# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread June 2009



## GAP (1 Jun 2009)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread June 2009  *               

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


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## GAP (2 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 2, 2009*

 Military wants $5B for army's fleet
 Close-combat vehicle, LAV-3 upgrades sought 
By David ********, The Ottawa CitizenJune 2, 2009
   Article Link

The Defence Department is ready to make a pitch to cabinet for its approval to purchase $5 billion worth of new armoured vehicles.

The proposal comes about six months later than planned, and two months after the head of the army, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, warned that many of the army's vehicles had been worn out or destroyed by the Afghan war.

The Defence Department has been working on the proposal since last fall and is hoping to get the OK on the projects before Parliament breaks for the summer.

The plan proposes the purchase of what is being called a close-combat vehicle, which would be used to accompany the army's Leopard 2 tanks. The proposal also calls for the purchase of a new armoured tactical patrol vehicle and an upgrade of the existing LAV-3 armoured vehicle fleet.

The package would be bundled together with the Conservatives being asked to approve all three at once.

Late last year, Leslie said the purchase of the new vehicles could be used as part of the government's economic stimulus. In particular, the upgrades of the light armoured vehicles would be attractive to the Conservatives since that work would likely be done at General Dynamics Land Systems Canada facilities in London, Ont. and Edmonton.

The rest of the vehicle purchases would likely be from foreign firms, with industrial input from Canadian companies.

Some firms, such as DEW Engineering of Ottawa, have already joined forces with BAE Systems of Britain in anticipation of the close combat vehicle program.

Asked to comment on the armoured vehicle package, Jay Paxton, Defence Minister Peter MacKay's press secretary, said the minister's office does not discuss cabinet business.

At a recent Senate defence committee meeting, Leslie noted that the LAV-3 fleet had been depleted because of the wear and tear in Afghanistan.
More on link

Roadside Bomb Kills at Least 5 Civilians in Afghanistan  
By ADAM B. ELLICK  June 3, 2009
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan— At least five members of an Afghan family died Tuesday in an explosion that wrecked their car on a village road near the American air base at Bagram, according to Afghan and American officials. 

But accounts of the incident — the second time in a week that a device was detonated near the strategic base — varied significantly. Initial reports said six people, including two children, died in the attack, but subsequent accounts said one of the children survived and was in a serious condition in a local hospital.

An Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemarai Bashary, blamed the attack on militants, who are known to plant roadside bombs in the area at nighttime. 

But the ministry later revised its account to say the car was blown up by a suicide attacker, presumably on foot. 

The Bagram district governor, Kabir Ahmad, who visited the scene, said there were indications that “someone put explosives in the car, because there was no crater on the road” and because there were no remnants of a mine.
More on link

 MEB-Afghanistan assumes control of Marine battle space
By Cpl. Aaron Rooks, 2nd MEB Jun 1, 2009 - 7:05:48 PM
  Article Link

Blackanthem Military News

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan transferred control of Marine battle space in southern Afghanistan to Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan during a transfer of authority ceremony here May 29.

The event, in which Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commanding general of MEB-Afghanistan, assumed authority of Marine battle space and forces in Helmand Province from Col. Duffy White, commanding officer of SPMAGTF-Afghanistan, began with an invocation from Navy Cmdr. Phil Pelikan, brigade chaplain, that echoed hope for the future, as representatives from the United States, United Kingdom and Afghanistan gathered in support of the brigade.

"Use us now," Pelikan said during his prayer, "to partner with and help the people of Afghanistan and preserve justice and freedom in their land."

That partnership has been built upon by SPMAGTF-Afghanistan.  The unit deployed in late 2008 as a bridging force, White said, to maintain a strong Marine Corps presence in southern Afghanistan, following the efforts of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Task Force 2/7, composed of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.  MEB-Afghanistan, he said, was the force they were waiting for.

"Our goal, in what was different from between the 24th MEU and 2/7, was that we knew a larger MAGTF was coming," White said.  "That was part of our design, to be able to facilitate, coordinate and enable the larger Marine growth here in southern Afghanistan."

White labeled SPMAGTF-Afghanistan as the "little MAGTF that could," stating that the unit was, "globally sourced and aggregated," so that Marines could come to the fight.

The SPMAGTF has now been absorbed by MEB-Afghanistan and today became Regimental Combat Team 3, the brigade's ground combat element.  White, who assumed command of RCT-3 during the ceremony, said his former command's mission was accomplished, and now they're moving on to accomplish a new one as an RCT.

"My deployment is halfway done," White said, "and as I see it, the best part is about to come.  It will be a game changer for this part of the country."

Nicholson then took the floor and brought attention to Forward Operating Base Delaram, where 11 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. David Odom, made the ultimate sacrifice to bring security and stability to the south
More on link

 Militants storm prison in E Afghanistan    
www.chinaview.cn  2009-06-01 15:07:02      
  Article Link

    KABUL, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government militants raided a prison in Laghman province of east Afghanistan, local newspaper reported on Monday. 

    "Armed Taliban fighters on Saturday night attacked the jail in provincial capital Meterlam but caused no loss of life and damage," daily Arman-e-Millie reported. 

    This was the second attack of the prison in Laghman over the past one month which according to Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had inflicted casualties on jail officials. 

    In the previous attack on the same jail, one Taliban detainee was killed and another made his good escape. 

    In the other incident on the same day, Taliban fighters also gunned down a jail official in Helmand province south of Afghanistan. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (2 Jun 2009)

The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread May 2009               

Everyone is welcome to post interesting/related articles about the current mission in Afghanistan and surrounding countries in this thread, but let's leave the commentary in the normal threads.

Thanks for helping this "news only" thread system work!

Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (2 Jun 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JUNE 2

McChrystal to Face Questions on Plans for Afghanistan
_Washington Post_, June 2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060103732.html



> Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee today to answer questions about the future -- including his plans for reshaping U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan -- and a past marked by both acclaim and controversy.
> 
> McChrystal's confirmation hearing follows the abrupt dismissal three weeks ago of Gen. David D. McKiernan, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan. In announcing McKiernan's replacement, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he wanted "fresh thinking" and "fresh eyes" on a conflict that has been spiraling steadily downward with the increase of Taliban attacks and U.S. and NATO casualties.
> 
> ...



Extra U.S. troops in Afghanistan by mid-July
Reuters, May 31
http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSISL412184



> The majority of the 17,000 extra U.S. troops being sent to fight a growing Taliban-led insurgency in southern and western Afghanistan should be on the ground by mid-July, the U.S. military said on Sunday.
> 
> A further 4,000 troops are arriving to train Afghan security forces and they will be deployed by August.
> 
> ...



Afghan Valley Offers Test for Obama Strategy
_NY Times_, May 31
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/world/asia/01jalrez.html?scp=1&sq=afghanistan%20wardak&st=cse



> JALREZ BAZAAR, Afghanistan — A year ago, the Taliban were tormenting this lush valley just miles from the Afghan capital, kidnapping people and blocking the road.
> 
> All that changed when American troops arrived in February. They dropped from helicopters and set up three camps where there had been none, expecting a fight. Instead, the Taliban put up almost no resistance and left for other areas. Now trucks travel freely and merchants no longer fear for their lives.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (3 Jun 2009)

New Approach to Afghanistan Likely
Nominee to Lead War Discusses Restructuring and a Focus on Civilian Protection
_Washington Post_, June 3
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/02/AR2009060203828.html



> Army Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, President Obama's choice to lead the war in Afghanistan, said yesterday that violence and combat deaths will intensify as more U.S. troops surge into Taliban-held areas, but he vowed to execute a "holistic" strategy in which killing insurgents would be subordinate to safeguarding Afghan civilians.
> 
> McChrystal, a former Special Operations commander, pledged that if confirmed he will take extreme measures to avoid Afghan civilian casualties -- a problem that has long tarnished the U.S.-led military campaign -- putting civilians at risk only when necessary to save the lives of coalition troops...
> 
> ...



U.S. Report Finds Errors in Afghan Airstrikes 
_NY Times_, June 2
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/world/asia/03military.html?ref=todayspaper



> A military investigation has concluded that American personnel made significant errors in carrying out some of the airstrikes in western Afghanistan on May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, according to a senior American military official.
> 
> The official said the civilian death toll would probably have been reduced if American air crews and forces on the ground had followed strict rules devised to prevent civilian casualties. Had the rules been followed, at least some of the strikes by American warplanes against half a dozen targets over seven hours would have been aborted.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (5 Jun 2009)

Afghanistan: progress to report
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up, June 5
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1244216020

MEB-Afghanistan assumes control of Marine battle space  
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade News, May 29
http://www.marines.mil/units/marforcom/iimef/2ndmeb/Pages/MEB-AfghanistanassumescontrolofMarinebattlespace.aspx



> CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan —
> 
> Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan
> http://www.marines.mil/units/marforcent/spmagtfa/Pages/default.aspx
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (5 Jun 2009)

Pentagon Quietly Sending 1,000 Special Operators to Afghanistan in Strategy Revamp
The Pentagon is sending 1,000 more special operations forces and support staff into Afghanistan and is revamping the way its covert warriors fight the Taliban, military sources tell FOXNews.com. 
Fox News, June 5 (usual copyright disclaimer)
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/05/pentagon-quietly-sending-special-operators-afghanistan-strategy-revamp/



> The Pentagon is sending 1,000 more special operations forces and support staff into Afghanistan to bolster a larger conventional troop buildup, and is revamping the way Army Green Berets and other commandos work to rid villages of the Taliban.
> 
> While much of the public focus has been on 24,000 additional American troops moving into the country this year, U.S. Special Operations Command is quietly increasing its covert warriors in what could be a pivotal role in finally defeating insurgents, military sources tell FOXNews.com.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (5 Jun 2009)

New US commander for ISAF Regional Command East 
_The Torch_, June 5
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-us-commander-for-isaf-regional.html



> The 82nd Airborne Division takes over...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (8 Jun 2009)

Changing strategy
Focus on winning 'trust and confidence' of Afghans expert
CP, June 8
http://thechronicleherald.ca/World/1126261.html



> International forces have failed to quash the insurgency in Afghanistan because they have failed to understand the Taliban’s common-touch campaign, a key architect of Canada’s bold new "model village" strategy said Sunday.
> 
> At its heart, Prof. Thomas Johnson said, the counter-insurgency is "essentially an information war" the Taliban have been winning hands down.
> 
> ...



7,000 US Marines patrolling southern Afghan desert
AP, June 8
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=105&sid=1691542



> CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (AP) - Some 7,000 of the new U.S. troops ordered to Afghanistan are fanning out across the dangerous south on a mission to defeat the Taliban insurgency and to change the course of a war claiming American lives at a record pace.
> 
> The Marines represent the first wave of 21,000 troops ordered to Afghanistan this summer by President Barack Obama. Most of the Marine buildup will occur in Helmand, the world's largest opium poppy-growing region and Afghanistan's most violent province. Helmand borders Pakistan, where the Taliban's top leadership is believed to be based.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (10 Jun 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JUNE 10

In Congress, Gates Sounds Positive Note on Afghanistan (usual copyright disclaimer)
_NY Times_, June 9
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/world/asia/10military.html



> Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that he was more hopeful than he had been in a long time about progress in the war in Afghanistan, but that there would have to be significant improvement a year from now for the American public to support the effort.
> 
> Mr. Gates’s comments, made before the Senate Appropriations Committee, were a departure from his previous assessments as well as those of top military commanders that the security situation in Afghanistan was increasingly grim and deteriorating.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (11 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 11, 2009*

 Al Qaeda says short of food, arms in Afghanistan
Thu Jun 11, 2009 By Daren Butler
Article Link

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan says militants are short of food, weapons and other supplies needed to fight foreign forces there, a Web site linked to the group said.

Al Qaeda has been severely weakened in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces toppled their Taliban hosts in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. A gap may also have opened up between al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, many of whom blame Osama bin Laden's group for causing the U.S.-led invasion, analysts say.

"In Afghanistan, we have a severe supply deficit. The main reason for the weakness in operations is insufficient supplies. Many mujahideen sit and wait and cannot fight for lack of supplies," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said on a Web site used by top al Qaeda leaders and other militants to post statements.

Nearly 90,000 U.S. and international troops are currently helping around 160,000 Afghan forces battle a Taliban insurgency across southern and eastern Afghanistan, but al Qaeda's presence and influence is thought to be concentrated along the mountainous eastern border with Pakistan.

"If a mujahid (holy fighter) does not have the money to get weapons, food, drink and the materials for jihad, he cannot fight jihad," Yazid said. "Fear Allah and be ambitious in waging jihad through (donating) goods."

Yazid called on Turks to provide money and supplies for al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, appealing to their common Muslim identity, and called for Turks to pray for the militants.
More on link

 40 Taliban killed in Afghan operations: officials
By Mohammad Reza – 7 hours ago 
Article Link

HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) — Security forces killed more than 40 Taliban rebels in operations in western Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, as sweeps continued of militant hotspots ahead of August elections.

Twenty-five Taliban were killed on Wednesday in the troubled northwestern Badghis province, on the border with Turkmenistan, in an operation that involved Afghan security forces and NATO troops, the military said.

Another 10 were wounded, said Afghan army spokesman for the western region, Abdul Basir Ghori.

"The operation will continue until the end of elections and also until the ring road from Faryab to Herat is completed," he said, referring to a road between two centres in the west.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said a "significant number of insurgents" were killed and wounded in the sweep involving Italian and Afghan soldiers in the Bala Murghab area.

Two helicopters were struck by insurgent gunfire but no security forces were hurt, it said.

In the southwestern province of Farah Wednesday, Afghan security forces killed 16 militants including a man who appeared to be an Arab commander, a deputy provincial governor said.

The fighting was in Bala Buluk district, where US air strikes on militants struck compounds last month. Kabul says 140 civilians were killed then; the US military says 20-30 died
More on link

 New Afghanistan Commander Brings Skill, Controversy to Tough Mission   
By Al Pessin Pentagon 10 June 2009
  Article Link

President Obama's pick for a key role in implementing his new Afghanistan strategy as commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan is Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal of the U.S. Army. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The general has spent most of his career in combat special operations, but officials say he has also become an expert in the complex warfare of counterinsurgency.

The Obama Administration has shifted the U.S. national security focus firmly toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the president says his top priority is to deter, defeat and destroy al-Qaida and related groups, including the Taliban. To spearhead that effort, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in May that command of the U.S. and NATO effort in Afghanistan would change, a year ahead of schedule. 

"If there were to be a change, this is the right time to make the change, at a time when we are at the beginning of the implementation of a new strategy," said Robert Gates. 

Gates said he wants "fresh thinking, fresh eyes" on the problem, and that General McChrystal is the right man for the job. 
More on link

 U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Given More Leeway
By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT Published: June 10, 2009 
Article Link

WASHINGTON — The new American commander in Afghanistan has been given carte blanche to handpick a dream team of subordinates, including many Special Operations veterans, as he moves to carry out an ambitious new strategy that envisions stepped-up attacks on Taliban fighters and narcotics networks.

The extraordinary leeway granted the commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, underscores a view within the administration that the war in Afghanistan has for too long been given low priority and needs to be the focus of a sustained, high-level effort.

General McChrystal is assembling a corps of 400 officers and soldiers who will rotate between the United States and Afghanistan for a minimum of three years. That kind of commitment to one theater of combat is unknown in the military today outside Special Operations, but reflects an approach being imported by General McChrystal, who spent five years in charge of secret commando teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With his promotion approved by the Senate late on Wednesday, General McChrystal and senior members of his command team were scheduled to fly from Washington within hours of the vote, stopping in two European capitals to confer with allies before landing in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

General McChrystal’s confirmation came only after the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, went to the floor to make an impassioned plea for Republicans to allow the action to proceed, fearing that political infighting would delay approval of the appointment. He told of a phone call on Wednesday from Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
More on link

 Contractor oversees security guards in Afghanistan
By RICHARD LARDNER – 1 day ago 
Article Link

WASHINGTON (AP) — A major security contractor is running an office overseeing armed guards in Afghanistan, a situation at odds with the Pentagon's claim that military officers would be in charge of such sensitive work.

A new report on wartime spending to be made public Wednesday at a congressional hearing says the contractor, Aegis Defense Services, has operated with limited U.S. government supervision.

The company disputed claims that it was in charge, saying its main role was to provide reports on the actions of private security contractors in Afghanistan.

The company's responsibilities include working with Afghan authorities investigating "escalation-of-force" incidents involving for-hire security guards, the report by the independent Wartime Contracting Commission says.

The London-based Aegis was hired in January under a nearly $1 million deal to support the Armed Contractor Oversight Directorate. The directorate, along with a similar one in Iraq, were formed in the wake of deadly shootings involving private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shortly after the award to Aegis, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the company would have no oversight duties or direct input into the daily operations of security contractors. Only government personnel would do those jobs, he said.
More on link

 Wartime Contracting Report: We Have Big, Costly Problems
Article Link

As promised, here's the new report by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization formed by Congress to examine where all the money went.

It's a sad reminder about just how bad the contracting system has been in recent years, and all the billions that have been wasted because of poor oversight, poor planning and plain old corruption.

"The environment in Iraq and Afghanistan has been and continues to be susceptible to waste, fraud, and abuse," the report said.

The report, called "At What Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan," contains the interim findings of the commission, which will issue a final report next year. It underscores the gloomy finding about the troubled federal procurement system from a host of other analysis in recent years. 

It'll be the subject of a hearing today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's national security and foreign affairs subcommittee. 
More on link


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## Yrys (15 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 10, 2009*

Looted treasures return to Afghanistan






_Police seized 1,500 treasures from 
smugglers at Heathrow airport_

In a small room inside Kabul museum, staff are slowly unwrapping 
hundreds of stolen pieces of Afghanistan's past.


*Articles found June 12, 2009*

China mulls Afghan border request






Chinese and Afghan foreign ministry officials may open up a strategically important and scenic border area, 
officials say after a meeting. The two sides met in Beijing this week to discuss the 76km (47 mile) border 
that divides the two countries, known as the Wakhan Corridor.

Afghanistan wants the border to be opened as an alternative supply route to help forces battling the Taliban.
The Chinese say they will "earnestly study" the proposal.

*'Positive attitude'*

"The (terrorism) solution must be comprehensive, regional and international," Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin 
Dadfar Spanta said in a speech earlier this week. He said it was his "personal wish" to open the Wakhan 
Corridor.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said his country would adopt "an earnest and positive attitude"
on co-operation with Afghanistan "on transport, trade and economy". "We're willing to earnestly study his 
suggestions," he said.

The Wakhan Corridor is about 210km long (130 miles) long.

Correspondents say that the idea of using it as an alternative route for supplying US and Nato forces in 
Afghanistan has been floated before. They say the call by Afghanistan is likely to fall on deaf ears in China, 
which fiercely resists any initiatives viewed as undermining its national sovereignty.


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## Yrys (15 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 14, 2009*

Electricity transforms Kabul living





_With the advent of electricity, Kabulis have been buying televisions_

Electricity has finally arrived in Kabul, bringing with it some of the small comforts that many 
in the developed world take for granted.

Mr Rahim's clothes are now ironed regularly, he is able to enjoy daily hot baths, his children 
no longer have to squint at their homework by candlelight, and his 10-year-old son, Ajmal, 
never misses his favourite Indian soap operas on television. All of these changes have been 
brought about by a deal struck earlier this month between the Afghan finance ministry and 
the government of neighbouring Uzbekistan. 

Life at the house of Sayed Abdul Rahim has become, in his words, "easier and more entertaining".
A handful of Kabul's districts now enjoy 20 hours of electricity every day following a four-year 
project to build a high-voltage line between the two countries.

Afghan officials hope that in the coming years, many more provinces will also get electricity.
But progress comes at a price. Nearly one third of Rahim's salary goes on his electricity bill.

"We are very happy that we have electricity all the time but poor families like mine can't afford 
to pay $40 (£12) a month. They need to bring the prices down," he said.

An official at the finance ministry defended the policy saying that for poor Afghans, electricity 
cost three cents per kilowatt but for businesses and international organisations it was 20 cents 
per kilowatt.

*Sick of war*

Shopkeepers throughout central Kabul have reported a big spike in the sale of electrical products.
At Sediq Omar market, known locally as "the electric market", traders talk about the big rise in 
in television and DVD sales. "People buy televisions and DVDs everyday. They are tired of war, 
corruption and problems, so they want to watch television and movies to escape from these 
problems," says shopkeeper Wali.

Mohammad Shafiq, 42, is one of Wali's customer. He works for the Afghan army. Today he has 
come to buy a television and a DVD player because he too is getting 20 hours of electricity a day.
"I couldn't afford a generator in the past so I didn't want to have a television and DVD. We either 
argued in the family or listened to radio or went to bed early. But now we can watch television 
and movies and have hot baths in the morning," he says.

And it is not just inside the home that Kabulis can see the difference. Night drivers no longer rely 
solely on their sense of direction and the narrow, yellow beams of their headlights to guide them 
through the city's labyrinthine streets. Nowadays the hills surrounding Kabul are speckled with 
golden orbs from street-lights, gleaming like thousands of small fireflies hovering in the night 
sky. However, there remains much work to be done.

The Afghan government estimates that only 7% of the country has access to electricity. Many 
Afghans complain that while most of their political leaders can boast of 24 hours of electricity, 
the majority of villages and valleys still rely on kerosene lamps and firelight. Although Afghanistan 
has several of its own hydroelectric dams, the output of these dams has been hit hard by a series
 of droughts. But officials at the water and energy ministry are optimistic about the coming months, 
after a winter of heavy snow and a rainy spring.

Some Afghans argue that more rivers should be diverted to feed more hydroelectric dams. But this 
is politically sensitive. In the past, several neighbouring countries - including Pakistan, Iran, and 
Uzbekistan - that also rely on the water from these rivers have blocked such initiatives.

Despite all this, Afghans like Mr Rahim have had their spirits buoyed. But the destruction of the past
three decades also leaves him wary that such luxuries may not last. "I won't get rid of my Bukhari 
[wood-fired stove]. We have used it for a long time, and I am not convinced that the electricity will 
always be able to provide us with heat in the winter. But we are still very thankful because for many 
many years we were deprived of it in the past."


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## MarkOttawa (15 Jun 2009)

New Afghan mission commander vows to protect civilians
CBC, June 15
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/06/15/mcchrystal-command-nato-afghanistan015.html



> A four-star U.S. general took charge of roughly 88,000 American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan Monday in a move the Pentagon hopes will help advance efforts to end the increasingly violent eight-year war.
> 
> Gen. Stanley McChrystal officially took command during a low-key ceremony at the headquarters of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in central Kabul.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (16 Jun 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JUNE 16

New Afghanistan Commander Will Review Troop Placements
_Washington Post_, June 16
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/15/AR2009061502884.html



> Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who took over Monday as the top commander in Afghanistan, said he will launch a broad assessment of how U.S. and NATO troops are arrayed in the country to ensure his forces are focused on safeguarding key population centers and not hunting down Taliban fighters.
> 
> "We are going to look at those parts of the country that are most important -- and those typically, in an insurgency, are the population centers," McChrystal said in an interview shortly after pinning on his fourth star. He replaced Gen. David D. McKiernan, who was fired by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates after 11 months on the job.
> 
> ...



Earlier:

CF--with Afghans in lead--to "clear and hold" near Kandahar
_The Torch_, April 16
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/04/cf-to-clear-and-hold-near-kandahar.html

Changing strategy
Focus on winning 'trust and confidence' of Afghans expert
CP, June 8
http://thechronicleherald.ca/World/1126261.html

Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (16 Jun 2009)

NATO boss says Afghan strategy was flawed: report
Reuters, June 16
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090616/ts_nm/us_nato_scheffer



> Making individual NATO members responsible for specific provinces in Afghanistan has hindered international cooperation efforts, NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a magazine interview.
> 
> "All countries like to think they are the champions of reconstruction," NATO Secretary General De Hoop Scheffer said in an interview with Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland on Tuesday.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (18 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 18, 2009*

 Canadian combat engineers tackle the Afghan mission's most dangerous work 
June 16, 2009 7:20 p.m.
Article Link

VIDEO
PANJWAII DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- It's some of the most dangerous work Canadian soldiers do in Afghanistan. Highly trained combat engineers spend their days trying to ensure the roadways are safe from the insurgents’ weapon of choice -- the improvised explosive device
More on link

 Up to 10,000 NATO troops for Afghan polls: secretary general
20 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL (AFP) — Between 8,000 and 10,000 international troops will join a NATO-led military force in Afghanistan for August elections, the outgoing NATO secretary general said on a farewell visit to Kabul Wednesday.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer steps down in August after five-and-a-half years in the job, during which he made regular trips to Afghanistan, leading NATO's deepening involvement in the insurgency-hit nation.

At a press conference after talks with President Hamid Karzai, Scheffer stressed the importance to the international community of presidential and provincial council elections on August 20.

The vote is a milestone in a Western-backed push for democracy adopted in the months after the extremist Taliban regime was removed in a US-led invasion in late 2001 for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks.

With Taliban attacks at a record high, there are fears that the intensifying insurgency will affect the polls, Afghanistan's second-ever presidential vote.

"We are bringing in extra troops in Afghanistan for a protection role -- between eight and 10,000, if you want to know the numbers, will come on a temporary basis to Afghanistan," Scheffer said.
More on link

 Army secretly armed security guards at Afghan base with rifles and uniforms
By Murray Brewster – 17 hours ago 
Article Link

OTTAWA — Canada's military secretly armed Afghan civilians hired as security guards at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, federal documents show.

The unidentified "guard force" was also provided with uniforms so they would not be "mistaken for Canadian soldiers or for that matter members of the Afghan National Army," says a briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.

All Canadian bases in southern Afghanistan have some form of private protection involving paramilitary forces. They often employ local Afghans under the supervision of former Western soldiers.

The handover of surplus C7 rifles - the Canadian variant on the American M16 - was approved by the Strategic Joint Staff, the military's senior decision-making body.

"The distribution of weapons to civilian personnel remains problematic in terms of potential for public criticism, especially in the event of misconduct by an Afghan guard using a Canadian weapon," says the censored document from May last year.

But it was deemed an urgent operational requirement.
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 U.S. to issue new uniforms for troops in Afghanistan   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-06-18 05:21:10
  Article Link

    WASHINGTON, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives has required the Pentagon to issue new uniforms for troops in Afghanistan after hearing complaints that camouflage that was fine in Iraq doesn't work well in Afghanistan. 

    The requirement was included in a 106-billion-U.S.-dollar war funding bill which passed the House on Tuesday night, the Military Times reported on Wednesday. 

    The bill asks the Pentagon to "take immediate action to provide combat uniforms to personnel deployed to Afghanistan with a camouflage pattern that is suited to the environment of Afghanistan." 

    There is no extra money in the bill to cover the cost of issuing new uniforms, but lawmakers indicated that they will make budget adjustments if necessary. 
More on link

 House Approves War Spending Bill
By Bernie Becker
Article Link

The House passed a $106 billion spending bill on Tuesday that will help finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, overcoming almost universal opposition from Republicans. 

The measure passed 226-202, with only five Republicans voting for it. (One of those five was Representative John McHugh, President Obama’s choice to be Secretary of the Army.) 

House Republicans had been very supportive of the spending bill, but balked at a provision in the latest version that would give billions to the International Monetary Fund. The version passed by the House today also shelved a ban on releasing photos documenting abuse of foreign prisoners by American soldiers, a move also decried by Republicans.

With Tuesday’s vote, the spending bill now moves to the 
More on link


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## GAP (19 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 19, 2009*

 The Yankees are coming
How will 30,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan affect Canada’s mission?
Article Link

The U.S. Chinook helicopters from Task Force Wings’ 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, clawed for altitude as they departed from Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Maywand district of Kandahar, jammed with American, Afghan and Canadian soldiers. Apache gunships pulled tight turns above, deterring any nearby Taliban from engaging the force. The crews from a detachment of Canadian M-777 artillery pulled the canvas covers off the barrels, checked their ammunition and prepared to drop smoke or high-explosive rounds. The female gunner in one of the Chinooks, her faceplate painted to resemble a pair of bright red Rocky Horror Picture Show lips, tested her machine gun with a few short bursts. Her partner, with a smiling Japanese demon painted on his, did the same. In minutes, the aerial force swooped low over the Dasht, a prairie-like area in Maywand district west of Kandahar city, and made its run into western Zharey district just as the sun came up. Involving one of the largest air assault operations in Afghanistan since 2003, Canadian-commanded Operation Jalay was on.

The Chinooks flared in to the landing zone, and the troops poured out as the rear ramp dropped. The helicopters lifted off, showering the troops with dust and rocks. Shouted commands got the soldiers off their feet, loads adjusted, and moving out of the open as quickly as possible. Further east, Canadians from 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, led by Lt.-Col Roger Barrett, crossed the Arghandab riverbed on foot, while an armoured force from the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) pressed in from the north. The sudden, three-pronged attack shocked enemy leaders. Instead of engaging the Canadian and American force, the insurgents went to ground and tried to get out of the area on foot, abandoning their weapons and caching their equipment—leaving IEDs behind which later killed three personnel.
More on link

 Private security called a boon to Canadian bases in Afghanistan
By Colin Perkelx – 20 hours ago 
Article Link

PANJWAII DISTRICT, Afghanistan — The increased reliance on private companies to provide basic security for Canadian bases in southern Afghanistan is freeing up critical military manpower, officers say, although some soldiers worry about the effectiveness of local Afghan guards.

Several operating bases in the dangerous Panjwaii district are now farming out the sentry work, the latest switch-over coming just this week.

"It definitely gives us flexibility," said Maj. Steve Jourdain, infantry commander and head of a patrol base. "If it was not for the private security, it would not be possible for me to do the next operation."

In this particular case, the Canadian-owned security company Tundra Strategies won the contract with the Department of National Defence.

Tundra, one of four private companies working for Canada, runs an Afghanistan-based operation that hires and trains mostly Afghans as guards, but deploys them as far from their home regions as possible in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

After complaints from some of the NATO soldiers - some of the Afghan guards were found sleeping on duty, for example - Tundra sent in a full-time commander, a 22-year veteran of the Canadian army.
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 Germany to deploy heavy hardware in Afghanistan   
 Thu, Jun 18, 2009 AFP  
Article Link   
  
 BERLIN - Germany plans to deploy heavy military hardware in Afghanistan for the first time to tackle rising Taliban attacks, a newspaper said on Thursday.

The army chief of staff Wolfgang Schneiderhan told a parliamentary defence commission behind closed doors this week that Germany would be sending tank-like Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the Handelsblatt daily reported.

The Marders will be used by Germany's 200-strong Quick Reaction Force (QRF), it said, along with 27 Dingo armoured cars, 19 Fuchs armoured personnel carriers and an unspecified number of Igel transporter vehicles.
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 Reporters in Afghanistan face restrictions
Two Al Jazeera journalists spent three days in custody after officials decided that a report on the Taliban was 'in favor of terrorism.' It's not an uncommon fate for reporters who upset officials.
By David Zucchino June 19, 2009 
Article Link

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- Journalist Qais Azimy and a colleague spent three nights as unwelcome guests at Kabul's fortress-like National Directorate of Security headquarters this week before they were released.

Their crime? Committing journalism, apparently.

Or, as Afghan President Hamid Karzai put it, Azimy, a producer for Al Jazeera, was guilty of reporting "a story in favor of terrorism."

What happened to Azimy and another Al Jazeera producer, Hameedullah Shah, happens often to local reporters who offend top Afghan political and security officials.
More on link


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## old medic (20 Jun 2009)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-briefs19-2009jun19,0,6375535.story
8 die in suspected U.S. aerial strikes



> Suspected U.S. missiles pounded militant hide-outs in the tribal belt near Afghanistan where Pakistani troops are building up for a major offensive against their country's top Taliban leader.
> 
> The strikes, which killed at least eight people and were described by Pakistani officials and witnesses as coming from unmanned drone aircraft, appeared not to be directly connected to Pakistan's preparations in South Waziristan.
> 
> ...



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6530321.ece
From The Times
June 19, 2009
US kills nine in missile attack on Taleban base in South Waziristan



> A US missile attack killed at least nine militants at a South Waziristan training camp yesterday ahead of a planned ground offensive by the Pakistani Army on the mountainous tribal region.
> 
> Two or three pilotless American aircraft fired at least four missiles at a camp near the village of Raghzai, witnesses said. A building was destroyed and four local militants and five foreigners, including Arabs and Turkmen nationals, are thought to have been killed.
> 
> ...








http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-park19-2009jun19,0,2719323.story
Afghanistan aims to put itself back on the tourist map
By Laura King
June 19, 2009 



> Reporting from Band-E-Amir National Park, Afghanistan -- Big dreams are reflected in the azure-hued shimmer of these pristine mountain lakes: Afghanistan's quixotic ambitions of becoming a tourist paradise.
> 
> With the dedication Thursday of the country's first national park, made up of six linked lakes rimmed by breathtaking travertine cliffs, officials voiced hope that visitors might slowly begin to return to Afghanistan after three decades of war.
> 
> ...




http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6542093.ece
From Times Online
June 20, 2009
Another British soldier killed in Helmand
Latest military death as 1st Battalion Welsh Guards hit by improvised explosive device, brings total combat toll to 169



> Another British soldier has been killed by an explosion in Afghanistan, bringing the combat death toll to 169.
> 
> The soldier was on routine patrol near Lashkar Gah in central Helmand province yesterday morning, when his party were hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) commonly used by the Taliban.
> 
> ...


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## old medic (20 Jun 2009)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-afghan-nyt-reporter,0,5492887.story

New York Times reporter escapes Taliban kidnappers after 7 months in captivity

JASON STRAZIUSO - Associated Press Writer
June 20, 2009 

KABUL (AP) — A New York Times reporter known for making investigative trips deep inside dangerous conflict zones escaped from militant captors after more than seven months in captivity by climbing over a wall, the newspaper said Saturday.

David S. Rohde was abducted Nov. 10 along with an Afghan reporter colleague and a driver south of the Afghan capital, Kabul. He had been traveling through Logar province to interview a Taliban commander, but was apparently intercepted and taken by other militants on the way.

The Times reported that Rohde and Afghan reporter Tahir Ludin on Friday climbed over the wall of a compound where they were held captive in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan.

The two then found a Pakistani army scout, who led them to a nearby base, the Times said. On Saturday, the two were flown to the U.S. military base in Bagram, the Times reported.................

continued at link above.


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## Yrys (21 Jun 2009)

Same subject :

Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months, NY Times







David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, 
escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven 
months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
...
Mr. Rohde told his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, that Mr. Ludin joined him in climbing 
over the wall of a compound where they were being held in the North Waziristan 
region of Pakistan. They made their way to a nearby Pakistani Frontier Corps 
base and on Saturday they were flown to the American military base in Bagram, 
Afghanistan.

“They just walked over the wall of the compound,” Ms. Mulvihill said.
...


US reporter flees Afghan captors, BBC News

A US journalist kidnapped by the Afghan Taliban last year has managed to escape 
from the compound where he was being held, the New York Times says. The 
newspaper says its reporter, David Rohde, scaled the wall of the compound with 
an Afghan journalist who was kidnapped with him last November.

The pair were being held in Pakistan's North Waziristan region and were helped 
to escape by a Pakistani army scout.

The White House said the whole of the US was "very pleased" he had escaped.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the escape "marks the end of a long and difficult 
ordeal".


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## ENGINEERS WIFE (22 Jun 2009)

2 GIs die in attack on U.S. base in Afghanistan
Rare rocket strike on Bagram north of Kabul wounds six, officials say


updated 7:40 a.m. MT, Sun., June 21, 2009
KABUL - A rare rocket attack on the main U.S. base in Afghanistan early Sunday killed two U.S. troops and wounded six other Americans, including two civilians, officials said. 

Bagram Air Base, which lies 25 miles northeast of Kabul, is surrounded by high mountains and long stretches of desert from which militants could fire rockets. But such attacks, particularly lethal ones, are relatively rare. 

Two U.S. troops died and six Americans were wounded, including four military personnel and two civilians, said Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman. 

The top government official in Bagram, Kabir Ahmad, said several rockets were fired at the base early Sunday. A spokesman with NATO's International Security Assistance Force said that three rounds landed inside Bagram and one landed outside. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't the office's top spokesman. 

The wounded personnel were taken to the main hospital on Bagram for treatment. ISAF said it wasn't known if any Afghan civilians living near the base were harmed in the attack. 

It wasn't immediately clear if New York Times reporter David S. Rohde was at Bagram on Sunday when the rockets hit. 

Rohde escaped from kidnappers in Pakistan on Friday after more than seven months in captivity and was flown to Bagram on Saturday. Embassy officials then gave him an emergency passport and FBI officials were watching him, a U.S. official said Sunday on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information. 

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Mujahid also said the Taliban had no involvement in the kidnapping of Rohde and didn't know anything about his escape. 

In February 2007, a suicide bomb attack outside Bagram killed 23 people while then-Vice President Dick Cheney was at the base. The attacker never tried to penetrate even the first of several U.S.-manned security checkpoints, instead detonating his explosives among a group of Afghan workers outside the base. The Taliban claimed responsibility.


Bagram is a sprawling Soviet-era base that houses thousands of troops, mostly from the 82nd Airborne Division. Most forces there are American, but many other countries also have troops at the base. 

Activity at Bagram is high 24 hours a day, with jets and helicopters taking off at all hours. The base has expanded greatly the last several years and sits next to many houses and the village of Bagram itself. 

The two deaths bring to at least 80 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this year, a record pace. Last year 151 troops died in Afghanistan. 

President Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional troops to the country this year to fight an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency. There are now about 56,000 U.S. troops in the country, a record number. 


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31468640/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/


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## GAP (23 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 23, 2009*

Afghanistan: Coalition troops launch massive assault on Taliban
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Coalition troops launched a massive assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan and were able to push militants out of some areas they had controlled, they said Coalition said in a statement.

About 500 troops were involved in the operation, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force announced Tuesday.

Coalition used more than 25 aircraft to drop hundreds of troops into the area at about midnight June 19
More on link

 German troops die in Afghanistan   
  Article Link

Germany has about 3,700 German troops in Afghanistan 

Three German soldiers have been killed during a clash with insurgents in Afghanistan, the German defence ministry has said.

The soldiers were on a joint operation with Afghan forces when the attack took place near the northern city of Kunduz, a ministry spokesman said. 

The German military base in Kunduz is a frequent target of attacks. 

Some 3,700 German troops are serving in Afghanistan with Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). 

In 2008, the deteriorating security situation in northern Afghanistan prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to increase the number of German troops in the country to up to 4,400 by the end of this year. 
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 Kyrgyzstan Allows Limited U.S. Access  
Article Link

MOSCOW— Kyrgyzstan, which four months ago said it would close an American air base central to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, appeared Tuesday to partially reverse its decision. 

The government, after heavy lobbying by American officials, reached a tentative arrangement that would allow the American military to have a limited presence at the Manas air base.

Kyrgyz officials said the United States could use the base in Central Asia as a transit center to supply NATO forces in Afghanistan. Official details of the agreement were not immediately available, but it appeared that the United States had sharply increased the rent that it paid to avoid complete closure.

In February, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev gave the United States six months to vacate the Manas airbase, which has been used since 2001 as a refueling stop and transit hub for about 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo a month headed for Afghanistan. 

Manas has become a focal point in the struggle between the United States and Russia for influence in the countries of the former Soviet Union, an area that Moscow considers a privileged zone of influence. Russia is widely believed to have pressured the Kyrgyz government to expel American forces from the base in exchange for billions of dollars in aid. 
More on link


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## GAP (23 Jun 2009)

Taliban commander shot dead by own guard: report
Updated Tue. Jun. 23 2009 10:57 AM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

ISLAMABAD -- A Taliban faction leader who was seen as the chief rival to the militant group's Pakistani head was fatally shot Tuesday, reportedly by one of his own guards. 

The attack on Qari Zainuddin appeared to be a sign that divisions within the Taliban have broken into the open as they come under military assault. The army is clearing out militants from the Swat Valley and has been pounding strongholds of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan in apparent preparation for a major offensive. 

Also Tuesday, suspected U.S. missiles hit a suspected Taliban training centre, then more missiles hit an evening funeral procession for some of those killed in the earlier strikes, officials and witnesses said. Nine people were killed and several more wounded. 

At least seven people were killed when three suspected U.S. missiles hit the training centre in the village of Najmarai in the Makeen area of South Waziristan, said two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media. 

Hours later, four more missiles blasted into a funeral procession for some of those killed in the earlier strike, killing two. 

"I saw three drones, they dropped bombs," said Sohail Mehsud, a resident of Makeen, which is the home district of Baitullah Mehsud. "The missiles did not hit the procession precisely. Had it been the case, it would have a big loss." 

Dozens of such strikes have been carried out in the tribal regions over the last year. U.S. officials concede they have been using drone-fired missiles to target suspected militants in Pakistan, but they do not comment on individual strikes. 

Zainuddin was gunned down in the nearby town of Dera Ismail Khan. He had emerged as Mehsud's chief rival and had criticized the militant leader over attacks that killed civilians. 

Dr. Mahmood Khan Bitani told The Associated Press that he pronounced Zainuddin dead on arrival at a local hospital with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. 

Baz Mohammad, an aide to the militant leader who also was wounded, said a guard barged into a room at Zainuddin's compound after morning prayers and opened fire. He accused Mehsud of being behind the attack. 
More on link


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## GAP (24 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 24, 2009*

 Court martial for accused Canadian set to start.
Canwest News ServiceJune 23, 2009
   Article Link

HALIFAX - Testimony is expected to begin Wednesday in the court martial of Corp. Matthew Wilcox, the Glace Bay, N.S. man accused in the shooting death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.

Wilcox, 23, faces charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of duty in relation to the 2007 death of Corp. Kevin Megeney, 25, of Stellarton, N.S.

Megeney volunteered to go to Afghanistan as part of the militia with the 1st Battalion Nova Scotia Highlanders.

He was killed in March 2007 while the two were alone in a barracks tent at Kandahar Airfield.

The court martial is being held at the Victoria Park Garrison in Sydney, N.S. , and is expected to last several weeks.
end

 With ping-pong and puns, soldiers stay sane in Afghanistan
Article Link

The marine brushing his teeth at the basin next to me was carrying his M-16 cross chest on his back. The gun stared right at my limbs. I rinsed my face and as I looked up, another soldier appeared to my right. He raised his arm to brush his teeth and his revolver peeked out of the case under his arm. I thought to myself, Where else in the world could I be rinsing my face in the presence of two no-bulls**t guys armed with weapons, and still be able to get out alive?

Call me stupid, but I might very well be on the safest place on earth right now.

At the base, it’s easy to witness a life far from the war. Sure, there are faces overrun by emotions — some who’ve lost their friends, some who’d just landed in a bizarre desert so far from home and some who’d seen it all and were ready to face it all. But these same fingers that are ready to pull the trigger are also seen scrolling their iPods, playing fussball, holding a non-alcoholic Beck’s or even swinging away their guitars.

Like any other profession, the soldiers here make it clear that to produce results, you have to stay sane. If anything is different, it’s how they choose to absorb that sanity.
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 Afghanistan Attack Leaves Three German Soldiers Dead in Kunduz  
By Patrick Donahue June 23 (Bloomberg) 
Article Link

 Three German soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Afghanistan, underscoring the spread of the Taliban insurgency to parts of the country that had once been relatively peaceful. 

The incident today near the city of Kunduz is under investigation, the German Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement. 

“I condemn the cowardly attack that led to these deaths in the sharpest terms,” Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in the statement. 

Germany has the third-largest contingent in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, with about 3,380 troops. 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization today undertook a major airborne assault against a Taliban stronghold in the southern province of Helmand. 

The operation involved 500 British soldiers supported by a dozen Chinook helicopters, gun ships, Harrier warplanes and drone aircraft. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, a NATO spokesman, said U.S. forces aided in the assault. 
More on link

 Parents Watch Marine Son Escape Battle
Article Link

COLLINGDALE, Pa. - A local marine was caught in a firefight in Afghanistan.

Half a world away in Delaware County, his family and friends watched in disbelief as a terrifying scene unfolded.

It's not often a family sees first-hand the danger their loved one faces on the battlefield.

Fox 29's Robin Taylor has the story from our partners at the Delaware County Times to explain how it happened this time.

Footage from the battlefield usually involves unnamed troops, but in this case, an Associated Press reporter and photographer and a television news cameraman were traveling with a Delaware County marine during a battle in Afghanistan.

The video looks like a war movie. Only this firefight is real, and it involves a local marine cheating death on the battlefield.

Officer John Daly, Jr. was walking down an alley when the Taliban opened fire. Bullets whiz past the marines' heads as Daly barks out orders. ("Turn the Vic north. Angle the Vic north.")

Thee scenes were posted by the Associated Press. Photos went to newspapers worldwide. Daly's parents saw the battle on the Internet and were relieved that their son was okay.

"I know he was okay. I was a little scared but I know he was okay,and that was good for me. But to see what they actually do is unbelievable,” says mother Jean Petersen.

"It scared the heck out of me because I know he has another six months or so to go,” says John Daly Sr.

The 39-year-old Collingdale native has spent the past 20 years in uniform, fighting in Iraq and now Afghanistan. Back home, his mother's house is covered with patriotic signs showing the pride she has in her son.

"How can you not be proud of somebody who loves what he does? Who loves his country?" asks Petersen.
More on link


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## GAP (25 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 25, 2009*

 In Afghanistan, Iranian truck drivers dispute election and debate crackdown
By PHILIP SMUCKER McClatchy Newspapers
Article Link

HERAT, Afghanistan -- Amid the tire irons and crow bars in a disabled Russian armored personnel carrier-turned Afghan tea house, Iranian truck drivers Wednesday debated allegations that their government rigged Iran's June 12 presidential elections - and whether it did so by the thousands or by the millions.

"Of course, the government controls the media - that is how they rose to power," snapped Jaffar, 59, a driver from Mashad, a major city in western Iran. "You can drive north to south in this country, and you are free. Our government would never cheat us out of an election."

As Jaffar spoke, however, Maruche, 29, a Sunni Muslim truck driver from near Torbat e-Jam in eastern Iran, asked the older driver: "How can you say there was no cheating?" 

The young man stormed out of the teahouse, but he invited a McClatchy Newspapers reporter to sit with him in the cab of his truck. He said that on Tuesday new anti-government demonstrations had rocked the city of Isfahan, where his trucking company is based, and he spoke angrily of what he said had happened in his village on election day.

"The election center was controlled by the government," he said. "We saw that with our own eyes. I know about the ballot stuffing because my uncle is a police officer and was a supervisor in the polling station. He saw one man in the polling station put 100 ballots into a box."

"No one can dare protest this in our village or they will simply disappear," Maruche added.

Similar allegations of ballot stuffing have been made elsewhere in Iran, and the Iranian government has admitted that in 50 cities, there were more votes than there were registered voters.

For several hours, Iranian truck drivers in Herat told similar tales of voting irregularities, but the government crackdown sparked the most debate. Some drivers defended the government, calling the demonstrators "hooligans and criminals" who deserved punishment, while others defended them. Several drivers blamed their nation's unrest on foreign powers, singling out the United States as a key meddler in Iranian affairs.
More on link

 British troops 'clear Taliban stronghold'
8 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL (AFP) — Troops conducting one of the British military's largest operations in Afghanistan have cleared a Taliban stronghold in the south and are encouraging villagers to return, an officer said Thursday.

About 12 British and US Chinook helicopters dropped 350 British troops into the Babaji area of the southern province of Helmand at midnight Friday, in the largest British-led air assault operation in Afghanistan.

"The operation continues to be successful and we are now encouraging the locals to return to the area to benefit from the improved security and freedom from Taliban control," British Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson told AFP.

Babaji is about 12 kilometres (eight miles) north of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand -- a vast desert province that shares a porous border with Pakistan across which militants are said to enter the Afghan insurgency.
More on link

 US Senate approves sweeping Pakistan aid package
By Olivier Knox – 18 hours ago 
Article Link

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Senate approved a bill to triple civilian US aid to Pakistan, a bid to cement a long-term partnership to defeat Islamist fighters who threaten the nuclear-armed ally's stability.

Lawmakers unanimously approved the plan to provide 7.5 billion dollars in humanitarian and economic aid over five years and recommend that level for another five years, while tying US military aid to progress against extremists.

"This legislation marks an important step toward sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan," said Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation in mid-June, and the two chambers must now work out and approve a compromise bill before President Barack Obama can sign the measure into law.

"Pakistan is facing a critical moment," Democratic Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who crafted the bill with Lugar, said after lawmakers agreed to approve it without dissent.
More on link

 Afghan Leader Outmaneuvers Election Rivals  
By DEXTER FILKINS
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan — With a nationwide election only weeks away, the paradox of President Hamid Karzai has never seemed more apparent: he is at once deeply unpopular and likely to win.

Mr. Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, is blamed by many for the failures that have plagued the American-led mission here in the past eight years, from the resurgence of the Taliban to the explosion of the poppy trade.

Yet at the same time, Mr. Karzai enjoys a commanding lead in the race for the presidency, to be decided in a nationwide election on Aug. 20. Since the beginning of the year, Mr. Karzai has deftly outmaneuvered a once formidable array of opponents, either securing their backing or relegating them to the status of long shots.

Those two facts — Mr. Karzai’s unpopularity and the likelihood of his victory — have cast a pall of resignation over the presidential campaign here, with many Afghans preparing themselves for another five years of a leader they feel they already know too well.

The danger, Mr. Karzai’s opponents and other leading Afghans say, is a kind of national demoralization, which will discourage Afghans from voting and dash hopes for substantial progress once the election is over.
More on link

 White House threatens veto over F-22 jet fighters
ShareThisBy RICHARD LARDNER  Associated Press Writer  Jun. 24, 2009 
Article Link

WASHINGTON -- Preparing for a possible showdown with Congress, the White House on Wednesday threatened to veto legislation authorizing a $680 billion military budget if it contains money for jet fighters the Pentagon doesn't want.

In a statement, the White House Office of Management and Budget said the $369 million that a House committee added to the bill as a downpayment for 12 additional F-22 fighters runs counter to the "collective judgment" of the military's top leaders.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to end production of the radar-evading F-22 after 187 aircraft have been built. Last week, in a preview of the White House's veto threat, Gates called the funding boost a "big problem." 

Gates has pointed to the F-22, which has not been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, as an example of a Cold War-era weapon that doesn't fit well into 21st century warfare against terrorist groups and other elusive threats.

But the F-22, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., has broad support on Capitol Hill. The primary manufacturing plant is in Georgia, but key parts of the plane are also made in Texas and California. Lawmakers have pointed to the instability around the world as a reason for keeping the jet program alive. Continued production also means jobs in areas hit hard by a weak economy.

The F-22 is a twin-engine jet the Air Force would use for air-to-air combat missions. Service officials say the aircraft can dominate wide swaths of airspace, a critical capability in areas that ground forces can't quickly get to. Each aircraft costs about $140 million.
More on link


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## GAP (26 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 26, 2009*

 Meeting Punjab's police and bombers  
Article Link

While the Pakistani military is targeting the Taliban on several fronts, a police crackdown is getting results in the country's most populous province, Punjab.

A number of Taliban cells have been broken up, and key figures have been arrested - including a self-confessed bomb-maker and a would-be suicide bomber.

The BBC's Pakistan correspondent Orla Guerin has been talking to the police and the bombers.

The big breakthrough came with the arrest of the man in the burka. 

He had thought the loose garment would conceal his deadly cargo of explosives and a suicide vest. But he was found when police searched a public bus in the city of Mianwali in north-west Punjab. 

An officer accidentally touched him - his hand connecting with a hard surface. That was the end of the bomber's mission. And it could have been the end for the arresting officers. 

 If our commander tells us to blow up our own parents we'll do it. We never spare anyone. 

Unseen offensive  
The area's police chief, Akbar Nasir Khan, came to the scene to disarm the bomber himself. 
More on link

 5th Brigade troops begin deploying to Afghanistan
Stryker brigade combat team marks occasion with parade before family and friends on Watkins Field
Don Kramer/Northwest Guardian 06/25/09   
Article Link

The six battalions and cavalry squadron that make up 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division formed on Watkins Field June 19, signaling the end of preparations for war by “the most advanced ground combat formation in history,” according to their commander.

Executive Officer and Commander of Troops, Maj. James Dooghan, reported to the brigade commander to start a ceremony devoid of many of the formal trappings typical of deployments. The nearly 4,000 Soldiers stood at parade rest to hear messages of encouragement from Brigade Commander Col. Harry D. Tunnell IV and I Corps Deputy Commanding General Brig. Gen. Jeff W. Mathis III.

Tunnell highlighted the multiple transitions the day represented: after two and a half years of preparation, training was done; the rear-detachment assumed command responsibility; the brigade was departing; and for individuals, their evolution from Soldiers to warriors was complete – the same personal transitions made by countless American Soldiers of the past.

“The war against today’s Islamic totalitarian enemy is no different,” Tunnell said. “It requires the same kind of men and women with the same steel that have served America’s cause of freedom for generations. It is an awe-inspiring thought when one realizes that such devoted men and women make up the team that stands in formation today.
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 New community-based strategy wins support of U.S. commander
 By Craig Pearson, Canwest News ServiceJune 25, 2009
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DEH-E-BAGH, Afghanistan — Two days after Canada unveiled a village-by-village pilot project to beat the Taliban through community improvement, the top coalition commander in Afghanistan visited the village and suggested other countries should follow suit.


"The Canadians have done an amazing job here," U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said Thursday after meeting with Canadian officials and stepping into the mud-hut village of Deh-e-Bagh. "We can think of every imaginative way to protect the people, and sometimes that takes military force. But we should also help them grow — help them grow government, help them grow development.


"So I think this is the way to go."


Representatives from the Canadian International Development Agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Forces have been providing Deh-e-Bagh with security and development for several weeks.
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## GAP (29 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 29, 2009*

 Pakistan Rejects Talks With Militants, Says Army Taking Action  
By Paul Tighe and Farhan Sharif
Article Link

June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said there will be no talks with militants as the army is taking decisive action against terrorists in the tribal region and in the Swat Valley. 

“Our army is fighting very efficiently against cowardly people,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan cited Gilani as saying in Lahore yesterday. It’s not the time for dialogue with terrorists and extremists, he said. 

The army is engaged in a guerrilla fight, not a conventional war, Gilani said. “Elements who are against Pakistan are terrorists,” he said. 

Pakistan’s army is now engaging Taliban forces in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan after an offensive that began in April in nearby Swat. The U.S. is pressing Pakistan to tackle Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters operating in the region and President Barack Obama has said an aid package to Pakistan worth $1.5 billion a year is conditional on the government fighting extremists. 

Twelve soldiers were killed in the North Waziristan tribal area yesterday when their convoy was hit by a explosive device, APP reported, citing the military. 
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 Nato and Russia to resume security ties
By James Blitz in London  Last updated: June 29 2009 03:00
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Nato and Russia took an important step towards the resumption of dialogue at the weekend, agreeing to re-establish military ties and discuss greater co-operation over counter-terrorism, Afghanistan and nuclear proliferation.

In a move that marks the final break with the "no business as usual" policy imposed by the US-led -alliance after last year's Georgian war , foreign ministers from the two sides meeting in Corfu agreed to resume formal co-operation on a range of security threats.

The accord is the latest attempt by the US and Russia to "reset" their relationship after Barack Obama's election in the US. It paves the way for Mr Obama's visit to Moscow next month, during which he will discuss arms control, Afghanistan and Iran with Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president.

US officials have made it clear that they regardthe Nato-Russia meeting as a critical test of whether Moscow is interested in improving its relationship with western powers.
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 Gunbattle rages in Afghan police HQ  
  Article Link 

A provincial police chief is among 10 people reportedly killed in a gun fight with US-trained Afghan troops inside a Kandahar police headquarters.

The head of the criminal department and eight other officers were also  killed,  according to Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of the area's provincial council.

Monday's clash reportedly happened as troops tried to remove a prisoner from the prosecutor's office.

'Extraordinary scenes'

Al Jazeera's David Chater, reporting from the capital Kabul, said: "The head of the provincial council in Kandahar, President Karzai's brother, said the Afghan security forces  -  we believe it was the special forces under the control of the Americans in Kandahar  - were stopped by the police and their vehicle taken.
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 Britain to continue poppy eradication in Afghanistan despite US reversal  
Britain will continue to fund the destruction of opium fields in Afghanistan despite the United States condemning poppy eradication as a waste of money.
By Ben Farmer in Kabul  Published: 3:39PM BST 28 Jun 2009
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The British Government said destroying poppy fields remained a key deterrent to growers and one of the "seven pillars" of its anti-opium strategy in Helmand province, just a day after Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan, said that destroying the crop only drove poor farmers to join the insurgency.

In a reversal of policy, he said the United States would stop funding poppy eradication and instead concentrate on encouraging farmers to grow alternative crops.

The Afghan government backed Britain's stance and defended its previous efforts, which relied heavily on ripping up or flattening poppy plants, as "perfect".

General Khodaidad, Afghan minister for counter narcotics, said his strategy had been "the right path".

"We are happy with our strategy and we are working according to our strategy. I don't see any deficiencies in our strategy, our strategy is perfect, our strategy is good."
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 Iraq lessons learned, US Marines turn to Afghanistan
Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:12am EDT  By Peter Graff
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DESERT OF DEATH, Afghanistan, June 28 (Reuters) - After five years coping with the most dangerous province in Iraq, the U.S. Marines have been given their next assignment: the most dangerous province in Afghanistan.

But this time around, they say they will talk a little more and shoot a little less.

"We spent so much time in Iraq learning from our mistakes," said Corporal Mahmoud Awada, a 21-year-old Lebanese-American Marine from Utah, who spent the second half of 2007 and early 2008 in Anbar west of Baghdad.

"We learned that we can't just go around kicking down doors because that won't work. In Iraq, what really helped us win over there, make the situation better, was gaining the trust of the people, becoming friends with them."

The Marines that have arrived in recent weeks in Afghanistan's wild southern Helmand province are a different force from the Marines who blasted their way into Anbar.
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 Taliban contemptuous of large Canadian offensive
By Colin Perkel, THE CANADIAN PRESS Last Updated: 28th June 2009, 12:24pm
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Defiant Taliban heaped scorn on Canada’s recent anti-insurgent operation in the village of Salavat, calling the impact on their operations minimal and claiming immediate retaliation for the offensive.

Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, the Taliban’s spokesman for the south, was contemptuous of the military’s delighted summation of the two-day incursion into the village in the Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan.

“They are most welcome with these kinds of operations,” Ahmadi said by telephone.

“This kind of operation affects our strategy very positively, because even more people came to join us.”

Ten days ago, hundreds of Canadian soldiers along with Afghan forces invaded the village of 1,500 amid firm intelligence the insurgents were using two compounds.

Salavat has been dubbed one corner of Panjwaii’s “Taliban Triangle,” a known hub of insurgent activity and movement.

While soldiers found no sign of insurgents themselves after smashing their way into the two compounds, a thorough search of the village did turn up enough explosives and electronics for about a dozen roadside bombs, along with a few weapons. One man was arrested.

The action was one of the first big counter-moves by the Canadians as the “fighting season” got into full swing with escalating violence throughout the region ahead of next month’s national elections.

Battlegroup commander, Lt.-Col. Jocelyn Paul, called the operation a big success in putting a damper on the ability of insurgents to move about and mount their own attacks.

Ahmadi shrugged that off.
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 U.S. officials look to influence Canada to stay in Afghanistan
By Murray Brewster, THE CANADIAN PRESS  28th June 2009, 12:30pm
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OTTAWA — Obama Democrats have quietly sounded out power-brokers in Ottawa looking for advice on how to convince war-weary Canadians to keep military forces in Afghanistan after 2011.

Conscious of the deep political and public opposition to extending the mission further, American officials — political and military — are struggling to understand those concerns and identify the right arguments to make to the Harper government to “keep Canadian boots on the ground,” said defence sources.

The U.S. has not formally — or even informally — requested Ottawa extend the deployment of 2,850 combat troops, trainers and aircrew in volatile and bloody Kandahar, where 120 soldiers and one diplomat have died over seven years.

The questions being asked are meant to lay the groundwork for a potential request, which the administration could make late this year or in early 2010, said one source familiar with the process.

It’s unclear whether the U.S. would ask Canada to stay on in Kandahar or elsewhere in the country.

The sophisticated, below-the-radar project reflects Washington’s new approach to dealing with allies, and marks a sharp departure from the days when former U.S. president George W. Bush declared: “You’re either with us or against us in the fight against terror.”

The informal exercise comes as no surprise to seasoned diplomats, who say Canada’s self-imposed pull-out deadline of 2011, and a Dutch plan to withdraw its troops in July next year, complicate America’s long-term strategy in the region.

President Barak Obama has made it clear Afghanistan is the central front in the war against al-Qaida and terrorism.

Any discussion of Canadian involvement beyond 2011 will likely make Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority government squirm because there’s no appetite for extending such a costly war.
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## MarkOttawa (30 Jun 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JUNE 30

Canada firm on Afghan deadline
CP, June 30
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/658873



> The Canadian government shot down suggestions it might be arm-twisted by the Obama White House into extending its Afghanistan mission beyond 2011.
> 
> There are signs the U.S. government is preparing a diplomatic push to get Canada to stay.
> 
> ...



On the KC shooting
_Flit_, June 29
http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/archives/2009_06_29.html#006458



> There are some conclusions one certainly shouldn't jump to when evaluating today's reports of the killing of the Kandahar Chief of Police in a gunfight.
> 
> One would be that there's anything unusual about this...



Kandahar Police Chief Killed and…
_Ghosts of Alexander_, June 29
http://easterncampaign.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/kandahar-police-chief-killed-and/



> [Note: I'm following a breaking story over a one-day news cycle, to see how it breaks, and how good/bad a job is done doing so. I won't edit incorrect info as news comes in, as that is sort of the point: to see how incorrect the info is. I'll do an analysis later this week.]..



“The Final Straw?” Slaying of Kandahar Police Chief Might Be Sympton of Intractable Problem
_Registan_, June 29
http://www.registan.net/index.php/2009/06/29/the-final-straw-slaying-of-kandahar-police-chief-might-be-sympton-of-intractable-problem/



> ...The gist is: earlier today a group of gunmen broke into a government office building and grabbed a man being held there by the authorities; in the gunfight that ensued, the chief of police and eight other policemen were killed...



Shootout in Kandahar City
_The Canada-Afghanistan Blog_, June 29
http://canada-afghanistan.blogspot.com/2009/06/shootout-in-kandahar-city.html



> The Kandahar City police chief, Matiullah Qati, was killed today in a gun battle. After a series of confusing initial reports, it seems that a group of contracted Afghan security guards attempted to snatch back one of their guys who had been arrested. The police chief was called in, somebody got trigger-happy, and all hell broke loose.
> 
> Assuming these are the facts, it's another reminder of the extraordinary danger a police officer in Afghanistan faces every day. I can't imagine the courage it takes to face down a squad of heavily-armed men demanding the release of a guy you have no personal stake in protecting--just the merit of doing your job responsibly...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (30 Jun 2009)

*Articles found June 30, 2009*

 Oshkosh Wins $1.06 Billion Blast-Proof Truck Contract  
By Edmond Lococo, Tony Capaccio and Gopal Ratnam
Article Link

June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Oshkosh Corp. won a $1.06 billion contract to build all-terrain trucks that would protect troops in Afghanistan from roadside bombs. Shares of the company, which said it may share production, surged in late New York trading. 

The contract is for 2,244 vehicles, the U.S. Defense Department said on its Web site today. Oshkosh beat a joint venture between Force Protection Inc. and General Dynamics Corp., as well as entries from BAE Systems Plc, and Navistar International Corp., the largest maker of blast-proof trucks for the U.S. military. 

Oshkosh said it is willing to share production of the trucks, which are designed to offer increased maneuverability on Afghanistan’s undeveloped roads and still offer protection comparable to the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected Vehicles, or MRAPs, used in Iraq. The new trucks are MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles, or M-ATVs. 

“We can meet the requirements, everything on the schedule and exceed the expectations of the customer,” Chief Executive Officer Robert Bohn said in an interview. Even so, at the Pentagon’s request, Oshkosh will talk to the losing bidders “to see if they have any interest in subcontracting some of this work or building some components in case we need it.” 
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 Taliban scrap peace deal in Pakistan tribal area
By RASOOL DAWAR – 10 hours ago 
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MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) — Taliban militants in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan say they have pulled out of a peace deal with the government, raising the prospect of wider unrest as the Pakistani army extends its efforts to eliminate insurgents.

The militants in North Waziristan blamed continuing U.S. missile strikes and army offensives against the Taliban for their decision, which was announced in the wake of a Taliban ambush that killed 16 soldiers.

Separately, a car bombing Tuesday struck trucks taking supplies to Western troops in Afghanistan, killing four people in Pakistan's southwest, police said. No one claimed responsibility for the explosion in Baluchistan province, but militants have frequently targeted supply trucks for U.S. and NATO troops that travel through Pakistani territory.

Government leaders and Taliban representatives reached the North Waziristan peace accord in February 2008, but few details have been released about it.

U.S. officials have criticized peace deals with militants or tribes representing them in the border region, saying they allow the insurgents to gain strength. The agreement in North Waziristan had appeared to keep things relatively peaceful there — calmer than in neighboring South Waziristan, where the army is preparing for a major offensive aimed at Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

The deal was struck with a Taliban faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
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 Romania to increase troops in Afghanistan   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-07-01 03:21:51     
  Article Link

    BUCHAREST, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Romania will increase the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan while cutting significantly its forces in Iraq, President Traian Basescu said on Tuesday. 

    "We will reduce our participation in the operation theaters, with the total number of militaries to be cut from 2,067, as it was in 2009, down to 1,667, as it was planned for 2010," the Romanian head of state told a press conference after a meeting of the Supreme Council for Country Defense (CSAT). 

    He explained that Romania's mission in Iraq was completed, with only 20 out of the current 520 Romanian troops to continue to stay in Iraq. They will no longer be part of the multinational force's structures, but will only participate in the training of the Iraqi army, under the NATO training mission. 

    "Our participation in the multinational force will become zero on July 1 this year and will stay zero next year too," Basescu said. 
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 Russia to allow US military supplies to Afghanistan  
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Moscow, June 30: Russia is ready to allow air and land transit of US military supplies to the American troops in Afghanistan and an agreement to this effect could be signed during President Barak Obama's visit here next week. 

 The deal could involve daily flights of US planes over Russia with military cargo, in addition to just railway shipments of non-lethal supplies Moscow currently allows, the Kommersant daily reported today quoting sources "close to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer". 

Such a move will give a boost to Obama's efforts to intensify the campaign against the Taliban at a time when instability in Pakistan has threatened the other main transit route into Afghanistan -- from the south. 
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