# From Occupied Afghanistan: Accounts of a Fact-Finding Mission



## GAP (18 Sep 2007)

This is really strife with innuendo and assumptions with no basis in facts, but it is what is being fed to the activist community out there...

From Occupied Afghanistan: Accounts of a Fact-Finding Mission
Interview by Kabir Joshi-Vijayan by Mike Skinner and Hamayon Rag Global Research, September 18, 2007 
Article Link

Mike Skinner and Hamayon Ragstar spent one and three months, respectively, in Afghanistan in the late spring/summer of 2007 on a fact-finding trip investigating how the Canadian and International mission is affecting Afghan civilian life.

Below is the edited transcript of an hour-long interview conducted in Toronto by Kabir Joshi-Vijayan about their reflections and conclusions coming out of the fact-finding mission.

Q: To begin, what was the objective of this trip you undertook to Afghanistan, what were you hoping to investigate?

Mike Skinner: The principal objective was to do an activist documentary film that asks Afghans what they think of the international intervention. We really wanted to listen to Afghans who don’t get heard in the West- workers we listened to people on the street, and we listened to students in the university and in teachers college, shopkeepers, and teachers. That was really the intent, to hear Afghans who don’t get heard.

And what parts of Afghanistan were you able to visit?

Hamayon Ragstar: We spent lots of time in Kabul city and walked around the neighbourhoods. We went to Kabul University a few times. Mike and I went to Bamiyan – we spent about a week in Bamiyan. From Bamiyan, we also went to Yakaolang (which is a few hours away from the Bamiyan valley) – and we went back to Kabul from there. We spent one day in Ghazni, and before Mike’s arrival I went to Ghazni and Jaghori. Later I also went to Mazar and Kundus and I spent about 4-5 hours in Khandahar

What did you see of the international occupation force? Did you have any direct interaction with any of the foreign forces present (ISAF, NATO, the US-coalition)-and were you able to speak particularly with any Canadian soldiers or commanders?

MS: Our most direct personal experience is when we almost got killed at one point.

We were in a taxicab in downtown Kabul and our cabdriver wasn’t looking as he pulled out into an intersection and almost ran into an ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) convoy. As he said, fortunately they were Turks. If they had been Canadians or Americans, they would have shot us if we had gotten as close to a convoy as we did. My door was literally a few inches from this military vehicle that almost hit us, so that was our closest experience with ISAF.
More on link


----------



## geo (18 Sep 2007)

> We would have actually liked to meet some of the Canadians there. I tried to arrange something – to try and meet with some of the Canadian soldiers, but it was a difficult situation. Also it is hard to cross the line from talking to Afghan people and than going over to talking to soldiers too, so it wouldn’t have been a good situation either. So we really didn’t have any direct contact with Canadian troops or any other western forces. In a number of informal situations, we were able to talk with military contractors who were quite informative, but talking off record



Hmmm... they spent 4 or 5 hours in Kandahar.  And it was impossible for them to arrange to meet our troops?

Yup.... possibly if they stayed in KAF a while longer and made an effort it would have been possible.

Useless!


----------



## retiredgrunt45 (19 Sep 2007)

It's self righteous a**holes like this who feed the activistist's bulls*** like this that causes the most harm.


----------



## armyvern (19 Sep 2007)

GAP said:
			
		

> What did you see of the international *occupation force*?



There you have it folks. There's unbiased for you. Talk about letting your coloured stripes show with the _leading_ questions that you ask as an interviewer.

International occupation force?? These folks are right the fuck out of 'er. End of story. 

Fact found: these guys are a bunch of useless, self-righteous, tools.  :


----------



## a_majoor (19 Sep 2007)

Since the Afghans view the Taliban, Al Qaeda and their "Arab" mercenaries as occupiers (all foreign AQ fighters are known as "the Arabs" by the Afghans), it seems the "fact finders" got lost at the gate.


----------



## armyvern (19 Sep 2007)

a_majoor said:
			
		

> Since the Afghans view the Taliban, Al Qaeda and their "Arab" mercenaries as occupiers (all foreign AQ fighters are known as "the Arabs" by the Afghans), it seems the "fact finders" got lost at the gate.



Lost at the gate?? No doubt. Two brain cells between them; one's lost and the other is still out looking for it. *I D 10 T's.*


----------

