# School Girls Have Acid Thrown On Them- Do Some Still Doubt Why We Are There?



## Bruce Monkhouse (13 Nov 2008)

F#%$*ng vultures.......

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081112/afghanistan_blast_081112/20081112?hub=CTVNewsAt11


Afghan girls sprayed with acid in 'desperate' attack
Updated Wed. Nov. 12 2008 9:49 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The head of the Canadian army in Afghanistan accused the Taliban of acting in "desperation" after a grisly acid attack by unidentified men on a group of schoolgirls and a suicide bombing that killed six people. 

Two men on a motorcycle hurled acid at a group of eight Afghanistan school girls Wednesday in a shocking attack that is making headlines around the world. 
The girls were walking to Mirwais Minna Girl's School in broad daylight in Kandahar when the attack occurred. 
"The men on a motorbike were apparently unarmed but nobody stopped them," The Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith reported Wednesday from Kandahar Air Field. 
Three of the eight girls were hospitalized with serious burns and others have been treated and released. U.S. military spokesmen said at least two of the girls still in hospital were blinded. 

Two girls who were wearing full-length burkas were not harmed. 
Video of two of the badly burned girls shows them both in a state of shock, with one barely able to open her eyes. 
"This beautiful brown eyed girl will never see again," Smith told CTV Newsnet. 

Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, head of the Canadian army, said the Taliban is reverting back to the "pure terror tactics" that was more commons a few years back. "For a while they tried to take us on... now they're going back to terrorizing their own population," said Leslie. 
Bibi Athifa, one of the girls who suffered acid burns to her face, said she and her friends were walking to school when two armed gunmen on a motorbike stopped. 

"One guy squirted acid from a bottle on us," she said. "Nobody warned us. Nobody threatened us. We don't have any enemies," she said. 
During the Taliban's rule, between 1996 to 2001, girls were banned from schools. They were also not allowed to leave their home without a male family escort. 
Bibi Meryam, the aunt of a 14-year-old victim, said the family had not received any threats prior to the attack. However, she said she's considering keeping her girls at home until the security situation stabilizes in the country. 

"They acknowledged that they might be waiting a very long time because security is not improving and they know that the move is shifting in Kandahar," Smith said. 
Afghanistan's government also condemned the attack, calling it un-Islamic and perpetrated by the "country's enemies," a usual reference used to describe the Taliban. 
"By such actions, they cannot prevent six million children going to school," the government said in a statement. 
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi has denied that the insurgents were involved. 

Bomb attack kills six 

Meanwhile, at least six people are dead following a suicide attack outside an Afghan government office in Kandahar city on Wednesday, officials have confirmed. 
The bomber, driving an oil tanker, detonated his explosives outside the building during a provincial council meeting. 
Canadian soldiers were at the site when the blast occurred but there are no reports that any of them were injured. 

Rahmatullah Raufi, the governor of Kandahar province, said two intelligence agents, a police officer and three civilians were killed in the blast. 
Another 42 people were wounded following the blast, which flattened five nearby homes and damaged offices. 
Raufi blamed the Taliban for the attack. 
"The Taliban want to disrupt law and order in Kandahar," said Raufi. 

Smith said the attack took place in a neighbourhood where the former head of the Afghan intelligence service has a house. 
"One of his brothers was killed, another one was injured," said Smith. 
"Although the victims were civilians they were civilians closely associated with the government and in this kind of a counter-insurgency that's seen as a legitimate target." 

Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan Ron Hoffman condemned the bomb attack on Wednesday. 
"I think what it signifies for us is the paradoxical situation in Afghanistan where in some senses there is a deterioration of the situation with the stronger insurgency and a more determined insurgency over the last year or so," Hoffman told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday. 
"But there's also a continued progress and, in some cases, an acceleration of progress in other areas." 

With files from The Associated Press


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## Snakedoc (13 Nov 2008)

I find this sick, sickens me to the stomach.


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## ENGINEERS WIFE (13 Nov 2008)

F$@#ing cowards, that was the first words out of my husbands mouth.  
I AGREE!!  Only a coward would resort to harming a defenceless child.  Just goes to show how morally corrupt some can be.  Defies words.


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## benny88 (13 Nov 2008)

Snakedoc said:
			
		

> I find this sick, sickens me to the stomach.



Agreed, makes the blood boil and the stomach churn. Maybe Mr. Layton would like to quicken our exit by a few more years. [/rant]


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## 1feral1 (13 Nov 2008)

I am not shocked or surprised, just simply disgusted. The crap that went on during my tour, including acts as low as this were almost routine. This is muslim on muslim violence.

One must never get personally involved in any way, shape or form, or you're a basket case.

OWDU


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## The Bread Guy (13 Nov 2008)

Niiiiiiiiiiiiice - if you oppose the fight, here's a good glimpse of some of what the OTHER side wants and is comfortable with.

Meanwhile, ISAF's pissed:


> ....“Only the most despicable of people would resort to this kind of deplorable behaviour. These cowardly acts reflect how dishonourable the insurgents truly are; no one can honestly say they are fighting for the people then purposefully attack innocent women and children. The insurgents are not only cowards, but liars,” said (ISAF commander, General David) McKiernan. “The insurgents seek to create fear and panic because they cannot compete with hope. They will not win; the strong, proud people of Afghanistan won’t let them.”



...as well as the UN's uber-envoy for AFG:


> .... Yesterday’s incident in Kandahar in which acid was used to attack girl students on their way to school is a hideous crime, which has appalled people inside Afghanistan and around the world. It represents a grave violation of Afghan law and tradition and international human rights conventions. It is antithetical to the universal values we all share and contrary to previous assurances Afghans have been given that there would not be further attacks against schools or students ....


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## OldSolduer (13 Nov 2008)

These cowards should be culled from the herd. They are not FIT to breath the same air as us, or walk the same earth as us.

Where is Amnesty International's cries of outrage? Or Bono's? Or Sir Bob Geldofs'? Or do they only hack on democratic nations?


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## Edward Campbell (13 Nov 2008)

I think Andrew Leslie is right. This act demonstrates that some insurgents have been forced to *retreat* back to the business of terrorizing women and children in order to assert their power - because they cannot, right now, even fight well against the Afghan security forces and dare not engage the Canadians and other ISAF forces. If the Afghan forces are getting better and better then our primary _victory conditions_ are closer and closer to being satisfied.

We're not gong to bring democracy and certainly not *liberal* social values to Afghanistan; what we want to bring, before we return home, is a _good enough_ security force - _good enough_ to allow the Afghan people to make their own decisions (even ones with which we disagree) in their own, very foreign, way, without *undue* fear of insurgents.


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## OldSolduer (13 Nov 2008)

The best revenge for acts of cowardice will be when we see Afghan women go to university without fear of being terrorized.
When we see children playing in their neighbourhoods without fear of being blown up.

THAT will be our revenge for the murder of innocent people.


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

Really, those girls were just asking for it.  Trying to get an education, not being discrete in their dress.  The next thing you know they might even, [gasp] wish to be considered equal to men.  What IS the 8th century coming to?   Darn it all, the country might even be over run with infidels and crusaders next..... :

I am not surprised by incidents like these.  Sadly, I am willing to bet they will increase with an election coming next year.   All the better to terrorise the LN.

As for Taliban Jack and his ilk, you can just bet they will turn the blame for it on us and our presence there.


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## ENGINEERS WIFE (13 Nov 2008)

About 1,500 schoolgirls stay home after acid attack
Updated Thu. Nov. 13 2008 7:43 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Some 1,500 Afghani girls stayed home from school on Thursday, one day after a vicious acid attack on eight of their fellow students. 

The principal of Mirwais Minna Girl's School in Kandahar said none of the 1,500 girls enrolled at the school showed up Thursday because of fear. 

On Wednesday, two men on a motorcycle hurled acid at the eight girls in a shocking attack that made headlines around the world. 

Three of the eight girls were hospitalized with serious burns and others have been treated and released. U.S. military spokesmen said at least two of the girls still in hospital were blinded. 

Two girls who were wearing full-length burkas were not harmed. 

Mahmood Qaderi, the principal at the school, called the attackers the "enemy of Afghanistan" and the "enemy of education." 

"They want our youth to be illiterate and not get an education," Qaderi said Thursday. 

He said both students and teachers are worried about their safety. 

"Until security improves... they will not go to the school," he said. 

Video of two of the badly burned girls shows them both in a state of shock, with one barely able to open her eyes. 

Bibi Athifa, one of the girls who suffered acid burns to her face, said she and her friends were walking to school when two armed gunmen on a motorbike stopped. 

"One guy squirted acid from a bottle on us," she said. "Nobody warned us. Nobody threatened us. We don't have any enemies," she said. 

Afghanistan's government has condemned the attack, calling it un-Islamic and perpetrated by the "country's enemies," a usual reference used to describe the Taliban. 

"We hope our students will continue their education after this terrorist act and we strongly condemn the attack and hope we find the culprits and bring the criminals who are doing these kinds of activities to justice," Education Ministry spokesman Hamed Almi said Thursday.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi has denied that the insurgents were involved. 

During the Taliban's rule, between 1996 to 2001, girls were banned from schools. They were also not allowed to leave their home without a male family escort.


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## Franko (13 Nov 2008)

Now I'm REALLY facking pissed....just wait until I get into the next TIC.

Regards


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## Ex-Dragoon (13 Nov 2008)

If anyone has any NDP MPs in their ridings I suggest you send them this articles with the Caption..."Well Jack do you really think these people can be sat down with?"


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## Mike Baker (13 Nov 2008)

See why we are fighting these ba$&ards? See why we NEED to be there? Can you imagine this happening here in Canada? NO. That is why we need to be there, to take these low life's out.



			
				Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> If anyone has any NDP MPs in their ridings I suggest you send them this articles with the Caption..."Well Jack do you really think these people can be sat down with?"


Agreed.

- A Pi$$ed Beaver


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## Edward Campbell (13 Nov 2008)

The Beaver said:
			
		

> ... Can you imagine this happening here in Canada? NO.




*Yes!*

See this which shows that it does happen here. There's not much space between that barbaric practice of _honour_ killings and throwing acid in schoolgirls' faces, is there?

And people are apologizing for, trying to explain away barbarism in Canada.


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## Mike Baker (13 Nov 2008)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> *Yes!*
> 
> See this which shows that it does happen here. There's not much space between that barbaric practice of _honour_ killings and throwing acid in schoolgirls' faces, is there?
> 
> And people are apologizing for, trying to explain away barbarism in Canada.


Seen. Should have specified it better in my post, by which I meant that we don't see this type of cowardly attacks on innocent people (Acid in one's face, suicide bombings, etc), as we are a more 'modern' nation, if you will, in comparison to Afghanistan.

I'm not saying that things like this doesn't happen here, or any other nation, because sadly they do, and will continue to happen unless we stop these rabid dogs from their path of evil.


Hope that clears it up a little more.

Beav


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## The Bread Guy (13 Nov 2008)

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> If anyone has any NDP MPs in their ridings I suggest you send them this articles with the Caption..."Well Jack do you really think these people can be sat down with?"



To be fair, the Taliban (reportedly) has denied their involvement (although I haven't found any English statement to that effect) - that said, though, thanks for the idea - we have two NDP MP's here.  Even if it _*wasn't*_ the Taliban, is this what we want tolerated in this society?  Nope.  

Recce By Death - good hunting...


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## 1feral1 (13 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Really, those girls were just asking for it.  Trying to get an education, not being discrete in their dress.  The next thing you know they might even, [gasp] wish to be considered equal to men.  What IS the 8th century coming to?   Darn it all, the country might even be over run with infidels and crusaders next..... :
> 
> I am not surprised by incidents like these.  Sadly, I am willing to bet they will increase with an election coming next year.   All the better to terrorise the LN.
> 
> As for Taliban Jack and his ilk, you can just bet they will turn the blame for it on us and our presence there.



Asking for it might be the wrong word, but setting them selves up for the extremist end of the spectrum to attack, as these girls are doing what they hate. The enemy is trying to quash any western influence with intimidation, terror, torture and violence. Old tactics that do work.

We must also remember we are viewing this through our western eyes IMHO, and we cannot set our own values on a old and twisted foreign culture, way of life, and the way they think and go about life. Men come first there, women generally have had little rights (and are treated like crap in many ways), to the enemy and those that support such a way of life thats just how it is. We can't change that. In short, we don't think like they do. We think like we do, and thats it.  Its a different planet over there, like Mars or Venus. Our generic rights and freedoms for our women and what we do each day for our own personal pleasure, are a privilage that we all take for granted.

OWDU


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

Yes, the place is unlike any where else the mob has taken me before. 

It most definately is not looking through Our eyes and points of view.

Sadly these tactics work, as demonstrated by students not attending school.  There will be more of it too, anything to de-stabilize the LN and Gov't.  

Still.  Such bravery displayed by these men.  Commendable, Allah must be pleased.


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## OldSolduer (13 Nov 2008)

The perpetrators of this heinous crime would look good on the aiming post of a C-79 sight attached to a C7, or a sniper scope attached to a .50 cal sniper rifle.

People like this need to be eliminated.


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> The perpetrators of this heinous crime would look good on the aiming post of a C-79 sight attached to a C7, or a sniper scope attached to a .50 cal sniper rifle.
> 
> People like this need to be eliminated.



Oh, No.  Too mercifull.  Something sloooow and painfull,  something from the medieval period of their mindset.  Flayed alive comes to mind.  An example to the other vermin.


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## OldSolduer (13 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Oh, No.  Too mercifull.  Something sloooow and painfull,  something from the medieval period of their mindset.  Flayed alive comes to mind.  An example to the other vermin.



I see I am the more....liberal (if you'll excuse me for using that word) of us jolly!!


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## Snafu-Bar (13 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Oh, No.  Too mercifull.  Something sloooow and painfull,  something from the medieval period of their mindset.  Flayed alive comes to mind.  An example to the other vermin.



 The punishment should reflect thier crime. A nice long dip in a vat of hydrochloric should suffice.


Cheers


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> I see I am the more....liberal (if you'll excuse me for using that word) of us jolly!!



Haha, that is something I have not been accused of before.  If they wish to behave like Dark Age Barbarians, they should receive Dark  Age punishments.  You are more of a Gentleman than I.


Snafu-Bar, I like your thinking...


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## Old Sweat (13 Nov 2008)

An Excalibar fired at their centre of visible mass from twenty km away would probably provide an object lesson.


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

My logical side realizes we cannot sink to their level of barbarism.  And honestly, presently the guns do speak as necessary in the manner you suggest given the chance.  I am not sure however that it makes a great impact on their psyche except to make them careful to not expose themselves to OPs or drones.

General Pershing's handling of the insurgents in the Phillipines speaks more to my heart.  But, if you dared to do that today.  Club Ed right away.


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## geo (13 Nov 2008)

Taking it out on little girls and defenceless civilians will only result in one thing..... the unilateral displeasure of the Afghan people.

AQ was curbed (somewhat) in Iraq by all the attrocities they performed on the Iraqi people.
AQ and the TB will, over time, earn the ire of the Afghan people.... and they will be made to pay.


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## jollyjacktar (13 Nov 2008)

If the perps were turned over to the families of the little girls it might not be pretty.  They keep it up long enough, the LN will get fed up at some point.  

"when your wounded and lying on Afghanistan's plains and the women come out to cut up what remains..."


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## geo (14 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> "when your wounded and lying on Afghanistan's plains and the women come out to cut up what remains..."



Ummm... wouldn't be the 1st time

(anyone remember the movie "the beast")


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## jollyjacktar (14 Nov 2008)

That fragment of poem is from Kipling.  Goes back aways.   They had it framed and on the wall at Role 3 as a matter of fact.

I remember the movie too.  Saw it when it first came out.  And I bought a copy at the market one Saturday.


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## twistedcables (16 Nov 2008)

First they force female covering now they rip it off to throw acid?  How people can distort a religion in such a way I will NEVER understand.


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## geo (16 Nov 2008)

twistedcables said:
			
		

> First they force female covering now they rip it off to throw acid?  How people can distort a religion in such a way I will NEVER understand.



Not necessarily dealing with the sharpest knives in the drawer.....


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## Eye In The Sky (16 Nov 2008)

Actually, I thought when I read the article that the girls who were injured were the ones not covered up.  2 girls who were wearing burkas were not injured during the attack.

I may have misread it though.


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## The Bread Guy (16 Nov 2008)

geo said:
			
		

> (anyone remember the movie "the beast")


"Hey Tank Boy!"

I'm intrigued by the level of "folks talking about it on the street" - and the intensity of emotion when discussing it.  Wonder how many liberal feminists are changing their minds about the mission?

Also, buried in this tidbit on the results of western AFG religious leaders...


> .... The council, composed of prominent religious scholars from across western Afghanistan, condemned the abduction and execution of Mullahs, *the recent acid attacks on female students and other “un-Islamic” actions. They blamed Pakistani Mullahs for provoking the events* ....


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## CF_Enthusiast (17 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Oh, No.  Too mercifull.  Something sloooow and painfull,  something from the medieval period of their mindset.  Flayed alive comes to mind.  An example to the other vermin.



I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.

Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.


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## OldSolduer (17 Nov 2008)

Nox Vulpes said:
			
		

> I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.
> 
> Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.
> 
> ...


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## OldSolduer (17 Nov 2008)

Nox Vulpes said:
			
		

> I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.
> 
> Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.



Oh an by the way Nox Vulpes, get some time in a uniform and see some hard results of terrorist actions. The REAL world ain't as clean cut as you think it is


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## FastEddy (17 Nov 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Oh an by the way Nox Vulpes, get some time in a uniform and see some hard results of terrorist actions. The REAL world ain't as clean cut as you think it is




Relax "Old Soldier", I know I had to after reading his Sanctimonious Sermon.

As for him ever putting on a Uniform, I doubt that very much and you probably do also.

Cheers.


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## OldSolduer (17 Nov 2008)

FastEddy said:
			
		

> Relax "Old Soldier", I know I had to after reading his Sanctimonious Sermon.
> 
> As for him ever putting on a Uniform, I doubt that very much and you probably do also.
> 
> Cheers.



Thanks Eddy.


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## 1feral1 (17 Nov 2008)

Nox Vulpes said:
			
		

> I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.
> 
> Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.



You're 16.

Have a younger brother or sister that has wrecked somthing favourite of yours?

Ever said " I am going rip his/her head off when I get home" for doing such?

You didn't rip any heads, arms or limbs off, did ya.

If you can't tell venting from reality, even at your age, you won't make it out of the 11th grade.

You just made a fool of yourself on here, and I think an 'I am sorry' is in order.

Thats what a man would do anyways, but will you?

Its your integrity on here, not ours.

Meanwhile, here is a post of yours. 

"This guy really needs to get a life, I am sick and tired of him going around the world and staining the Canadian images with his idiocy and total disrespect for our fallen and our allies. He's not the Foreign Affairs Minister, he's not even the Foreign Affairs Critic. Why the hell is he going to Italy? To "convince them that the Italian mission is not working"? Yeah right. $10 says he didn't know the Italians were in Afghanistan until today, $20 says he has not bothered to research their role at all prior to making his statements to see if their mission is working or not, and $50 says he will never ever bother to even learn the brave Italian soldier's name.

Someone really needs to punch this guy in the face."

You are talking about Taliban Jack. Read your last sentence. As much as TJ is a disgrace to Canada, I don't think you really meant that someone should seriously go and assault him. Thats a crime isn't it. A bit hypocritcal of you considering your 'words' to OS.


OWDU 
Veteran


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## The Bread Guy (19 Nov 2008)

The latest, from the President of Afghanistan, regarding the possible fate of the guilty....


> .... (President Karzai) said at the time (public execution) was not something he would support. But at the weekend he told reporters *he would consider public executions for those behind an acid attack on schoolgirls in the southern city of Kandahar last week.  If advised by the Supreme Court and religious clerics, “I will accept public execution so people can see those who have carried out such barbaric acts … are executed in front of the world’s eyes,”* he said. ....


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## jollyjacktar (19 Nov 2008)

Nox Vulpes said:
			
		

> I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.
> 
> Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.



Well, kid.  Don't worry.  I'm not about to go screaming throughout the country next spring with an axe over my head when I deploy there again. 

Of course you cannot flay these cowards as I suggest.  We are civilized here, and as OldSolduer pointed out many of us, including myself, do have substancial time in service.  We're professionals, and behave as such.  If these vermin are to be punished that belongs to the Afghan people, not us. 

Besides, we are speaking of religious zealots, and this would not faze them.  Is it language they would understand ? Yes, I believe so.  But not PC.  General "Blackjack" Pershing's standing punishment would be more effective, but again not PC. 

I sort of remember being 16.  Thought my old man was dumber than two sacks of hammers.  And the world was black and white, No shades of grey   Boy, was I wrong.  When you become an adult you learn [unless mentally ill] not to act on your inside voice rants, rages and fantasies.

No offence taken, but live a little first before you get too high on the pulpit.  And as OWDU pointed out, you are also guilty as charged too I see.  Let He who is without sin cast the first stone. 

OS, FE, OWDU thanks for the support.  No offence this end.  Thick skin, head too...


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## OldSolduer (19 Nov 2008)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Well, kid.  Don't worry.  I'm not about to go screaming throughout the country next spring with an axe over my head when I deploy there again.
> 
> Of course you cannot flay these cowards as I suggest.  We are civilized here, and as OldSolduer pointed out many of us, including myself, do have substancial time in service.  We're professionals, and behave as such.  If these vermin are to be punished that belongs to the Afghan people, not us.
> 
> ...



Thick head,....well you are  a sailor!


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## jollyjacktar (19 Nov 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Thick head,....well you are  a sailor!



LOL, truer words have never been spoken ....


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## PAT-Platoon (20 Nov 2008)

Nox Vulpes said:
			
		

> I hope you are not serious. It does not matter how badly they have acted, we must maintain our dignity and our honour through upholding what is truly "Canadian". We cannot bring change to a country if we resort to using the same types of methods used before the intervention. If we lower ourselves to fighting on their level, then they have already won. We must take the high ground and do what is right. Not to be motivated by anger or hatred, by vengeance or vendetta. Just because they do unto us or those we swear to protect, does not give us the right to do the same unto them. If guilty, they should be brought to justice and punished. But with appropriate, civilized methods. Not with barbarism. That is what Canada was founded on, and that's what the men and women of the Canadian Forces swear to uphold every day.
> 
> Like I said, I hope you are not serious. Otherwise you may have just a sick and twisted mind as the Taliban you claim to hate so much.



Agreed,

Whether or not the person in question was venting, he was rightfully so in making sure people understood that those sort of ideas are not progressive. Furthermore, there is a difference between venting about wishing to punch something, and for wishing slow and painful death. Finally, as a matter of fact no my first reaction is not violence on someone. Just because some of you wish violence as an instant reaction does not mean that is the norm.

-C/D


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## jollyjacktar (20 Nov 2008)

Cognitive-Dissonance said:
			
		

> Agreed,
> 
> Whether or not the person in question was venting, he was rightfully so in making sure people understood that those sort of ideas are not progressive. Furthermore, there is a difference between venting about wishing to punch something, and for wishing slow and painful death. Finally, as a matter of fact no my first reaction is not violence on someone. Just because some of you wish violence as an instant reaction does not mean that is the norm.
> 
> -C/D



WHATEVER ...  : this has been rebutted, and my post stands.  If you don't like it... TFB.


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## Eye In The Sky (20 Nov 2008)

Seems like C/D likes to preach in more than one thread.  Mr Perfect speaks out here as well.  Apparantly he's been trained by Judge Judy or something.


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## MARS (21 Nov 2008)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Ottawa Citizen_

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=524c0b8c-5f78-404b-a7c6-a4fea1df7f7b

Petrolekas and Capstick . We must not forget these girls

Cowardly attack on a group of schoolgirls should galvanize our nation to help defeat extremism in Afghanistan

George Petrolekas and Mike Capstick, Citizen Special
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008

Last week, two men with malicious purpose aimed a stream of acid at the eyes and faces of a group of girls, as young as 14, whose only offence was a wish to go to school.

And as punishment, at least two of those girls will never see the light of day again; their friends and countless hundreds of other little girls equally condemned to a lesser life as the very fear of venturing outside their homes denies them a future as surely as the acid in the eyes has accomplished. And to that end it is no different than the torching of schools, the beheading of teachers and the intimidation of parents.

As a friend living in Kandahar said the other day by phone, "what brave men are these to throw acid at little girls?"

Ghastly, horrific, revolting, shocking, nauseating; not even this lexicon of despair can remotely begin to describe the ravaged humanity that we all must feel as the evil incarnate face of the extremists is yet again revealed in Kandahar, in challenge to us all. We are silent witnesses of an unfathomable nightmare; watching broadcast images of their small bodies quivering in pain as doctors attempted to flush their eyes.

How do we react as a nation?

In the face of such a challenge, we can avert our eyes so that we do not have to face the horror of what we see or we can face it squarely with the resolve that such evil must not triumph.

John F. Kennedy, quoting Edmund Burke, galvanized a nation with the appeal that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." It is the opposite of what we are told by so many whose mantra has become "there is no military solution to this conflict," with the conclusion that the hope of something better must be surrendered and bartered for a modicum of security no matter what price it imposes.

But that is not quite true. Certainly, in present circumstances there is no military solution, but it is a circumstance we have permitted to occur. Whether because Afghanistan is so far away, or after 30 years of war is only a step beyond a medieval level of existence, the international community has provided only a small percentage of the effort it expended in Kosovo, Bosnia, Haiti, Somalia and Iraq. It is no wonder that there is no military solution available. We took it off the table.

And obscured in all this discussion is that north and west of the Hindu Kush, while imperfect, daily life endures, resisting the metaphor that Kandahar has become for the rest of the country. And most importantly, the vast majority of Afghans have no desire to return to Taliban times and in fact live in terror at the possibility. As seductively simple as appeasement is to western eyes, Afghans could only view it as abandonment.

As the immediate sense of horror passes, this incident will predictably and inevitably fade into yet another footnote of this conflict. It will be rationalized beyond logic into that grey netherworld that occupies the space between the clarity of what is right and what is wrong. Some will claim that these atrocities alone do not justify our presence, or they will give credence to the notion that violence is a response to the accidental carnage of our own bombs, or that this society is only resisting the imposition of western values. This would be like siding with the serial killer who blames his upbringing for having killed a dozen people. We don't accept that here, why would we accept that there?

But as has occurred time and time again, our Taliban foe has wantonly killed innocents. And while our supposedly smart bombs sometimes cause carnage, as often as not it is because the Taliban have hidden themselves behind the human shield of weddings and family gatherings, as much of a war crime as is their deliberate targeting of civilians. And it is all to the same end; what they cannot gain in public support they wrench away with the legitimacy of a gun. This day, girls won't go to school for fear, not because they decided they don't belong there, but because misogynist terrorists have made the decision for them.

And so, in the years that we have left before we withdraw, we must not forget these little girls. There will be an election next year and we should do everything in our power to ensure that Afghans have the chance to find their own voice, free of oppression, threat or intimidation. Our development effort must be focused on providing security of persons, their institutions, their schools, their means of life such as water, food and power. In short, we must do everything that we can to offer Kandahar is the chance for their own "peace, order and good government."

This affront to humanity happened on the same day that one of the authors of this article celebrated the birth of his first granddaughter. For the sake of another generation we must not forget these girls, as their now unseeing eyes exhort us to do more; we cannot let our granddaughters conclude that we stood about and did nothing and that by doing so, surrendered our own humanity.

_Colonel (Ret'd.) Mike Capstick was the first commander of the Strategic Advisory Team-Afghanistan in 2005-'06 and worked in Kabul as a civilian last summer. He is an associate at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

George Petrolekas was involved in the Afghan mission from 2003 to 2007, representing Canada at NATO's operational headquarters in Afghanistan. The opinions expressed are solely those of the authors._


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## Bruce Monkhouse (25 Nov 2008)

Lets hope for a fair and transparent trial so that those that are guilty are dealt the appropriate way.


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081125/world/afghanistan
By Noor Khan, The Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan police have arrested 10 Taliban militants allegedly involved in an acid attack against 15 girls and teachers walking to school in southern Afghanistan, a provincial governor said Tuesday. 

"Several" of the arrested militants have confessed to taking part in the attack earlier this month, said Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi. He declined to say exactly how many had confessed. 
High-ranking Taliban fighters paid the militants a total of $2,000 to carry out the attack, Raufi said. The attackers came from Pakistan but were Afghan nationals, said Doud Doud, an Interior Ministry official. 

The attackers squirted acid from water bottles onto three groups of students and teachers walking to school in Kandahar city on Nov. 12. Several girls suffered burns to the face and were hospitalized. One teenager couldn't open her eyes days after the attack, which sparked condemnation from around the world. 
Afghanistan's government called the attack "un-Islamic," while the UN labelled it "a hideous crime." U.S. first lady Laura Bush decried it as cowardly. 
Raufi said the suspects will be tried in open court after the investigation is completed. 

One of the victims of the attack, a teacher named Nuskaal who was burned through her burqa, called Tuesday for harsh punishment. 
"If these people are found guilty, the government should throw the same acid on these criminals. After that they should be hanged," said Nuskaal, who like many Afghans goes by one name. 
President Hamid Karzai earlier this month called for a public execution of the perpetrators. 

Kandahar is the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban regime, the hard-line Islamists who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, and one of Afghanistan's most conservative regions, a place where women rarely venture far from home. 
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi on Tuesday denied that Taliban militants were involved in the attack. 

Girls were banned from schools under Taliban rule, and women were only allowed to leave the house wearing a body-hiding burqa and accompanied by a male family member. 
The country has made a major push to improve access to education for girls since the Taliban's ouster. Fewer than one million Afghan children - mostly boys - attended school under Taliban rule. Roughly six million Afghan children, including two million girls, attend school today. 

But many conservative families still keep their girls at home. 
Raufi said girls attending Mirwais Mena girls' school didn't attend class for three days after the attack, but have since returned. 
Kandahar province's schools serve 110,000 students at 232 schools, Raufi said. But only 10 of the 232 are for girls. Some 26,000 girls go to school, he said. 

Arsonists have repeatedly attacked girls' schools and gunmen killed two students walking outside a girls' school in central Logar province last year. UNICEF says there were 236 school-related attacks in Afghanistan in 2007. 
The Afghan government has also accused the Taliban of attacking schools in an attempt to force teenage boys into the Islamic militia. 

Separately, the U.S. military said its troops killed six militants and detained 12 others in two operations in eastern Afghanistan on Monday. The operations targeted militants associated with the warlords Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaludin Haqqani, the statement from the U.S. military said. 

Elsewhere, the country's intelligence agency said it has arrested four people, including three religious leaders and a youth, for alleged involvement in suicide and other bomb attacks in northern Kunduz province. 

The ring was broken up after a failed bombing mission in the province earlier this year when the would-be bomber failed to properly detonate his explosives, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.


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## ettibebs (25 Nov 2008)

If those mens are really the guilty one I can just hope they get what they deserve.  Not like in some country where that would end up with them just receiving a little slap on the hand.  I'm not for the death penalty but such action almost make reconsider...


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## twistedcables (25 Nov 2008)

Punishment fits the crime? 


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081125/world/afghanistan

By Noor Khan And Jason Straziuso, The Associated Press 

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A 23-year-old teacher, burned in an acid attack on 15 schoolgirls and instructors, wants the Afghan government to throw acid on her attackers and then hang them.

Kandahar's governor said Tuesday authorities had arrested 10 alleged Taliban militants for the Nov. 12 attack in the southern city and several confessed to taking part.

Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi said the men would be tried in open court, a pledge that pleased Nuskaal, a first-year math teacher who suffered acid burns on her shoulders.

"Those girls were simply going to school to get an education," said Nuskaal, who like many Afghans goes by one name.

"My parents told me that security isn't good enough and that they were worried about me teaching. But I told my parents I won't stop teaching."

"I'm not afraid."

After the attack, President Hamid Karzai called for the perpetrators to be executed in public. Nuskaal said the attackers should have acid thrown on them first.

Men riding motorbikes squirted acid from water bottles onto three groups of students and teachers walking to school. Several girls suffered burned faces and were taken to hospital. One teenager couldn't open her eyes for days after the attack, which sparked condemnation around the world.

Afghanistan's government called the attack "un-Islamic," while the United Nations labelled it "a hideous crime."

The government charged Tuesday that high-ranking Taliban fighters paid the suspects a total of $2,000 to carry out the attack. The assailants came from Pakistan but were Afghan nationals, said Doud Doud, an Interior Ministry official.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denied Tuesday that any of the group's members were involved.

Kandahar province is the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban Islamic militiamen who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and are now waging an insurgency against Karzai. The area is one of Afghanistan's most conservative, a place where women rarely venture far from home.

Islamic extremists have attacked many schools to discourage girls from getting an education. Raufi, the governor, said students at the Mirwais Mena girls school didn't return to class for three days after the acid attack.

Girls were banned from schools under Taliban rule and women could leave their homes only if they were clad in a body-hiding burqa and accompanied by a male relative.

Afghanistan has made a major push to improve access to education for girls since a U.S.-led offensive ousted the Taliban following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack on the United States.

Fewer than one million Afghan children - mostly boys - attended school under Taliban rule. Now, roughly six million do, including two million girls.

But many conservative families still keep girls at home.

Kandahar province's 232 schools serve 110,000 students but only 26,000 are girls, the governor said. There are just 10 schools solely for girls, Raufi added.

Arsonists have repeatedly attacked girls schools across the country. Attackers burned down a girls' school in the northwestern province Faryab on Sunday, said Gen. Kalil Andrabi, the provincial police chief.

Gunmen even killed two students outside a girls' school in central Logar province in 2007, one of 236 attacks involving Afghan schools UNICEF recorded that year.

The Afghan government has also accused the Taliban of attacking schools in an attempt to force teenage boys to join the Islamic militia.

In other developments, the U.S. military said Tuesday its troops killed six militants and detained 12 others in two operations in eastern Afghanistan on Monday. The operations targeted militants associated with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaludin Haqqani, the statement said.

Afghanistan's intelligence agency said it arrested four people, including three religious leaders and a youth, for alleged involvement in suicide and other bomb attacks in northern Kunduz province. The ring was tracked down after a failed attack earlier this year, when the would-be bomber failed to properly detonate his explosives, the agency said.


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## geo (25 Nov 2008)

From a personal perspective, I say that, if they are found to be guilty.... Spray their faces with acid - blind them and release them into the general public to fend for themselves - as they intended for their victims

An eye for an eye,
A tooth for a tooth........


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## jollyjacktar (26 Nov 2008)

geo said:
			
		

> From a personal perspective, I say that, if they are found to be guilty.... Spray their faces with acid - blind them and release them into the general public to fend for themselves - as they intended for their victims
> 
> An eye for an eye,
> A tooth for a tooth........


hear hear.  but only after "due process" of course.....


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## geo (26 Nov 2008)

Of course


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## jollyjacktar (26 Nov 2008)

would hate to offend the whingers that may be in the audience...


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## wannabe SF member (26 Nov 2008)

The afghan people will do what they wish with them and being culturally sensitive, I know I will not be dissatisfied with the sentence, should the accused be found guilty. >


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## ENGINEERS WIFE (27 Nov 2008)

Iranian court sentences man to be blinded by acid 
Updated Thu. Nov. 27 2008 7:52 AM ET

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian newspapers say a court has sentenced a man who blinded a woman with acid also to be blinded with acid under the country's Islamic law. 

Thursday's reports in several newspapers, including the Kargozaran, say 27-year-old Majid confessed to attacking Ameneh Bahrami in 2004 to dissuade anyone from marrying the woman he loved. 

Wednesday's ruling was issued based on the Islamic law system of "qisas," or eye for an eye retribution. 

The reports say Ameneh asked the court to sentence Majid, who was only identified by his first name, to be blinded by acid to prevent similar attacks on other women. Majid is allowed to appeal the verdict. 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081127/iran_acid_081127/20081127?hub=World


I know that this is Iran and wasn't the same reasons for throwing the acid, but, I think he'll be recieving the punishment that most would want for the cowards in Afghanistan.


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## OldSolduer (27 Nov 2008)

;D
OK now the NDP will decry the punishment. I didn't hear too many complaints from the NDP and its mouthpiece when the attacks on the schoolkids took place.


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## jollyjacktar (27 Nov 2008)

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> ;D
> OK now the NDP will decry the punishment. I didn't hear too many complaints from the NDP and its mouthpiece when the attacks on the schoolkids took place.



You got that right!  I bet the sound of all the feathers rustling as left wings beat mightily in indignation with whinging crys of protest will be deafening.

EW, you too are right on the money.  My wife lived many years under Islamic law and a military dictatorship.  She often said there would be things that would and could be done that I would approve of....  I guess she was right.  

Hope this thug loses his appeal.


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## geo (27 Nov 2008)

Heh.... something I can agree on.

The Ayatolah is a friend ???

Oh well -  the enemy of your enemy is ..... not so much an enemy - for the time being


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## Jarnhamar (30 Nov 2008)

What the fuck is wrong with the Taliban?

Their throwing acid into the face of school girls? Who does that?

I'd throw my two cents in and suggest these douche bags get burned, hung, shot etc.. but that's right about the time that someone will make a reference to army.ca on a CTV website or something.

"Canadian soldiers want people tortured with acid!" Then comes out the S word.

I don't believe I'm saying it but lets not give the "Guess what I saw at army.ca!" idiots any ammo.


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## geo (30 Nov 2008)

Let's face it, let the TB show themselves for what they are.
Let the people know how messed up they are & let them make an informed decision as to if and when they want to return to a government led by these animals.


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## Yrys (14 Jan 2009)

Afghan Schoolgirls Undeterred by Attack 

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — One morning two months ago, Shamsia Husseini and her sister 
were walking through the muddy streets to the local girls school when a man pulled alongside 
them on a motorcycle and posed what seemed like an ordinary question.

“Are you going to school?”

Then the man pulled Shamsia’s burqa from her head and sprayed her face with burning acid. 
Scars, jagged and discolored, now spread across Shamsia’s eyelids and most of her left cheek. 
These days, her vision goes blurry, making it hard for her to read.

But if the acid attack against Shamsia and 14 others — students and teachers — was meant to
 terrorize the girls into staying home, it appears to have completely failed.

Today, nearly all of the wounded girls are back at the Mirwais School for Girls, including even 
Shamsia, whose face was so badly burned that she had to be sent abroad for treatment. Perhaps 
even more remarkable, nearly every other female student in this deeply conservative community 
has returned as well — about 1,300 in all.

“My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am killed,” said Shamsia, 17, in a moment 
after class. Shamsia’s mother, like nearly all of the adult women in the area, is unable to read or 
write. “The people who did this to me don’t want women to be educated. They want us to be 
stupid things.”

In the five years since the Mirwais School for Girls was built here by the Japanese government, 
it appears to have set off something of a social revolution. Even as the Taliban tighten their 
noose around Kandahar, the girls flock to the school each morning. Many of them walk more 
than two miles from their mud-brick houses up in the hills.

The girls burst through the school’s walled compound, many of them flinging off head-to-toe 
garments, bounding, cheering and laughing in ways that are inconceivable outside — for girls 
and women of any age. Mirwais has no regular electricity, no running water, no paved streets. 
Women are rarely seen, and only then while clad in burqas that make their bodies shapeless 
and their faces invisible.

And so it was especially chilling on Nov. 12, when three pairs of men on motorcycles began 
circling the school. One of the teams used a spray bottle, another a squirt gun, another a jar. 
They hit 11 girls and 4 teachers in all; 6 went to the hospital. Shamsia fared the worst.

The attacks appeared to be the work of the Taliban, the fundamentalist movement that is 
battling the government and the American-led coalition. Banning girls from school was one 
of the most notorious symbols of the Taliban’s rule before they were ousted from power in 
November 2001.

Building new schools and ensuring that children — and especially girls — attend has been 
one of the main objectives of the government and the nations that have contributed to 
Afghanistan’s reconstruction. Some of the students at the Mirwais school are in their late 
teens and early 20s, attending school for the first time. Yet at the same time, in the guerrilla 
war that has unfolded across southern and eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban have made 
schools one of their special targets.

But exactly who was behind the acid attack is a mystery. The Taliban denied any part in it. 
The police arrested eight men and, shortly after that, the Ministry of Interior released a video 
showing two men confessing. One of them said he had been paid by an officer with the 
Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani intelligence agency, to carry out 
the attack. But at a news conference last week, Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said 
there was no such Pakistani involvement.

One thing is certain: in the months before the attack, the Taliban had moved into the Mirwais 
area and the rest of Kandahar’s outskirts. As they did, posters began appearing in local mosques.
“Don’t Let Your Daughters Go to School,” one of them said.

In the days after the attack, the Mirwais School for Girls stood empty; none of the parents would 
let their daughters venture outside. That is when the headmaster, Mahmood Qadari, got to work.
After four days of staring at empty classrooms, Mr. Qadari called a meeting of the parents. 
Hundreds came to the school — fathers and mothers — and Mr. Qadari implored them 
to let their daughters return. After two weeks, a few returned.

So, Mr. Qadari, whose three daughters live abroad, including one in Virginia, enlisted the support 
of the local government. The governor promised more police officers, a footbridge across a busy 
nearby road and, most important, a bus. Mr. Qadari called another meeting and told the parents 
that there was no longer any reason to hold their daughters back. “I told them, if you don’t send 
your daughters to school, then the enemy wins,” Mr. Qadari said. “I told them not to give in to 
darkness. Education is the way to improve our society.”

The adults of Mirwais did not need much persuading. Neither the bus nor the police nor the bridge 
has materialized, but the girls started showing up anyway. Only a couple of dozen girls regularly 
miss school now; three of them are girls who had been injured in the attack.

“I don’t want the girls sitting around and wasting their lives,” said Ghulam Sekhi, an uncle of 
Shamsia and her sister, Atifa, age 14, who was also burned.

For all the uncertainty outside its walls, the Mirwais school brims with life. Its 40 classrooms are 
so full that classes are held in four tents, donated by Unicef, in the courtyard. The Afghan Ministry 
of Education is building a permanent building as well. The past several days at the school have been 
given over to examinations. In one classroom, a geography class, a teacher posed a series of 
questions while her students listened and wrote their answers on paper.

“What is the capital of Brazil?” the teacher, named Arja, asked, walking back and forth.
“Now, what are its major cities?”
“By how many times is America larger than Afghanistan?”

At a desk in the front row, Shamsia, the girl with the burned face, pondered the questions while cupping 
a hand over her largest scar. She squinted down at the paper, rubbed her eyes, wrote something down.
Doctors have told Shamsia that her face may need plastic surgery if there is to be any chance of the scars 
disappearing. It is a distant dream: Shamsia’s village does not even have regular electricity, and her father 
is disabled.

After class, Shamsia blended in with the other girls, standing around, laughing and joking. She seemed 
un-self-conscious about her disfigurement, until she began to recount her ordeal. “The people who did this,” 
she said, “do not feel the pain of others.”


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## geo (14 Jan 2009)

Sorta puts things into perspective & makes you know that things ARE getting better.  We HAVE made an impact.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (14 Jan 2009)

and this will shall save a country.


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## jollyjacktar (14 Jan 2009)

Fantastic story!  My hat goes off to all those girls and their parents.

This is the kind of news that warms the heart.  If I have one..

people standing up in defiance to the Talibs like this may inspire others.  Shame with this Being good news that I expect the MSM will ignore it.


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## Yrys (14 Jan 2009)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Shame with this Being good news that I expect the MSM will ignore it.



For me, the New York Times that published it is big enough to be MSM ...


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## jollyjacktar (14 Jan 2009)

Yrys said:
			
		

> For me, the New York Times that published it is big enough to be MSM ...



I will freely admit to not paying attention to your MSM source of info.  However I am not so concerned with foreign MSM but our domestic bunch.  They do seem to abhor good news from there.  But I also freely admit my bias too.


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## Dog Walker (14 Jan 2009)

Here is a follow up to this story. 

The girls are back in school. They are certainly showing a lot more character, strength, and guts, then the cowards of the Taliban. Hats off to them and let’s hope that they have a bright and happy future. They deserve it!  

Full article on link
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/13/asia/kandahar.php




> Afghan girls brave terror to return to school
> By Dexter Filkins  Published: January 14, 2009
> 
> KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: One morning two months ago, Shamsia Husseini and her sister were walking through the muddy streets to the local girls' school when a man pulled alongside on a motorcycle and posed what seemed like an ordinary question.
> ...


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## PMedMoe (14 Jan 2009)

Maybe this topic should be merged with this one.


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## Yrys (14 Jan 2009)

PMedMoe said:
			
		

> Maybe this topic should be merged with this one.



I've suggest it today, but there is not a lot of DS on line, so they may be busy somewhere else...


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## The Bread Guy (1 Apr 2009)

Sorry to revive an almost-necro-post, but I can't decide whether to be sad or pissed here - only JUST spotted this, from CanWest (yeah, a month old, I'm off my game, but better late than never):


> .... Last fall, Shamsia (Husseini), 17, was attacked along with a dozen other students and teachers at Mirwais Mena Girls' School in Kandahar, by men believed to be Taliban.
> 
> Her ordeal was made known in media ranging from Al-Jazeera to the New York Times, and Shamsia became an emblem of Taliban misogyny.
> 
> She also stood for courage in the face of grave danger, refusing to be intimidated. She told the Times, "My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am killed. The people who did this to me don't want women to be educated. They want us to be stupid things." *But this month, in an interview with Al-Jazeera at a secret location in Kabul, Shamsia Husseini said she had been attacked a second time and this time she and her family fled Kandahar, traditionally a Taliban stronghold ....*


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## geo (1 Apr 2009)

Since we arrived in Afghanistan, we have taken many steps forward.
We should not be surprised if we are stuck taking many steps back.... 

Regardless of how far we though we had advanced, Afghanistan is still a backwards country that will need to claw it's way out of the dark ages over time.


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## GAP (1 Apr 2009)

People, those that were around, need to remember what life in some parts of Canada was like just 25-30 years ago....not quite as barbaric, but a helluva lot different that what exists today.....well, maybe not. I worked in a Northern Community where male abuse was commonplace and people just shrugged it off....I doubt it has changed much.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (11 May 2009)

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2009/05/11/9423076-ap.html
 Mass poisoning feared among Afghan schoolgirls
By Heidi Vogt, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARIKAR, Afghanistan - Doctors are investigating whether dozens of students have been poisoned at a high school in northern Afghanistan after 61 girls went to the hospital complaining of sudden illness.
Dr. Khalil Farangi said Monday the 61 students and one teacher from Hora Jalaly high school in Parwan province northwest of Kabul complained of symptoms like irritability, weeping and confusion.
Several girls passed out.

The mass hospitalization comes about two weeks after a similar incident in Parwan, where dozens of girls were hospitalized after being sickened by what Afghan officials said were strong fumes or a possible poison gas cloud.
The Taliban and other conservative extremist groups in Afghanistan oppose education for girls, who were not allowed to attend school under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime.

Though it was unclear if Monday's incident was the result of an attack, militants in the south have previously assaulted schoolgirls by spraying acid in their faces and burned down schools as a protest against the government.	
Scores of Afghan schools have been forced to close because of violence.

Farangi, the director of Charikar's hospital, said officials sent blood samples to Kabul and to the main U.S. military base in Bagram to test whether some form of poison was to blame.
Provincial Gov. Abdul Basir Salangi an investigation is underway.

A number of students interviewed at the hospital complained of a strong sweet smell, which gave them headaches and made some girls wobbly before they passed out.


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## The Bread Guy (26 Apr 2010)

Reviving necrothread with more of last post's action, only happening again now in northern Afghanistan - this from Al Jazeera English:


> At least 13 girls have fallen ill after a suspected poisonous gas attack at a school in northern Afghanistan.
> 
> The government has accused fighters opposed to female education of being behind the attack.
> 
> ...



More from the BBC and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.


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