# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread February 2014



## The Bread Guy (27 Jan 2014)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread February 2014  *              

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


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## McG (7 Feb 2014)

> *Taliban video shows captured special forces dog, fate still to be decided*
> Rob Crilly, The Telegraph
> Printed in The National Post online
> 06 February 2014
> ...


http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/02/06/taliban-video-shows-captured-special-forces-dog-fate-still-to-be-decided/

Related at: http://globalnews.ca/news/1134551/nato-military-dog-captured-in-afghanistan-taliban-claims/  and  http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nato-military-dog-captured-in-afghanistan-taliban-claims-1.2526821


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## McG (8 Feb 2014)

> * Canada sounds alarm over bill eroding women’s rights in Afghanistan*
> Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News
> Posted at Ottawa Citizen
> 07 February 2014
> ...


http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Canada+sounds+alarm+over+bill+eroding+women+rights/9482897/story.html


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## McG (9 Feb 2014)

> * UN reports rise in Afghan civilian deaths and injuries*
> BBC News
> 08 February 2014
> 
> ...


 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26096357


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## McG (11 Feb 2014)

> *Afghanistan polio: First case in Kabul since 2001*
> David Loyn
> BBC News, Kabul
> 11 February 2014
> ...


 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26121732


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## McG (13 Feb 2014)

> * Two Contractors for NATO Die in Kabul Bombing*
> ROD NORDLAND and HARIS KAKARFEB
> 10 February 2014
> 
> ...


 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/world/asia/suicide-bomber-attacks-nato-convoy-in-afghanistan.html?_r=0



> * Afghanistan frees 65 inmates U.S. calls ‘dangerous’*
> Amir Shah,  The Associated Press
> Global News
> 13 February 2014
> ...


 http://globalnews.ca/news/1146612/afghanistan-frees-65-inmates-u-s-calls-dangerous/


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## McG (15 Feb 2014)

> * US sees more delay likely in finalizing security agreement with Afghanistan*
> Julie Pace
> Ottawa Citizen
> 14 February 2014
> ...


 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/sees+more+delay+likely+finalizing+security+agreement+with/9507104/story.html


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## GAP (15 Feb 2014)

*Articles found February 15, 2014*


Taliban call US 'same as Soviets' on 25th anniversary of withdrawal from Afghanistan
Published February 15, 2014 Associated Press
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan –  The Taliban are calling on Afghans to drive American forces out of their country, just like they say the USSR was defeated 25 years ago today.

In a statement on Saturday, the 25th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the USSR's forces had killed innocent people and "destroyed our country," but that "all our nation stood against them and were able to defeat them."

Ahmadi said that instead of taking that as a lesson, Americans invaded — making them "the same as yesterday's Soviets."

He urged Afghans to "deal with today's invaders as they dealt with yesterday's invaders," adding that "there is no difference between our jihad of yesterday and today."
More on link


2 U.S. troops killed by gunmen in Afghan army uniforms
Men in army fatigues turn their weapons on American forces
The Associated Press Posted: Feb 12, 2014 
Article Link

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and four wounded in an attack Wednesday by gunmen wearing Afghan security force uniforms in eastern Afghanistan, U.S. defence officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack, which is the latest in a string of incidents in which Afghan troops turned their weapons on their supposed allies.

The officials said four Afghans involved in the attack were killed in the ensuing battle.

The frequency of these insider attacks has declined markedly in recent months. At the height of the problem, in 2012, U.S. and coalition troops were more often fighting and training alongside their Afghan partners; the relationship evolved last year with the Afghans taking a lead combat role. That has put the Americans and other coalition troops in a less visible position as advisers.

The exact circumstances of Wednesday's incident were not immediately available. Two officials said it happened in Kapisa province, east of Kabul.
More on link

 Canada sounds alarm over bill eroding women’s rights in Afghanistan
Article Link 
By Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News February 7, 2014

OTTAWA – Canada is sounding the alarm about a proposed law in Afghanistan, amid signs the clock is already being turned back on hard-fought rights for Afghan women and girls.

The law, which has been passed by the Afghan parliament and is now awaiting President Hamid Karzai’s signature, would prohibit authorities from questioning the relatives of a criminal suspect.

This would effectively silence victims and undermine investigations into cases of sexual and domestic violence in a country rife with “honour killings” and forced marriages.

Canada was the first country to speak out this week, with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Lynne Yelich voicing the government’s strong opposition to the law following a trip to Afghanistan.

The Conservative government has also instructed Canadian diplomats in Kabul to enlist counterparts from other countries to stop the legislation from being adopted.

Human Rights Watch researcher Heather Barr, whose organization uncovered the proposed law, praised Canada’s leadership in trying to raise concerns and rally opposition.

“It sends a clear message not just to the Afghan government, but to other donors as well, that this is an important issue and it’s something other people should speak out about,” she said.

On Friday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague tweeted his concern and said his country’s ambassador was “urgently” raising the matter with Afghan authorities.

Yet human rights groups say international silence has become the norm as women’s rights in Afghanistan have been rolled back over the past year, a concern privately echoed by Canadian officials.
More on link

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan
Article Link
Story by Tech. Sgt. Mark Bell


KABUL, Afghanistan - Nine out of 10 Afghan National Army (ANA) recruits are unable to read, write or calculate basic arithmetic. Since 2009 the literacy and language division here, has provided a literacy program to better educate Afghan soldiers.

The objective of literacy training programs is to get students to a third grade reading level. Educators say this level of training allows students to improve reading and writing skills on their own, should they choose to do so.

Chief of the Literacy and Language division, Canadian Lt. Col. Tim Isberg says the program is essential for the country’s sustainment. For the last four years, NTM-A has been running a literacy program to insure that there’s a foundation of literate soldiers to professionalize the force, said Isberg.

In 2012, the ANA established the Darulaman Literacy Centre at the Regional Military Training Centre Capital, to prepare soldiers for their branch training which include military specialties like signal, artillery and engineering.

Literacy instructors are required to pass a rigorous screening program to verify their credentials, assess their skills, and complete a teacher-training certification program conducted by the Ministry of Education.

Matiullah Sapi, a literacy center instructor, has taught literacy for nearly two years. “When I’m teaching literacy, people enjoy it a lot.” He said. When the soldiers come here for literacy, the first day they know nothing. After a few weeks, I can see that they learn to read and write and solve their own problems, I really enjoy teaching, said Sapi.

Mir Azam, a student at the school said “Before the training I had a weakness, I could not spell my name and did not know mathematics, now I can read and write my name and I am very good at math.”

One day my son brought his notebook to me, he had a difficult math question, and I could not help him answer it, said Sapi. That’s why I focus more and more on mathematics so in the future if my son has a math problem, I will be able to solve it and help my son, he said.
More on link


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## GAP (20 Feb 2014)

*Articles found February 20, 2014*

Canada’s Kandahar fire sale

Private companies operating in Afghanistan were the big winners when the Canadian Forces disposed of equipment in Kandahar. Here are some of the bargains they got:

Ottawa Citizen February 14, 2014
Article Link

Private companies operating in Afghanistan were the big winners when the Canadian Forces disposed of equipment in Kandahar. Here are some of the bargains they got:

$250: What was paid for computer equipment worth $50,000

$26: $33,000 worth of camping gear

$298: $10,000 worth of medical equipment

$20: Work masks valued at $7,000

$105: A $21,000 sound system

$567: $114,000 worth of electronics

$1,092: Treadmills worth $19,866

$792: $12,500 worth of safety matches

$16.9 million: Total amount Canada received for $41 million worth of equipment

$5.4 million: Total value of equipment destroyed instead of returned to Canada

$15.4 million: Total value of equipment donated to Afghan forces and allies
end

Afghan mission waste 
Ottawa Citizen February 15, 2014
Article Link

The U.S. has created the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR, to audit and investigate how its aid money is being spent in that country.

Here are some of SIGAR’s findings:

- More than $57 million has been spent on building a 100-bed hospital near Gardez. The project is two years behind schedule. In addition, the facility is 12 times larger than the hospital it is replacing, prompting the Afghan government to point out that it doesn’t need such a large hospital and that it can’t afford to operate it in the future.

- A 100-bed hospital in Khost, opened in 2011, is not being fully used because the Afghans can’t afford to run the large generators installed by the U.S. contractors. The Afghans put in smaller generators but they provide power to only 35 per cent of the facility.

- Tens of millions of dollars are being given to the Afghan National Police for the purchase of fuel for their vehicles. However, there is no proper system to determine whether that money is actually being spent on fuel. SIGAR warned such funding is at “high risk” of theft and waste.

- A school built in a village just east of Kabul had design and construction flaws that suggested the walls weren’t strong enough to hold the heavy concrete roof. SIGAR asked that children not be allowed to go to the school in the earthquake-prone area until repairs could be made.

- SIGAR determined there were few internal controls to oversee the $236 million provided for a health care program in Afghanistan. The lack of accountability puts the funds at risk of being wasted or stolen.

- The U.S. spent $3.4 million on teacher training facilities in Sheberghan. But because of shoddy construction the buildings lack proper sewage and water systems. The electrical wiring also poses an electrocution hazard to those in the building.
More on link

Canadian Forces gear stuck in Kandahar for nearly 3 years
Military equipment left in Afghanistan airfield after 2011 pullout

By James Cudmore, CBC News Posted: Feb 16, 2014
Article Link

Hundreds of shipping containers filled with expensive and important military equipment used in the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar were stranded in Afghanistan for years and are only now finally finding their way back to military storehouses in Canada.

A February 2013 briefing note prepared for former defence minister Peter MacKay obtained by CBC News under access to information laws shows the military at one point had 441 sea containers of equipment stuck in Kandahar as a result of a decision by the government of Pakistan to shutter its border to convoys of NATO gear.

That's nearly a quarter of the 1,800 containers of equipment left in Kandahar following the conclusion of Canada's combat mission there in July 2011.

The documents show the military was able to get 67 containers of "high priority material" out of the country but debated how best to send the rest home.

At one point, with access to southern oceans through Pakistan blocked, the military was apparently willing to try an overland route through Europe.

That route was part of a NATO "Proof of Principle initiative" that would have seen about 200 Canadian containers shipped to a European port — likely Bremerhaven in Germany, though the location is redacted in the documents — over the course of a year before being shipped by sea to a military depot in Montréal.
More on link


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## McG (23 Feb 2014)

> * Taliban checkpoint attack kills 19 Afghan soldiers*
> Global News
> 23 February 2014
> 
> ...


http://globalnews.ca/news/1167039/taliban-checkpoint-attack-kills-19-afghan-soldiers/


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## GAP (28 Feb 2014)

*Articles found February 28, 2014*

You Cannot Serve Two Masters At Once: Canadian Foreign Aid in Afghanistan
February 27, 2014. 12:23 am • Section: Defence Watch
Article Link

As our troops complete their final rotation in Afghanistan, there will be a lot of ink spilled asking whether it was all worthwhile. The longest military engagement in Canadian history, 162 dead Canadians, hundreds more physically injured, rampant PTSD manifestations, and multiple billions of dollars spent on a war that lost its focus and ultimately wound down, leaving Afghanistan with a murky future. Historians, journalists, politicians, and others will continue to belabour and question its utility or its futility.

When the War in Afghanistan lost its military focus, the Government of Canada decided that a great way to win the “hearts and minds” of Afghans would be to refocus our efforts on aid. For many years Afghanistan was the foremost recipient of Canada’s foreign aid, receiving an average of $100 million every year since 2002.

Reports of our efforts, including the construction of schools, and roads, and dams pacified Canadians who had been either opposed or indifferent to the war. The announcement of our involvement stressed that at least we were doing some “good works”; these announcements placed particular emphasis on building schools and ensuring that girls would receive education. Statistics seem to reflect some success in improving girls’ access to education, but whether or not that success will continue after NATO withdraws remains to be seen.

La Presse recently published an article on the school building initiative. It does not paint a pretty picture.

School after school report shoddy building practices, stairs to nowhere, inadequate numbers of toilets, and ineffective plumbing. “The Canadian schools are the worst,” says Mohammed Shah, Director of Planning at the Ministry of Education of the province of Kandahar. In Saheed Mohammed Dawood Sardor, “Large cracks run along the walls. Only 8 toilets were built for 1,100 students. The stove was installed too close to the electric box. When it was turned on the first time, it jumped circuits.” Some of the work is so faulty that the facilities are fundamentally useless. “It’s a shame!” says one history teacher, “If you give a gift, it should not be poisoned.”
More on link

 Canada Should Keep Training Military in Afghanistan
Posted: 02/28/2014 
Article Link

Foreign policy towards Afghanistan has never been known for its farsightedness. From the Soviet Union's decision to invade the country in 1979 or America's response in covertly arming the Islamist mujahedin, to Pakistan's assistance incubating the Taliban, the policies of stakeholder countries towards Afghanistan have often been characterized by negligence, and the consequences have been dire for Afghanistan and these same countries.

The past decade of the international community's efforts to bring security and development to Afghanistan has also had its share of shortsightedness. But where there has been dogged, long-term investment that accounts for lessons learned and that aims to build systems from the ground up, recognizing that this takes time, there have been successes. These successes are such that the country has propelled forward despite an ongoing insurgency, a government mired in corruption, and much uncertainty over future security arrangements beyond this year.

The change can be seen in skyrocketing human development indicators, the visibility of women in public life, the thriving media sector, and Afghans' ambitious pursuit of education, from the spike in primary enrolment to the rapid spread of post-secondary institutions throughout the country. And despite a highly centralized government still liable to patronage under an increasingly unstable leader, there are still understated processes of democratization underway. One such process is the professionalization and strengthening of Afghan-led security.

Professionalizing the security sector is not only about security, but is also critical to democratic development. The Afghan police and army, together known as the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF), represent government at the ground level, where the state interfaces with citizens. 
More on link


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