# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread (August 2007)



## GAP (3 Aug 2007)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread (August 2007)   * 

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

*Articles found August 3, 2007*
No special treatment for Vandoos, general says
New commander quickly puts to rest suggestions that francophone unit will be shielded from heavy fighting 
ALEX DOBROTA  From Thursday's Globe and Mail August 2, 2007 at 5:00 AM EDT
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Quebec's famed Vandoos regiment will receive no special treatment to shield it from the risks taken by other Canadian troops in the volatile province of Kandahar, Canada's new commander in Afghanistan said yesterday.

Soldiers with the Royal 22nd Regiment will tackle the same daunting tasks as have troops from previous rotations, as the regiment gears up efforts to train the tattered Afghan security forces, Brigadier-General Guy Laroche said. 

"The orders, we receive them from the Chief of Defence Staff, General [Rick] Hillier," Gen. Laroche told reporters yesterday, after he took command of Canada's 2,500-strong contingent during a short change-of-command ceremony at Kandahar base.

"It matters little what people say in Canada, on the political side or in the street. The work on our side goes on, much the same way it has in the past."
More on link

US won't rule out force to free Korean hostages  
By MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Published on: 08/02/07
Article Link 

WASHINGTON — The United States is not ruling out the use of military force to free 21 South Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

"All pressures need to be applied to the Taliban to get them to release these hostages," said Richard Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia. "We hope that pressure can be effective in a variety of ways, the goal is to get these people released unharmed, to get them released peacefully and safely." 

"We will all make efforts together to try to encourage that," he told reporters at the State Department, referring to close cooperation between the governments of the United States, Afghanistan and South Korea to win the hostages' release.

He declined to elaborate on what pressure or efforts were now being used to convince the Taliban to let the South Koreans go but said they included the option of military force.

"There are things that we say, things that others say, things that are done and said within Afghan society as well as potential military pressures," Boucher said.
More on link

Nelson backs troops after kids injured in Afghanistan
Posted Thu Aug 2, 2007 10:04pm AEST 
Article Link

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has defended the actions of Australian soldiers who injured two children in Afghanistan.

Two children under 10 were hurt when Australian troops opened fire on a car which failed to stop for a patrol in southern Afghanistan.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has also defended the actions of the soldiers, saying they acted appropriately, despite the injuries to the children.

Dr Nelson says the incident is unfortunate.

"The initial reports are that our soldiers have behaved perfectly appropriately, although we regret enormously [the] injury and indeed death to any civilian," he said.

Defence Force spokesman Brigadier Andrew Nikolic says the soldiers believed the vehicle posed a "real and present danger".
More on link

More political thinking needed in Afghanistan   
Current approaches counterproductive
BRIAN FLEMMING The Daily News
Article Link

One of the many problems Canadians (and Americans) have with the NATO mission in Afghanistan is that we almost never hear the voices of ordinary Afghans, or the specific demands of the insurgent Taliban fighters or the policy objectives of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.

The media, and many politicians, would have us believe the 21st century's violent extremists - sometimes sloppily described as "terrorists" - are unlike any other extremists in history.

Not true. Most have a political agenda that's as well-defined as that of the former Irish Republican Army.

When politicians claim bin Laden and his franchisees "hate freedom," or that Islamist extremists just "want to kill us," reach for your revolver. As top American security guru, Bruce Schneier, correctly claims, "bin Laden's policy objectives have been surprisingly consistent."

According to former CIA analyst, Michael Scheuer, in his book Imperial Hubris, these are some of bin Laden's goals:

- End the "occupation" by America and NATO of both Iraq and Afghanistan;

- End Western support for "illegitimate" (i.e. moderate) governments, such as those in Pakistan or Egypt;

- Expel Western forces from Middle East countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

- End America's support of Israel;

- Terminate Western support of countries with "anti-Muslim policies."

Similar goals

The Taliban have narrower, but similar, goals. But because the political ideology of most Islamists conflates religion with politics, it is sometimes difficult to separate one side of the theocratic coin from the other when bin Laden, or his Taliban clones, express their wish to create an "Islamic caliphate" in the Middle East - if not the whole world.

These broader insights were the dogs that didn't bark when Canada's departing top military commander in Afghanistan gave an in-depth interview to The Globe and Mail on the weekend.

Brig.- Gen. Tim Grant spoke proudly - as he should have - of Canada's achievements. The Taliban, for the moment, has lost its ability to take and hold territory; the building of the Afghan army continues apace.

Grant's biggest worry revolves around the corruption and incompetence of the Afghan police. And what Canada and NATO are trying to achieve "can't be done in two or three years," Grant said. Plus the notion of having a specific withdrawal date seemed "absurd" to the general.

Quite so.
More on link


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## GAP (5 Aug 2007)

*Articles found July 5, 2007*

Van Doos irked by anti-war views
By MARTIN OUELLET
Article Link

SHAWALI KOT, Afghanistan (CP) - Pte. Francis Archambault says he couldn't believe what he was hearing during a conversation he had before he left Quebec for Afghanistan. 

"Somebody who's educated, who has diplomas galore, told me there would be no war in the world if people like me didn't exist," Archambault, 23, said in an interview with The Canadian Press. 

"It really shocked me to hear that from someone who should know better." 

Archambault and other Quebec-based soldiers in Afghanistan expressed frustration and exasperation with the widespread opposition in their home province to Canada's military mission in the country. 

One poll suggested 70 per cent of Quebecers were opposed to the continued presence of Canadian soldiers in the war-torn land, while some members of the national assembly refused to stand up when several soldiers visited the legislature earlier this year. 

Archambault said people who are against the mission are misguided when they accuse Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives of wanting to endorse U.S. foreign policy just to stay in the good books of the Bush administration.  
   
"That has nothing to do with it," he said. "Canada is not getting a lot out of its presence here. It costs lives and it costs money but we're trying to give a chance to people who need help. 

"It's probably the biggest thing I'll do in my life." 

Canada has about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO force supporting the Afghan government. In the new rotation, most of them will be from CFB Valcartier, near Quebec City. 

Canada is slated to leave Afghanistan in February 2009 and Harper has said extending the mission would require the consensus of Parliament. 

Master Cpl. David Martel, one of the Van Doos charged with patrolling the Shawali Kot district in southeastern Afghanistan, said the attitude of some people is disheartening. 

"You come here because you believe in what you do," Martel said. 

"You want to provide security and help people improve their lot, while back home people aren't very receptive to that. They say you're just off to kill people." 

Sgt. Steve Dufour said people are entitled to their opinion but believes the Canadian mission is not understood and is often misinterpreted. 

"I spoke to one student who was against the mission," he said. "I told her 'In Canada, does anyone prevent you from going to school and getting an education?' Well, that's what it's like here (in Afghanistan)." 

On Friday, some of the Van Doos went out on foot patrol with a contingent of Afghan police officers. 

At one point, one of the policemen fired his weapon by mistake, leading the Canadians to believe they were being attacked. No other shots were fired and nobody was injured. 
More on link

Servicemembers Volunteer to Convoy Supplies to Needy Afghans
By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein, USAF Special to American Forces Press Service
Article Link  

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan , Aug. 4, 2007 – Every other week, servicemembers from all branches of the military conduct convoys from this base to deliver clothing and supplies to needy Afghans in the surrounding areas. But they're not doing it because they have to. They're doing it because they want to help.

Members of the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan unload a truck full of donations from the U.S. at a refugee camp outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. 

“These are military and coalition members who volunteer,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Weber, Camp Eggers garrison chaplain. “They participate on their own time and at their own risk to do something good for the people of Afghanistan.” 

The chaplains on Camp Eggers have organized the deliveries as part of a community relations program. Working with local religious leaders, as well as various government and relief agencies, the program organizers plan their missions to deliver aid to areas most in need of the assistance. 

Under the program, servicemembers visit a new location every two weeks. Once a location is determined, the organizers and volunteers meet a few days before the trip to sort the items sent over from the United States. 

“Donations come in mostly through word of mouth, from people stationed here telling others back in the States,” said Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Fred Hays, religious program specialist and chaplain’s assistant. “We get donations from schools and churches, too.” 

Normally, the group averages about 20 large boxes filled with clothing, personal hygiene items, medical supplies, school supplies, food and blankets. Recently, the group donated about 2,000 pairs of shoes to a local village. 

“Putting smiles on these young people’s faces, that’s the main thing,” said Hays. “If we can win the younger generation’s hearts in this war [against terrorism], we’ll be able to win this war because the younger ones will be taking over for us. Show them kindness and that kindness can be returned.” 
More on link

Suicide bombing kills 2 civilians in S Afghanistan
Posted August 4th, 2007 by TariqueMuslim World News By Xinhua
Article Link  

Kabul : A suicide bombing killed two civilians and injured four others in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan on Saturday, the police said.

A suicide bomber targeted a foreign military convoy in western Kandahar city, the provincial capital, and caused the casualties, a local police commander Ramatullah told Xinhua.

One military vehicle was damaged, said Ramatullah, who did not mention the casualties of foreign soldiers.

Meanwhile, Russ Petcoff, a press officer of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told Xinhua that they were aware of an explosion in Kandahar city, and an ISAF team has responded to it.
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Afghanistan, Tajikistan To Build Hydro Power Plant  
Article Link  

August 4, 2007 -- The press service of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon says Tajikistan and Afghanistan will jointly build a 1,000-megawatt hydro-power plant on the Pyandzh river.

The announcement came after talks between Rahmon and Afghan Energy Minister Ismail Khan, who arrived in Tajikistan on August 3. 

The project is expected to be funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the World Bank, and donor nations involved in Afghanistan's reconstruction
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (5 Aug 2007)

British Make Initial Gains Against Taliban (long piece, well worth reading)
_NY Times_, August 5
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ref=todayspaper


> ...
> Yet despite the presence of thousands of Taliban fighters, and some tough fighting still ahead, British military commanders here say they believe they have turned a significant corner. In recent months they have succeeded in pushing the Taliban back and keeping them out of a few strategic areas.
> 
> At the same time, they say, popular support for the insurgents is eroding.
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (5 Aug 2007)

End to war is close - Kandahar governor
CanWest, August 5
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=cd7cbea4-0a39-4a98-a54a-b639f824176f&k=20177



> The NATO-led coalition is winning the war in Afghanistan and the end of the conflict is "not very far" away, the governor of Kandahar province said yesterday, even as a suicide car bomb killed two civilians in the province's capital...
> 
> Asadullah Khalid, Kandahar's governor, said the province's security is improving "day by day."
> 
> ...



Afghan victory 'could take 38 years'
_The Observe_r, August 5
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2141901,00.html



> British troops could remain in Afghanistan for more than the 38 years it took them to pull out of Northern Ireland. That is the bleak assessment by Army commanders on the ground in Helmand province.
> 
> In an interview with The Observer at HQ in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, Brigadier John Lorimer, commander of UK forces in Helmand, said: 'If you look at the insurgency then it could take maybe 10 years. Counter-narcotics, it's 30 years. If you're looking at governance and so on, it looks a little longer. If you look at other counter-insurgency operations over the last 100 years then it has taken time.'
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## a_majoor (6 Aug 2007)

http://www.bloggingtories.ca/btFrameset.php?URL=http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/009910.html&TITLE=An%20Afghan%20



> An Afghan success story
> 
> The Christian Science Monitor describes how a long-persecuted Afghan minority, the Hazaras, have thrived since the overthrow of the Taliban:
> 
> ...


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## GAP (6 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 6, 2007*

Canadian helping spur development in Afghanistan
Updated Sun. Aug. 5 2007 10:16 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

A veteran Canadian aid worker is braving the serious security threats of southern Afghanistan and trying to help villagers in the region better their lives.

"It's really critical to establish the economic infrastructure -- jobs, jobs, jobs," Drew Gilmour of Development Works Canada told CTV News. "Water is life, but providing opportunity jobs and training -- well, that makes life worth living."

Gilmour's private-sector work with Marjburobad -- one poor, dry community outside Kandahar City -- did start with water.

"They said, 'We have seen a thousand people come and go, but prove to us you are serious,' and we asked them, what, and they said water," he said.

Gilmour responded by first digging them a well.

Within a few weeks, over 200 village men had jobs. They built six more wells, and construction on an irrigation system is now well underway.

The goal is to plant fields with vegetable crops that can then be grown at market. The community's sense of hope is growing with the progress.
More on link

U.S. Airmen Mentor Afghan Air Corps Counterparts
By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein Special to American Forces Press Service
Article Link

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2007 – From firefighters to aircraft mechanics to squadron commanders, a group of U.S. Air Force airmen are mentoring and training their Afghan National Army Air Corps counterparts here in the Afghanistan's capital. 

It's a job like no other, said Master Sgt. Michael Stoller, a vehicle maintenance craftsman from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, who's been deployed here for almost a year. 

"This job is definitely more exciting than the work I do back home," he said. "I got here and had to start things from scratch to build up their maintenance shop from nothing. It's extremely rewarding to look around and see how far they've come since then." 

In nearly a year's time, Stoller, along with other airmen, helped the Afghans build up a logistics and transportation area with a state-of-the-art vehicle maintenance facility. They also now have equipment to sustain their transportation fleet, which includes cars, trucks and emergency vehicles. 

"When I showed up here, they pretty much had a box of wrenches, and that was it," he said. "Yet these guys really know their jobs. Most have been mechanics for more than 20, 30 years. They just needed the resources. I realized my mission was to try to get them equipped to do their jobs and to help them wherever needed." 

Stoller said the relationship he's developed with the Afghan maintainers has left a lasting impression on him. 

"Sure, there is a bit of a language issue," he said, "but we've overcome it. We work together, share tea together. Some of them were working in sandals, so I gave them some of my boots. I consider these guys my friends, so I want to see them succeed." 

That type of camaraderie is common among the mentors and Afghans, and its value is not lost on either group. 

"We work like one team," said Lt. Col. Abdul Shafi, commander of the Afghan National Army Air Corps senior aircraft maintenance engineer operations group. "[The mentors] help us with any problems. We are learning a lot. My idea is that we have a good future, and I feel that one day, we will have a very strong air corps." 

Shafi's senior aircraft maintenance advisor, Capt. Ronald Stencel, said he also feels confident for the Afghan's air corps future. 
More on link

Germany's Steinmeier Backs Further Military Aid to Afghanistan  
06.08.2007
Article Link

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has backed increased German assistance for training and equipping the Afghan security forces, in remarks published Monday.

"I am in favor of extending our assistance in training and equipping the Afghan army," Steinmeier told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper.

The remarks came amid a debate that has taken on renewed urgency in Germany since two German engineers were kidnapped in Afghanistan on July 18. One has been killed and the other is still being held by his abductors.

Steinmeier said Germany could begin considering withdrawing its 3,000 ground troops engaged in a reconstruction mission in the north of Afghanistan only once Afghan forces could guarantee security.

"If we give up now, then the Taliban will have reached their goal," the Social Democrat said.
More on link

Australian soldiers hurt in Afghanistan
August 6, 2007 - 12:57PM
Article Link

Taliban extremists in Afghanistan have injured two Australian soldiers, one of whom has been evacuated to a medical facility in Europe, the Department of Defence says.

The department has released few details about the circumstances surrounding the incident, except that it occurred earlier this month while the soldiers were on patrol in Oruzgan Province.

The soldier with the most serious injuries was provided with first aid by fellow patrol members before being evacuated to a Coalition medical facility in Europe.

"He is in a stable condition and responding very well to treatment - we expect him to return to Australia in the near future," Defence spokesman Brigadier Andrew Nikolic said.

A second soldier, from the Special Operations Task Group, suffered superficial wounds, but he remains "fit for duty", Brigadier Nikolic said.
More on link

13 suspected Taliban killed in Afghanistan
By ASSOCIATED PRESS KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Aug. 6, 2007 9:10
Article Link

Afghan and foreign troops thwarted a Taliban ambush at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan and killed 13 suspected militants, a local official said Monday. 

Troops battled the militants for over two hours on Sunday in Zabul's Shahjoy district after they tried to attack the checkpoint on the main road linking Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar, said Ali Kheil, the spokesman for Zabul's governor. 

NATO and the US-led coalition did not immediately confirm the clash. 

Kheil said authorities recovered 13 bodies, along with nine AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and two heavy machine guns. 

No Afghan or foreign troops were hurt, he said.
End


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## MarkOttawa (6 Aug 2007)

Germany's Steinmeier wants Afghan mission extended
Reuters, August 6
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06074925.htm


> ...
> Steinmeier's deputy Gernot Erler, another Social Democrat, went further. He did not rule out German troops getting involved in southern Afghanistan, which is far more dangerous than the northern areas where about 3,200 German troops are deployed.
> 
> *"If training can only be done sensibly in the south then we must talk about that and consider it," said Erler* [emphasis added].
> ...



Canadian troops enter hostile ground  
CP, August 6
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/v-printerfriendly/story/4017976p-4630727c.html



> DISTRICT SHAH VALI KOWT, Afghanistan -- Canadian soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment moved deep into hostile territory over the weekend, patrolling a vast region of Afghanistan known to be sympathetic to the Taliban.
> 
> Canadian troops did not confront insurgents during this trek but they are convinced the territory is guided by a "phantom Taliban government."
> 
> ...



Golf in Kabul gives hint of being home
'Mine-free' links a symbol of hope
Don Martin, _Calgary Herald_, August 6
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=06c8a1c5-c5b4-4e7b-ac8f-5e6fae278f01



> The blast of a far-off bomb hit in the middle of my backswing. That might be grounds to run for cover or at least claim a mulligan on Canadian golf courses, but this being Kabul and having my iron shot go further than its pathetically short normal, I opted to play on.
> 
> Billed as "the best and only golf course in Afghanistan," the Kabul Golf Course has been declared free of landmines and boasts of freshly oiled greens made from pressed sand.
> 
> ...



More here:

Fore!
_The Torch_, June 22
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2007/06/fore.html

Mark
Ottawa


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## RHFC_piper (7 Aug 2007)

Canadian troops get earful from Afghan villagers
CTV. Tue. Aug. 7 2007 2:21 PM ET
Article Link



> SHAWALI KOT, Afghanistan  -- Canadian soldiers found no weapons or Taliban during a recent foray into a region considered an insurgent stronghold, but they did get an earful from villagers who accused them of failing to keep their promises.
> 
> "Canadians have come here three times before and promised (to give us a well) but they've done nothing," said Haji Noor Mohammad, a leader in the desolate, poverty-stricken district of Shawali Kot.
> 
> The five-day sortie by members of the Quebec-based Royal 22nd Regiment ended Tuesday with the soldiers having heard little from the villagers about the Taliban but plenty of griping about the "broken promises" of Canadians and Americans.



More on link


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## GAP (8 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 8, 2007*


Afghanistan mission a success: returning commander
By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA August 7, 2007 
Article Link

Health, education and infrastructure construction moving along 
 Cameras flashed as Bradley huddled in a corner and chatted with his two daughters and son. 

“We’ll have a big family hug,” his wife Carla Bradley tearfully told reporters. 

Meanwhile, Sgt. Jeff Daley said he planned to put on some music and dance with his four-year-old daughter, Kaelin, as soon as he got home. 

The emotional reunion of 12 Edmonton-based soldiers, their families and friends became the centre of attention at the Edmonton International Airport. 

“It’s wonderful. I can’t explain the feeling,” Daley said. 

While being away from his family was hard, he said it was worth it because the soldiers’ mission was successful as evidenced by the stability in Kandahar compared to nine months ago when they deployed. 

Afghans have become friendlier because now they recognize that the soldiers are there on a reconstruction mission, he said. 

Maj.-Gen. Tim Grant, former top soldier of task force Afghanistan, told a press conference Canada’s mission was indeed a success. 

However, one thing he failed in, he said, was to convince Afghanistan-based reporters to report on progress in Kandahar. 

The core of reporting from the region mostly dealt with combat operations and deaths, he said. “That’s an important part of the story, there’s no doubt.” 

But soldiers knowingly risk their lives so that the mission of rebuilding hospitals, giving people a good life, and letting boys and girls go to school can happen, he said. 

“That’s the message that we just can’t get across, but it’s happening.” 
More on link

Pakistani attack kills 10 suspected militants 
Associated Press August 8, 2007
Article Link

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Tuesday that talk of U.S. military strikes against al-Qaida in Pakistan only hurts the fight against terrorism, and his troops bombarded militant hideouts in their strongest response yet to a month of anti-government attacks. Ten suspected militants were killed.

  
The assault by artillery and helicopter gunships "knocked out" two compounds near the border with Afghanistan that were used to stage attacks on security forces, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad.
Ten militants were killed and at least seven were wounded in the operation, about 10 miles west of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, he said.
There were at least four smaller-scale bombings and shootings in the border region Tuesday, the latest in almost daily violence that has intensified pressure on Musharraf to crack down on militants.
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No charges in friendly fire death
Nicole Baer CanWest News Service Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Article Link

OTTAWA - The "fog of war," combined with a series of critical human errors, led to the death of a Canadian soldier in a U.S. friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in late March 2006, a Canadian Forces board of inquiry has concluded. 

However, the Canadian military's policing arm announced Tuesday no charges will be laid in the death of Pte. Robert Costall at the hands of U.S. Army gunners. Soldiers from the two countries were engaged in a fierce firefight with Taliban insurgents in Helmand province. An American soldier also died and three Canadian troops were injured.

"The three causes for the friendly fire incident were incomplete co-ordination and control, poor situational awareness, and an error in battlefield combat identification," Brig.-Gen. Christopher Davis, president of the board of inquiry, wrote in his final report on the incident, unclassified portions of which were released Tuesday. 

"The lack of detailed co-ordination, coupled with inadequate control measures, added to the flawed situational awareness of the U.S. Army gun crew."

In clearing the Canadian troops and officers who were joining U.S. forces already in place at a forward operating base named Robinson, the report noted that "no one person or persons met the requirements for blame," which include a capacity to foresee the tragedy and failing to take steps to prevent it.  
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David Cameron: We still don't have a proper plan for Afghanistan
[Published: Wednesday 8, August 2007 - 09:45]
Article Link


Landing in an RAF Hercules at Camp Bastion, our desert fortress deep in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, you are struck immediately by the intensity of the British military effort. Helicopters land and take off, personnel move briskly about their business, the field hospital stands ready to receive casualties as our troops advance in furnace-like heat up the valley. 

Our forces are performing daily acts of heroism in the toughest of combat environments. The amount of ammunition used testifies to the ferocity of the fighting. Forty-five soldiers have been killed in action. And yet several soldiers I spoke to felt they were taking part in a forgotten campaign. 

We need to wake up to what is happening in Afghanistan. As the cradle of 9/11, preventing a relapse into Taliban control matters fundamentally to Britain's national security. 

Due to the campaign over the past year, the military position has shifted away from the Taliban. In a conventional military sense, the insurgents are on the back foot. And yet our commanders are the first to say that military force alone will not bring stability. If we carry on as we are we could end up winning the war in Afghanistan, but still lose the country. 

A year ago, General David Richards, then the British Commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), warned of the risk of failing in Afghanistan. To avoid this we now need to make some urgent course corrections. First, we must be realistic about what we are aiming to achieve, and the timescale. As our ambassador has said, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to avoid giving the impression that we can impose fully fledged Western notions of democracy and liberalism in a society that is deeply traditional. We must work with the grain of Afghan society. 

Second, we need to promote local security solutions. Up to now, it has been too easy, once international forces have left an area, for the Taliban to slip back in. We need to give overriding priority to training up the Afghan army, as well as the police, whose reputation - in contrast to the army - is patchy. We should also look at how we can persuade shuras and tribal elders to help shore up local security. 
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It's easy for soldiers to score heroin in Afghanistan
Simultaneously stressed and bored, U.S. soldiers are turning to the widely available drug for a quick escape.
By Shaun McCanna
Article Link

Aug. 7, 2007 | BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- Just outside the main gate to Bagram airfield, a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, sits a series of small makeshift shops known by locals as the Bagram Bazaar. For Afghans, it is the place to buy American goods, but the stalls that make up the heart of the bazaar are also well known for what they provide American soldiers stationed at Bagram. Walking through the bazaar it takes less than 10 minutes for a vendor in his early 20s to step out and ask, "You want whiskey?" "No, heroin," I tell him. He ushers me into his store with a smile. 

The shop is small, 9 feet wide by 14 feet deep, and dark. The walls at the front are lined with dusty cans of soda, padlocks and miscellaneous beauty supplies. As we enter, a teenager is visible at the back, seated in a chair next to a collection of American military knives and flashlights. The shopkeeper speaks to him in Dari. The teen stands and heads for the door, where he stops and asks my Afghan driver a question. My driver translates, "He wants to know how much you want? Twenty, 30, 50 dollars' worth?" From past experience, for I have arranged this same transaction a dozen times in a dozen different Bagram Bazaar shops, I know that the $30 bag will contain enough pure to bring hundreds of dollars on the streets of any American city. Afghanistan, after all, is the source of 90 percent of the world's heroin. I say 30 and the teen jogs off. 

The true extent of the heroin problem among American soldiers now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan is unknown. At Bagram, according to a written statement provided by a spokesperson for the base, Army Maj. Chris Belcher, the "Military Police receive few reports of alcohol or drug issues." The military has statistics on how many troops failed drug tests, but the best information on long-term addiction comes from the U.S. Veterans Administration. The VA is the world's largest provider of substance abuse services, caring for more than 350,000 veterans per year, of whom about 30,000 are being treated for opiate addiction. Only preliminary information for Iraq and Afghanistan is available, however, and veterans of those conflicts are not yet showing up in the stats. According to the VA's annual "Yellowbook" report on substance abuse, during Fiscal Year 2006, fewer than 9,000 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) sought treatment for substance abuse of all kinds at the VA; the report did not specify how many were treated for opiate abuse. 
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Tales of Afghanistan aim to help students heal
Written by Canadians, the series contains lessons about post-traumatic stress disorder, ethnic tolerance and dispute resolution
JILL MAHONEY EDUCATION REPORTER August 7, 2007
Article Link

The book begins with Jameela waiting in the garden for her little brother to return from school. Life at home has not been happy since "that bad day" when her uncle died and her father lost part of his leg in a land mine explosion. 

The story of 10-year-old Jameela and her family is the story of Afghanistan's children. In the course of a year or so, the farming clan is devastated by the land mine, their village is bombed and they flee to a displaced person's camp before finally returning home. 

A Journey of Peace, a 16-part series about the family's struggles to cope with the trauma of war, will soon be introduced to all Afghan students as part of a school-based healing and peace-building program. The series was developed, written and illustrated half a world away in Hamilton, by a group of mental-health experts, peace activists and Afghan refugees. 

"We've never had stories this rich here," Susan Wardak, an adviser to Afghanistan's minister of education, said in an interview from Kabul. "It's really reflecting the Afghan reality; it's really meeting their needs." 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (9 Aug 2007)

ARTICLES FOUND AUGUST 9

British Criticize U.S. Air Attacks in Afghan Region
_NY Times_, Aug. 9, by Carlotta Gall
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/09casualties.html



> SANGIN, Afghanistan — A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said in recent weeks that he had asked that American Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people.
> 
> Other British officers here in Helmand Province, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticized American Special Forces for causing most of the civilian deaths and injuries in their area. They also expressed concerns that the Americans’ extensive use of air power was turning the people against the foreign presence as British forces were trying to solidify recent gains against the Taliban.
> 
> ...


----------



## GAP (13 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 13, 2007*

Five Canadian soldiers injured in Afghanistan
Andrew Mayeda CanWest News Service Saturday, August 11, 2007
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Five Canadian soldiers were injured early Sunday after their supply convoy was ambushed by Taliban insurgents. 

The soldiers were travelling in an RG-31 Nyala armoured vehicle as part of a convoy that was supplying a Canadian forward operating base in Masum Ghar, southwest of Kandahar City.

On their way back from Masum Ghar, the vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device planted along the road. The convoy then came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades. 

None of the soldiers was critically injured in the blast. They were evacuated to Kandahar Airfield, NATO's military base in southern Afghanistan, for treatment. In line with military policy, their names were not released.

All but one of the soldiers were part of the battle group led by Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, commonly known as the Van Doos. However, it was not immediately clear if the soldiers are based in Quebec.

Military officials would not say whether the IED was remotely detonated or "pressure plated." The military is still investigating the nature of the bomb.

The attack came only hours after a top Canadian military commander touted the progress Canada has made in securing the province against insurgents.

"The security situation has improved immensely over the last year," Lt.-Col. Rob Walker said Saturday as his regiment handed over command of Canada's battle group to the Van Doos.

Walker said traffic along the roads around Kandahar City had increased and commerce had picked up. 
"The bad news for the Taliban is they have been defeated time and time again on the battlefield. They are having less and less influence on the population of Kandahar province."
More on link

How The 'Good War' In Afghanistan Went Bad   
2007-08-11 14:12:47 (2 days ago) Posted By: Intellpuke 
Article Link

    
A year after the Taliban fell to an American-led coalition, a group of NATO ambassadors landed in Kabul, Afghanistan, to survey what appeared to be a triumph - a fresh start for a country ripped apart by years of war with the Soviets and brutal repression by religious extremists.

With a senior American diplomat, R. Nicholas Burns, leading the way, they thundered around the country in Black Hawk helicopters, with little fear for their safety. They strolled quiet streets in Kandahar and sipped tea with tribal leaders. At a briefing from the United States Central Command, they were told that the Taliban were now a â€œspent forceâ€.

â€œSome of us were saying, â€˜Not so fastâ€™,â€ Burns, now the under secretary of state for political affairs, recalled. â€œA number of us assumed that the Taliban was too enmeshed in Afghan society to just disappear as a political and military force.â€ 
More on link

Australian troops under renewed Taliban attack
Tom Hyland August 12, 2007
Article Link

AUSTRALIAN reconstruction troops in Afghanistan have come under heavy attack twice in recent days in sustained and co-ordinated assaults forming their toughest challenge yet from Taliban fighters.

Until now, the reconstruction troops — unlike Australian special forces — have not been involved in intense combat.

No Australians were injured in the attacks, but a number of Taliban fighters were killed, their forces repelled with the support of armoured vehicles and helicopter gunships.

The attacks, on Wednesday and Friday, show the Taliban can operate close to the Australians, can launch co-ordinated attacks from multiple positions — and are willing to stand and fight.

The first of the attacks prompted Prime Minister John Howard to acknowledge for the first time that Oruzgan province in south-central Afghanistan, where the Australians are based, is more dangerous than southern Iraq, where 500 Australian troops are serving.

The Australian Defence Force has released broad outlines of the two attacks, which took place in the same area in the vicinity of Tarin Kowt, the capital of Oruzgan.

Wednesday's attack targeted Reconstruction Task Force engineers carrying out "quick impact projects". Infantry protecting the engineers came under fire, and when an Australian armoured vehicle went to their aid, it was targeted by a volley of rocket-propelled grenades from an adjoining Taliban position.

The Australians then called in support from Dutch Apache attack helicopters.

ADF spokesman Brigadier Andrew Nikolic said the fighting, which he described as "close and intense", went on for two hours, involving several distinct engagements.

"Afghanistan remains a dangerous place," he told The Sunday Age.

"When they (the Taliban) hit, they hit pretty hard. They didn't just hit and leave."
More on link


British soldier killed in attack on base in southern Afghanistan
The Associated PressPublished: August 12, 2007
Article Link

LONDON: A British soldier was killed in an attack on a base in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday. Five other soldiers were lightly injured in the attack.

The soldier, from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, was fatally injured when a British patrol base in the Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan came under small arms fire Saturday afternoon, the ministry said in a statement. The soldier was ferried to a military hospital by helicopter but died.
More on link

Coalition base in Afghanistan attacked twice in one day
August 11, 2007  
Article Link

CNN) -- Taliban militants attacked a coalition military base in southern Afghanistan for the second time Saturday and the third time this week, the U.S.-led coalition said.

It warned the ambushes could "possibly be a rehearsal for a much bigger attack, possibly an attempt to completely overrun the post."

Afghan and coalition soldiers at Firebase Anaconda in Uruzgan province fought off the attackers Saturday. Several Taliban militants were killed, and two insurgents were wounded and taken into custody.

Earlier, another attack at the base led to fighting that killed four militants.

On Tuesday, 75 fighters ambushed the same outpost from three directions. Almost a third of them were killed when troops and U.S. warplanes repelled the attack. Along with U.S.-led coalition forces, there is a large Dutch troop presence in Uruzgan. 
More on link

Report: Afghan, Taliban battling
Taliban militants attacked a coalition military base in southern Afghanistan for the second time Saturday and the third time this week, the U.S.-led coalition said.
Article Link

Coalition Service Members search for IED material and Taliban members in Margah village in Afghanistan in a recent operation.

 It warned the ambushes could "possibly be a rehearsal for a much bigger attack, possibly an attempt to completely overrun the post."

Afghan and coalition soldiers at Firebase Anaconda in Uruzgan province fought off the attackers Saturday. Several Taliban militants were killed, and two insurgents were wounded and taken into custody.

Earlier, another attack at the base led to fighting that killed four militants.

On Tuesday, 75 fighters ambushed the same outpost from three directions. Almost a third of them were killed when troops and U.S. warplanes repelled the attack. Along with U.S.-led coalition forces, there is a large Dutch troop presence in Uruzgan. 
More on link

More Articles available here
MILNEWS.ca

CANinKandahar


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## GAP (14 Aug 2007)

1st Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan 
The Associated Press Tuesday, August 14, 2007 
Article Link

WARSAW, Poland: A Polish officer was killed during an attack on a military convoy in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, making him the first soldier from Poland to be killed in the Afghan mission, the defense minister said.

2nd Lt. Lukasz Kurowski, 28, was killed in an exchange of fire some 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of a base in the city of Gardez, Aleksander Szczyglo said on TVN24 television.

Kurowski was immediately taken to a hospital, but died on the way, Szczyglo said.

He is the first fatality among the 1,200 troops that Poland has stationed in Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission. In Iraq, Poland has reported the deaths of 21 soldiers.
end


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## MarkOttawa (14 Aug 2007)

STORIES FOUND AUG. 14

Afghanistan operation 'is a long-term commitment'
_The Independent_, Aug. 14
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2861734.ece



> The Defence Secretary, Des Browne, acknowledged yesterday that Afghanistan was a "long-term commitment" for Britain. He said he had "never underestimated the degree of difficulty we face" in the country, a very different position from the one taken by his predecessor, John Reid, who declared when he sent UK forces into Helmand at the beginning of last year that the mission would last three years and might end "without a shot being fired in anger".
> 
> Now, two million rounds of ammunition and dozens of casualities later, no one in the British military and diplomatic circles believes that Afghanistan is going to be anything but a very long haul. The international community, with the UK playing a central role, we are told, can expect to be in the country from anything between 10 and 30 years.
> 
> Mr Browne was speaking after the latest death of a member of the British forces, the second to be killed in two days. This brings the total number of British deaths to 70 since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. This most recent casualty, a soldier from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment, died after his base, north-east of Sangin, came under fire. Five others were injured...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (15 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 15, 2007*

Three Germans killed in Afghanistan    
Article Link

 Three Germans travelling in a diplomatic convoy have been killed and one wounded in a roadside bomb blast near Kabul, the Afghan capital. 

Zalmay Khan, a deputy police chief, said that three German soldiers were killed in the attack, but the German defence ministry has denied that the casualties were soldiers. 

The blast that hit the convoy turned one of the two vehicles in the convoy onto its side. 

The group was travelling on a road about 10km southeast of Kabul.
  
Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was aware of an explosion near a military base but did not know how many casualties there were. 

Isaf also said the blast was caused by a land mine.

Amir Mohammad, a police officer, said it was not clear if the mine was recently planted or if it was an old one.
More on link

Harper bolsters front line
PM makes move to tackle Afghan war controversy
Juliet O'Neill, The Ottawa Citizen; with files from The Montreal Gazette Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Article Link

Embattled Gordon O'Connor was demoted yesterday and replaced as defence minister by Peter MacKay, the former foreign affairs minister, in a cabinet shuffle aimed in part at bracing the government for months of controversy over Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also bolstered the Quebec profile on his front bench by reassigning Maxime Bernier, an ambitious Quebec MP, from the industry portfolio to foreign affairs. Josée Verner, the international co-operation minister, was elevated to heritage.

Opposition parties immediately accused Mr. Harper of merely changing the faces on the front bench of his minority Conservative government. They condemned the shuffle as meaningless, foreshadowing further dispute over the government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan and the timing of Canada's withdrawal.
More on link

Lawyers critical to Afghanistan, CBA hears
KIRK MAKIN From Wednesday's Globe and Mail August 15, 2007 at 4:22 AM EDT
Article Link

CALGARY — They haggle with Afghan families to compensate the deaths of innocent relatives, they vet military plans to assess their legality, and they ensure that every soldier's will is properly witnessed.

They are lawyers - vital cogs and unsung heroes of the Afghan military effort, without whom very little could take place, a top Canadian military figure told a Canadian Bar Association convention yesterday.

"The lawyer is an indisputable part of the military operation in Afghanistan," said Brigadier-General David Fraser, commander of the multinational Afghanistan Task Force in 2006. "I've been in a lot of operations, but I never needed lawyers more than I did there.

"When I get up at 2 a.m., my lawyers get up at 2 a.m.," he said. "They are involved in all our meetings. ... They provide advice, even if it is not what the commander wants to hear. And it takes real moral courage for a lawyer to stand up and say: 'Boss, I don't know about this.' "

Brig.-Gen. Fraser said that the "stable" of lawyers who worked under him generally specialized in either international law, Canadian law, Afghan law or United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Some of the most critical advice they provided involved whether a sensitive target - such as a mosque that is being used by insurgents - can be considered a "valid military target," he said.

One of the most stressful inevitabilities of warfare is that innocent lives are sometimes taken or that possessions are destroyed in an effort to root out insurgents, he said.

"Here is where we are different from the Taliban," Brig.-Gen Fraser said. "The Taliban doesn't give a rat's ass. ... But we have to do something for the families to right a wrong."
More on link

O'Connor a controversial target through his tenure  
Updated Tue. Aug. 14 2007 4:02 PM ET Canadian Press
Article Link

Gordon O'Connor was a target from the day he was sworn in as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first defence minister in February 2006. 

O'Connor was demoted Tuesday to become the new minister of national revenue, after months of attack from the opposition. 

His background as a defence lobbyist; rumours of personality clashes with his senior soldier, Gen. Rick Hillier; mixed messages about Afghanistan; and his stiff, terse speaking style helped make him an easy mark for opposition snipers. 

But the problems of O'Connor's tenure went beyond image, said David Bercuson, military historian and director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. 

The complaints about O'Connor's earlier career as a lobbyist for military complaints were "a red herring,'' he said. 

"That was a chink the opposition went after.'' 

The real problem was where the military file fit with Tory policy. Harper made a number of promises on the hustings, but Defence wasn't among his much-touted priorities. 

"When the Conservatives got in, the message about what the military was supposed to be doing was not especially clear,'' Bercuson said. 

There was a disconnect between what the government wanted the military to do and what it was willing to pay for, he said. The first Tory budget offered more money for the Canadian Forces, but the commitment was down the road, not up front. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (15 Aug 2007)

Fight Less, Win More
_Washington Post_, Aug. 12
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/09/AR2007080900667.html



> ...one of my many gratifying moments at the academy came at the start of a class on targeting. I told the students to list the top three targets they would aim for if they were leading forces in Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. When I asked a U.S. officer to share his list, he rattled off the names of three senior Taliban leaders to be captured or killed. Then I turned and asked an Afghan officer the same question. "First we must target the local councils to see how we can best help them," he replied. "Then we must target the local mullahs to find out their needs and let them know we respect their authority." Exactly. In counterinsurgency warfare, targeting is more about whom you bring in than whom you take out...
> 
> On the last afternoon of the course, I asked my students to define victory in Afghanistan. We'd talked about this earlier in the week, and most of their answers had focused on militarily defeating the Taliban or killing Osama bin Laden. Now the Afghan officers took the lead in a spirited discussion with their U.S. and NATO classmates. Finally the group agreed on a unanimous result, which neatly expresses the prize we're striving for: "Victory is achieved when the people of Afghanistan consent to the legitimacy of their government and stop actively and passively supporting the insurgency."..



On the Road to Jalalabad
Don't believe the naysayers. Afghanistan is doing as well as anyone has a right to expect. 
WSJ, Aug. 13
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010464



> Once in Kabul I bought a new SIM card for my mobile phone and found that what would have cost me $40 a few years ago and $9 in September last year now cost only $3. Not surprisingly, mobile phones have spread to a broad section of Afghanistan's 24 million people, with the two major providers, AWCC and Roshan, claiming a total of three million subscribers, up from two million in September last year. Amin Ramin, managing director of AWCC, estimates that his company alone will count two million subscribers by the end of 2007 and three million by the end of 2008.
> 
> I spotted similarly hopeful trends in three heavily Pashtun provinces--Nangarhar, Laghman and Khost--in eastern Afghanistan.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (16 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 16, 2007*

Afghan, Coalition Forces Repel Two Ambush Attacks
American Forces Press Service
Article Link

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2007 – Afghan National Army and police forces supported by coalition forces defeated two separate Taliban ambushes yesterday and today in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, military officials reported. 
The first ambush began yesterday afternoon northwest of the Sangin District Center. A combined force led by an element of Afghan National Auxiliary Police advised by coalition forces was on a combat patrol near the village of Regay when insurgents attacked from multiple compounds and trenches using small-arms fire, mortars and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers. 

The Afghan police-led force repelled the attempted ambush with small-arms fire and artillery. When the insurgents reinforced their fighting positions, the Afghan police requested coalition close-air support, and coalition aircraft performed precision air strikes on the insurgents. 

Two insurgents were wounded, and four were killed in the engagement. 

“The (Afghan national security forces) are defeating the extremist fighters in the Helmand River area because (they) are trained and cohesive warriors who have become seasoned and skilled defenders of their country,” said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokeswoman. “Credible intelligence suggests the Taliban will continue their attempt to maintain a strong presence in the region as part of a self-destructive effort to block forces supporting the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan who are clearing the insurgents from the Musa Qala area.” 
More on link

Army Engineers Work to Connect Afghanistan One Road at a Time
By Sgt. David E. Roscoe, USA
Article Link

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2007 – U.S. Army engineers in Afghanistan are doing their part to restore security and the country’s economy by building roads, bridges and levees to connect Afghanistan’s people. 

 Afghanistan’s rugged terrain and mountainous landscape isolates most of the population from the country’s major cities and industrial area. Lack of funding, harsh seasonal weather and flash floods have made it almost impossible to maintain a lasting road system within the country. Only about 35,000 kilometers of roads connect the country’s economic centers. This explains why one of the main goals for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other engineer units is to build and repair an efficient road system in Afghanistan. 

However, major concerns arise for soldiers constructing roads in a combat environment. Improvised explosive devices, car bombs and ambushes are a constant threat to soldiers working on roads. 

“Our company has been attacked by one IED and one (car bomb), found three IEDs, and been ambushed three times while conducting road-construction missions in Afghanistan,” Army Capt. Nicholas O. Melin, commander of Company B, 864th Engineer Combat Battalion, said. “The motivating thing about all this is that our soldiers are not allowing these obstacles to stop them, and they have maintained their good spirits in the face of danger.” 
More on link

MacKay plays defence
By Paul Berton
  Article Link

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says it's business as usual despite this week's cabinet shuffle, but clearly it is not. 

Replacing Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor with Peter MacKay from foreign affairs is an acknowledgement, finally, that Canada's role in Afghanistan needs to be better communicated to the Canadian people. 

But Harper knows better communication alone, however helpful, will not do the job. Canadians need a broader debate about our continuing role and objectives in Afghanistan. 

The original goal of defeating the Taliban was long ago squandered when the United States opened a second front in Iraq. It's too late now to expect anything so definitive anytime soon. 

Reducing casualties is also worthy, but that too, is a challenge indeed as long as Canada remains in the Kandahar region, which it will be until at least 2009. 

Harper has said he will not extend that without support from all parties, and a Commons vote on the question may come as early as next spring. 
More on link

Afghan empire's last symbols under threat
Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:39AM EDT By Sayed Salahuddin
Article Link

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - For more than eight centuries the "Towers of Victory" -- monuments to Afghanistan's greatest empire -- have survived wars and invasions, but now weather and neglect could cause them to come crashing down.

From its base in the Afghan city of Ghazni, the dynasty of Sultan Mahmoud Ghaznavi extended its rule to stretch from the River Tigris in modern day Iraq to the River Ganges in India.

The two toffee-colored minarets, adorned with terra-cotta tiles were raised in the early 12th century as monuments to the victories of the Afghan armies that built the empire.

Since then, Afghanistan has more often been victim of invasion than the perpetrator of them.

The upper portions of the Towers of Victory have eroded away over time, so now only the bases remain -- though they still stand at around 7 meters (24 feet) tall.

"If attention is not paid, there is the possibility they will be destroyed," said Aqa Mohammad Khoshazada, a senior official with Ghazni's culture and information department. "Floods and rain in spring and snow in winter all end up around the minarets."

Ghazni is regarded as the cradle of Afghan culture and arts and during his rule Mahmoud had attracted 400 scholars and poets to his court. But the sultan was also an iconoclast who destroyed hundreds of Hindu statues during campaigns to introduce Islam into India.

NO RESOURCES

Mahmoud died in 1030. His son, Sultan Masud, built one of the minarets. The other was erected by another successor.

The Ghaznavis' rule lasted for more than two centuries.

The city was then razed to the ground by Allauddin Ghori from central Afghanistan, who earned the nickname of "World Burner" for the massacre of Ghazni's people in an orgy of destruction and looting.

The city flourished again, only to be destroyed again by a son of Ghenghiz Khan in 1221. But the minarets survived.

Ghazni changed hands between British and Afghan forces several times in the 19th century suffering more sieges and massacres. More fighting during the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, followed by the civil war of the 1990s, also left their mark on Ghazni.

Ghazni's Towers of Victory stand several hundred meters away from each other and lie at the bottom of a hill.
More on link

U.S.-led forces pound Tora Bora
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) -- U.S. and Afghan air and ground forces pounded al Qaeda militants for a second day on Thursday in the Tora Bora mountains close to the Pakistan border where Osama bin Laden once fled in the wake of the 2001 invasion.

The steep slopes of the mountains are riddled with cave and tunnel complexes built by Afghan and Arab fighters during the 1980s struggle against the Soviet occupation and provide an ideal hideout for guerrilla fighters.

"It is a joint operation conducted by Afghan and U.S. forces, divided by ground and air assets," said Captain Vanessa Bowman, spokeswoman for U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.

"Afghan and U.S. forces engaged al Qaeda and other violent extremist fighters in the eastern Afghanistan region in Tora Bora," she said, adding that the operation began on Wednesday.

Pakistan has deployed a "limited number" of regular army troops in Kurram tribal region in its side of the Tora Bora range, a security official said.

"It has been done over the past three days and it was done in coordination with allied forces in Afghanistan," he said. "We have made all arrangements to block any infiltration of militants from the other side. So far there has been no attempt of any infiltration."

Afghan media quoted local government officials as saying some 50 militants had been killed in the fighting.

Local residents said dozens of families have fled the area and three villages had been bombed by U.S. and Afghan forces and up to 30 civilians had been killed in the fighting.

The U.S. military said it had no substantiated reports of any civilian casualties.

"We are not targeting any villages and the operation are specifically being conducting away from populated areas," a U.S. spokesman said.

It was not possible to independently verify any casualties.

Aid organization had suspended projects in the Tora Bora region, said a Western security official in the city of Jalalabad, some 50 km (30 miles) north of the mountains.

"We see a lot of air activity going towards that region, it looks like it's quite intense today," he said.
More on link

More Articles available here
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CANinKandahar


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## MarkOttawa (16 Aug 2007)

Further to this story above, Afghan empire's last symbols under threat, the Ghaznavids actually were ethnically Turks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghaznavid_Empire
http://faculty.oxy.edu/richmond/csp8/central_asia_to_1600.htm

Mark
Ottawa


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## Edward Campbell (17 Aug 2007)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070817.wblatchford17/BNStory/International/home
'We have trusted these guys with our lives'

CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD 

From Friday's Globe and Mail
August 17, 2007 at 3:02 AM EDT

KANDAHAR — So much of what Canada's small team of soldier mentors does with the Afghan National Army is so hard to measure, if not invisible to the naked eye, that it's a little like being a parent, says outgoing commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Eyre.

"It's like watching your kids grow," he says. "It's hard when you're right in there. You've got to take a step back."

So three or four weeks ago, as the end of the six-month tour of the 90-member OMLT (Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team) approached, Lt.-Col. Eyre and his soldiers did the equivalent of what moms and dads do when they look to marks in the kitchen doorway to get a handle on how much their children have sprouted - they looked for milestones.

There are plenty.

When this rotation of the OMLT arrived last February, it was mentoring less than 20 per cent of soldiers from the ANA's 205 (or Hero) Brigade; as Lt.-Col. Eyre's group departed southern Afghanistan this week, it was mentoring more than 80 per cent. In February, the 2nd Kandak (or battalion) was using its medical platoon to man a checkpoint, with medics still being regularly pressed into service as extra riflemen; now, medics are treating wounded. In February, ANA soldiers were still scrounging for equipment and supplies wherever they could, as they had learned to do; now, they get them through the ANA's own logistics kandak.

But more important, Lt.-Col. Eyre says, is that at the kandak level - the 2nd Kandak, which operates in the volatile Zhari-Panwaii area just west of Kandahar city, is the battalion with which the OMLT has worked most closely - ANA commanders are planning operations.

"Up to that point," Lt.-Col. Eyre says, "it was all coalition-led [the International Security Assistance Force, commanded in the south by multinational NATO forces]. The battle group would say, 'We think we need an operation here, we'd like you to participate.'... Now, they're [the ANA] at the stage where their kandak commander would say, 'We think we need to go into this area and this is what I'd like to do, and this is what I need the battle group to provide me, whether a quick reaction force or artillery.' "

It's called building capacity, and it's not just the focus of Canadian efforts here, it's also the only way, Lt.-Col. Eyre believes, for the ANA and ultimately for Afghanistan to succeed.

"We're teaching them to function on their own," he says. "We've been very, very careful not to build a mirror image of ourselves. It would be well within our comfort zone to create an army in our own image, but we've got to create something that's going to last after we depart. And we have to leave some time."

Afghanistan history teaches that "every foreign army is eventually seen as [an] occupying force, so the longer we have a big footprint here, the more chances, we're going to have that."

Key to the collaborative planning, Lt.-Col. Eyre says, is trust. "We bring them into the planning process early - these guys have been fighting here for decades, they know the ground - and not everybody is comfortable with that because there's the operational security issue." What he means, of course, is the fear that plans will be leaked to Taliban forces, putting Canadian and coalition soldiers into jeopardy.

"But you have to take a risk with that," he says, "and balance the risk with the long-term development goals, and taking that risk, you also show trust, which goes a long way toward rapport."

Lt.-Col. Eyre took it, and says flatly at no time was his faith misplaced; rather the opposite.

"We have trusted these guys with our lives," he says, "and the only reason a good portion of my team is alive is because the ANA kept them alive.

"We're out there in a forward operating base, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Taliban, a small team of coalition mentors and an ANA company - they keep us alive."

The OMLT lost only one soldier, Corporal Matthew McCully, and another wounded, Sergeant Steve Powell, both of whom were hit in an IED strike in May.

Lt.-Col. Eyre learned of the bombing as he was at London's Heathrow Airport, awaiting a flight to the Caribbean to begin leave with his wife Jennifer and their two youngsters.

He'd told his deputy to call him only in the event of casualties, and was 20 minutes away from boarding the plane when he got a page; he tried calling, but couldn't get through, and spent the nine-hour flight worrying.

But as a member of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Lt.-Col. Eyre also knew many of the seven Patricias killed from the battle group, which in total lost 22 troops. The ANA's 205 Brigade lost 12 soldiers, the 2nd Kandak three.

As soon as his team took over headquarters, Lt.-Col. Eyre became the mentor first for Brigadier-General Khair Mohammad, then for his successor, Colonel Abdul Basir. His personal experience has taught him that mentoring isn't a one-way road: He learned as much as he taught.

"First," he says, "that there are far more ways of doing things than we are trained [to recognize]. You have to accept that they will come up with solutions that are imperfect in our eyes but our eyes may not have a perfect solution.

"Patience is incredibly important. You relearn that every day. I told the guys before we came over, if you're a perfectionist you're gonna have a nervous breakdown, so you may as well pack your bags and go home or not even come over."

He divided his time between visiting his men in the field, some of whom lived and worked with the ANA for all but a week of their tour, and the 205's base near Kandahar Air Field.

This week, at a handover ceremony to the new larger version of the OMLT, headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphane Lafaut of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, or Van Doos, Col. Basir was in the audience to hear Lt.-Col. Eyre describe Afghans as "some of the most natural warriors in the world" and Lt.-Col. Eyre to hear Col. Basir promise that "we will never forget" the Canadians who died here. "Their names will be written in the pages of the history books of Afghanistan in golden ink."

The two exchanged gifts. Lt.-Col. Eyre's was a picture of Col. Basir addressing his soldiers.

It exemplified what Lt.-Col. Eyre loves about him. "Every time that he talks to soldiers," he says, "he talks about professionalism, about keeping the local population onside, about the importance of discipline, about pride in their country and in their army, of national unity."

The colonel's four-man team of bodyguards, for instance, includes a Pashtun, a Tajik, an Uzbek and a Hazara, one each from the country's dominant tribes.

"The ANA is the most successful institution of national unity this country has seen for a long, long time," Lt.-Col. Eyre says - again, not unlike his own unit, drawn from all three regular Canadian infantry regiments (the Patricias, the Royal Canadian Regiment and the Vandoos), French and English, and from across the country.

_cblatchford@globeandmail.com_


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## The Bread Guy (19 Aug 2007)

*Name of Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan released*
News release, CEFCOM NR–07.033, 19 Aug 07
Article link

OTTAWA – The identity of the Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan today is as follows:

    * Private Simon Longtin of the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Quebec.

Pte Longtin succumbed to his injuries after his LAV III struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) roughly 1:41 am Kandahar time, approximately 20 kms West of Kandahar City. At the time of the incident, the Canadian convoy was returning from a Forward Operating Base following a re-supply mission from Kandahar Airfield.

-30-

*Canadian soldier killed in southern Afghanistan*
CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD, Globe and Mail, August 19, 2007 at 10:52 AM EDT
Article link

MA’SUM GHAR, Afghanistan — Quebec's proud infantry regiment has begun a grim initiation into the cycle of death and grief already achingly familiar to other units from across Canada.  Simon Longtin, a private with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, the Royal 22nd Regiment or Van Doos as the troops are known, died last evening after his convoy, completing a routine re-supply run, struck an Improvised Explosive Device only five kilometers from the safety of a forward operating base.  Pte. Longtin, who hailed from the Montreal area, was the driver of a 2 Platoon Light Armored Vehicle, or LAV, and was simply unlucky, Charlie Company's officer commanding, Major Patrick Robichaud, said sorrowfully this morning.  All the other soldiers in the vehicle were unhurt, "not even a bump," he said.  The convoy was traveling from the sprawling coalition base at Kandahar Air Field back to the smaller base at Ma'sum Ghar, where most of Charlie Company is stationed. The soldier was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital at the big air field, but was pronounced dead on arrival.  The base sits smack in the midst of the Arghendab River valley in the Panjwaii district where so much Canadian blood has been spilled over the past two summers ....



*Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan near Kandahar; first Van Doo to die*
MARTIN OUELLET, Canadian Press, 19 AUg 07
Article link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Another Canadian soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan - the 67th since the military mission began in 2002.  Pte. Simon Longtin, 23, of Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's south shore, was killed early today when his light armoured vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb at 1:40 a.m. local time.  Longtin, a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment - the Van Doos - was in a convoy on escort duty when the bomb detonated west of Kandahar city, five kilometres east of the volatile village of Masum Ghar.  Col. Christian Juneau, deputy commander of the Canadian joint task force, said was evacuated by helicopter from the scene of the attack but was dead on arrival at the military hospital in Kandahar.  "It's almost like losing a brother," Juneau said. "We're a big family here, brothers in arms, and it's not just a statement that we take lightly in the military. So it really touches every one of us pretty deeply. But we'll mourn, we'll pay respects to the family and our fallen comrade and we'll carry on with the mission."....



*Private Simon Longtin first Van Doo killed in Afghanistan*
Andrew Mayeda , CanWest News Service, August 19, 2007
Article link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A Canadian soldier was killed early Sunday by a roadside bomb, becoming the first member of Quebec's storied Van Doos regiment to die while serving in Afghanistan.  The solider has been identified as Pte. Simon Longtin. Pte Longtin was a member of 3e Bataillon du Royal 22e Regiment, based out of Valcartier, Que.  Pte. Longtin was travelling in a LAV-III armoured vehicle as part of a supply convoy when it struck an improvised explosive device at 1:41 a.m. local time.  Private Simon Longtin of the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Rgiment, based out of Valcartier, Quebec succumbed to his injuries after his LAV III struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) roughly 1:41 a.m. Kandahar time, approximately 20 kms West of Kandahar City. At the time of the incident, the Canadian convoy was returning from a Forward Operating Base following a re-supply mission from Kandahar Airfield.  "There is no way to comfort those who are grieving today, except to say this soldier was an exceptional Canadian who deserved the gratitude and respect of his nation," said Col. Christian Juneau, Canada's deputy commander in Afghanistan.  Canadian Forces exchanged fire with Taliban insurgents after the blast -- 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City -- but no other Canadian soldiers were injured and no Taliban casualties could be confirmed.  The soldier was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital at Kandahar Airfield, but pronounced dead upon arrival ....



*Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan*
Reuters (UK), 19 Aug 2007
Article link

A Canadian soldier was killed on Sunday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb near the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar, the Canadian military said.  The statement from the Canadian Department of National Defence said the soldier had been traveling in a supply convoy when his armored vehicle hit the improvised bomb ....


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## MarkOttawa (19 Aug 2007)

UK troops 'stretched but winning'  
British troops are "stretched" but they are winning the tactical battle in Afghanistan, the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, has said.  
BBC, Aug. 19
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6953532.stm


> ...
> He said he had "pride and admiration" for all the young soldiers in the British army and said there was no other force that could be doing such a difficult task in the country.
> 
> "With the training we've got, the equipment we've got, and determination, and leadership, we're winning our tactical engagements," he said.
> ...



Retreat & redeploy: The case for withdrawing from Iraq and taking the fight to the Taliban  
_Independent on Sunday_, Aug. 19
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2876549.ece


> ...
> Last week Major General Graham Binns took over as commander of the multinational force in south-east Iraq for another torrid six months. But this was not how the script was intended to run. His predecessor, Major General Jonathan Shaw, was supposed to be the last general to hold the post, because it was expected that during his tour he would hand over security in Basra city and province to the 10th Division of the Iraqi Army, and pave the way for full political control by the Iraqi provincial council.
> 
> Instead, the fighting in Basra this summer has been more intense than at any time since the allied invasion in 2003. Already 41 British servicemen and women have been killed this year, more than in any other year since 2003. If losses were to continue at the present rate, they might exceed the 53 suffered four years ago, when some 45,000 British troops took part in a full-scale war. The question now is: are British soldiers dying needlessly in southern Iraq?..
> ...



'It's bleak and ferocious, but is it still winnable?'
The Observer, Aug. 19
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,,2151830,00.html



> As usual, the conversation turned towards the same simple question. 'Do you think it is winnable?', the British commanders, officers and soldiers of Helmand would ask. It was a tough call. Talk would then veer towards the intractability of fighting, the miasma of tribal politics, terrorism and the deaths of British men.
> The obstacles were piled high. Progress, by comparison, seemed stunted. Few who asked seemed sure of success. Some sensed it was possible, others wondered at what cost. One officer simply exhaled sharply and gazed at his desert combat boots...
> 
> Such discussions, often conducted against the soundtrack of fighting, would unfailingly find agreement on one topic: more young adults from Britain would die here. The nagging dread that they might perish in vain was palpable.
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## The Bread Guy (19 Aug 2007)

Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on the death of Private Simon Longtin, August 19, 2007

“It was with great sadness that my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I learned of the death in Afghanistan of Private Simon Longtin of the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment.  He was fatally wounded by an explosive device, similar to the indiscriminant weapons that have threatened the civilian population as much as the NATO military forces and those delivering humanitarian aid.  Private Longtin wore the uniform with pride and he was convinced of the necessity of supporting the Afghan population whose most profound aspiration is to live a life of peace and total security.   Our thoughts are with his family and those closest to him, as well as his comrades still serving in that country, for whom this loss is immense. Today, all Canadians join together with them to grieve.”

Michaëlle Jean

- 30 -


STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE DEATH OF PRIVATE SIMON LONGTIN, 19 August 2007

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today on the death of Private Simon Longtin:  “It is with deep sorrow that I extend my condolences, on behalf of all Canadians, to the family and friends of Private Simon Longtin, who was killed in Afghanistan.  Private Longtin displayed resolve and courage in serving his country, his family and friends can be proud of him because he was playing a very important role in a very challenging environment. He will be sorely missed by the Canadian Forces family.  
In marking the 65th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, we pay tribute to the soldiers of our past. The sacrifices of soldiers like Private Longtin carry on this legacy today, helping to bring stability and peace to parts of the world plagued by turmoil and upheaval.”



Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the death of Private Simon Longtin, NR–07.076 - August 19, 2007

The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, issued the following statement today on the death of Private Simon Longtin:  "Private Simon Longtin, a professional, dedicated Canadian soldier, made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan.  My deepest condolences go out to his family, comrades and friends, as we all mourn this loss.  Private Longtin was an exceptional Canadian who deserves the gratitude and respect of his nation.  He served valiantly, and represents Canadian values and traditions in the finest sense.  Our mission in Afghanistan is noble and in our national interest, and we will forever honour our troops who put themselves on the line to defend those interests and make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

-30-


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## GAP (20 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 20, 2007*

Abducted German Woman Freed In Afghanistan  
 Before her rescue, Christina Meier gave a statement in a video released by her captors 
(AFP) August 20, 2007 (RFE/RL)
Article Link

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says a female German aid worker who was abducted by gunmen in Kabul has been freed in a rescue operation.

The German Foreign Ministry said the woman, 31-year-old Christina Meier, had been taken to the German Embassy in Afghanistan.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemari Bashari, today told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that Afghan national police and national security forces freed Meier in a joint operation on August 19 in the seventh district of Kabul. 

"Afghan national police and national security forces succeeded in a joint operation to release this [German] woman in [Kabul's western] seventh district area," Bashari said. "And regarding the case, a group of suspected people has been also arrested and the investigation is continuing."

Police are still searching for possible accomplices. 

Gang Crime

Bashari said the kidnappers are thought to be members of a criminal gang rather than Taliban militants.

"The preliminary reports suggest that she was kidnapped by a criminal group who took her as a hostage for their own goals," Bashari said. "It is thought that the group kidnapped her to obtain [ransom] money."
More on link

Head of British Army says troops in Afghanistan "stretched" but winning  
The Associated Press Sunday, August 19, 2007 
Article Link

LONDON: British troops in Afghanistan are stretched but are winning the tactical battle against the Taliban, the head of the British Army said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

During a visit to Afghanistan, Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt told British Broadcasting Corp. television that due to simultaneous operations in southern Afghanistan and Iraq soldiers were being deployed more often than he would like.

"The Army is certainly stretched," said Dannatt, adding that a maximum number of battle groups are now in service.
More on link

Taliban show new media savvy in Afghanistan  
Agence France-Presse Last updated 10:46am (Mla time) 08/19/2007
Article Link

KABUL--When two Taliban addressed journalists outside the venue of talks to free South Korean hostages last week, it was effectively the militia's first press conference in Afghanistan five years.

The images shot around the world, showing members of an extremist group hunted by the US military standing on an Afghan street talking to journalists.

Officials in Ghazni were so angry they later banned photographers and reporters from leaving their hotels, threatening them with detention.

Even without this brazen display, the militia has been able to command headlines with a sophisticated media campaign that some suspect is crafted by Al-Qaeda media experts.

Recent hostage dramas have provided fertile ground for the Taliban to deploy their press campaign.

For instance, videos of miserable-looking South Korean hostages and a separate German captive were released to international television networks.
More on link

Germany considers increasing troops in Afghanistan: deputy FM
August 18, 2007 
Article Link

The German government is considering whether to send more troops to Afghanistan after three German police officers were killed this week in a bomb attack near the Afghan capital Kabul, an official said Friday.

German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler told the Berliner Zeitung daily that the government "is considering whether to increase the number of troops deployed in Afghanistan."

The country currently has a 3,000-strong force in the relatively stable northern region of Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The mission is expected to come up for renewal by parliament in October.

Erler said that the government needs to know whether the current German troops could provide enough assistance for the training of the Afghanistan security forces or whether the training should expand from the north to the south.

"We need to signal a message that we will never give up Afghanistan to the Taliban," Erler said in reference to Wednesday's roadside bomb attack on a convoy of the German Embassy.

Early in the month, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for "extending our assistance in training and equipping the Afghan army" amid a debate following the abduction of two German engineers in Afghanistan on July 18.
More on link

Harper trumpets Afghan mission at Que. concert
Updated Sun. Aug. 19 2007 12:19 AM ET Canadian Press
Article Link

LEVIS, Que. -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued his campaign to drum up support for Canada's mission in Afghanistan at a concert on Saturday night near Quebec City.

"The situation of Canadians in Afghanistan is difficult and dangerous, but Quebecers can be proud of their soldiers,'' Harper said.

He made his comments at an annual concert of music and fireworks at the Levis Forts National Historic Site of Canada.

Harper lauded the Canadian military's humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, highlighting the construction of bridges, roads, schools and medical centres in the country.

The work of Canadians in Afghanistan has started to produce benefits, he said.

He said "Quebecers, in particular, can be very proud of the women and men of the Royal 22nd who are writing another glorious page in the history of this regiment.'' 

Six million Afghan children now have access to school and seven million were vaccinated for polio, he said.
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (20 Aug 2007)

Dion to PM: Tell Bush we're out of Afghanistan by February
_Ottawa Citizen_, Aug. 18
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=fe3bb2ac-76b8-416d-982b-4bcf57b0e8aa



> Prime Minster Stephen Harper should tell U.S. President George W. Bush during their planned meeting Monday that Canada's combat role in Afghanistan will definitely end early in 2009, Opposition leader Stéphane Dion said yesterday...
> 
> "Clarity is needed," Mr. Dion told a news conference, adding it is only fair to give Canada's NATO allies plenty of notice that it is ending its combat mission in southern Afghanistan in February 2009, so that a replacement force can be lined up.
> 
> Mr. Dion did not, however, rule out supporting a different, non-combat role in Afghanistan beyond that date. He said, for example, the military could continue to help train Afghan soldiers and "provide security in certain provinces."..



Le 22e perd un premier soldat en Afghanistan
_Le Devoir_, Aug. 20
http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/08/20/153962.html



> De son côté, le porte-parole du Parti libéral du Canada en matière de Défense, Denis Coderre, en a profité pour mettre de la pression sur le gouvernement Harper. Après avoir offert ses condoléances à la famille, il a indiqué espérer que le premier ministre profitera du sommet de Montebello pour informer le président américain du retrait du Canada d'Afghanistan en février 2009. Selon lui, le Canada a fait sa part pour la mission de l'OTAN en Afghanistan et il est normal que d'autres pays prennent la relève...



Leading article: The generals have spoken, Mr Brown  
_The Independent_, Aug. 19
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2876501.ece



> ...We did not and do not support the invasion of Iraq, flawed in its justification and calamitous in its outcome, but we did accept the need for intervention in Afghanistan to root out the Taliban which was harbouring al-Qa'ida.
> 
> Iraq and Afghanistan are two different fronts, two very different campaigns. In Afghanistan the presence of our troops is justified and useful...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (22 Aug 2007)

Two Canadian soldiers dead in Afghanistan
Globe and Mail Update August 22, 2007 at 6:19 PM EDT
Article Link

KABUL — Two Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were killed Wednesday in Afghanistan. Radio-Canada cameraman Charles Dubois suffered a serious leg injury, Radio-Canada reported. 

Lt. Col. Bridget Rose, a spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, ISAF said in a news release the incident “puts into context the very real dangers, difficulties and life threatening situations our ISAF troops, media and the interpreters who accompany them, encounter on a daily basis.”

“Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those who have died or been injured in this incident.”

The news release said that in accordance with policy, ISAF does not release the nationality of the casualties prior to the relevant national authority doing so.
More on link


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## The Bread Guy (22 Aug 2007)

*Two Canadian soldiers and Afghan Interpreter killed in Afghanistan*
News release CEFCOM NR–07.034, August 22, 2007
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=2428

OTTAWA - Two Canadian soldiers, and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 6:19 p.m. Kandahar time today when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected mine approximately 50 kms West of Kandahar City. One Canadian soldier and two Canadian journalists were also injured at the time of the explosion and have been evacuated by helicopter to the Multinational Hospital at Kandahar Airfield.

The incident occurred during Operation EAGLE EYE, a joint Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) and ISAF operation aimed at further stabilizing the District of Zharey. Members of the 3e Bataillon du Royal 22e Régiment and ANSF advanced to secure the western region of Zharey, where insurgents have been most active, to strengthen security conditions so that meetings can be held with local elders and authorities to support the delivery of reconstruction projects.

The names of the casualties are being withheld pending next of kin notification.

-30-

NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The identities and home units of the fallen will only be released when next-of-kin notification is complete, and in accordance with the family’s wishes.


*Deux militaires canadiens et un interprète afghan sont tués en Afghanistan*
Communiqué, CEFCOM NR–07.034, 22 août 2007
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_f.asp?id=2428

OTTAWA - Deux militaires canadiens et un interprète afghan ont trouvé la mort aujourd’hui, vers 18 h 19, heure de Kandahar, quand le véhicule blindé léger (VBL III) dans lequel ils prenaient place a heurté ce que l’on présume être une mine, à environ 50 km à l’ouest de Kandahar. Un militaire et deux journalistes canadiens ont également été blessés dans l’explosion. Ils ont été transportés par hélicoptère vers l’hôpital multinational, à l’aérodrome de Kandahar.

L’incident s’est produit pendant l’opération Eagle Eye, menée conjointement par les Forces de sécurité nationales afghanes (FSNA) et la FIAS dans le but de stabiliser davantage le district de Zharey. Les membres du 3e Bataillon du Royal 22e Régiment et des FSNA ont avancé en vue de sécuriser la région occidentale du district Zharey, où les rebelles se montraient les plus actifs. Cette opération avait pour objet de renforcer les conditions de sécurité de sorte que des rencontres puissent avoir lieu avec les aînés et les autorités du district pour permettre la réalisation des projets de reconstruction.

Les noms des morts et des blessés ne seront pas révélés pour l’instant, car les proches n’ont pas encore tous été avisés.

-30-

NOTE AUX RÉDACTEURS/DIRECTEURS DE NOUVELLES :

L’identité des disparus et les noms de leurs unités d’appartenance ne seront divulgués que lorsque tous les proches auront été avisés, et ce, si les familles donnent leur accord.



*STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ON THE DEATHS OF TWO CANADIAN SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN*
22 August 2007
http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=1801

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today on the deaths of two Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, and the wounding of one soldier and two members of the media:

"It is a very sad day as we learn of the deaths of two Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.  We are all proud of these exceptional Canadians and grateful for their sacrifices. I would like to extend, on behalf of the Government of Canada, our sympathies to the family and friends of these brave soldiers and the Afghan interpreter. I also wish a quick recovery to the Canadian soldier and two journalists injured in this incident.

These soldiers gave their life helping to bring stability and security to Afghanistan.

We will always remember them.”

Out of respect for the family's wishes, the names of the fallen soldiers are being withheld at this time.

*DÉCLARATION DU PREMIER MINISTRE STEPHEN HARPER À LA SUITE DU DÉCÈS DE DEUX SOLDATS CANADIENS EN AFGHANISTAN*
22 août 2007
http://www.pm.gc.ca/fra/media.asp?category=3&id=1801

Le Premier ministre Stephen Harper a publié la déclaration suivante à la suite du décès de deux soldats canadiens et d'un interprète afghan et des blessures infligées à un soldat et à deux journalistes :

« C’est avec tristesse que nous apprenons aujourd’hui le décès de deux soldats canadiens en Afghanistan. L’ensemble de la population canadienne est fière de ces compatriotes exceptionnels et reconnaissants des sacrifices qu’ils ont consentis. Au nom du Gouvernement du Canada, je tiens à offrir mes sympathies aux parents et amis de ces soldats pleins de bravoure et de l’interprète afghan. Je souhaite en outre un prompt rétablissement au soldat canadien et aux deux journalistes qui ont été blessés dans l’incident.

Ces soldats ont donné leur vie pour apporter la stabilité et la sécurité en Afghanistan.

Nous ne les oublierons jamais. »

Pour respecter la volonté des familles, le nom des soldats décédés ne sont pas divulgués.


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## GAP (23 Aug 2007)

Canadian reporter recounts deadly Afghan attack  
Updated Thu. Aug. 23 2007 11:53 AM ET Canadian Press
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A Radio-Canada reporter who survived a roadside bomb attack that killed two Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter said Thursday the horrific nature of the blast is hard to describe.

Patrice Roy, 44, told reporters at the Canadian base in Kandahar that he was writing his report inside the moving armoured vehicle just seconds before the explosion.

"It's a huge, huge blast. It's a scene that's difficult to imagine,'' said the Ottawa-based reporter, adding that a medic sitting next to him was one of the two soldiers who died.

"It's scene that it's difficult to imagine -- people were not panicking but it was so serious,'' he said.

"... We didn't know if other mines would be there and we had to walk (through suspect ground) to get the body'' he said.

The attack happened in the Zhari district about 50 kilometres west of Kandahar city on the first major combat operation for the Quebec-based Van Doos regiment in Afghanistan, codenamed Operation Eagle Eye.

Two Canadian soldiers were killed in the blast. Another Canadian soldier was wounded, along with Radio-Canada cameraman Charles Dubois, who had one of his legs amputated below the knee.

The dead soldiers were identified by the Defence Department as Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne of the 5th Field Ambulance unit, based in Valcartier, Que., and Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier of the Royal 22nd Regiment, also based in Valcartier.

Roy says the explosion happened shortly after a minesweeper had finished clearing a track on the road so the convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles could follow.

Roy himself was treated for shock and released. He said he will leave Afghanistan to accompany Dubois, 29, to a U.S. military hospital in Germany and will not return to the war-torn country.

"My mission was to come (to Afghanistan) with Charles and to leave with Charles,'' Roy said. "He needs care and I will leave with him. Beyond the journalistic mission, I have a moral commitment,'' he said of his decision to stay at his cameraman's side.

Roy says his family had questioned his decision to go to the war-torn country, where 69 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since 2002.

"It's difficult because, for them, it was the part of my mission that they underlined before the departure -- `Why are you going there? It's too dangerous,''' Roy said.

Shortly after the explosion Roy tried to reach his wife in Canada to let her know he was OK.

Recalling his unkept promises to his family that he would be safe and that he would not go to the front lines, Roy said he "felt terribly bad.''
More on link


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## The Bread Guy (24 Aug 2007)

*Fallen Quebec soldiers take long way home to Canada after sendoff in Kandahar*
MARTIN OUELLET, Canadian Press, 23 Aug 07
Article link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Arriving in light armoured vehicles similar to the ones in which they lost their lives, the bodies of two more fallen Canadian soldiers were given a solemn sendoff Thursday as they made their way home to Canada. The bodies of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the Royal 22nd Regiment and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance were placed in the belly of a C-120 Hercules transport plane for the long flight home to CFB Trenton, Ont ....


*SOLDIERS IN MOURNING - 'I LOST A BROTHER'*
Killed in afghanistan; Valcartier shaken by two deaths
MARIANNE WHITE & Andrew Mayeda, CanWest News Service, 24 Aug 07
Article link

They were both married and each had three children, who now don't have fathers.  Two soldiers who left Canadian Forces Base Valcartier only short weeks ago are on their way home today, way too early.  Master Cpl. Christian Du-chesne was born 34 years ago in Montreal and died Wednesday in Gundy Gar, Afghanistan, when what is called an improvised explosive device blew apart the light armoured vehicle in which he was riding.  He lived in Courcelette, near the Valcartier military base not far from Quebec City, with his three daughters, age 3, 5 and 9, and their mother.

Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, was born in Weedon, a town of about 2,600 in the Eastern Townships.  He lived in the Quebec City area, not far from the base, with his wife and three children, age 9, 15 and 17. He died in the same explosion that also killed an Afghan interpreter, wounded a third Canadian soldier and left two Radio-Canada journalists injured and shaken ....


*Commander calls fight to take hill tactical success despite deaths, injuries*
MARTIN OUELLET, Canadian Press, 23 Aug 07
Article link

A triumphant tactical success for Quebec-based troops lasted mere seconds before the blast that shattered any celebration and spilled Canadian and Afghan blood.  The deaths of two Canadian soldiers, their Afghan interpreter and the injuries to another soldier and a Canadian TV cameraman destroyed a moment of exhileration after the fresh troops won the all-day battle for a dusty Afghan hill.  Canadian battlegroup commander Lt.-Col. Alain Gauthier said the mission called Operation Eagle Eye was still a success, despite the deaths of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the Royal 22nd Regiment, Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance and an Afghan interpreter.  "We obtained our objectives, we secured a corridor to link up with Afghan authorities and push reconstruction projects," Gauthier said Thursday ....


*Canadian reporter who survives Afghan attack to leave the war-torn country*
Martin Ouellet, Canadian Press, 23 Aug 07
Article link

A Radio-Canada reporter who survived a roadside bomb attack that killed two Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter said Thursday the horrific nature of the blast is hard to describe.  Patrice Roy, 44, told reporters at the Canadian base in Kandahar that he was writing his report inside the moving armoured vehicle just seconds before the explosion.  "It's a huge, huge blast. It's a scene that's difficult to imagine," said the Ottawa-based reporter, adding that a medic sitting next to him was one of the two soldiers who died .....  Recalling his unkept promises to his family that he would be safe and that he would not go to the front lines, Roy said he "felt terribly bad ... *I was worried for my children not to see the news this morning in Canada," he said. *



*Ontario to dedicate Highway of Heroes in honour of soldiers felled in Afghanistan*
MELISSA JUERGENSEN, Canadian Press, 23 Aug 07
Article link

A stretch of Ontario highway that's become a sombre repatriation route for soldiers felled in Afghanistan, drawing impromptu gatherings of mourners saluting that sacrifice, is set to be renamed in their honour, the province said Thursday. The 170-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 between the eastern Ontario airbase where the flag-drapped coffins of fallen soldiers arrive and the forensics centre in Toronto that receives them has been dubbed the Highway of Heroes.  More than 14,000 people have signed an electronic petition to officially rename that stretch of highway, where people gather on overpasses to wave flags, display placards of support, and salute the processions of hearses and limousines.  On Thursday, Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield said there were "no barriers to making this happen."  "I think when you consider the sacrifice that the soldiers and others have made, it's just a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on that sacrifice and to be able to acknowledge it," Cansfield said in a phone interview ....



*NATO issuing new guidelines after attack by rebels disguised as Afghan troops*
Associated Press, 23 Aug 07 
Article link

NATO will issue new guidelines to its troops in Afghanistan to avoid a repeat of a deadly attack this week by Taliban rebels disguised in Afghan army uniforms, a senior commander said Thursday.  Insurgents wearing Afghan army uniforms attacked a remote NATO base Wednesday in mountainous Nuristan province, killing two Afghan soldiers and wounding 11 NATO troops.  "After the attack of yesterday, we'll send more detailed guidance in order to control this in accordance with the government of Afghanistan," said Maj.-Gen. Giorgio Battisti, deputy commander in charge of logistics for the NATO force there.  Specifics on the new guidance were not available.  Speaking from Kabul by video link to reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Battisti said Afghan army uniforms were easily available for sale outside the country.  "It is a matter for the government of Afghanistan to check this but, as I said, it's probably coming from outside Afghanistan," he said ....



*Casualties deal heavy blow to public support for mission*
JEFF HEINRICH, Irwin Block and Philip Authier, Montreal Gazette, 24 Aug 07
Article link

Canada's military presence in Afghanistan has never been very popular in Quebec. Now it's even less so.  The slip began Sunday with news of the death of Pte. Simon Longtin, the Royal 22e Régiment's first casualty since its troops started deploying July 15.  With the deaths Wednesday of two more Valcartier-based soldiers, Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne and Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, support for the mission now seems in free fall.  Adding to the anti-war mood, a high-profile Quebec television crew was also a victim of the latest Taliban attack, with a cameraman losing the lower part of a leg and a star reporter left questioning why they had risked their lives for the story.  In opinion polls and online questions-of-the-day, it has become quite clear most Quebecers want their troops out of the whole mess.  Lining up behind this newly vocal majority are federal opposition leaders with a stake in Quebec, where support of the governing minority Conservative Party of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which wants the Afghan mission continued, is under threat ....


*Support for mission relatively stable: polls*
Tom Blackwell, CanWest News, 23 Aug 07
Article link

As the Canadian death toll climbs again in Afghanistan, conventional wisdom would suggest that public support for the bloody mission will plummet in direct response.  Polling data accumulated over the last year and a half, however, tells a more complex tale, indicating that opinion on the divisive issue has held relatively stable -- sometimes even after troop deaths -- and that Canadians may be more likely to approve of the historic military mission when they are told more about it.  "It's been incredibly consistent," said John Wright of pollster Ipsos Reid.  "We've polled during some of the worst times for the Canadian military, we've been in the field when there have been six soldiers killed ... We've been sure we can catch whenever sentiment would be worst, and it seems to have held."  In fact, what pollsters ask people would appear to have almost as much impact on opinion as what is happening in Afghanistan itself, some analysts say. When questions in a Defence Department poll emphasized protecting civilians and rebuilding the country, support for the mission shot up.  When asked by Decima Research if they thought the number of Canadian casualties was acceptable, on the other hand, two thirds of respondents answered in the negative ....



*Two Ways to Cover the War in Afghanistan*
Tim King, Salem-News.com, 23 Aug 07
Article link

I was one of two Oregon television/Internet reporters who were embedded with the Oregon National Guard's recently returned 41st Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan.  My intention was to remain focused primarily on U.S. Army National Guard units, and that is what I did in the two months that I spent there.  Kesterson's reports depicting Canadian soldiers in battle were heavily discussed by U.S. troops. But those same reports also continue to draw sharp criticism from Canadian soldiers, families and the country's military.  During the time I was "in country" in Afghanistan, covering many aspects of operations in the North part of the country, Kesterson spent a significant amount of time covering the Canadian combat operations around Kandahar ....



*U.S. OK'd Troop Terror Hunts in Pakistan*
SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press, 23 Aug 07
Article link

Newly uncovered "rules of engagement" show the U.S. military gave elite units broad authority more than three years ago to pursue suspected terrorists into Pakistan, with no mention of telling the Pakistanis in advance.  The documents obtained by The Associated Press offer a detailed glimpse at what Army Rangers and other terrorist-hunting units were authorized to do earlier in the war on terror. And interviews with military officials suggest some of those same guidelines have remained in place, such as the right to "hot pursuit" across the border.  Pakistan, a key U.S. partner in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, has long viewed such incursions as a threat to its sovereignty. Islamabad protested loudly this month when Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama pledged to grant U.S. forces the authority to unilaterally penetrate Pakistan in the hunt for terrorist leaders ....


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## MarkOttawa (25 Aug 2007)

STORIES FOUND AUG. 25

Canadians dying three times as fast as their allies
_Globe and Mail_, Aug. 25 by Paul Koring
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070825.wafghan25/BNStory/National/home



> Canadian soldiers are getting killed in Afghanistan at more than three times the rate of troops from other nations, including those from Britain and the United States also in the thick of the fighting against the resurgent Taliban.
> 
> The heavy losses – another three soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were killed in two blasts in the past week – come mostly from massive roadside blasts, which now pose the gravest threat to the Canadian mission in strife-torn Kandahar province.
> 
> ...



Images of new Husky, Buffalo, Cougar anti-IED vehicles:
http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20070825/wafghan25/searchanddestroybig.jpg

Comments (145 as of 1300):
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070825.wafghan25/CommentStory/National/home

Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (26 Aug 2007)

Articles found August 26

Canada boosts Afghanistan aid
CanWest News Service, Aug. 26
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=6f9af228-3138-4605-8215-38d377d6e4c5



> Canada is boosting aid to Afghanistan by providing $45 million for five health and community development projects in Kandahar province.
> 
> Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, made the announcement Saturday while taking part in Afghanistan Independence Day Celebrations in Toronto.
> 
> ...


.

Let's define `success' in Afghanistan
_Toronto Star_,  August 26, by Rudyard Griffiths
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/249666



> With another rash of combat deaths, this time exclusively among French-Canadian troops, and the Bloc Québécois gleefully exploiting each of these tragedies for its own crass electoral advantage, it is high time we depoliticize the debate over the future of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.
> 
> We are a nation that, thanks to our diversity within, has a myriad of interests beyond our borders. Just as the Americans cannot afford to remain bogged down in Iraq indefinitely, Canada needs to have an unemotional, non-political-point-scoring debate about defining success in Afghanistan and how and when we should be drawing down our troops and our record levels of foreign assistance.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (27 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 27, 2007*

Two NATO soldiers killed by raids in Afghanistan
Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:36AM EDT
Article Link

KABUL (Reuters) - Two NATO soldiers have been killed in two separate attacks in Afghanistan, the alliance said on Monday.

Both soldiers were killed during attacks on their patrol on Sunday. One died in the eastern part of the country and the second in the south where another alliance soldier was wounded.

NATO did not identify the victims.

However, the Netherlands' military said a Dutch soldier had been killed overnight by a bomb in southern Afghanistan.

It said the 30-year-old sergeant was in a unit searching for explosives in the province of Uruzgan when the improvised device exploded, Chief of Staff Dick Berlijn told a televised news conference.

A 23-year-old corporal was wounded in the attack but was not in a critical condition, Berlijn said.
More on link


Khadr case goes to new U.S. review commission
 TheStar.com - August 25, 2007 Michelle Shephard Staff Reporter
Article Link

WASHINGTON–The Bush administration's quest to try Canadian Omar Khadr for war crimes now hangs in the balance as three U.S. military judges decide whether the trial can proceed. 

Government lawyers argued yesterday before a newly created military appeals commission that charges against Khadr should not have been dismissed and implored the panel not to delay the case further. 

While yesterday's hearing in a packed courtroom near the White House set a precedent as the first case to go before the Court of Military Commission Review, in practical terms it means Khadr is still likely months from seeing any resolution of it.

Retired U.S. Colonel Francis Gilligan, who argued the case for the government yesterday, defended the delay, saying outside of court: "When you start up a new system it takes time." 

Khadr is among 350 terror suspects who are being held at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 
More on link

Don't fail Afghanistan
Iraq may be hopeless, but Afghanistan is worth defending. Here's why and how.
August 27, 2007
Article Link

The United States is now at risk of "losing" Afghanistan, the predictable result of committing insufficient troops and money to that catastrophically failed state after the rout of the Taliban in 2001. U.S. forces are suffering sharply higher casualties as Taliban fighters surge back in, and drug lords are coming to dominate the political and economic landscape. The collapse of the noble nation-building experiment in Afghanistan would destroy U.S. credibility in the eyes of the world, shake global security and condemn millions of people to another generation of warfare and terrorism. And it would be all the more devastating if accompanied by U.S. defeat in Iraq. Yet the effort to build a stable nation atop the wreckage of Afghanistan can still, with great effort, be salvaged. 
More on link

Shelling from Afghanistan leaves 19 dead
KABUL, Aug 26: 
Article Link

US-led forces and Afghan troops struck Taliban positions inside Pakistan in fresh clashes with the extremist militia that left at least 19 rebels dead, security forces said on Sunday.

The US-led coalition said it received permission from Pakistan to attack across the border on Saturday, but this was denied by the chief military spokesman in Islamabad.

Afghan and coalition forces used mortars and artillery fire to destroy insurgents’ attacking positions on both sides of the border after a military post in Afghanistan came under attack, the coalition said in a statement.

The Afghan army saw Taliban fighters firing mortars and rockets from several positions and Pakistan’s military confirmed three of the firing sites were on their soil, the statement said.
More on link

More than 100 soldiers return from Afghanistan after tough six-month tour
Canadian Press Monday, August 27th, 2007
Article Link

EDMONTON (CP) - More than 100 soldiers returned home Sunday night after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan that saw nine of their colleagues killed. 

The 112 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton arrived about 10 p.m. 

Brig.-Gen. Mark Skidmore said his soldiers had a "pretty tough" tour with having lost nine of their own. 

Skidmore said everyone is just happy that they are "getting these guys back safe and sound." 

The soldiers were reunited with their families and loved ones at the Edmonton Garrison. 
More on link

Tajikistan/Afghanistan: Road Bridge Opens With Aim Of Strengthening Trade  
The new bridge connecting Tajikistan and Afghanistan 
(RFE/RL) NIZHNY PYANJ, Tajikistan; August 26, 2007 (RFE/RL) 
Article Link

The presidents of Afghanistan and Tajikistan inaugurated today a new bridge linking the two countries.

Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon and Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai said the new structure over the Pyanj River, which was financed by the United States, will strengthen trade in the region. 

The 700-meter structure straddles the Pyanj River between the ports of Nizhny Pyanj on the Tajik side and Shir Khan Bandar in Afghanistan. 

The Tajik head of state, Emomali Rahmon, told those gathered for the ceremony in Nizhny Pyanj that the "bridge of friendship" will first of all "strengthen the old and vital relations of two countries and two peoples." 

But he also expressed concern that Tajik and Afghan authorities need to prevent the bridge from facilitating "all kinds of inadmissible activities, such as human, drug, and weapons trafficking." 

Karzai said the bridge will not only link "brothers and sisters." He said if proper regulations are established, "without any doubt that bridge will serve for the prosperity of our people." 
More on link

More Articles available here
MILNEWS.ca

CANinKandahar


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## GAP (27 Aug 2007)

Kandahar hospital staff treating Afghan civilians
Updated Sun. Aug. 26 2007 10:02 PM ET Denelle Balfour, CTV News
Article Link

KANDAHAR AIR BASE -- Hadiro Akbar wears an oversize grey T-shirt and navy blue athletic shorts, clothes for comfort, but they make her look tiny as she sits in a recovery ward of the Kandahar Airfield hospital.

She is the first Afghan woman I have met at the trauma hospital. In the 10 days CTV has been granted access to the multinational facility, most of the patients have been Afghan soldiers and police, some coalition forces, and children. 

She is not in traditional dress and this surprises me a little, yet Hadiro hardly seems concerned. She has bigger worries, though she is stoic and her eyes are bright and confident.

Capt. Lisa Compton, a nurse from Newfoundland, stands behind Hadiro gently braiding her long black hair. Compton has helped take care of Hadiro since she was brought to the hospital three days earlier, in the late stages of pregnancy and terribly injured. 

"We all wondered at one point, whether mom was going to make it," said Compton. "She was in the operating room for a long time and we were all saying, 'stay in there baby, stay in there, don't come out, we don't want you meet you just yet'."

A bomb struck Hadiro's home in the central province of Uruzgan in the middle of the night. She was thrown to the floor, shrapnel ripped through the lower part of her face and neck. 

Her husband and six children were terrified but unhurt. Hadiro needed immediate medical help. She was airlifted to the hospital with her husband, the children left in the care of their grandmother. 

Her surgery went well, though she will wear the scars of that night for the rest of her life. 

Given that Hadiro is quite small, medical staff initially thought she was about seven months pregnant, but she surprised them all the next night. 
More on link


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## tomahawk6 (27 Aug 2007)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070827/ts_nm/afghan_violence_dc

KABUL (Reuters) - Five Western soldiers, including three Americans, were killed in a string of Taliban attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.

The Americans were killed along with two Afghan soldiers in a Taliban ambush on Monday in Ghazi Abad district of eastern Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, the district police chief told reporters.

NATO officials in Kabul said earlier that two soldiers had been killed while on patrol Sunday, one in an attack in eastern Afghanistan and the other in the south.

NATO did not identify the victims.

However, the Netherlands' military said a Dutch soldier had been killed overnight by a bomb in southern Afghanistan.

It said the 30-year-old sergeant was in a unit searching for explosives in the province of Uruzgan when an improvised device exploded, Chief of Staff Dick Berlijn told a televised news conference. A 23-year-old corporal was wounded, Berlijn said.

The Netherlands has about 1,700 troops in Afghanistan.

Violence has surged in the past 19 months in Afghanistan where more than 100 Western troops under the command of NATO and the U.S. military have been killed this year while fighting a renewed Taliban-led insurgency.


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## GAP (27 Aug 2007)

Sarkozy boosting French force in Afghanistan  
The Associated Press Monday, August 27, 2007 
Article Link

PARIS: France is sending more troops to Afghanistan to train the Afghan army, President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a foreign policy speech Monday.

His announcement follows months of speculation about France's commitment to the international force.

France, which has 1,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, will send 150 additional troops in three groups by the end of the year, the Defense Ministry news service said. The troops will take part in a program for mentoring and training under NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, called ISAF.

"I decided to reinforce the presence of our trainers in the Afghan army, because it is (the Afghan army) that must first of all wage and win the fight against the Taliban," Sarkozy said in opening an annual conference of French ambassadors, his first as president.

Speculation surfaced this spring that France might withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, after it pulled out 200 special forces in December. Also, while campaigning for president, Sarkozy had said that France had no reason to remain in Afghanistan on a long-term basis.
More on link


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## GAP (28 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 28, 2007*

Dutch soldier killed by roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, defense chief says  
The Associated Press Monday, August 27, 2007 
Article Link

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: A Dutch soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the defense chief said Monday.

The 30-year-old sergeant, whose name was not immediately released, was the 10th Dutch soldier killed while serving as part of Dutch contingent in the NATO force in Afghanistan.

He died late Sunday night when an improvised explosive device detonated near the southern town of Deh Rawod, Gen. Dick Berlijn told reporters in The Hague.

A 23-year-old corporal in the Dutch force also was hurt, but his injuries were not reported to be life threatening.
More on link

Pro-Taliban militants release abducted Pakistani soldiers
28 Aug 2007, 1448 hrs IST,AFP SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
Article Link

WANA (PAKISTAN): Pro-Taliban militants on Tuesday released 19 Pakistani soldiers, who were abducted earlier this month in the rugged tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, officials said. 

Armed militants kidnapped 16 Pakistani soldiers from the South Waziristan tribal district on August 9 and seized another four security officials including a colonel on Friday. 

One of the soldiers was beheaded on August 14. Militants later distributed a gory video of the execution, which was carried out by a teenage boy with a knife. 

"They released the 19 security officials early Tuesday," senior administration official Rasool Khan Wazir told a news agency in the region's main town Wana. 

"The freed men have been handed over to tribal elders who will deliver them to the authorities in Wana later today," he said. 
More on link

Despite public anger, the army still see Afghanistan as a cause worth dying for
Unlike Iraq, the battle against the Taliban carries a flicker of a hope of success, even if it is a misguided one 
Max Hastings Tuesday August 28, 2007 The Guardian 
Article Link

British public opinion has become more hostile to the United States, or at least towards those conducting its foreign wars, than towards the Taliban. If one walked into a party escorting a bearded figure in baggy white trousers and introduced him as an Afghan fighter, chances are that he would be welcomed and offered elderflower cordial.
If an American general turned up, however, within minutes somebody would be asking why his pilots keep killing British soldiers and generally making a mess of the world. I exaggerate only slightly. Sentiment towards the war in Afghanistan, and the conflict in Iraq, is poisoned by a belief that our boys are dying for no good purpose save to service a faltering Atlantic alliance.
More on link

Taliban target Canadians with renewed vigour
CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD  From Wednesday's Globe and Mail  August 22, 2007 at 2:47 AM EDT
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Twice in the past 10 days, Canada's small Provincial Reconstruction Team office in the outskirts of Kandahar city has been directly attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.

While hardly kept secret - press releases were apparently sent out - the attacks were never reported, perhaps in part, as the PRT commander Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Chamberlain says with a wry grin, because bases large and small are so routinely rocketed in southern Afghanistan that to the untrained eye another one hardly qualifies as news any more.

Yet that it was the PRT, the home for the "soft-knock" arm of Canada's forces, which was the target is not insignificant.

The camp hasn't been subjected to a direct attack in anyone's recent memory going back about two years, though the violence endemic to this part of the country has been all around the base. 
More on link

More Articles available here
MILNEWS.ca

CANinKandahar


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## GAP (28 Aug 2007)

Kandahar press corps must wear dog tags
MARTIN OUELLET Canadian Press August 28, 2007 at 3:12 AM EDT
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Journalists assigned to cover the Canadian mission in Afghanistan will now have to wear dog tags just like the soldiers.

The military says the name tags will help make identification easier if there are any fatalities among journalists while they are out with soldiers.

The tags "make it possible to put a name on a warm or cold body without having to check the wallet," said Captain Sylvain Chalifour, a Canadian Forces spokesman. Also, if journalists want to travel with the troops in the war-torn country, they will have to take a first-aid course and attend information sessions to make sure they understand the risks of what they are doing.

Brigadier-General Guy Laroche said the new requirements on journalists are not intended to hinder them but to make sure they understand what could happen while working in a combat zone.

"We do not want to restrict the freedom of movement of the representatives of the media or their access to the convoys, but we will make sure they know the nature of the beast well," Gen. Laroche said.

However, Gen. Laroche said the increasing number of reporters coming to the area prompted the military to re-examine its procedures.
More on link


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## GAP (28 Aug 2007)

Afghan, Coalition Troops Kill, Capture Insurgents, Find Weapons
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2007 
Article Link

Afghan and coalition forces killed 21 insurgents, nabbed 12 others, discovered a weapons cache and thwarted two ambushes in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said. 
Afghan National Police members from Chamkani and coalition forces detained a key Taliban leader and six other insurgents in a targeted strike near Sultak village in the Patan district of Paktia province. 

The high-profile suspect, Zakir Shah, is a mid-level Taliban field commander who helps transport foreign fighters and supplies between Afghanistan and Pakistan, military officials said. He also allegedly is responsible for the murders of Afghan civilians. 

“The Afghan National Police in Chamkani have quickly developed into a well-trained and effective force,” said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokeswoman. “Coalition forces provided only minimal assistance to the (Afghan National Police) during planning and execution of this operation and the (Afghan National Police) performed all of their tasks flawlessly.” 

During an operation southwest of Kandahar City this morning, Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces advisors killed two Taliban insurgents and detained five others. Credible intelligence led combined forces to a compound suspected of housing the militants. Troops there shot and killed two insurgents. 

One detainee is suspected of being a Taliban leader who has facilitated improvised-explosive-device attacks against combined forces in the Kandahar City area, military officials said. He and the other suspects are being held for further questioning. 
More on link

International Military Engineers Work Together in Afghanistan
By 1st Lt. Kenya Virginia Saenz, USA Special to American Forces Press Service 
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2007
Article Link

 Afghans and multinational forces are working hand in hand on a variety of construction projects here.  
Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 864th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy); 1st Construction Company, 100th Republic of Korea Engineering Group; and Polish 1st Engineer Brigade are working together to construct metal building systems, known as K-Spans; roads; ditches; culverts and sewage lagoons. 

Task Force Pacemaker Headquarters Support Company soldiers led by Army Capt. Eric Parthemore support the battalion and manage multinational force missions. 

Polish engineers provide additional capacity and leadership to multiple construction projects. Polish soldiers led by Polish army 1st Lt. Radoslaw Telezynski are working to improve roads by ensuring that proper drainage and sewage structures are constructed before the rainy season begins. The Polish army has been deployed in places such as Lebanon, Syria, and Africa to support many humanitarian missions since the war on terror began. 

“I didn’t know what to expect or what missions we would have, but working with American soldiers has been a great experience. They have been very helpful,” Telezynski said. “I have been able to learn different training techniques from the American soldiers and compare them to our techniques. I changed our technique to what works best to accomplish the mission successfully.” 

Polish Pfc. Rafaz Sobon agreed. “This is my first time deployed,” he said, “and it has been a new and interesting experience. We learned about different cultures in class, but it is better to learn from first-hand experience.” 

First Construction Company from the Republic of Korea focuses on K-Span construction. Korean engineers are especially meticulous and bring a “vertical construction” capability to the command that it did not have, Parthemore said. The company is commanded by Korean Capt. Bo Geol Choi. 
More on link


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## GAP (28 Aug 2007)

Afghan Judges Receive First Law Books
By Senior Airman Dilia DeGrego, USAF Special to American Forces Press Service 
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Aug. 28, 2007 
Article Link

 The 37 judges in Afghanistan’s Parwan province are the first of more than 450 judges within the Regional Command East area of responsibility to receive complete sets of Afghan law books. 

Delivered Aug. 25 by the Bagram Reconstruction Team and Army Lt. Col. Chris Jacobs, an attorney with the Combined Joint Task Force 82 Staff Judge Advocate Office, these books are the first to be distributed as part of an Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and United States Agency for International Development initiative to distribute complete sets of Afghan law books to every judge in the country. 

“For the first time since the Soviet era, each judge in Regional Command East will have complete access to up-to-date Afghan laws,” said Army Capt. Ryan Kerwin, another attorney with Combined Joint Task Force 82. “This is significant, because most Afghan judges have either limited or no access to published law. This lack of legal resources made it very difficult, if not impossible, to correctly apply the law and ensure uniformity throughout the Afghan court system. The judges will now have the tools to make rulings based upon the laws of Afghanistan.” 

Each set of law books consists of 17 volumes that cover both criminal and civil law, including the constitution of Afghanistan, penal and civil codes, counternarcotics and human-rights law. 
More on link


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## GAP (29 Aug 2007)

*Articles found August 29, 2007*

Coalition forces kill more than 100 insurgents in Afghanistan  
August 28, 2007   
Article Link

 Afghan and coalition forces have killed more than 100 insurgent fighters in an ongoing battle Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said.

The fighting is in Kandahar province's northern Sha Wali Kot district.

Along with the insurgents, one Afghan service member was killed. Three coalition and three Afghan troops were wounded.

The incident started, the coalition said, when troops were attacked by "a large group of insurgents from reinforced fighting positions." 

The insurgents were armed with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms.

"Throughout the battle, insurgents continued to reinforce the area, engaging Islamic Republic of Afghanistan forces in an attempt to overrun their position."

The force, said to be led by the Afghan National Security Forces, "used small arms and crew-served weapons to repel the enemy attack while calling for close air support, which destroyed the enemy hilltop positions with bombing runs."
More on link

Stop muddling Afghan file, Ottawa is warned
 TheStar.com  August 16, 2007 bruce campion-smith ottawa bureau chief 
Article Link

Military experts say Canadians won't be won over unless government is more open, stresses progress

OTTAWA–Stephen Harper's new messengers on the military mission in Afghanistan aren't likely to win over Canadians unless they're able to deliver a more coherent case about the reasons for the mission, one that stresses Canada's development work, military experts say.

One group is calling on the government to begin regular briefings – as often as once a week – with senior defence and foreign affairs officials to help Canadians better understand the situation in Afghanistan.

"The government needs to do better," said retired Col. Alain Pellerin, of the Conference of Defence Associations, a pro-military lobby group based in Ottawa.

"We're starting to do construction on the ground. We're starting to build a capability for the future. That's the message the government has to repeat constantly to the media and the population." 
More on link

Eradication or legalisation? How to solve Afghanistan's opium crisis
Declan Walsh and Ian Black Wednesday August 29, 2007 The Guardian 
Article Link

The UN reported on Monday that there had been a "frightening" explosion in opium production in Afghanistan with Helmand province, where Britain has 7,000 troops deployed, leading the way. A record crop means that the country now accounts for 93% of the world's supply and the situation is getting worse daily despite billions being spent to eradicate the trade since 2001.
Here the Guardian asks experts in the field what can be done to bring production of the drug to an end

Chris Alexander
Deputy special representative of the UN secretary general to Afghanistan
The report is astonishingly downbeat and rightly so. But it does point to some solutions. This year we have doubled the number of poppy free provinces from six to 13. The incentives for others to follow suit must be massively strengthened. We need structured investments in governance, law enforcement, agriculture and infrastructure.

The next step is for the government of Afghanistan and donors to get serious about removing known traffickers from positions of responsibility. This does not require trials and conviction; it can be done on the basis of administrative responsibilities. Everyone in the government from President Karzai down knows this has to be done ... They know who these people are and, with the right support from the international community, can take action.
More on link

Brown under fire for twin-track military strategy
Michael White Wednesday August 29, 2007 The Guardian 
Article Link

Gordon Brown was last night accused of being unrealistic in his determination to sustain Britain's twin-track military strategy in both Iraq and Afghanistan despite growing concern that the armed forces are seriously over-stretched.
In the wake of a spate of criticisms of the lawless state of the four southern Iraqi provinces which are under British oversight, the foreign secretary, David Miliband, insisted yesterday that UK military deployments will be based "on the situation on the ground in Basra, not the situation on the ground in Baghdad

Like Mr Brown he stressed that important work remains to be done, though the troops' role is changing in their "very difficult, very tough" situation in Iraq.
Endorsing Mr Miliband's remarks, Downing Street admitted that Mr Brown had not spoken to President Bush on Iraq - or anything else - since the pair met at Camp David last month. Number 10 refused to engage in "hypotheticals" about the pace of the British withdrawal from Basra and the spokesman made light of US warnings that American troops might have to fill any gaps left by Britain.
More on link

S. Korea to accelerate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan 
  Article Link

South Korea plans to speed up its preparation for the pullout of more than 200 soldiers in Afghanistan after a deal with the Taliban on the release of 19 Korean hostages, officials here said Wednesday.

They also indicated that Seoul's future role in Afghanistan _ possibly as a member of the civil-military Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) _ will be limited. 

The withdrawal of the troops is a key condition of the hard-won agreement that heralded an end to the six-week hostage crisis.

A National Assembly resolution requires about 60 medics of the Dongui unit and 150 engineers of the Dasan unit to terminate their humanitarian mission in the war-ravaged nation and return home by the end of this year, although the U.S. has asked South Korea to continue its contribution there.

"I asked for reconsideration, particularly with the Republic of Korea's representation in Afghanistan and its participation in the provincial reconstruction teams," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M.

Gates said after a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kim Jang-soo in Singapore on the sidelines of the Sixth Asia Security Summit in June.

But South Korea has reaffirmed its plan to withdraw the units stationed in a U.S. military base in Bagram, about 80 km north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. 

"There is no change in the schedule to withdraw the troops by the end of this year," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-gi said.
More on link

Government split after Dutch request for troops  
Article Link

In a move likely to split Norway’s centre-left coalition, the government is considering sending troops to the turbulent Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan.

Responding to a Dutch cry for help, the Ministry of Defence confirmed today that the government is considering sending troops to help the struggling NATO mission in southern Afghanistan. 

Norwegian troops are already based in the northern part of the war-torn South Asian country, but the government has several times declined similiar requests from Canada of moving Norwegian troops to the more turbulent south. 

The issue is known to split Norway’s centre-left coalition government. While the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) is willing to move troops further south, the Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) principally objects to a Norwegian presence in southern Afghanistan. 

Parliamentary Secretary Espen Barth Eide (Labour) of the Ministry of Defence confirmed to newspaper Dagsavisen that there were bilateral talks at a government level between Norway and close NATO partner The Netherlands. The latter is already present in the Uruzgan province.

"The Norwegian government has never principally decided not to send troops to southern Afghanistan," Barth Eide said.
More on link

Special forces rescue woman/color][/url]
Article Link

Germany's foreign minster sent special thanks to Norway's military after Norwegian special forces operating in Afghanistan helped rescue a pregnant German woman from kidnappers

Christina Meier has been working for the Christian organization Ora International and was captured by a criminal gang in Kabul over the weekend.

Norwegian special forces participated in storming the house in Kabul where she was being held and Meier was freed without any shots being fired. She was taken Monday to the German ambassador in Kabul, where she was reported to be in good shape.

German Foreign MInister Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked the Norwegian forces for their contribution, which the Nowegian military wouldn't detail.

A Norwegian general major in Afghanistan would only say that Norway "contributes in many different ways in Kabul... to boost security in the area."
End

More Quebecers ship out
KEVIN DOUGHERTY The Gazette Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Article Link

"It's hard." Chantale Descarie was eloquently simple in expressing her feelings as her husband, Cpl. Marcel Descarie, prepared to board a plane to Afghanistan yesterday, part of the final 118 soldiers of the latest Quebec-led rotation of Canadian troops on their way to a mission few Quebecers support.

Cpl. Descarie said while public support in Canada and other NATO countries for the mission might be mixed, his family supports it.

"They understand we are going there to help," he said.

Flags at the Valcartier military base flew at half staff to honour three Quebec soldiers who were killed last week by improvised explosive devices - the favourite weapon of Taliban insurgents - as Canada's fourth rotation, including 44 solders based in Valcartier, 57 from Edmonton and 17 based in Petawawa, Ont., readied for departure.

Funerals for Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne and Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier will be held tomorrow near Valcartier.

Yesterday, their families, which have requested a limited media presence at the funerals, issued a statement thanking Canadians for "the incredible show of support during the repatriation (of their sons' bodies) in Trenton on Aug. 26." "Veterans, ambulance workers, firefighters, police officers and citizens alike were present to pay their last respects to the fallen soldiers," said the statement made public by the Canadian Forces.

"A crowd of thousands gathered along the road separating Trenton airport from Toronto to salute the passing procession. Many were even perched on overpasses or parked alongside of Highway 401," the statement said.

"The Duchesne and Mercier families were deeply touched by this spectacular demonstration of support.
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Taliban free eight South Korean hostages
Updated Wed. Aug. 29 2007 7:42 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

Eight South Korean hostages were released by Taliban militants Wednesday, the first of 19 captives scheduled to be freed under a deal reached between the group and the South Korean government. 

Three hostages, all women, were released first to tribal leaders and then taken to an agreed location where officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross picked them up. 

The women, their heads covered with red and green shawls, arrived in a car in the central Afghan village of Qala-E-Kazi. 

They said nothing to reporters, who were asked by Red Cross officials not to question them. 

The women were then taken in vehicles to the local Red Cross headquarters in the nearby town of Ghazni. 

In Seoul, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong identified the women as Ahn Hye-jin, Lee Jung-ran and Han Ji-young. 

He said they did not appear to have any health problems. 

Hours later, four women and one man were released in a desert close to Shah Baz, an Associated Press reporter who witnessed both handovers has confirmed. 

Seven women and four men are still to be released. 

The South Korean government said the deal was reached on the condition that they pull all of their troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2007, as already planned. 

The South Koreans also had to agree to stop all missionary work in the country. 

The deal has been criticized by some within the Afghan government. 
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Canadian ISAF member found dead in Kabul barracks
Updated Wed. Aug. 29 2007 8:06 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

A Canadian member of the International Security Assistance Force has been found dead in his barracks room in Afghanistan.

The soldier, who has not yet been named, died shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time.

About an hour earlier he had been found injured in his room within a secure compound in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

Doctors were unable to save the soldier.

The serviceman's death is being investigated by ISAF and Canadian military officials. 

ISAF has said there was no sign of forced entry or enemy action, but neither group is ruling out murder or suicide as possible reasons for the death.

There is no indication whether the soldier was based in Kandahar.
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Pakistan's Musharraf, Bhutto reach deal  
Updated Wed. Aug. 29 2007 7:38 AM ET Associated Press
Article Link

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf and former political rival Benazir Bhutto have reached agreement regarding Musharraf's military role, a key step toward a power-sharing agreement, a senior official said Wednesday.

"Both sides have agreed on the issue of uniform," Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, a close Musharraf ally, told reporters. Bhutto was quoted in a British newspaper making a similar comment, though neither she nor Ahmed elaborated.

Envoys for the U.S.-allied military president and former Prime Minister Bhutto, who is planning a return from exile abroad, are trying to work out a pact that would help Musharraf secure another five-year presidential term.
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More Articles available here
MILNEWS.ca

CANinKandahar


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## GAP (29 Aug 2007)

Liberal policies are taking their toll
Lorne Gunter National Post Monday, August 27, 2007
Article Link

 It's unconscionable that a government would send soldiers into a war zone underequipped for the deadly hazards they would face. It is doubly unconscionable given when the government was sending them for purely political purposes; sacrificing Canadians' lives just so it could claim it was acting tough in the war on terror.

Of course, the government I am referring to is the Liberals under Paul Martin.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Canadians in Afghanistan are dying at a rate three times that of their allies from Britain and the United States.

It's not because we have been assigned deadlier territories to clear of Taliban. The provinces patrolled by the Americans and Brits are every bit as treacherous. Rather, more members of our Armed Forces are dying and being wounded because we lack helicopters and mobile bomb-detecting and defusing equipment.

Thanks to the government that sent them into the combat zone around Kandahar, our soldiers are damned if they do and damned if they don't. They can't fly over the car bombs and landmines, and they lack the equipment to make safe the roads they are compelled to drive on through "bandit country."
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## MarkOttawa (30 Aug 2007)

ARTICLES FOUND AUGUST 30

Senior Taliban commander killed, Afghan military says
CBC, Aug. 30
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/08/30/talban-killed.html



> A wanted senior Taliban commander has been killed in a U.S.-led air raid in the south of Afghanistan, the Afghan Defence Ministry said.
> 
> Mullah Brother was killed in the pre-dawn attack in Helmand province.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (30 Aug 2007)

In Afghanistan, the poppies are just a symptom
MIKE CAPSTICK  Special to Globe and Mail Update August 30, 2007 at 12:01 AM EDT
Article Link

The United Nations Office of Drug and Crime's annual report on poppy cultivation has unleashed critics of the Afghan mission, with interest groups renewing calls for opium commercialization and licensing and columnists and commentators declaring the mission to be "hopeless." Coupled with recent casualties, the report has led many to declare Afghanistan beyond help. Canadian opposition leaders have threatened to topple the government unless it goes firm on a February, 2009, withdrawal date.

All of this means one thing: The Taliban strategy is working.

Insurgent leaders know that they cannot defeat Canadian and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces on the battlefield, but they can beat our leaders on the moral plane.

The implication inherent in the criticism is that Afghan history and culture are at the root of the many issues still plaguing the country six years after the Taliban's fall. But nothing could be further from the truth. After a year in Kabul, I could only conclude that the real issue was the lack of international strategic vision, political will and unity.

In a recent New York Times article, three former U.S. ambassadors to Kabul acknowledged a lack of strategic vision and commitment to nation-building. The same article describes the international disagreements and recounts some of the major strategic-level failures to capitalize on the initial military successes in Afghanistan.

Both of these problems — lack of vision and international incoherence — bedevil the fight against poppy cultivation. But the poppy issue itself is just one difficult issue among many. Clearly, establishing and maintaining an Afghan-international strategic vision and implementing it coherently is the prerequisite for the mission's success.

The vision itself was, in fact, established at the London Conference in 2006. The Afghanistan Compact lays out an ambitious strategic vision agreed to by Canada and more than 60 other countries. The real issue now is the ongoing failure to make real progress in implementation.

In Kabul, there is no real "hammer" co-ordinating the work of the multiplicity of official development agencies, international organizations and donors. Co-ordination between NATO and the UN is ad hoc and Afghan state institutions remain weak.

All these problems can be attributed to weak governance. They could be solved by a renewed international commitment to the Afghan Compact, coupled with tough measures to ensure that President Hamid Karzai's government meets its commitments.
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## Wootan 9 (30 Aug 2007)

GAP...Thanks for posting article.  Tried for the "Comment" section but G&M decided to put it on the web instead.  Piece has sure raised the ire of the left and the "peace at any price" defeatists.  See comments at : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070829.wcomment0830/CommentStory/Afghanistan/home  (sorry, don't know how to make direct link but you can get it from GAP's post).

Not sure that debating these folks is worth the aggravation.  That said, I wonder who the "chairborne commandos" are - those of us who've been there or the armchair critics at home?

MC


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## freeze_time311 (30 Aug 2007)

JANDA, Afghanistan - *Taliban militants on Thursday released the final seven South Korean captives they had been holding, bringing an end to a six-week hostage drama, witnesses said.*
The captives were handed over to Reto Stocker, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Afghanistan, in two stages on a road in Ghazni province in central part of the country, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said.

Two men and two women were released first. Hours later, two women and one man who were covered in dust walked out of the desert, accompanied by three armed men, and also were turned over to waiting ICRC officials a few miles from the earlier site.

None of the freed South Koreans made any comments.

The Taliban originally kidnapped 23 South Koreans as they traveled by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar on July 19. In late July, the militants killed two male hostages, and they released two women earlier this month as gesture of goodwill. Another 12 were freed Wednesday.

Under the terms of a deal reached Tuesday, South Korea reaffirmed a pledge it made before the hostage crisis began to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Seoul also said it would prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working in the staunchly Muslim country, something it had already promised to do.

The Taliban could emerge from the hostage-taking with enhanced political legitimacy for negotiating successfully with a foreign government.

No money changed hands
South Korea and the Taliban have said no money changed hands as part of the deal.

An Indonesian government official who took part in the negotiations Tuesday between three South Korean officials and two Taliban commanders where the deal was struck said money was not brought up.

“From what I saw and from what I heard in the talks, it was not an issue,” Heru Wicaksono told the AP.

Wicaksono, a high-ranking official at the Indonesian Embassy in Kabul, said the Taliban were motivated by “humanitarian feelings” to free the captives.

The Afghan government was not party to the negotiations, which took place in Ghazni and were facilitated by the ICRC.

Wicaksono was an observer at the talks, chosen by both sides because Indonesia is a large Muslim country.

South Korea’s government, which has been under intense domestic pressure to bring the hostages home safely, said it had tried to adhere to international principles while putting priority on saving the captives.

Deal criticized
Afghan Commerce Minister Amin Farhang criticized the deal.

“One has to say that this release under these conditions will make our difficulties in Afghanistan even bigger,” he told Germany’s Bayerischer Rundfunk radio. “We fear that this decision could become a precedent. The Taliban will continue trying to take hostages to attain their aims in Afghanistan.”

A German engineer and four Afghan colleagues kidnapped a day before the South Koreans are still being held.

Afghanistan has seen a rash of kidnappings of foreigners in the past year.

The Italian and Afghan governments were heavily criticized in March for agreeing to free five Taliban prisoners to win the release of an Italian journalist. The head of the Italian aid agency Emergency also has said Rome also paid a $2 million ransom last year for a kidnapped Italian photographer — a claim Italian officials did not deny.


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## GAP (31 Aug 2007)

Millions in aid gone astray, group says  
Thursday August 30, 2007 (1948 PST)
Article Link 

OTTAWA: The Canadian government has done little to relieve the suffering of the Afghan people, says a policy group that cites the disappearance of millions of aid dollars, an absence of oversight, and thousands of refugees who have been left to starve.

The Canadian International Development Agency says Canada has committed to spending $1.2-billion between 2001 and 2011 to foster the reconstruction of Afghanistan. By its own accounting, it transferred $39-million last year to the volatile Kandahar district, where Canadian troops are stationed, and another $100-million to the country at large. 

But the Senlis Council, an international think tank that examines security and development issues, has been working in the country for two years and says it is hard-pressed to find positive results from that expenditure.

"We were not able to see any substantial impact of CIDA's work in Kandahar and, as a matter of fact, we saw many instances of the extreme suffering of the Afghan people," Norine MacDonald, the council's president and lead field researcher, told a press conference.

When the Senlis Council originally complained that Canadian aid was ineffective, CIDA officials offered a list of Afghan projects that the agency had funded and asked that researchers be dispatched to check them out, Ms. MacDonald said. 

What they found this month were an overcrowded and filthy hospital in Kandahar city that could provide few services to patients; refugee camps that had gone without food aid for 11/2 years; a construction project that employed child labour, and a displaced population struggling to survive.

The development agency said earlier this year that it had given $350,000 to UNICEF to establish a maternal waiting home at the hospital, plus a grant of $5-million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which had specifically appealed for money for the medical facility. A later e-mail announcement reduced the $5-million figure to $3-million.

But "we could not find evidence of CIDA's work, or CIDA-funded work that matched the information given to us by CIDA" at the hospital, Ms. MacDonald said.

The maternity project was supposed to have been operating in a temporary tent on hospital grounds. But the tent was empty on the day the Senlis researchers arrived. And the next day it was gone. 

CIDA officials say UNICEF had set up a temporary maternity project that is no longer running but will be re-established on a permanent basis with much more funding. Ms. MacDonald said she was told that it had simply never existed.
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (31 Aug 2007)

ARTICLES FOUND AUGUST 31

La France redéploie ses avions de combat dans le Sud afghan
_LE MONDE_ | 30.08.07
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3216,36-949304@51-947771,0.html

a France a décidé de s'impliquer davantage en Afghanistan. Le ministre français de la défense, Hervé Morin, doit effectuer un voyage au Tadjikistan et en Afghanistan, du 6 au 8 septembre. Il profitera de cette occasion pour annoncer que les avions de combat Mirage 2000 D et Mirage F-1, qui se livrent à des missions de bombardement dans le sud de l'Afghanistan à partir de l'aéroport de Douchanbé au Tadjikistan, vont être prochainement stationnés sur celui de Kandahar, la grande ville du sud afghan.


Cette décision, prise à la mi-août et officiellement présentée comme un "redéploiement technique", souligne la volonté politique de la France de répondre favorablement aux appels pressants lancés par l'Alliance atlantique et Washington pour une plus grande implication militaire des pays européens en Afghanistan, en particulier dans le Sud et l'Est où se déroule l'essentiel des combats contre les talibans. Elle confirme aussi de facto la volonté de rapprochement avec les Etats-Unis, récemment affirmée par le président Nicolas Sarkozy.

*Sur les six avions de chasse actuellement basés à Douchanbé, trois auront rejoint Kandahar à la fin du mois de septembre, et trois autres mi-octobre. Les quelque 150 personnels de soutien de ce dispositif aérien les rejoindront progressivement* [emphasis added]. Il n'est cependant pas question d'abandonner le site de l'aéroport de Douchanbé, chèrement négocié par Paris avec les autorités du Tadjikistan et convoité par les Etats-Unis. "Douchanbé, précise un officier, reste le cordon ombilical, le point d'entrée sur le théâtre afghan."

Les deux avions de transport C-160 Transall y resteront donc, et la France maintiendra un ou deux avions de ravitaillement C-135 à Manas, au Kirghizstan. L'aéroport de Kandahar est désormais le principal site militaire pour les opérations que l'OTAN poursuit en Afghanistan, via sa Force internationale d'assistance à la sécurité (ISAF) : 11 000 soldats étrangers y sont stationnés, ainsi qu'une centaine d'avions de combat, notamment américains, britanniques, néerlandais, australiens et *canadiens* [oops!].

Si la France ne modifie pas la mission de ses avions, ni l'ampleur de ses moyens, les Mirage vont cependant gagner en efficacité, dans la mesure où ils pourront mener des missions de plus longue durée, en économisant le temps du trajet aller-retour de Douchanbé au sud de l'Afghanistan, soit plus de deux heures. Sur le plan diplomatique, il est significatif que la France accepte de positionner ses avions de combat dans le sud de l'Afghanistan, qui plus est sur une base qui est sous la responsabilité des forces américaines...

Comme l'a récemment annoncé M. Sarkozy, *la France va augmenter de 150 soldats le nombre de ses instructeurs militaires, qui seront affectés auprès du 201e corps de l'armée afghane, dans la région de Kaboul* [emphasis added].

Au total, un millier de soldats français sont présents en Afghanistan. Fin 2007, 20 % de cet effectif devrait être consacré à des tâches de formation et d'encadrement de l'armée afghane. La décision de Paris de stationner son groupe aérien à Kandahar sera bien reçue à l'OTAN, où l'on y verra une volonté de Paris d'accélérer son retour complet au sein de l'Alliance atlantique. 

Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (31 Aug 2007)

Dutch decision on Afghanistan affects Canada
 TheStar August 31, 2007  Chantal Hébert
Article Link

OTTAWA - Any day now, the government of the Netherlands is expected to chart the future of its deployment in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan. One way or another, the decision will add fuel to the raging fire of the debate on Canada's own role in the region.

If the Dutch pull out of the province at the end of their tour, they stand to trigger a domino effect that would almost certainly see Canada follow suit in early 2009. In the absence of volunteer countries to step into the breach, the mission as it is currently configured by NATO would have to be put back on the drawing board. But if the Dutch opt to extend their stay, the burden of rocking the NATO boat by bailing out stands to fall squarely on Canadian shoulders.

The Netherlands' rotation in southern Afghanistan is slated to end in 12 months, but the country is under intense NATO pressure to sign up for another tour. 

There, as in Canada, the external pressures to extend the mission are on a collision course with public opinion.

A majority in the Netherlands is dubious as to the merit of the deployment and hostile to its extension.

The advent this week of a 10th Dutch casualty in Afghanistan prompted headlines that have become familiar in Canada. One newspaper wondered how many deaths the Netherlands public would tolerate before it lost all faith in the deployment. Government officials scrambled to state that there would be no premature end to the mission.

Like Paul Martin's former Liberal government, the Dutch government stressed the reconstruction aspects of the mission when it first signed its troops up for their current duties in 2006. 

Ten casualties later, there are those who feel the case was deliberately misstated.

A Radio Netherlands program broadcast last month pointedly asked whether the Dutch had been "hoodwinked" into a combat role in Afghanistan. That report and the range of views it presented could just as easily have been assembled in Canada.

When Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited Ottawa in June, the Dutch journalists on hand were almost exclusively concerned with the Afghan issue. With his Canadian colleague watching, Balkenende fended off their questions by repeating that he would propose a follow-up plan to his parliament by the end of the summer. 
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