack Obama's administration has not yet requested a larger Australian contribution, but such a request would be considered, Fitzgibbon said.

"We'll of course always consider any request from our closest ally, but we've been determined not to do more until under-committed NATO countries are prepared to do more," Fitzgibbon told Sky TV by telephone from Dubai.

"The announcement is welcome, however not unexpected, so it doesn't really change the dynamic for us at this stage," Fitzgibbon added.

With 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, Australia is the biggest contributor of any country outside NATO. Eight Australian soldiers have died in the conflict since 2001
More on link

 Drug abuse hampers Afghan police  
By Martin Patience BBC News, Kabul 
Article Link

Sixty per cent of the Afghan police in the country's southern province of Helmand use drugs, it is claimed. 

The estimate, made by a UK official working in the province, was contained in emails obtained by the BBC. 

International forces are fighting a fierce counter-insurgency campaign against Taleban militants and other insurgents in Helmand. 

But British officials are clearly worried about the reliability of the Afghan police. 

"We are very concerned by the levels of drug abuse among the police," the British Foreign Office said in a statement. 

"The police are poorly paid, do high risk work and are poorly trained. There are high levels of corruption in the police as well as drug use and supporting counter-narcotics is a key priority for the UK," it said. 

Meanwhile, 700 British and Afghan troops were involved in raids on four factories in Helmand, seizing heroin and drug-making chemicals with an estimated street value of more than £50m. 
More on link

Mini-surge to test out US strategy in Afghanistan
Some 3,000 US troops recently deployed to insurgent-heavy provinces near Kabul.
By Anand Gopal | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor 
from the February 18, 2009 edition
Article Link

Maydan Shahr, Afghanistan - The 3,000 new American troops who arrived in recent weeks in Logar and Wardak provinces, both of which border Kabul, face a formidable challenge: establishing control in areas with little government presence and where insurgents operate freely. 

In Band-e-chak, for example, a district capital in Wardak, gun-toting Taliban fighters regularly come into town on their motorbikes to do some shopping. They buy their produce and go home, driving past government offices unmolested. 

These provinces could be a key testing ground for the Obama administration's Afghan strategy, which may include a surge of thousands of US forces countrywide. 

"Policymakers in Washington will be watching the progress there closely," says Habibullah Rafeh, political analyst with the Afghan Academy of Sciences. "If [the US] can turn things around there, they can create the momentum to turn around the whole war." 

The strategy in Logar and Wardak will be to push the insurgents out of their strongholds and eliminate their contact with locals, and to emphasize development and reconstruction, says Col. David Haight, commander of the newly arrived troops. 
More on link

 Afghan militia gears up to fight the Taliban
GRAEME SMITH From Wednesday's Globe and Mail February 17, 2009 at 11:14 PM EST Article Link

KABUL — The first stages of a plan to raise militias against the Afghan insurgency will involve giving 1,200 assault rifles to local men with little training, according to documents that reveal fresh details about the controversial program.

The Afghan Public Protection Force was cloaked in secrecy when its existence was announced last month, as government officials refused to confirm even the location where the new units are being recruited. The few details released so far have raised concerns that the APPF will repeat previous failed experiments with tribal militias in Afghanistan, where hired gunmen have a long history of stoking disarray and rebellion.

But with the number of Taliban attacks this winter reaching twice the levels seen last year, the United States is moving quickly to sponsor new security forces that have drawn comparisons with the Awakening Councils that have helped quell the violence in Iraq.

A 23-page PowerPoint briefing obtained by The Globe and Mail suggests the Afghan government wants the new militiamen in some districts to vastly outnumber the police.
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (19 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 19

Kandahar residents feel less safe, says Canada's outgoing commander
CP, Feb. 18
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gI6vvRZ03bqmC0pvuvwienqiSqbg



> The sense of security among people right across Kandahar province has "absolutely plummeted," the outgoing commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan said Wednesday [Feb. 18] in a brutally frank summation of the war during his nine months on the ground.
> 
> Public opinion surveys conducted by the Canadian military suggest confidence has evaporated in the face of what Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson described as a "twisted and extreme" insurgency that thinks nothing of "brainwashing" a 12-year-old boy into becoming a suicide bomber.
> 
> ...



U.S. troop buildup no threat to Canada's Kandahar accomplishments: general
CP, Feb. 19
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jwbBAbgeFGomWKhNsClKtjbZctmQ



> Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance officially took charge of the 2,850 soldiers, aircrew and support staff in Kandahar today and he said he welcomed the influx of fresh American troops.
> 
> With so much Canadian blood, sweat and treasure poured into Kandahar over the last three years, Vance said Canadians back home shouldn't view the U.S. buildup as the Americans taking over.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (20 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 20

Canada to focus on protecting Kandahar city
_Globe and Mail_, Feb. 20
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090220.wafghan20/BNStory/Afghanistan/home



> KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — The coming influx of American troops will allow Canada to focus on protecting the gateways to Kandahar city, a new senior commander says, leaving U.S. forces to disrupt the insurgency in the dangerous outlying districts.
> 
> “Our turf will be the populated approaches to the city,” said Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, after assuming command of Canadian forces in a ceremony at Kandahar Air Field yesterday.
> 
> ...



Britain 'has no plans' to deploy more soldiers to Afghanistan
_The Times_, Feb. 19
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5762298.ece



> David Miliband applauded yesterday the deployment of 17,000 extra US troops to Afghanistan but said that Britain had no plans to increase its military presence in the country.
> 
> “I think there is a recognition that these extra American troops can and will play an important and positive role,” the Foreign Secretary said in the Afghan capital after a visit to British Forces in the south.
> 
> ...



US demands for more troops in Afghanistan ignored
US demands for Nato allies to send more troops to Afghanistan have been met with a cool response at a summit in Poland.
_Daily Telegraph_, Feb. 19
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4699949/US-demands-for-more-troops-in-Afghanistan-ignored.html



> Washington had hoped to persuade European allies to contribute more in the wake of the President Barack Obama's election and the announcement this week of the deployment of 17,00 extra American soldiers.
> 
> American defence secretary Robert Gates condemned their failure to do so far as "disappointing" with European states promising to deploy no more than just a few hundred extra troops.
> 
> ...



Nato members offer Afghan support
BBC, Feb. 20
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7901078.stm



> Up to 20 Nato countries have offered to boost their civilian, military or training commitments to Afghanistan, US defence secretary Robert Gates says.
> 
> At an meeting of Nato defence ministers in Poland, he said the alliance faced a tough test in Afghanistan but he was convinced it could meet the challenge.
> 
> ...



Standing NATO force for Europe proposed
Reuters, Feb. 19
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE51I2CS20090219



> KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) - Britain will propose creating a NATO rapid deployment force to defend mainland Europe while alliance troops serve further afield, in an effort to persuade member states to do more in Afghanistan.
> 
> Defence Secretary John Hutton will propose the 3,000-strong force on Thursday at a meeting of fellow NATO ministers in the Polish city of Krakow, his spokeswoman said.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (21 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 21

Obama Widens Missile Strikes Inside Pakistan 
NY Times, Feb. 20
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th



> With two missile strikes over the past week, the Obama administration has expanded the covert war run by the Central Intelligence Agency inside Pakistan, attacking a militant network seeking to topple the Pakistani government.
> 
> The missile strikes on training camps run by Baitullah Mehsud represent a broadening of the American campaign inside Pakistan, which has been largely carried out by drone aircraft. Under President Bush, the United States frequently attacked militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban involved in cross-border attacks into Afghanistan, but had stopped short of raids aimed at Mr. Mehsud and his followers, who have played less of a direct role in attacks on American troops.
> 
> ...



David Miliband's mission to Afghanistan
Joining Foreign Secretary David Miliband on a tour of Afghanistan, the extent of Britain's task becomes clear
_Daily Telegraph_, Feb. 20
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4736275/David-Milibands-mission-to-Afghanistan.html


> ...
> While British commanders insist the Taliban is nothing like the force it was when British troops first deployed to the lawless Helmand province in southern Afghanistan in the spring of 2006, the constant supply of recruits and equipment from neighbouring Pakistan means they still remain a formidable threat. And as British forces prepare for what many senior officers expect to be a summer of intense fighting, commanders are warning that this could be the year in which British troops suffer their highest casualties so far.
> 
> "We've inflicted a series of heavy defeats against the Taliban, taken out a lot of their senior commanders, and generally got them on the back foot," said a senior British officer at Nato headquarters in Helmand. "But now we've got to take advantage of our strong position and finish them off, and that could mean a significant spike in casualties. For all the success we have had recently, the Taliban remain a determined and deadly foe, and they will not give up without a fight."
> ...



British Muslims 'providing Taliban with electronic devices for roadside bombs'
British Muslims are providing the Taliban with electronic devices to make roadside bombs for use in attacks against British forces serving in southern Afghanistan, The Telegraph can disclose.
_Daily Telegraph_, Feb. 21
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4736032/British-Muslims-providing-Taliban-with-electronic-devices-for-roadside-bombs.html



> The devices, which enable Taliban fighters to detonate roadside bombs by remote control, are either sent to sympathizers in the region, or carried by volunteers who fly to Pakistan and then make their way across the border.
> 
> Details of how British electronic components have been found in roadside bombs were given to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, when he visited British troops at their military compound at Lashkagar, in Helmand province, earlier this week.
> 
> ...



Tajikistan allows NATO cargo transit to Afghanistan
Reuters, Feb. 20
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE51J1DE20090220



> DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan has allowed the transit of NATO non-military cargo to Afghanistan by land, a U.S. military commander said on Friday, and pro-Moscow neighbor Kyrgyzstan formalized the closure of a U.S. air base.
> 
> Washington is seeking to diversify supply routes for its troops in Afghanistan as militants in Pakistan step up attacks on supply convoys.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (22 Feb 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND FEB. 22

10,000 British troops to be fighting Taliban in Afghanistan within 12 months
More than 10,000 British troops will be fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan within 12 months.
_Sunday Telegraph_, Feb. 21
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4741032/10000-British-troops-to-be-fighting-Taliban-in-Afghanistan-within-12-months.html



> Defence chiefs believe the 8,300 troops currently serving in the south of the country need to be bolstered by an extra battle group of between 1,500 and 1,800 men within a year.
> 
> The deployment will push the Britain's Armed Forces to the very limit of its fighting capability and will raise fears that the entire operation has now fallen victim to "mission creep".
> 
> ...



Obama Upholds Detainee Policy in Afghanistan 
_NY Times_, Feb. 21
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/washington/22bagram.html?_r=1&ref=world



> The Obama administration has told a federal judge that military detainees in Afghanistan have no legal right to challenge their imprisonment there, embracing a key argument of former President Bush’s legal team.
> 
> In a two-sentence filing late Friday, the Justice Department said that the new administration had reviewed its position in a case brought by prisoners at the United States Air Force base at Bagram, just north of the Afghan capital. The Obama team determined that the Bush policy was correct: such prisoners cannot sue for their release.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## PMedMoe (23 Feb 2009)

Article found Feb 23

Canadian military launches probe into deaths of 2 children in Afghanistan
Last Updated: Monday, February 23, 2009 | 1:43 PM ET 

Article Link

The Canadian military is investigating allegations that two Afghan children were killed in an explosion Monday caused by a shell left by Canadian troops.

The probe follows the accusation by a Panjwaii district elder who claims two children were killed and three wounded when they came across an unexploded Canadian rocket from a firing exercise in the village of Salehan, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.

Army spokesman Maj. Mario Corture confirmed troops were in the area on Sunday conducting firing exercises. But he said they followed standard procedure and swept the fields before departing.

"We do have very strict policies that prohibit leaving behind any unexploded ordnance and make every effort to make sure the safety of Afghan civilians and our own personnel while we conduct those ranges, or after we conduct those ranges," Corture said.

Corture said the military's National Investigative Service has launched a probe.

More on link


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## MarkOttawa (23 Feb 2009)

U.S. Unit Secretly in Pakistan Lends Ally Support 
_NY Times_, Feb. 22
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/world/asia/23terror.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper



> BARA, Pakistan — More than 70 United States military advisers and technical specialists are secretly working in Pakistan to help its armed forces battle Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the country’s lawless tribal areas, American military officials said.
> 
> The Americans are mostly Army Special Forces soldiers who are training Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops, providing them with intelligence and advising on combat tactics, the officials said. They do not conduct combat operations, the officials added...



U.S. training Pakistani forces to fight Taliban
AP, Oct. 25, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-24-pakistan-training_N.htm



> ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — U.S. special forces have begun teaching a Pakistani paramilitary unit how to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda, hoping to strengthen a key front-line force as violence surges on both sides of the border with Afghanistan.
> 
> The sensitive mission puts rare American boots on the ground in a key theater in the war against extremist groups, but it risks fanning anti-U.S. sentiment among Pakistani Muslims already angry over suspected CIA missile attacks on militants in the same frontier region...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (24 Feb 2009)

Rise of the Phoenix in Afghanistan
IASF, Feb. 24
http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2009/02/pr090222-174.html



> KABUL, Afghanistan - Brigadier General Steven P. Huber, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VIII and native of Chicago, Ill., visited the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Herat, Shindand and Bala Baluk to evaluate his concerns about force protection, troop safety, manning, soldier care, communications and property accountability, Feb. 18-20.
> 
> Before returning to Task Force Phoenix Headquarters in Kabul, he met with ISAF Regional Command West Commander Italian Army Brigadier General Paolo Serra at Camp Arena in Herat. They discussed cooperative efforts surrounding the influx of new troops to the region.
> 
> ...



Japan to pay Afghan police salary
BBC, Feb. 24
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7907468.stm



> Japan has said it will pay the salaries of about 80,000 Afghan police officers for the next six months as part of its drive to help regeneration there.
> 
> Japan would also help fund the construction of schools and hospitals and support teacher-training, a foreign ministry official in Tokyo said.
> 
> ...



Confusion hangs over Pakistan's pact with Taliban
Terms of the controversial deal remain sketchy as Pakistani officials push for more U.S. military assistance. Critics say the agreement could give brutal militants new safe havens.

_LA Times_, Feb. 24
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-swat24-2009feb24,0,4127783.story



> Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan -- A week after Pakistani authorities struck a controversial accord with Taliban militants in a violence-plagued valley in Pakistan's northwest, the terms of the deal remained clouded amid a Pakistani diplomatic push to gain American support.
> 
> The lingering confusion coincides with visits to the United States this week by two high-ranking Pakistani officials: army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Both are facing questions about the agreement in Swat, a onetime tourist jewel less than 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.
> 
> ...



From a Carrier, Another View of America’s Air War in Afghanistan 
_NY Times_, Feb.23
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/world/asia/24carrier.html



> ABOARD U.S.S. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, on the Arabian Sea — Every day from the deck of this nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off the coast of Pakistan, two dozen combat planes are catapulted into the sky for the 500-mile trip to southern Afghanistan. There the pilots circle Taliban strongholds like an airborne 911 service and zoom in *when American and British troops, spread thin and often panicked, call in airstrikes* [emphasis added].
> 
> The Navy has been back in these waters providing more air power since August, in large part because the ground reinforcements that commanders have been pleading for have not yet come. From 15,000 feet up, the pilots protect supply lines under increasing attack, fly reconnaissance missions to find what they call “bad guys” over the next hill, and go “kinetic” with bombs that kill three, four or five Taliban fighters at a time. They can always tell when troops who call in airstrikes are under direct fire.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (24 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 24, 2009*

 Bombing kills 4 coalition members in Afghanistan 
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) 
Article Link

 Four coalition members were killed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb, the U.S. military said.

The incident happened just after midday while the coalition members were on patrol with the Afghan National Security Forces, the U.S. military said. An Afghan civilian working with the coalition was also killed.

The names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of next of kin

Also Tuesday, Afghan National Army soldiers, assisted by coalition forces, killed 16 militants while on a combat reconnaissance patrol in Helmand province, the U.S. military announced.

The troops were on patrol when their convoy came under fire from numerous positions, the military said. The troops responded with small-arms fire, but the militants then began firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, so the troops used precision strikes to kill the militants, the military said.

After the incident, the troops cleared a compound from which the militants had been firing and found materials to make improvised bombs, the military said.
More on link

Canada probes whether blast killed Afghan children
Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:31am EST  
Article Link

OTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada is investigating allegations that two Afghan children died after handling unexploded munitions left behind when Canadian troops held a firing practice session, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.

Canadian media said that after the incident, which took place near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Monday, protesters chanting "Death to Canada" carried the remains of the children to a local government building.

"Canadian forces have strict policies in place that prohibit leaving behind any unexploded ordnance and (they) make every effort to ensure the safety of Afghan civilians," said a defense ministry spokesman, saying the area had been examined closely after the firing session.
More on link

 French appeals court frees former Guantanamo inmates
Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:43am EST 
Article Link

PARIS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Five French former inmates of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp who had been convicted of criminal conspiracy linked to terrorism after returning to France were freed on Tuesday by an appeals court.

The court in Paris released the men on grounds the ruling was based on evidence illegally extracted by French security agents at the U.S. prison, a symbol of detainee abuse which U.S. President Barack Obama plans to shut down.

The court disqualified the evidence, saying French agents for security service DST could not simultaneously gather intelligence and conduct criminal investigations.

"We could not accept that (the interrogators) would question people imprisoned in a foreign territory, in conditions contrary to international conventions," Paul-Albert Iweins, the lawyer for one of the men, told Reuters.
More on link

 Double suicide bombing kills Afghan police officer
By NOOR KHAN – 1 day ago 
Article Link

KANDAHAR (AP) — Two suicide bombers blew themselves up within minutes of each other Monday at an anti-drug police station in southwest Afghanistan, killing one officer and wounding two more, an official said.

The first suicide attacker, wearing civilian clothes, approached the station in the southern city of Zarang at about 11 a.m., said Gov. Ghulam Dastagir Azad. When police shouted for the man to stop, he blew himself up, causing no casualties, the governor said.

Minutes later, a second attacker wearing a police uniform approached the building and blew himself up, Azad said. That blast killed one officer and wounded two.

Azad said the double suicide attack mirrored tactics used by eight militants in an assault against three government buildings in Kabul earlier this month that killed 20 people.

Taliban militants, whose hard-line Islamist regime was ousted from power by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, have greatly increased attacks the last three years and now control wide swaths of territory. President Barack Obama this month announced the deployment of 17,000 additional U.S. forces to bolster the 38,000 American troops already in the country.
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (24 Feb 2009)

Pakistan's extremist triumph
The government has caved in to the Taliban in the Swat Valley to avert more violence.
_LA Times_, Feb. 24, by Ahmed Rashid
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rashid24-2009feb24,0,4694431.story



> Writing From Lahore, Pakistan -- Maulana Sufi Mohammed, a radical cleric who was freed last year after spending six years in jail for leading 10,000 Pashtun tribesmen in opposition to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, has begun a new campaign. He is leading a peace march through the strategic Swat Valley in an attempt to persuade his son-in-law, Maulana Qazi Fazlullah, to accept the government's offer of a cease-fire and enforcement of an Islamic system of justice in the valley.
> 
> The fact that Mohammed has embraced the government's offer is a sign of how fully Islamabad has capitulated to the demands of extremists in the region. And the fact that the peace deal has not yet been accepted by Fazlullah, who leads the Swati contingent of the Pakistani Taliban and is closely allied with Al Qaeda, is a sign of how radicalized some of the region has become.
> 
> ...



Comment
_The Torch,_ by Terry Glavin
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=22793240&postID=9065995513438047062



> I'm going to attempt to present a slightly different perspective than you'll find in either Laura King's overview or in the brilliant Ahmed Rashid's analysis of the implications of events in Swat Valley / Malakand.
> 
> I may be completely wrong and indeed wildly optimistic in my assessment - I am given to seeing the bright side of things, I admit - but still. I'm thinking it might not be such a rum deal as we've been hearing.
> 
> ...



A Reporter at Large, “The Back Channel” 
_The New Yorker_, March 2, by Stevel Coll (_Ghost Wars_)
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/02/090302fa_fact_coll



> ABSTRACT: A REPORTER AT LARGE about back-channel negotiations between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir. Two years ago Pervez Musharraf, who was then Pakistan’s President and Army chief, summoned his most senior generals and two Foreign Ministry officials to review the progress of a secret, sensitive negotiation with India, known to its participants as “the back channel.” For several years, special envoys from Pakistan and India had been holding talks in hotel rooms in Bangkok, Dubai, and London. Musharraf and Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, had encouraged the negotiators to seek what some involved called a “paradigm shift” in relations between the two nations. The agenda included a search for an end to the long fight over Kashmir. The two principal envoys, Tariq Aziz and Satinder Lambah were developing what diplomats refer to as a “non-paper” on Kashmir which could serve as a deniable but detailed basis for a deal. By early 2007, the back-channel talks on Kashmir had become “so advanced that we’d come to semicolons,” recalled Khurshid Kasuri, who was then Pakistan’s foreign minister. Details for a visit to Pakistan by Singh were being discussed. Neither government, however, had done much to prepare its public for a breakthrough. Tells how domestic unrest in Pakistan contributed to the postponement of the summit. Musharraf slipped into a political death spiral and resigned in August of 2008. Mentions the periodic funding by India and Pakistan of guerilla or terrorist violence on each other’s soil. Describes the Mumbai attacks of last November 26, which were apparently coordinated by the Islamist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and the concession by Pakistani officials that the attackers appear to have come from their country. India reacted to the attack with relative restraint, though many Indian politicians continue to call for military action. Writer visits the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and interviews Atta Muhammad Khan, who tends to the graves of about two hundred unknown young men in a village there. Gives a brief history of the dispute over the region and the shifting approaches taken by India and Pakistan to the dispute through the years. Writer interviews N. N. Vohra, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and then travels across the border to meet with Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Tells about the events preceding the back-channel talks and the potentially catastrophic results of an escalation in hostilities between the two nuclear powers. Discusses in more detail the process of the back-channel negotiations. Writer visits the regional headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the educational and charitable organization that, depending on how you see it, is either the parent of or a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is given a tour of the grounds by Mohammad Abbas, also known as Abu Ehsaan. Considers America’s role in Indo-Pakistani relations and how relations between the two countries bear on the war in Afghanistan. Writer attends a reception in Washington, D.C., for Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf says that he always believed in peace between India and Pakistan and that an agreement “would have benefited both.”



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (25 Feb 2009)

*Articles found February 25, 2009*

 Afghan army kills 10 militants in S Afghanistan   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-02-25 19:55:53 
  Article Link

    KABUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Afghan National Army (ANA) backed by U.S.- led coalition forces killed 10 armed militants in Shaheed Hasas district of Uruzgan province in south of Afghanistan Tuesday, a joint press release of U.S. military and Afghan army said on Wednesday. 

    "The combined elements were conducting a routine patrol when they came under small arms, mortar and fire from an unknown number of militants. The forces returned fire killing one militant," the press release said. 

    It also added, after the combined forces assured there were no non-combatants in the area, a precision strike were called in which resulted in killing of nine more militants. 

    No ANA, coalition forces or non-combatants were injured in the incidents, it said. 

    Taliban militants fighting Afghan and international troops have not made any comments so far. 

    Conflicts and Taliban-led insurgency which left over 5,000 people dead including more than 2,000 civilians in 2008 is expected to go up this year in Afghanistan.
More on link

Three British troops killed in Afghanistan blast Article Link

Three British troops under NATO command were killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the British Defense Ministry said.

They are among 10 international troops in Afghanistan who have died in bombings since Friday.

The three soldiers, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, died from their wounds after an "enemy explosion during an escort operation in the Gereshk district of Helmand province," the ministry said.

"Today has been incredibly sad for the whole of Task Force Helmand, and particularly for The Rifles," Cmdr. Paula Rowe, spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said in a statement.
More on link

 Afghan army kills 10 militants in S Afghanistan   
www.chinaview.cn  2009-02-25 19:55:53    
  Article Link

    KABUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Afghan National Army (ANA) backed by U.S.- led coalition forces killed 10 armed militants in Shaheed Hasas district of Uruzgan province in south of Afghanistan Tuesday, a joint press release of U.S. military and Afghan army said on Wednesday. 

    "The combined elements were conducting a routine patrol when they came under small arms, mortar and fire from an unknown number of militants. The forces returned fire killing one militant," the press release said. 

    It also added, after the combined forces assured there were no non-combatants in the area, a precision strike were called in which resulted in killing of nine more militants. 

    No ANA, coalition forces or non-combatants were injured in the incidents, it said. 

    Taliban militants fighting Afghan and international troops have not made any comments so far. 
More on link

 MoD rejects soldiers' claims of 'too few troops' operating in Afghanistan
 25 February 2009 
Article Link

THE Ministry of Defence last night rejected accusations that there were too few troops on the ground to make progress in Afghanistan.

A number of Royal Marines claimed there were not enough men to dominate ground taken in recent battles.

Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It has been made clear by the chief of the defence staff that there is a liADVERTISEMENTmit to what (we] can realistically achieve in Afghanistan and it is missing the point to claim there are too few forces to make progress. British forces have much to be proud of."

A number of Royal Marines from 42 Commando, who were involved in a massive operation to flush out the enemy in Nad'Ali, north-west of Lashkar Gar, in December, said they feared the Taleban had returned.

Lieutenant Colonel Doug Chalmers, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales' Regiment, which is in Nad'Ali, said some Taleban had returned but stressed that troops were pushing them back. 
More on link

 Reports: Uzbekistan, NATO reach Afghanistan deal
By JIM HEINTZ – 8 hours ago 
Article Link

MOSCOW (AP) — Uzbekistan has reached an agreement with NATO allowing the alliance to send non-military supplies through the Central Asian nation en route to Afghanistan, news agencies quoted the Uzbek president as saying Wednesday.

A U.S. military official last week said a tentative agreement had been reached, but there had been no confirmation until the statement by President Islam Karimov, which was reported by the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies.

Most supplies for the international military operation in Afghanistan have gone by land through Pakistan, a route whose security is increasingly undermined by attacks.

This new northern transit route goes from Western Europe through Russia and Kazakhstan before reaching Uzbekistan. A rail spur from Uzbekistan extends a short distance into Afghanistan.

A shipment of U.S. non-military supplies that left Latvia last week is now in Uzbekistan, the RIA-Novosti news agency said Wednesday, citing an unnamed official from Kazakhstan's Emergency Situations Ministry.

The agreement on transit through Uzbekistan comes amid mixed signals from Russia and former Soviet Central Asian states about cooperating with the military operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (25 Feb 2009)

Exclusive: Army is fighting British jihadists in Afghanistan
Top Army officers reveal surge in attacks by radicalised Britons
_The Independent_, Feb. 25
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/exclusive-army-is-fighting-british-jihadists-in-afghanistan-1631347.html



> British soldiers are engaged in "a surreal mini civil war" with growing numbers of home-grown jihadists who have travelled to Afghanistan to support the Taliban, senior Army officers have told The Independent.
> 
> Interceptions of Taliban communications have shown that British jihadists – some "speaking with West Midlands accents" – are active in Helmand and other parts of southern Afghanistan, according to briefing papers prepared by an official security agency.
> 
> ...



Georgia Guard members to head to Afghanistan
AP, Feb. 24
http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9896877&nav=menu89_2



> DALTON, GA (AP) - Lt. Col. Kenneth Baldowski says about 2,400 of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade will be heading for a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in the coming months.
> 
> Citizen soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 108th Cavalry Regiment will head to Ft. Polk, La., next month for training. Guard spokesman Baldowski said Tuesday that once in Afghanistan, the Georgia Guard members will be training Afghan police and military forces.
> 
> Baldowski said the brigade's soldiers will deploy overseas in waves between March and June...



Mark
Ottawa


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