# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread January 2009



## GAP (31 Dec 2008)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread January 2009  *               

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


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## GAP (1 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 1, 2009*

Canada's face in Afghanistan doesn't fully show its diversity
CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD Globe and Mail January 1, 2009 at 7:48 AM EST
Article Link

It's a simple enough question, posed in a note this week from a reader who asked it first in a recent letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun, which chose not to run it.

"It was heartbreaking in the Dec. 6 Sun to see the faces - so young, once so alive - of the 100 Canadians who have given their lives for their country, fighting in Afghanistan," he wrote.

"If a picture of 100 Canadians was taken today, you could count on it being politically correct, with our multiculturalism front and centre. But our multiculturalism was nowhere to be seen in the photos of our fallen.

"Does anybody have an answer for this?"

Since he first wrote the letter, six more Canadians have died in service to Canada, the bodies of the three most recent casualties - Private Michael Freeman of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment; Sergeant Gregory John Kruse, from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, and Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge, a Van Doo attached to the 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada - arriving back in Canada only two days ago.

These three have much in common with their fellow fallen. They were killed, as so many others have been, by an improvised explosive device, or IED. They were young; the average age of the Canadian soldier killed in Kandahar is 28.6 years.

And they were white men, as were all but five of the 106 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan - the exceptions (though I suspect they might have quarrelled with such a distinction and may not have "self-identified" as such) Trooper Michael Hayakaze, a Japanese-Canadian; WO Hani Massouh, who was Egyptian by birth though raised in Canada and an experienced veteran of the Canadian Forces; two black Canadians, Pte. Mark Graham and Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, and one woman, Captain Nichola Goddard.
More on link

Forces probe death of Taliban insurgent
JANE ARMSTRONG From Thursday's Globe and Mail December 31, 2008 at 9:34 PM EST
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Canadian military investigators are probing allegations of “inappropriate conduct” in the death of a Taliban insurgent last fall, but little else has been made public.

Reading from a written statement, Colonel Jamie Cade, deputy commander of NATO forces in Kandahar, told reporters that he was made aware of the allegations on Dec. 27. Investigators want to know if “proper reporting procedures were followed,” he said.

Col. Cade refused to answer questions about the matter.

The incident occurred Oct. 19 in Helmand province, directly west of Kandahar province where most Canadian Forces are deployed.

Canadian officials would not comment on the circumstances of the insurgent's death, nor how Canadian Forces may have come to be involved in an incident in Helmand, which is largely the responsibility of British forces.

“I think the Canadian military should be answering a few more questions here – immediately,” said lawyer Paul Champ, a human-rights specialist.

Mr. Champ is best known for leading a legal bid by Amnesty International to extend Canadian human-rights protections to Afghan detainees handed over by Canadian troops to Afghan security forces.

“The Canadian military, to instill the confidence of Canadians, should provide a few more details surrounding these allegations,” he said.

The probe is being conducted by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, an independent military police unit with a mandate to investigate “serious and sensitive” matters relating to National Defence property, its employees and Canadian Forces personnel.

The NIS was formed after one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Canadian military: the 1993 Somalia affair, in which members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment brutally beat to death a Somali teenager.
More on link

Five dead in suspected US missile strike in Pakistan
9 hours ago
Article Link

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — A suspected US missile strike on Thursday killed at least five Taliban militants in a tribal area in northwest Pakistan known as a extremist stronghold, local officials said.

The strike was the latest targeting Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan -- most said to have been launched by CIA drones -- that have raised tensions between Washington and Islamabad.

A local security official told AFP that an unmanned CIA aircraft had fired three missiles in the Karikot area of South Waziristan -- the same spot where eight suspected militants were killed in a US drone strike 10 days ago.

One of the missiles struck a vehicle, killing five people inside, another security official said, adding those killed were known Taliban militants.

The other two missiles hit a hilltop house that was a known militant hideout in the area, but it was empty at the time of the strike, the officials said.

One militant was also wounded, they added.

"We rushed out of our homes," said resident Zar Wali, adding that locals had been panicked by the powerful explosions.
More on link

Afghan soldiers destroy 3 bomb-making compounds, kill bomber: ANA
1 day ago
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Afghan National Army soldiers destroyed three suspected bomb-making compounds and killed a person believed to be planting roadside bombs during a recent operation, a senior ANA commander said Wednesday.

The mission was planned and executed by the Afghan army under the tutelage of Canadian military mentors, Col. Ahmad Habibi told reporters Wednesday at Kandahar Airfield.

Habibi said two of the compounds were located in the town of Senjaray and one was in Maywand district, about 75 kilometres west of Kandahar city.

He said Afghan soldiers found a cache of weapons at the compounds, including rockets, machine guns, bomb wires, explosives and bomb-making instructions.

The troops also found a car laden with 56 sacks of powder - believed to be used for making bombs - along with seven barrels of acid, Habibi said.

"The enemy is very ruthless," he said through a translator.

Last week, the Canadian military said coalition forces killed 11 Taliban militants, including the leader of a bomb-making cell, during a raid in Maywand.
More on link

Taliban militants kill 'US spy' in Pakistan: official
1 day ago
Article Link

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) — Taliban militants executed a man in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border after accusing him of spying for the United States, an official said Wednesday.

The bullet-riddled body of 28-year-old Mohammad Nawaz was found dumped on a roadside on Wednesday in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, a local police official said.

Nawaz had been kidnapped in November after a US missile strike near Mir Ali town killed some local and foreign militants.

A note found near his body said Nawaz had been "found guilty of spying for the US," the official said, requesting anonymity.

Militants have killed dozens of local tribesmen and Afghan refugees on charges of spying, mainly for the Pakistani government or US forces operating across the border in Afghanistan.
More on link

UK military: British marine dies in Afghanistan  
The Associated Press Wednesday, December 31, 2008 
Article Link

LONDON: Britain's military says one of its marines has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan.

The British Ministry of Defense says a member of the country's 45 Commando Royal Marines was killed by an explosion Wednesday afternoon in the Sangin district of Afghanistan's restive Helmand province.
More on link


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## old medic (2 Jan 2009)

U.S. troops' supply route through Pakistan reopens
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/11/7371686-ap.html



> PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A Pakistani official says the main supply route for U.S. and NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan has been reopened. Operations against militants in the area are ongoing.
> 
> The Khyber Pass in northwest Pakistan was closed Tuesday to allow troops to target militants blamed for attacking convoys carrying equipment to Western forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
> 
> Khyber administration head Tariq Hayat Khan says the road reopened Friday for all traffic but military operations were continuing "on its outskirts."


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## GAP (2 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 2, 2009*

Canada shopping for radar warning system
 By David PuglieseJanuary 1, 2009
  Article Link

The Canadian Forces is looking to spend at least $50 million on a new radar system to warn troops about incoming rockets and mortar bombs.

The army is looking for a radar that has a range of up to 30 kilometres and can be quickly set up by several soldiers.

The army spent $33 million on an earlier attempt that produced only mixed results.

For its 2003-2004 Afghanistan mission, the Canadian military had leased from Sweden a radar dubbed 'Arthur,' but soldiers complained it had mis-identified friendly aircraft and electrical power lines as incoming enemy rockets. Out of 3,200 incidents the radar identified as enemy fire, only two could be confirmed as real, according to a report filed by Canadian military personnel.

At the time the army shelved plans to purchase what were known as counter-bombardment radars, citing the concern the technology was not developed enough to make their use practical. It decided to wait until the U.S. military figured out what it would do in terms of such technology.

But now the Canadian army has revived its plan to purchase such radars. A contract for a new system is expected sometime in 2010 but it is unclear whether the equipment would be delivered in time to protect Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
More on link

Can't recall 'inappropriate conduct' during Taliban fight: Afghan general
21 hours ago
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — An Afghan army general who was on hand for October's bloody battle of Lashkar Gah said Thursday he has heard none of the allegations of "inappropriate conduct" surrounding the death of a presumed Taliban insurgent.

Afghan National Army troops killed so many Taliban fighters during the defence of Helmand province's capital city two months ago, it's impossible to say how they all died, Gen. Sher Muhammad Zazai said in an interview.

Afghan and NATO officials claimed at least 100 Taliban died in the three days of fighting, in which insurgents mounted a three-pronged attack on the city that ended Oct. 18.

"I don't know of any inappropriate way that Taliban were killed," Zazai said through an interpreter.

"So many were killed, I don't remember the exact way they were (all) killed."

The major crimes unit of Canada's military police is investigating a death that took place "on or about" Oct. 19 in Helmand - the day after the Lashkar Gah seige came to an end.

The deputy commander of NATO forces in Kandahar province, Col. Jamie Cade, said he learned Dec. 27 of the allegations. Few details have been released
More on link

US readying south Afghan surge against Taliban
By JASON STRAZIUSO and RAHIM FAIEZ – 12 hours ago 
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan's southern rim, the Taliban's spiritual birthplace and the country's most violent region, has for the past two years been the domain of British, Canadian and Dutch soldiers.

That's about to change.

In what amounts to an Afghan version of the surge in Iraq, the U.S. is preparing to pour at least 20,000 extra troops into the south, augmenting 12,500 NATO soldiers who have proved too few to cope with a Taliban insurgency that is fiercer than NATO leaders expected.

New construction at Kandahar Air Field foreshadows the upcoming infusion of American power. Runways and housing are being built, along with two new U.S. outposts in Taliban-held regions of Kandahar province.

And in the past month the south has been the focus of visiting U.S. and other dignitaries — Sen. John McCain, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, U.S. congressional delegations and leaders from NATO headquarters in Europe.

For the first time since NATO took over the country in 2006, an experienced U.S. general, Brig. Gen. John Nicholson, is assigned to the south.
More on link


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## George Wallace (2 Jan 2009)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act:  Article LINK

*Their final journey together*

*A soldier must bring his fallen friend home: 'This is going to be hard'

By JOE WARMINGTON*

Wounded Master Cpl. Hugh Brennan has spent this New Year's in his hotel room waiting for the phone to ring. 

When it does he will travel one more time with Pte. Michael Freeman, his close friend killed in the line of duty Dec. 26, for the final leg of his journey home to Peterborough. 

"At some point the coroner is going to call," Brennan said in an interview last night. "I don't know when." 

In Toronto, he waits and licks his physical, psychological and emotional wounds received as he was sitting beside Freeman when he was killed in Afghanistan. 

An autopsy has to be conducted on the 28-year-old who died after being blown up by an improvised explosive device on Boxing Day near the Canadian Armed Forces base near Kandahar. He is one of 104 Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan and one of nine in the month of December. 

And to think, less than a week ago Brennan and Freeman, and all of the rest of the LAV (light armoured vehicle) team of 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment's 5 Platoon based in Petawawa, were celebrating Christmas. 

The next day it was back to work. Nine Canadian soldiers climbed into the LAV and headed out on patrol. 

"We stopped for lunch at the forward operating base," recalled Brennan, who grew up in Belleville and whose parents now live in Napanee. "Then we headed back out and at 12:45 it happened." 

The blast was severe. 

"I saw yellow smoke and smelled diesel," said Brennan. "Then I saw and felt rocks hitting me in the face. It was happening fast but it felt like it was going on for 10 minutes." 

The badly damaged LAV ended up on its side. "For me it felt like getting punched in the face," he said. "We were hit really hard." 

When the dust literally settled, one by one the crew tried to get out of the vehicle. 

"Because of my pack I was stuck," he said. 

Seated next to Freeman, he was looking to try to get him out. He then he heard the words that have been ringing in his ears ever since. 

"Somebody yelled, 'Mike's gone. You have to get out because the vehicle is on fire.'" 

At that point "one of the guys pulled me out." He saw some of the crew "lying on the ground" and the "crew commander administering first aid." 

Brennan's back was badly twisted and he received several deep puncture wounds. "What really surprised me was how calm everyone was," said Brennan, who is on his second tour in Afghanistan. "We had to get something done and we did it." 

Several needed medical attention but will recover. Freeman took the brunt of the blast. 

"It is always in the back of our minds," he said of IED's. 

But you learn to live with it. "We all know if it happens, it happens," he said. 

It happened to them. 

And even though they rationalize it, the last few days, being with him when he died and then being the one who escorts him home, has been devastating for the 25-year-old Brennan, who is on pain medication. 

"I don't know if it has hit me yet," he said of his friend's death. "The hardest part is I have not seen his family yet. That is going to be hard." 

That will happen when the coroner releases Freeman's body. Brennan will travel with him to Peterborough where there will be a funeral on Monday. 

He said he is bringing home one special soldier. And one special person. "He was an extremely hard worker and one of the best drivers I have ever known," said Brennan of his pal. "When we would bitch and complain he would just laugh about it." 

Nothing fazed him. He was the capable driver who always knew what to do and when to do it. 

"I gave him the name Chewy -- as in Chewbacca from Star Wars," said Brennan, for the first time in our interview offering a short chuckle. 

"He called me Han Solo," he said. "I would say punch it Chewy and then we would take off (in the LAV)." 

Away from battle and patrols, Freeman was an interesting young man who had a young, kind, adventurous and generous spirit. "His dad sent him his golf clubs and he has his own driving range near our tent," said Brennan. "When he would hit balls, the local kids would run out and get them. He would always pay them with candy and food. He was priceless. He was like everybody's crazy brother. He was a real character." 

The Canadian soldiers enjoy the Afghan people -- which makes it so difficult to accept that some of the population wants them dead. But, he said, it is the minority. "I have seen the positive," Brennan said of the work Canadians have achieved there. "I believe a good percentage does appreciate that but some are on the fence and those are the ones we have to (convince)." 

Until they do, they are deadly. "The insurgents have no chance in a firefight. We would take them out every time, so using the IED's is their only chance," he said. "They are getting pretty good at it." 

The military investigates every death and wherever possible eradicates those responsible and destroys their laboratories. As far as appropriate retribution toward those who killed Freeman and two others the next day, his response was "use one's imagination." 

The fact those in combat zones are at constant risk does not deter them. They are a close-knit unit, who would all dive in front of a bullet to save each other. "Watching the guys say goodbye to him in Kandahar was really hard," he said. 

But witnessing the outpouring of emotion on the Highway of Heroes trek from CFB Trenton to Toronto Tuesday, solidified for him that a country is behind them. "I don't think there has been a moment in my life when I was prouder to be a Canadian," said Brennan, who limped over to the crowd and shook the hands and hugged supporters as he arrived in Toronto. "It was special and breathtaking." 

He said he had heard of the Highway of Heroes but didn't realize it would be like that. He plans to tell his fellow soldiers when he gets back to the war. "Once I am healed up I am going to go back overseas," he said, adding Pte. Freeman would have done that if he had lived and it was someone else who died. "I don't want to leave my section shorthanded." 

Before he can get back to help, there's a phone call and a funeral that have to happen first.

More on link


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## old medic (3 Jan 2009)

Officials: Pakistan arrests senior Taliban figure
Sat. Jan. 3 2009
The Associated Press



> PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistan has arrested a former spokesman for Taliban leader Mullah Omar who was released by Afghanistan in 2007 in exchange for a kidnapped Italian journalist, security officials said Saturday.
> 
> Authorities detained Ustad Mohammed Yasir in the northwest city of Peshawar near the Afghan border, said an intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
> 
> ...


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## GAP (5 Jan 2009)

Female Afghan police officers brave death threats
Updated Sun. Jan. 4 2009 10:02 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

Less than four months after gunmen assassinated the highest-ranking female police officer in Afghanistan, members of the unit she founded are trying to continue her mission despite death threats.

Two men murdered Lt.-Col. Malalai Kakar in Kandahar last September, as she made her way to work in Kandahar. Until then, she had survived numerous assassination attempts from militants opposed to her fight for gender equality, and she had personally killed three would-be attackers.

The unit primarily investigates crimes against women, along with crimes committed by women. Kakar's successor, who can only be identified as Parwana, told CTV News that the other members are constantly being threatened.

"All of us female cops get lots of death threats," Parwana, the team's lead investigator, said through an interpreter. "We now hide our faces in public. It's the only way we can protect ourselves."

Over the past few months, the Taliban has carried out several dozen targeted killings. A spokesperson proudly boasted of having workers in Kandahar city making lists of those employed by the government.

Parwana, a single mother because her husband was gunned down, said she and her officers are trying to adjust to the difficult reality.

She told CTV News she's not afraid to die, but wants to stay alive as long as possible to help her country.
More on link


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## GAP (5 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 5, 2009*

Taliban whopper: claim 5,220 foreign troops killed
By JASON STRAZIUSO and RAHIM FAIEZ – 2 hours ago 
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its recent claim that it killed more than 5,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan last year may be the militia's most startling yet.

The Taliban said last week on its Web site that it killed 5,220 U.S. and NATO troops in 2008 — an exaggerated figure nearly 20 times the official death toll.

The insurgents also said they downed 31 aircraft last year. Its fighters destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police, according to a statement from a spokesman.

The true damage inflicted on U.S. and NATO fighters over the last year has been "repeatedly hidden by the enemy and they have controlled the media by using money, power and their lies," the statement said.

NATO and its member countries announce all troop deaths, providing names, ages and hometowns and how the soldiers were killed. According to an Associated Press tally based on those announcements, 286 foreign forces died last year in Afghanistan, including 151 American and 51 British.

Though the death toll was highly exaggerated, the Taliban have had increased success recently. Violence in Afghanistan has spiked in the last two years, and Taliban militants now control wide swaths of countryside. In response, the U.S. is planning to pour up to 30,000 more troops into the country this year.

The insurgents' exaggerations are designed to boost morale inside the Taliban and to attract financing from donors sympathetic to their cause, a U.S. military official and a Taliban expert said.

"They put out this propaganda in order to raise capital to continue their operations," said Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. military spokesman.

Vahid Mojdeh, the author of a book on the Taliban who continues to study the militia, said the exaggerated claims help the insurgents recruit new fighters
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Soldier's case 'doesn't smell right'
Allison Hanes And David ********, Canwest News Service   Published: Monday, January 05, 2009
Article Link

The parents of Captain Robert Semrau, the first Canadian Forces soldier charged with second-degree murder in the death of a presumed Afghan insurgent, expressed thanks yesterday for the outpouring of support for their son since the startling news of the arrest broke on New Year's Eve.

In a telephone conversation with the National Post from their home in Camrose, Alta., Don and Jean Semrau said they cannot comment at this time given the sensitive nature of their son's predicament, but indicated they hope to release a statement in the coming days.

However, Mr. Semrau acknowledged a Facebook site that has sprung up in support of his son. It voices both disbelief at the murder charge and confidence he will be cleared.

"We're getting very good support right now," the father said.

"We thank you for your support," Mrs. Semrau added, before the couple politely ended the call.

From Vancouver, Capt. Semrau's only sibling said he is distraught over the serious charge hanging over his brother, but his family is pulling together in a circle of silence, reluctant to interfere in an unprecedented criminal investigation for Canada's military in Afghanistan.
More on link

'Taleban kill three for spying'   
Article Link
  
Suspected Taleban militants have killed three men in north-west Pakistan after accusing them of spying for the United States, police say. 

The bodies were found on a road near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region. 

The lawless region is known to be a hub of Taleban and al-Qaeda militants. 

Militants have killed dozens of local tribesmen and Afghan refugees for allegedly spying for US forces in Afghanistan or for Pakistan. 

Drone attacks 

Two of those shot dead in North Waziristan are reported to be Afghans. The other was Pakistani. 

One of the victims, aged 25, had been kidnapped several days earlier. 

Notes found near the bodies said they had been found guilty of spying for the United States forces in Afghanistan. 

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Islamabad says there are many instances of militant insurgency close to the Afghan border. Some have a sectarian dimension, others are linked to revenge issues if local people have tried to take action against the Taleban and others are connected with insurgents' growing attempts to introduce Sharia law. 
More on link

Australian killed in Afghanistan   
  Article Link

Eight Australian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001 

An Australian soldier has been killed in Afghanistan by a Taleban rocket attack, the Australian Defence Department says. 

The soldier, who was not named, was killed instantly when a rocket exploded in a compound in Afghanistan's southern province of Uruzgan. 

A group of Australian soldiers was stationed at an Afghan base there. 

The casualty was the eighth suffered by Australian forces in Afghanistan since their deployment there in 2001. 

The soldier had been in the country only a few weeks. 

"Fighting in the war in Afghanistan continues as an important part of the fight against terrorism, the fight against al-Qaeda," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Sydney. 

"It's also part and parcel of our obligation to our allies and friends, given that this war in Afghanistan began following the terrorist attack on September 11 by al Qaida, resulting in the murder of thousands of innocent civilians." 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (6 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 6

Taliban claims of success appear exaggerated
Globe and Mail (via AP), Jan. 6
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090106.WORLDREPORT06-2/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/



> Kabul -- The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its figures for 2008 may be the militia's most startling claims yet.
> 
> The Taliban claims its forces last year killed 5,220 foreign troops, downed 31 aircraft, destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police.
> 
> NATO's member countries announce all troop deaths, providing names, ages and hometowns and how the soldiers were killed. According to an Associated Press tally of those announcements, 286 foreign forces died last year in Afghanistan, including 151 U.S. and 32 Canadian troops.



Taliban whopper: claim 5,220 foreign troops killed (repeat for effect)
AP, Jan. 5
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i6X8dy4ninriVvSqn7KQdCwIPOswD95HDEB00



> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its figures for 2008 may be the militia's most startling claims yet.
> 
> The Taliban claims its forces last year killed 5,220 foreign troops, downed 31 aircraft, destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police.
> 
> ...



The Afghan Quagmire
_NY Times_, Jan. 5, by Bob Herbert
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06herbert.html?ref=todayspaper



> ...What Mr. Obama doesn’t need, and what the U.S. cannot under any circumstances afford, is any more unnecessary warfare. And yet, while we haven’t even figured out how to extricate ourselves from the disaster in Iraq, Mr. Obama is planning to commit thousands of additional American troops to the war in Afghanistan, which is already more than seven years old and which long ago turned into a quagmire.
> 
> Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army colonel who is now a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, wrote an important piece for Newsweek warning against the proposed buildup. “Afghanistan will be a sinkhole,” he said, “consuming resources neither the U.S. military nor the U.S. government can afford to waste.”
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (7 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 7, 2009*

U.S. says troops kill 32 insurgents in Afghanistan
Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:42am EST KABUL
Article Link

U.S.-led coalition forces killed 32 insurgents in fighting that erupted in a village in eastern Afghanistan following a raid on a hideout of bomb-makers, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

Violence has surged in recent years in Afghanistan since the Taliban, ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, regrouped in 2005 for driving out the foreign troops and to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

Tuesday's operation was in a village of Laghman province and targeted a Taliban roadside bomb cell responsible for numerous attacks throughout the region, the U.S. military said in a statement.

"During the operation, as many as 75 armed militants exited their compounds and attempted to converge on the force. Shooting from rooftops and alleyways, the militants engaged Coalition forces with small-arms fire in the village," it said.

"Coalition forces killed 32 armed insurgents including one female, detained one suspected militant, and destroyed two large caches of weapons, explosives and roadside bomb materials during an operation," it added.

It did not mention any troop or civilian casualties in the operation.
More on link

What price Russian cooperation on Afghanistan? 
Myra MacDonal January 6th, 2009
Article Link


According to the Washington Post, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates sees opportunities for the United States to cooperate with Russia on Afghanistan. The newspaper says Gates, a longtime Russia analyst during his years with the CIA, sees Moscow as less of a threat than do many inside and outside the U.S. military establishment. ”Russia is very worried about the drugs coming out of Afghanistan and has been supportive in terms of providing alternative routes for Europeans in particular to get equipment and supplies into Afghanistan,” it quoted him as saying.

The story is interesting in the context of the United States searching for new supply lines through Central Asia into Afghanistan as an alternative to Pakistan before it sends in thousands more troops.  “The plan to open new paths through Central Asia reflects an American-led effort to seek out a more reliable alternative to the route from Pakistan through the strategic Khyber Pass,” the New York Times said.
More on link

Obama seen making more aggressive effort on terror
By ROBERT BURNS – 17 hours ago 
Article Link

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama apparently plans a more aggressive approach than the Bush administration to helping friendly nations get better at fighting terrorism within their own borders, the State Department's top counterterrorism official said Tuesday.

Dell L. Dailey, who has led the counterterrorism office at State since June 2007, told reporters that he is encouraged by what he has seen and heard in multiple meetings with Obama's transition team.

"We do see the Obama administration being much, much more aggressive than maybe even their campaign actions indicated," Dailey said, stressing that he was referring to wider and deeper U.S. engagement with other countries to counter terrorist threats rather than unilateral U.S. military action.

Dailey also said Bush administration efforts to undermine Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network have paid dividends, leaving the organization's leaders isolated and diminished, if still able to avoid U.S. capture.

"We chopped off their arms in doing that, we chopped off their communications, we chopped off their funding to do that, we've gone after their leadership and curtailed them in taking away training sites," he said.
More on link

Militants kill cleric, 3 police in S Afghanistan   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-06 19:15:49     
Article Link

    KABUL, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Three policemen and one cleric were killed by militants in two separate clashes in Taliban former stronghold Kandahar, officials said Tuesday. 

    In the first attack occurred in Dand district on Monday, militants raided a police checkpoint killing three police constables and injuring another, police chief in southern region Ghulam Ali Wahdat told Xinhua. 

    The militants in a similar incident of same day gunned down a prayer leader of a mosque in Kandahar city. 

    "It was Monday evening when two armed men entered the mosque and shot the cleric dead," provincial administration spokesman Zalmai Ayubi told Xinhua. 

    He also added that the attackers made their good escape. 

    Taliban fighters who often target government interests have yet to make comment. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (9 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 9

Petraeus: Afghan, Pakistan Problems Are Really One
AP, Jan. 9
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/09/washington/AP-US-Afghanistan.html?_r=1



> U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.
> 
> Army Gen. David Petraeus, who became a household name overseeing the war in Iraq, now oversees the older, smaller and less promising fight in Afghanistan as well. He predicted a long war in Afghanistan, without quantifying it...
> 
> ...



Officials: says talks on alternate supply routes to Afghanistan in advanced stage
AP, Jan. 8
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-eu-nato-afghanistan,0,4051099.story



> Talks aimed at setting up alternative supply routes to the Khyber Pass for U.S. and other NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan are at an advanced stage, officials said Thursday.
> 
> The issue is one of growing urgency because of intensifying attacks by pro-Taliban guerrillas on the mountain pass, which links Pakistan and Afghanistan and is the main supply route the soldiers use. Finding alternative routes also is critical as the U.S. troop deployment to Afghanistan is expected to as much as double this year to 60,000.
> 
> ...



Surging in Afghanistan?
Media round-up from the Conference of Defence Associations, Jan. 9
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1231524031

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (10 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 10

Canadian choppers start flying over Afghanistan
CTV, Jan. 9
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090109/afghan_helicopters_090109/20090109?hub=CTVNewsAt11



> Canadian helicopter pilots have begun flying training missions over Afghanistan, practicing tactical manoeuvres, tricky landings and flying through enemy fire -- all scenarios they are likely to face when transporting troops in the coming months.
> 
> It is part of a new strategy, as recommended by the Manley report, to prioritize the air transport of Canadian troops and to get them off deadly Afghan roads where they are exposed to improvised explosive devices and other bombing threats.
> 
> ...



NATO chief says more support needed in Afghanistan
AP, Jan. 10
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090110.wafghan0110/BNStory/Afghanistan/home



> The commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan told U.S. vice-president-elect Joe Biden on Saturday thousands of new U.S. troops expected in the country's south *will need more helicopters* [emphasis added] and other support to beat back surging Taliban violence, an official said.
> 
> Mr. Biden met with U.S. General David McKiernan, head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan and was scheduled to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai later in the day.
> 
> ...



NATO Fears European Pull-Out From Afghanistan
Deutsche Welle, Jan. 10
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3933770,00.html



> The economic crisis raises the risk that European allies will pull back from Afghanistan at a time when president-elect Barack Obama is expected to reach out to them for help, NATO's supreme commander warned Friday.
> 
> At the same time, General Bantz Craddock predicted that US forces will be in Afghanistan for "at least" a decade, and likely have a presence there for decades to come.
> 
> ...



Winning in Afghanistan
Creating Effective Afghan Security Forces
CSIS (the American one), by Anthony Cordesman and David Kasten and Adam Mausner
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,5165/



> *Synopsis*:
> 
> The situation in Afghanistan has reached the brink of chaos.  The Taliban, Haqqani, and HIG forces have become far more lethal, and casualties for US, NATO, Afghan Army and Afghan Police forces are on the rise. US commanders have called for 20,000 more troops, but this is the number needed to buy time, not the number needed to win.  Any effective counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan must build up strong Afghan security forces, and the use them to both defeat the enemy and create the level of security that is a critical prerequisite for governance and development.
> 
> ...



The Worst Pakistan Nightmare for Obama
_NY Times Magazine_, January 8, by David Sanger (long article)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/magazine/11pakistan-t.html



> TO GET TO THE HEADQUARTERS of the Strategic Plans Division, the branch of the Pakistani government charged with keeping the country’s growing arsenal of nuclear weapons away from insurgents trying to overrun the country, you must drive down a rutted, debris-strewn road at the edge of the Islamabad airport, dodging stray dogs and piles of uncollected garbage. Just past a small traffic circle, a tan stone gateway is manned by a lone, bored-looking guard loosely holding a rusting rifle. The gateway marks the entry to Chaklala Garrison, an old British cantonment from the days when officers of the Raj escaped the heat of Delhi for the cooler hills on the approaches to Afghanistan. Pass under the archway, and the poverty and clamor of modern Pakistan disappear.
> 
> Chaklala is a comfortable enclave for the country’s military and intelligence services. Inside the gates, officers in the army and the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, known as the ISI, live in trim houses with well-tended lawns. Business is conducted in long, low office buildings, with a bevy of well-pressed adjutants buzzing around. Deep inside the garrison lies the small compound for Strategic Plans, where Khalid Kidwai keeps the country’s nuclear keys. Now 58, Kidwai is a compact man who hides his arch sense of humor beneath a veil of caution, as if he were previewing each sentence to decide if it revealed too much. In the chaos of Pakistan, where the military, the intelligence services and an unstable collection of civilian leaders uneasily share power, he oversees a security structure intended to protect Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal from outsiders — Islamic militants, Qaeda scientists, Indian saboteurs and those American commando teams that Pakistanis imagine, with good reason, are waiting just over the horizon in Afghanistan, ready to seize their nuclear treasure if a national meltdown seems imminent.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (11 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 11, 2009*

NATO: Key insurgent commander killed in S Afghanistan   
 www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-11 22:50:35      
Article Link

    KABUL, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- A significant insurgent commander was killed in Baluchi Valley of southern Afghanistan by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in a joint operation, according to a statement of the alliance issued here on Sunday. 

    The joint operation targeted the senior insurgent commander, Mullah Abdul Rasheed, who was responsible for the deaths of several ISAF soldiers in recent months, the statement said. 

    "Following receipt of positive identification and all necessary approvals, ISAF executed a precision air strike against Rasheed," it added. 

    "The death of Mullah Abdul Rasheed is a significant achievement for ISAF," said Brigadier General Richard Blanchette, ISAF Spokesperson, adding "we have disrupted the ability of insurgents to conduct operations in Oruzgan Province, making the area a safer place for ISAF forces and local Afghan citizens." 
More on link

Pakistan NW Frontier Corps attacked   
Article Link

At least 40 fighters have been killed in an attack on an army base in northwestern Pakistan.

Hundreds of fighters stormed the Mohammad Ghat military camp in the Mohmand agency north of Peshawar, close to the Afghanistan border, before dawn on Sunday.

A military official says the attack on the Frontier Corps began at 2am local time (2100 GMT), and that at least 10 security personnel had been killed, six more injured. More than 25 remain missing.

The official said most of the force of about 600 came from Afghanistan and were joined by local Taliban fighters.
More on link

New top diplomat in Kandahar sworn-in
 Canwest News ServiceJanuary 10, 2009
Article Link

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Canada’s new top diplomat in Kandahar has been sworn-in on the heels of grim predictions that the war in Afghanistan is about to get bloodier.


Ken Lewis was sworn-in at a ceremony Saturday on the Kandahar airfield as about 75 people watched. He replaces Elissa Golberg, 35, who held the post for 11 months.

“I would like to pay tribute to the 29 Canadian forces colleagues who died during my time in theatre,” the Montreal native said Saturday. “The insurgents believe they could intimidate Afghans who want a better future for their country and they want to undermine our commitment, well they are sorely mistaken. We will maintain the momentum.”

Golberg leaves the post amid grim predictions of an intensified campaign of violence by Taliban insurgents over the coming year.
More on link

Australian military denies timetable set for Afghan withdrawal
7 hours ago
Article Link

SYDNEY (AFP) — The Australian military Sunday said there was no deadline for its troops to leave southern Afghanistan, after it was reported that the force had planned for soldiers to be withdrawn by 2012.

National news agency AAP reported that under Operations Plan 2012, Afghan forces would take over the role assumed by Australian soldiers in the southern province of Uruzgan, formerly a Taliban stronghold.

But the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Sunday said this outline was a planning document and not a deadline for the force to leave.

"Let me make this point clear -- there is no timeline for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan," Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans said.

"That is a matter for the Australian government to decide."

"Op Plan 2012 is a tactical planning document that allows the Australian Defence Force to set benchmarks for the conduct of its operations in Afghanistan."
More on link

Canadian choppers start flying over Afghanistan
Updated Fri. Jan. 9 2009 10:33 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

Canadian helicopter pilots have begun flying training missions over Afghanistan, practicing tactical manoeuvres, tricky landings and flying through enemy fire -- all scenarios they are likely to face when transporting troops in the coming months. 

It is part of a new strategy, as recommended by the Manley report, to prioritize the air transport of Canadian troops and to get them off deadly Afghan roads where they are exposed to improvised explosive devices and other bombing threats. 

In total, more than half of the Canadian casualties suffered in Afghanistan have resulted from roadside bombs -- including the 10 soldiers killed since the start of December. 

The Canadians have been asking for these machines for years. 

Before the arrival of these helicopters, when Joint Task Force (Afghanistan) Air Wing was launched last month, the Canadian Forces often had to beg or borrow similar machines from the U.S. and Britain. 
More on link

US general sees Afghan money crunch  
Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:13:50 GMT 
  Article Link

US Army Commander, General Bantz J. Craddock 
NATO's top commander US Gen. John Craddock has said that global financial crisis could force more US allies to pull out of Afghanistan. 

Speaking to the press in Washington on Friday, Craddock said that it was getting hard for some of the US allies to keep their forces in Afghanistan after the financial meltdown last year. 

"We are going to have some hard times ahead," adding that the financial crisis "is going to impact on the ability of nations to stay in operations, which is probably the most expensive." 

At least two nations, Canada and the Netherlands, have signaled that they will leave by 2011, which means the US and other allies will have to cover the costs. 

"The unknown unknown is who else is going to pull out quickly. We do not know that. It's like in Iraq, when nations pulled out without telling anyone ahead time; it's a terrible situation," Craddock told reporters. 

Washington plans to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan, nearly doubling US force levels currently operating there from 32,000 troops. 
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (11 Jan 2009)

Behind the lines with the Taliban
A Times writer joins Taliban fighters in an especially dangerous part of Afghanistan. The men appear to have no fear of troops, and prove to be gracious hosts. (long story)
_LA Times_, Jan. 11
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-taliban11-2009jan11,0,7946082.story



> Reporting from Ghazni, Afghanistan -- The main highway is "enemy territory" for the Taliban, a busy two-lane road where U.S. troops race down the middle, trying to steer clear of suicide bombers. The guerrillas drive it like they own it.
> 
> Grinning with contempt at a convoy of Polish troops trying to plow its way through traffic the other day, three Taliban fighters with guns and long knives concealed under their heavy woolen cloaks calmly eased into the other lane and beat the jam.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (12 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 12

SNC Lavalin to lead $50M Afghan dam repair project
CTV, Jan. 11
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090111/dam_repair_090111/20090111?hub=CTVNewsAt11



> The Canadian government has chosen SNC Lavalin to lead a $50 million project to repair a dam in Afghanistan that, when completed, should create thousands of jobs for locals and provide irrigation for about 10,000 hectares of land.
> 
> On a surprise visit to Kandahar Sunday, Minister of International Co-operation Bev Oda announced that the Quebec-based firm had been selected to carry out the repairs to the Dahla Dam.
> 
> ...



Canada, U.S. should leave Afghanistan: expert
CTV, Jan. 11
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090111/afghan_colonel_090111/20090111?hub=Canada



> A retired American colonel and prominent academic is calling for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to reconsider his plans to expand his country's military mission in Afghanistan.
> 
> Andrew Bacevich, a foreign affairs specialist at Boston University, said the U.S. and allies like Canada should start to withdraw from the war-torn country because it "simply does not make sense" to stay.
> 
> ...



Troops not leaving Afghanistan by 2012: Fitzgibbon
ABC News (Australia), Jan. 12
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/12/2463641.htm



> Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has played down reports that Australian troops will be out of Afghanistan by 2012.
> 
> Newspaper reports today say the commander of Australian forces in the Middle East, Major General Michael Hindmarsh, has formulated a plan to have troops out of the country by 2012.
> 
> ...



U.S.-Funded Intelligence Center Struggles in Khyber Region
_Washington Post_, Jan. 12
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/11/AR2009011102236.html



> TORKHAM, Afghanistan -- Located at the foot of a towering mountain range in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, the $3 million Khyber Border Coordination Center was billed as a first-of-its-kind experiment in intelligence sharing among Pakistani, Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces when it opened here on a sunny day last spring.
> 
> During the ribbon-cutting ceremony March 29, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, then the top U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan, called the U.S.-funded center's opening "a giant step forward in cooperation, communication and coordination." The ceremony, which featured an Army band playing Dixieland, a lavish Afghan feast and upbeat declarations by generals, marked a seemingly historic moment for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have skirmished over their mutual border for more than 100 years.
> 
> ...



Karzai and Singh discuss security
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met India's PM Manmohan Singh in Delhi, with regional security the key issue. 
BBC, Jan. 12
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7823459.stm



> Mr Karzai's office said he was there to convey "solidarity" in the wake of the November attacks on Mumbai (Bombay).
> 
> After the talks the leaders said they were urging all countries to try to tackle terrorist groups.
> 
> ...



Inexplicable Wealth of Afghan Elite Sows Bitterness
In One of the World's Poorest Nations, Myriad Tales of Official Corruption
_Washington Post_, Jan. 12
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/11/AR2009011102038.html?hpid=artslot



> KABUL, Jan. 11 -- Across the street from the Evening in Paris wedding hall, a monument to opulence surrounded by neon-lighted fountains and a five-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, is a little colony of tents where 65 families, mostly returnees from Pakistan, huddle against the winter cold and wish they had never come home.
> 
> Similar startling contrasts abound across the Afghan capital. Children with pinched faces beg near the mansions of a tiny elite enriched by foreign aid and official corruption. Hundreds of tattered men gather at dawn outside a glittering new office building to compete for 50-cent jobs hauling construction debris.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (13 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 13, 2009*

Attacks renewed on Nato supplies   
  Article Link

A Nato supply depot in north-west Pakistan has been attacked by suspected militants, the first such raid since a major army offensive against them. 

Several rockets were fired at the terminal on the outskirts of Peshawar, damaging a number of trucks. 

Last month authorities suspended the supply route in an offensive involving ground troops, helicopters and tanks. 

The route carries about 75% of the supplies needed by the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. 

Alternative routes 

A senior police officer, Fida Mohammad, told Agence France-Presse news agency: "The militants fired six rockets on a Nato terminal during the night. One truck was hit and it caught fire, while three other vehicles suffered minor damage." 
More on link

Afghan Conflict Will Be Reviewed
Obama Sees Troops As Buying Time, Not Turning Tide
By Karen DeYoung Washington Post Staff Writer  Tuesday, January 13, 2009; Page A01 
Article Link

President-elect Barack Obama intends to sign off on Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but the incoming administration does not anticipate that the Iraq-like "surge" of forces will significantly change the direction of a conflict that has steadily deteriorated over the past seven years. 

Instead, Obama's national security team expects that the new deployments, which will nearly double the current U.S. force of 32,000 (alongside an equal number of non-U.S. NATO troops), will help buy enough time for the new administration to reappraise the entire Afghanistan war effort and develop a comprehensive new strategy for what Obama has called the "central front on terror." 

With conditions on the ground worsening by nearly every yardstick last year -- including record levels of extremist attacks and U.S. casualties, and the expansion of the conflict across Pakistan and into India -- Obama's campaign pledge to "finish the job" in Afghanistan with more troops, money and diplomacy has encountered the daunting reality of a job that has barely begun. 
More on link

Insurgents increasingly targeting aid workers, says Oda
21 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan — Terrorists in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and other volatile countries are targeting aid workers and other civilians, a tactical shift that heightens the risk to those delivering humanitarian assistance in some of the world's hot spots, says Canada's minister of international co-operation.

Bev Oda, whose ministry encapsulates the Canadian International Development Agency, or CIDA, was in the Afghan capital of Kabul to unveil a new memorial to Canadian civilians who have died in the battle-ravaged country.

She cited a recent rash of incidents, including attacks on humanitarian vehicles in Zimbabwe and the kidnappings of aid workers and diplomats elsewhere, as proof that insurgents are evolving in a frightening new direction - one that hasn't been seen before in the ongoing war on terror.

"I think this whole terrorist insurgency, the way they operate, is changing and they're evolving. It's something new," Oda said.

"It's not just Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the evolution says there's a higher threat for civilians who do work in foreign countries and, particularly, hostile countries. But it hasn't, I think, diminished our determination."
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (13 Jan 2009)

U.S. Construction in Afghanistan Sign of Long Commitment
_Washington Post_, Jan. 13
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203015.html



> The Army is building $1.1 billion worth of military bases and other facilities in Afghanistan and is planning to start an additional $1.3 billion in projects this year, according to Col. Thomas E. O'Donovan, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan District.
> 
> Massive construction of barracks, training areas, headquarters, warehouses and airfields for use by U.S. and Afghan security forces -- which could reach $4 billion -- signals a long-term U.S. military commitment at a time when the incoming Obama administration's policy for the Afghan war is unclear.
> 
> ...



How US tries to limit civilian deaths in Afghanistan
A record number of US troops – and Afghan civilians – died in 2008. Frustration mounts over fighting Taliban insurgents among villagers. 
_CS Monitor_, Jan. 13
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0113/p07s03-wosc.html



> Camp Keating, Afghanistan -  Keating, Fritsche, Lowell, Bostick, Cherry-Beasley. The list goes on and on. Almost every coalition forces' camp in Afghanistan is named for a life cut short.
> 
> Officers give briefings in front of plaques bearing the photographs of the dead. Camps are rechristened to memorialize their names. And flags are rarely seen fluttering at the top of their poles anymore.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (14 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 14, 2009*

Afghan girl, 14, in critical condition after razor-blade abortion
 JANE ARMSTRONG  From Wednesday's Globe and Mail January 14, 2009 at 5:23 AM EST
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — In a country where many crimes against women are still swept under the rug, the case of a 14-year-old girl whose baby was allegedly aborted by her mother and brother using a razor blade has outraged doctors and human-rights workers.

The girl is in critical condition in a hospital at a U.S. military base after, officials said, her brother and mother lured her into a backyard shed, used a razor to cut her abdomen and removed the fetus.

The girl, who lived in a village in the central Afghanistan province of Bamiyan, was five months pregnant and said she was raped last year by a construction worker.

The pair stitched the wound with a needle and thread, according to Afghan police and doctors. They then buried the fetus. After four days, the girl developed a dangerous infection and her father took her to a nearby hospital, claiming she'd been bitten by a dog in the abdomen.
More on link

Canada Renews Financial Aid to Afghanistan  
Tuesday January 13, 2009 (1930 PST)
Article Link

 Quqnoos)-UN Special Representative Kai Eide on Tuesday praised the Government of Canada for a new 14 million Canadian dollar (US$11.5 million) contribution towards Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs this winter, on top of its existing programmes for national and local development. 
Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, alongside Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Asif Rahimi and Canada’s Minister for International Cooperation Beverley Oda, Special Representative Eide said that such assistance was essential. 

The contribution announced on Tuesday will go towards addressing urgent winter relief needs, including for the many people currently without sufficient food or livestock feed. 

Eide added that a joint Humanitarian Action Plan involving the Government and Donors and covering some $600 million in relief projects would be launched within weeks. 
More on link

Military judges' impartiality challenged
Published: Jan. 13, 2009 
Article Link

SYDNEY, Nova Scotia, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Lawyers representing a Canadian soldier accused of killing a comrade in Afghanistan have challenged the impartiality of military judges.

The manslaughter trial of Cpl. Matthew Wilcox is under way in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and defense attorney Maj. Stephen Turner is seeking to have the trial terminated based on the system in which judges don't have tenure, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Military judges are appointed to 5-year terms and must seek reappointment, which Turner said makes them susceptible to "looking over their shoulder" out of concern of their jobs, the CBC said.

Wilcox is charged in the shooting death of a tent mate and fellow reservist at Kandahar Airfield in March 2007. In addition to manslaughter, he also faces charges of criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of duty. If convicted, he could face a life prison sentence, the report said.

Initially investigators ruled the shooting accidental, but Wilcox was charged seven months later.

Turner told the CBC it wasn't known when the judge would rule on his motion to terminate the trial. 
End


----------



## Yrys (14 Jan 2009)

Dozens dead from militants' attack in Pakistan
CNN, Mon January 12, 2009

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of militants, believed to be foreign fighters, 
launched attacks on various military check posts in Pakistan's border with Afghanistan 
Saturday night and early Sunday morning, military officials said.

The ensuing fighting left 40 militants and six Pakistan soldiers dead, said military 
spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas. "This is one of the largest attacks we have seen," 
Abbas said.

The attacks occurred at checkposts and military camps in the Mohmand agency, part 
of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas where U.S. and Pakistani officials 
have reported a presence of militants.

Abbas said the fighters crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan, and used rocket 
launchers and machine guns in their attacks. They have since been repelled, he said.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a porous 1,500-mile border.

Don't Miss

    * Deadly Sunni-Shia clashes in Pakistan


In recent months, Afghan officials have blamed militants operating from havens in the 
lawless tribal regions of Pakistan of sneaking into their country and attacking security 
personnel.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied involvement and bristled at the accusation, saying that 
Afghan lawmakers were making allegations without proof.

Abbas' Sunday comments reverse those allegations, with Pakistan now blaming militants 
from Afghanistan attacking inside its soil.


----------



## GAP (15 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 15, 2009*

Top Afghan army general killed in chopper crash
Updated Thu. Jan. 15 2009 8:04 AM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A top Afghan army general was killed Thursday in a helicopter crash in western Afghanistan, and two British troops died in a blast in the country's south, officials said. 

Gen. Fazaludin Sayar was one of the Afghan army's four regional commanders, in charge of the entire west of the country. 

His Mi-17 helicopter hit bad weather in the morning and went down in the Adraskan district of Herat province, the ministry said in a statement. All 12 others aboard were also killed, the statement said. The helicopter had been headed to neighboring Farah province. 

All of the bodies were brought to Herat, the provincial capital, said Rauf Ahmadi, a police spokesman. 
More on link

UK troops killed in Afghanistan   
  Article Link

Their deaths take the number of UK forces to die in Afghanistan to 141 
Two British servicemen have been killed in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. 

A soldier from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and a marine from 45 Commando Royal Marines were killed by an explosion in Helmand Province. 

They were part of an operation against enemy forces on Wednesday night. 

Their deaths take the number of British forces to die since the start of operations in October 2001 to 141. Next of kin have been informed. 

The operation took place north-east of Gereshk in central Helmand. 

Spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, Cdr Paula Rowe, said: "The tragic loss of these two brave servicemen is a bitter blow to Task Force Helmand. 
More on link

John Hutton says Europeans are 'freeloading' on Britain and US in Afghanistan  
European members of Nato are "freeloading" on the military sacrifice and commitment of countries like Britain and the United States, John Hutton, the Defence Secretary will say. 
 By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent  15 Jan 2009
Article Link

In an escalation of British criticism of Nato members' uneven contributions to the mission in Afghanistan, Mr Hutton will warn that the failure of countries like France, Germany and Italy to send more troops will undermine European relations with Barack Obama's US administration. 

"Freeloading on the back of US military security is not an option if we wish to be equal partners in this transatlantic alliance," Mr Hutton will say, pointedly telling European allies: "Anyone who wants to benefit from collective security must be prepared to share the ultimate price." 

In a speech to European and American security experts and diplomats at the Wilton Park conference centre in Sussex, Mr Hutton will suggest that the reticence of some Nato members has left a small group of countries including Britain, the US and Canada to do an unfair share of the fighting and dying in Afghanistan. 

He will say: "It isn't good enough to always look to the US for political, financial and military cover. And this imbalance will not be addressed by parcelling up Nato tasks - the 'hard' military ones for the US and a few others and the 'soft' diplomatic ones for the majority of Europeans." 
More on link

Afghan soldiers pick up US weapons
1 day ago
Article Link

CAMP HERO, Afghanistan (AFP) — Having already fought against the Taliban in his two years in the Afghan army, Gul Mohammad has little trouble picking up the tricks of his new American-issue automatic weapon.

What concerns the young soldier is whether he will be able to rely on the weapon when it counts, as he has done so often before with its Russian equivalent, a Kalashnikov AK-47, favoured in central Asia for decades.

"The worst thing for a soldier would be if his gun were to fail in the middle of a battle," says Mohammad, speaking during a break in weapons training at the base of his 205 Atal (Hero) army corps in southern Kandahar province.

The corps numbers about 20,000 soldiers drawn from across the country to fight the fierce Taliban in their heartland -- the four provinces of the rugged south, one of the most intense battlefields of the extremist insurgency.

In a hangar at Camp Hero, 50-60 troops have been split into small groups, each with a former US Marine or army soldier introducing them to M-16 rifles and M-249 light machine guns, standard-issue weapons in most NATO countries.

After driving out the Taliban regime in late 2001, the United States started to build Afghanistan a new army to replace the illegal militia forces loyal to regional warlords who were ruling the country from different power bases
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (15 Jan 2009)

NATO tightens Afghan rules to cut civilian deaths
Reuters, Jan. 14
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2009/01/14/europe/OUKWD-UK-NATO-AFGHAN-CIVILIANS.php



> NATO said on Wednesday [Jan. 14] it had further tightened its rules of engagement in Afghanistan to cut civilian casualties but accused the Taliban of causing the vast majority of the hundreds of civilian deaths seen last year.
> 
> Nearly 700 civilians were killed in 2008 up to October in raids by foreign and Afghan forces, an Afghan rights body said last month, quoting a U.N. estimate.
> 
> ...



Counterinsurgency Field Manual: Afghanistan Edition (longish piece, conclusion given)
_Foreign Policy_, January/February 2009
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4587&page=0



> Two years ago, a controversial military manual rewrote U.S. strategy in Iraq. Now, the doctrine’s simple, powerful—even radical—tenets must be applied to the far different and neglected conflict in Afghanistan. Plus, David Petraeus talks to FP about how to win a losing war...
> 
> FP: You said [that] even in 2005 when you were in Afghanistan, you reported to Secretary Rumsfeld that this could be the longest part of the long war.
> 
> ...



Marines uncover Taleban bomb factory
_The Times_, Jan. 14
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5512034.ece



> One of the largest hauls of weapons, explosives and bomb-making equipment ever found in southern Afghanistan has been uncovered by the Royal Marines in a huge underground cavern in Kandahar province, the Ministry of Defence disclosed yesterday.
> 
> The hidden bomb factory was discovered after a night-time assault last week on a Taleban compound which involved elements of 42 Commando Royal Marines, a Royal Canadian battle group and Afghan troops...
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (15 Jan 2009)

Blatant Lies, Conjured-Up Quotations
_The Canada-Afghanistan Blog_, Jan. 14
http://canada-afghanistan.blogspot.com/2009/01/blatant-lies-conjured-up-quotations.html



> The Canadian government's position is that in 2011, the mission "as we know it" will end. The Australian government's position is to leave when Afghan security services can take over, hopefully by 2012.
> 
> The Dutch? Well, they'll get back to us on that...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (16 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 16, 2009*

Homemade bombs now top threat in Kandahar, Canadians say
JANE ARMSTRONG From Friday's Globe and Mail January 16, 2009 at 5:36 AM EST
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — The number of homemade bombs littering the Kandahar landscape has more than doubled in the past year, Canadian military officials say, making these improvised explosives the No. 1 threat against coalition troops in the province.

The homemade bombs, which insurgents have planted at a furious pace on roads and in ditches and culverts, are more sophisticated than earlier incarnations, forcing Canadian troops to constantly switch tactics to evade the deadly devices.

"They adapt to our tactics," Captain Roy Ulrich, deputy commander of Canada's bomb squad in Kandahar, told a news briefing last night. "We adapt to their tactics. And they have been really forced to elevate their game to effectively target us."

Ten soldiers have been killed - all by IEDs - since the beginning of September, making this winter one of the deadliest on record for Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
More on link

Kandahar IEDs less effective despite increased use: Canadian military
Last Updated: Thursday, January 15, 2009 CBC News 
Article Link

While the number of improvised explosive devices found on the roads of Kandahar has doubled in Afghanistan over the past year, casualty figures have fallen, Canadian military officials say.

"The few years prior to 2008, we were encountering fairly simplistic IEDs, but as our drills and our equipment improved, those attacks became less and less successful," said Capt. Roy Ulrich, second-in-command of Task Force Kandahar's anti-bomb squad.

Ulrich said the squad is becoming much more effective at neutralizing and finding IEDs. As well, he said, Afghans are more willing to provide information about hidden bombs, and the Afghan police and soldiers have become more efficient at locating them.

However, Ulrich said, the bombs are far more sophisticated than in years past.

"It's kind of a back-and-forth battle for us," he said. "They adapt to our tactics, we adapt to their tactics and so they've been forced to really elevate their game in order to effectively target us."

In 2008, about 355 IEDs were discovered, compared with about 170 in 2007. Of those, 180 exploded in 2008, up from 65 in 2007.

Four per cent of the roadside bombs caused injury and death in 2008, compared with seven per cent in 2007.
More on link

US: Helicopter downed in Afghanistan
7 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says one of its Black Hawk helicopters has gone down near Afghanistan's capital. No deaths were reported.

All seven people aboard survived and the military says in a statement that they are "safe and secure."

The statement does not say what caused the accident, but does say that no enemy activity was involved. The helicopter was on its way to perform a medical evacuation when it went down Friday morning.
More on link

Australia awards highest honour to Afghanistan vet
Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:01pm By Rob Taylor
Article Link

CANBERRA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - An Australian commando who braved open ground to draw enemy fire during a Taliban ambush and rescue other coalition soldiers in Afghanistan was on Friday awarded the country's top military honour, the Victoria Cross.

Mark Donaldson, 29, of Australia's elite Special Air Service, was awarded the country's first VC in 40 years for dashing 80 metres under heavy fire to rescue a wounded Afghan interpreter, and draw the attack from other wounded soldiers.

"I don't see myself as a hero. Everyone of us that was there and that serves there are heroes," Donaldson told reporters after receiving the rare bravery award from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Australia's head of state Quentin Bryce and military commanders.

The Victoria Cross, given also to Britain's military, is awarded for conspicuous valour and only 96 have been won by Australians since its creation by Britain's Queen Victoria in 1856. Many soldiers receive the medal posthumously.

Donaldson is the first Australian to receive one since Vietnam in 1969 and the first ever to receive a special Victoria Cross for the Australia category set up in 1991.

Donaldson was travelling in a coalition convoy with U.S. and Afghan soldiers on September 2 last year when it was ambushed by a well-armed Taliban force.

"He joins a band of brothers so admired for their valour that there are only 10 surviving members in the world today," said the chief of Australia's military, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who saluted Donaldson for his courage.
More on link

Two British soldiers killed in S Afghanistan    
www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-15 23:06:23     
  Article Link

    LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two British soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defense said on Thursday. 

    The two soldiers, one from 29 Command Regiment Royal Artillery and the other from 45 Commando Royal Marines were killed late on Wednesday during an operation against enemy forces in northeast of Gereshk in central Helmand, the ministry said in a statement. 

    Their relatives have been informed of the tragedy. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (16 Jan 2009)

Hutton attacks European allies over lack of support in Afghanistan
Failure to send troops poses threat to national security and puts Nato alliance at risk, warns defence secretary
_The Guardian_, Jan. 15
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/15/hutton-afghanistan-troops-terrorism-al-qaida



> John Hutton, the defence secretary, today delivered a blistering attack on the failure of Britain's European allies to deploy more combat troops to Afghanistan and described the west's mission there as "absolutely fundamental to Britain's national security".
> 
> He did not use the term "war on terror" — a rallying cry described by David Miliband, the foreign secretary, in today's Guardian, as a mistake that may have caused more harm than good. Nevertheless, the defence secretary used strong language. For Nato, Afghanistan was a "defining issue" in what he called "the worldwide campaign against terrorism". He added: "The struggle against terrorists is one of the defining struggles of our time".
> 
> ...



Resistance to U.S. Plan for Afghanistan
Troop Boost Complicated by Growing Taliban Influence, Anger Over Airstrikes and Civilian Deaths
Washington Post, Jan. 16
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011504198.html



> The planned U.S. military and counterinsurgency drive in Afghanistan is meeting public and official resistance that could delay and possibly undermine a costly, belated effort that American officials here acknowledge has a limited window of time to succeed.
> 
> The officials say they are optimistic that the planned addition of up to 30,000 troops, combined with a new strategy to support local governance and development aimed at weaning villagers away from Taliban influence, will show significant results within the year. They say improved cooperation from the army in neighboring Pakistan and better performance by the Afghan national army are bolstering this optimism.
> 
> ...



Defence in various realms
Conference of Defence Associations media roundup, Jan. 16
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1232124032

Mark
Ottawa


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## The Bread Guy (18 Jan 2009)

*No light at end of Afghan tunnel*
PM may have to put vow to end mission in 2011 on hold until new U.S. policy becomes clear
Allan Woods, 18 Jan 09
Article link

Canada could be in for a longer stay in Afghanistan as Barack Obama seeks to transform George W. Bush's forgotten war into his top foreign policy priority, say military, political and diplomatic experts.  There are few details on how the new U.S. administration plans to tackle the Taliban insurgency beyond the promise of thousands of additional troops, but governments around the world are already changing their tunes on the troubled NATO-led mission to curry favour with the president-elect....


*UK soldier killed in Afghanistan*
BBC online, 18 Jan 09
Article link

A British serviceman has been killed in action in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.  The soldier from the 1st Battalion The Rifles died from his wounds on Saturday after being hit by enemy fire.  He was killed while on foot patrol close to the District Centre of Sangin in Helmand Province....


*Newly established COP sees quick progress*
Tech. Sgt. Jill LaVoie 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st ID PA, CJTF-101 web page, 13 Jan 09
Article link

Members of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, are seeing positive results from their increased presence at the newly built Combat Outpost Terminator in Maywand District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan.  Within weeks of building a permanent COP, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Soldiers reported an increased willingness from local residents to assist, and receive assistance from, Coalition Forces.  “When we first came to the area, no one would talk to us,” said Capt. Chris Brawley, Alpha Co. commander and an Ellington, Mo., native. “As soon as we started building, they began talking to us.”....



*District leaders fight to survive in violent south*
Many Afghans losing faith in Karzai government's ability to secure districts deep in the countryside
Jane Armstrong, Globe & Mail, 15 Jan 09
Article link

....In the safer districts close to Kandahar city, some leaders have the luxury of spending time on real issues: the need for water and schools, voter registration for the coming election and employment. But in the more dangerous districts deep in the Kandahar countryside, physical survival is the top priority....


*Afghanistan: We Can Do Better*
Op-ed by Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Washington Post, 18 Jan 09
Article link - .pdf permalink

....Afghan leadership is not some distant aspiration -- it's something that we need as soon as possible and on which we must insist. The basic problem in Afghanistan is not too much Taliban; it's too little good governance. Afghans need a government that deserves their loyalty and trust; when they have it, the oxygen will be sucked away from the insurgency. The international community must step up its support of the elected government, and, through it, the Afghan people. But we have paid enough, in blood and treasure, to demand that the Afghan government take more concrete and vigorous action to root out corruption and increase efficiency, even where that means difficult political choices....


*Displaying rift, NATO leader turns tables on Afghan government*
Maxim Kniazkov, Agence France-Presse, 18 Jan 09
Article link

NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Sunday denounced Afghanistan's "ineffective" government and said the authorities there were almost as much to blame for the country's plight as the resurgent Taliban.  The comments by the NATO secretary general, in an opinion piece for The Washington Post newspaper, was an unusually strong expression of the alliance's dissatisfaction with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  De Hoop Scheffer did not mention Karzai by name, but his remarks come at a politically sensitive time for the Afghan leader.  Karzai is due for re-election this year, and observers believe an open rift with NATO could substantially weaken him ahead of yet-to-be-scheduled polls....


*Afghan presidential candidate focuses campaign on government corruption*
Canadian Press, 17 Jan 09
Article link

Although a date has yet to be set for Afghanistan's presidential election, one candidate is already handing out campaign-style posters and displaying populist slogans on the streets of the Afghan capital of Kabul.  Ramazan Bashardost, one of the country's most outspoken members of parliament, says he's launched an unofficial campaign against the corruption that is eroding public confidence in the government.  "If I arrived in power, if we make a clean government, a clean state, if we choose a good government, a government that believes in good governance ... I am absolutely sure that 90 per cent of Taliban (will) refuse to continue the war," he said....


*Afghan official bristles after Hillary Clinton refers to Afghanistan as a 'narco state'*
JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press, 17 Jan 09
Article link

U.S. Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton's use of the term "narco state" to describe Afghanistan in a recent Senate testimony has caught the attention of her Afghan counterpart.  Foreign Ministry Rangin Dadfar Spanta said Saturday that it is "absolutely wrong" to classify Afghanistan as such, though the minister readily admitted that Afghanistan is a major producer of drugs.  Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's opium, the main ingredient in heroin.  "Madame Clinton is a good friend of Afghanistan, a close friend of ours," Spanta told The Associated Press in an interview arranged to rebut Clinton's classification of Afghanistan.  "But if somebody believes that our government, the government of President (Hamid) Karzai is involved as a government entity in the production of drugs, this is absolutely wrong."....

_More on links_


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## GAP (19 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 19, 2009*

Fresh attacks on Pakistan schools   
  Article Link

Taleban militants have blown up another five schools in north-west Pakistan, officials say, despite a government pledge to safeguard education. 

The schools were destroyed in the town of Mingora in troubled Swat district. 

The Taleban issued an edict in December that private schools must close by 15 January as part of their campaign to ban education for girls. 

Meanwhile the Khyber route for supplies into Afghanistan was temporarily closed on Monday after a militant attack. 

'Scared' 

The attacks in Mingora took place despite a curfew. No-one was hurt as the winter holidays had begun. 
More on link

Twin explosions wound 10 in E Afghanistan    
www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-19 18:46:15     
  Article Link

    KABUL, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two explosions in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province wounded 10 persons including nine civilians on Monday, officials said. 

    In the first explosion, a suicide car bomb went off close to international troops outside Khost city, the capital of Khost province, injuring nine people including five children, press department of US.-led coalition forces in the province told media. 

    The four more suffered injuries in the blast were also civilians, the source added. 

    These people, according to the sources, were visiting the local health clinic when the blast occurred. 

    A senior police officer in Khost city Amir Hassan also confirmed the blast but declined to give details. 
More on link

Supplies for Afghan forces disrupted in Pakistan
Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:12am 
Article Link

LANDIKOTAL, Pakistan, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Western military supplies to Afghanistan were suspended through Pakistan's Khyber Pass on Monday after militants attacked an army camp, killing a paramilitary soldier and wounding 10, an official said.

Pakistani supply routes from the port of Karachi to land-locked Afghanistan are vital for Western forces battling a resurgent Taliban.

They are likely to become even more important as the United States builds up its Afghanistan force, perhaps doubling it to 60,000 soldiers, this year.

A government official in the region said supplies through the Khyber had been suspended indefinitely after militants attacked the military camp with rocket-propelled grenades.

"We're preparing for an assault. We have imposed curfew in Landikotal and Jamrud. The border is also closed," said Zar Bacha Khan, referring to main towns in the Khyber region.

The U.S. military sends 75 percent of supplies for the Afghan war through or over Pakistan, including 40 percent of the fuel for its troops, the U.S. Defence Department says.
More on link

Taliban ban 'un-Islamic' female education in Pakistan region
12:00 AM CST on Sunday, January 18, 2009 Reuters, The Associated Press 
Article Link

Taliban militants have banned female education in the northwest Pakistan valley of Swat, depriving more than 40,000 girls of schooling, officials said on Saturday. 

In August, residents of Pakistan's Swat valley examined books burned by militants in a government girls' school. The military is losing control in the region. "My daughters are sitting at home," said Mohammad Ayub, father of two girls whose school was blown up by militants in October. "Their future looks bleak because they will stay uneducated."

There has been fighting in the valley for more than a year, but residents say the military is losing control to militants who aim to impose a severe form of Islamic law. 

Swat is just one front the militants have opened up as violence has spread across Northwest Frontier province from adjoining semi-autonomous tribal areas that border Afghanistan. 
More on link

Camp's importance no Mirage  
Secret base plays a big role in mission 
Posted By IAN SHANTZ  Posted 2 days ago
   Article Link

Camp Mirage: It's here, but you can't see it. 

Although you can't see it -- the host nation requests Canada does not disclose the location -- it's a sparkling sort of gem of a support base to Canada's role in the mission in Afghanistan. Everything headed 'in country' comes through this place. So the fact it appears to be working is a good thing. 

Troops and cargo come through Mirage, as do the Kiwis, Brits and Aussies: part of the NATO coalition in the Kandahar region. Each year, 2,500 troops are transferred out of Kandahar Airfield (KAF) via Mirage, and are replaced by 2,500 others. 

Virtually every facet of Canada's role in Afghanistan relies on a camp that doesn't make many headlines -- they like it that way, to a point -- but holds a crucial impact on the mission and special place in the hearts of soldiers. 

"It's critical that we get those people to understand the mission," said Lieut.-Col. Yvan Choiniere, the commanding officer for the theatre support element of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, who started his tour Dec. 11, 2008. 

That mission involves everything from arranging and supplying air transportation for soldiers allotted leave time, supplying meals and sleeping quarters to soldiers in transit, providing the equipment and weaponry needed by Canadians at KAF, assisting with civilian-related deployment and visitation to Kandahar, and virtually every other detail that's key to the operation. 

"If we're not here, the north (Kandahar mission) comes to a grinding halt," Choiniere said. 

Camp Mirage opened soon after 9-11. Apart from the physical role it plays, its purpose goes beyond two-fold. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (20 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 20

Obama's Daunting Task in Afghanistan
_Time_, Jan. 19
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1872563,00.html


> ...
> The best questions for the Obama Administration to ask are not how many troops, how quickly or for how long but rather what Afghanistan should look like when the U.S. leaves and how much time and money Washington is willing to spend.
> 
> Seven years and billions of dollars have brought Afghanistan no closer to the peaceful democracy that George W. Bush promised at the beginning of the war. Instead, the country more closely resembles the warlord-led kleptocracy of the 1990s that led to the rise of the Taliban in the first place. Corruption is the defining characteristic of the central government, and President Hamid Karzai is largely seen as an American puppet unable to rein in the excesses of government ministers or even his own family. And he's not even a good puppet — Karzai routinely and publicly berates his foreign guests in a naked attempt to court popularity in advance of presidential elections scheduled for later this year. In doing so, he is not only encouraging anti–foreign sentiment when it is least helpful, but also undermining his own status by proving that he is powerless to do anything.
> ...



Who 'Owns' Afghanistan? 
RFE/RL, Jan. 19
http://www.rferl.org/content/commentary_Whwns_Afghanistan/1371837.html



> KABUL -- Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. It's an adage that looks increasingly apt in Afghanistan as stability continues to elude the country.
> 
> Accusations and counteraccusations fly. President Hamid Karzai has been increasingly vocal in blaming the West for the worst ills afflicting his country -- an explosion of poppy production, a resurgence of the Taliban and Islamic extremism, and even pervasive corruption. His government lacks the requisite control, funds, and support, he says.
> 
> ...



Afghan Awakening puts Canada, U.S. at odds over foreign policy
Obama administration intends to apply Iraq strategy to Afghanistan
_Edmonton Journal_, Jan. 20
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=e4cad672-77f3-401a-b9be-91faf5df3ce7&sponsor=



> The election of Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus's appointment as the head of U.S. Central Command have brought the U.S. a greater commitment to the Afghanistan war.
> 
> Just as one of Petraeus's top priorities upon assuming command of Multi-National Force-Iraq was changing the coalition forces' failing strategy, he also wants to change the approach to Afghanistan.
> 
> ...



Afghanistan seeks control over NATO deployments
AP, Jan. 20
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD95QSRCO0



> The Afghan government has sent NATO headquarters a draft agreement that would give Afghanistan more control over future NATO deployments in the country — including the deployment of some U.S. troops, officials said Tuesday.
> 
> The draft technical agreement would put into place rules of conduct for NATO-led troops in Afghanistan and the number of additional NATO troops and their location would have to be approved by the Afghan government.
> 
> ...



NATO chief seeks 10,000 more troops for Afghan polls
AFP, Jan. 19
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5heBJ17n9XhKwVbyStMKXuv80WUWQ



> NATO needs 10,000 more troops to help provide security for elections in Afghanistan this year, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Monday.
> 
> "The elections demand an additional effort," he told members of the Belgian parliament's foreign affairs committee, putting the number at "10,000 troops for four months".
> 
> ...



Afghan president claims defense deal with Russia
AP, Jan. 19
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD95QBD100



> Russia is ready to cooperate on defense matters with Afghanistan, the Afghan president said Monday. The announcement coincides with increasingly public tensions between Afghan and Western officials, as well as Russia's heightened efforts to assert itself on the international stage.
> 
> In a letter, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said cooperation on defense issues would "be effective for both countries and also effective for maintaining security in the region," Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement.
> 
> ...



Dutch and Australian foreign ministers discuss Afghanistan
ABC Radio (Australia), Jan. 20
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/200901/s2470073.htm



> Australia and the Netherlands, a key NATO contributor, are discussing the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and progress with reconstruction of the country. The Dutch foreign minister is on an official visit to Australia and has again left the door open for an extended role for his country's troops in Afghanistan.
> 
> Presenter: Linda Mottram, Canberra correspondent
> Speaker: Maxime Verhagen, foreign minister of the Netherlands; Stephen Smith, Australian foreign minister
> ...



Mark 
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (21 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 21, 2009*

Commander says choppers needed for Olympics will strain Afghan mission
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The commander of Canada's air wing says Canadian Forces helicopters needed to secure the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver will put "pressure" on the military's chopper requirements in Afghanistan.

Col. Christopher Coates says the air force, like other branches of the military, will be forced to juggle its resources during the Olympics. Coates says he doesn't know if the diversion of helicopters to Vancouver will affect the military mission in Afghanistan.

The newly sworn-in commander of 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, Lt.-Col. Jeff Scott, also says the security requirements for the Vancouver Olympics will put a "big drain on helicopter resources."

Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie recently said up to 4,000 Canadian soldiers will be on the ground in Vancouver for the Games - stretching the military's resources as the war in Afghanistan continues.
More on link

US commander briefs Karzai on US Afghanistan surge
1 day ago Article Link

KABUL (AFP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the top US commander for southwest Asia discussed new strategies in the "war on terror" and an imminent surge of US forces to the country, Kabul said Wednesday.

Karzai received General David Petraeus at the presidential palace in the Afghan capital late on Tuesday ahead of the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington, the president's office told AFP.

They discussed the deployment of extra US soldiers in Afghanistan this year, Karzai's spokesman Homayun Hamidzada said.

The reinforcements of up to 30,000 soldiers are seen as an Iraq-style "surge" -- in reference to the strategy masterminded by Petraeus and which turned around a Sunni Muslim insurgency -- and illustrate a new focus on Afghanistan by Obama's government.

The incoming US president has identified the battle against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan as one of his administration's priorities.

Karzai reissued a call for "reviewing the war in Afghanistan -- how we do it, where we do it, the issue of minimising civilian casualties, and empowering the Afghan forces with training and equipment," Hamidzada said.
More on link

Report: Al Qaeda Group Bungled Test of Unconventional Weapon
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 By Eli Lake, Washington Times
Article Link

An Al Qaeda affiliate in Algeria closed a base earlier this month after an experiment with unconventional weapons went awry, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Monday.

The official, who spoke on the condition he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said he could not confirm press reports that the accident killed at least 40 Al Qaeda operatives, but he said the mishap led the militant group to shut down a base in the mountains of Tizi Ouzou province in eastern Algeria.

He said authorities in the first week of January intercepted an urgent communication between the leadership of Al Qaeda in the Land of the Maghreb (AQIM) and Al Qaeda's leadership in the tribal region of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. The communication suggested that an area sealed to prevent leakage of a biological or chemical substance had been breached, according to the official.

"We don't know if this is biological or chemical," the official said.

The story was first reported by the British tabloid the Sun, which said the Al Qaeda operatives died after being infected with a strain of bubonic plague, the disease that killed a third of Europe's population in the 14th century. But the intelligence official dismissed that claim.
More on link

New tools aid Afghan mission
Armoured helicopters will be operated by Edmonton-based troops
By ALYSSA NOEL, SUN MEDIA
Article Link 

In 2006, during his first tour in Afghanistan, Master Cpl. Shawn Crowder witnessed suicide bombers blow up an armed military vehicle, killing two soldiers. 

Although he's hopeful that the country is safer and more stable than it was three years ago, he says the new CH-146 Griffon helicopters that Canadian troops are currently being trained to operate will prevent deaths like the ones he has seen. 

"I know what it's like to be (on the ground)," he told Sun Media from Kandahar yesterday. "I've had people killed behind and in front of me." 

The first of eight armed helicopters arrived at Kandahar Airfield last month. 

With extra sensors, Gatling guns on top of their existing side door machine-guns and armour plating, the helicopters will be used to escort larger Chinook transport helicopters as well as to spot roadside bombs, which have killed more than half of the Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. 

"(We're doing) anything we can do to lessen the load of convoys," Crowder said. 

Crews from the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron based in Edmonton will operate the helicopters. 

TROOP LIFE CHANGES 

Crowder, who's based in Edmonton with his wife, Jacqueline, and two teenage sons, is in charge of transport, overseeing everything from water and fuel runs to repairs. "It's been busy," since he arrived for his second tour in November, he said. 
More on link

On run with Ignatieff
'I also believe passionately a country can't spend more than it earns, it's got to pay its way'
By CHRISTINA SPENCER, NATIONAL BUREAU 20th January 2009, 2:52am
Article Link

Canada shouldn't extend its military mission in Afghanistan past 2011 even if U.S. President Barack Obama asks us point-blank to do, says Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. 

In an interview with Sun Media yesterday, touching on everything from a possible Liberal-NDP coalition to elections to his own decades living outside this country, Ignatieff said Canada has "made a decade-long contribution (in Afghanistan) and we think it's time to come home." 

But Canada should stay involved in other crucial ways, he added, including through humanitarian aid, development and diplomacy. "We know a great deal about Afghanistan." 

In the interview in his Parliament Hill office a week before Parliament meets to consider a federal budget, Ignatieff also balked at the idea, floated by the Conservatives, of broad, middle-class tax cuts, saying these would drive the country into a permanent deficit. 

"My vision of tax cuts we can afford are those targeted at the lowest end of income distribution, to boost their purchasing power," Ignatieff said. "If (Stephen Harper) is talking about much, much broader tax cuts with a much wider target, he's going to have to explain to Canadians how that doesn't pitch us into structural deficit," 

The following is an edited excerpt of the interview: 

Question: I don't think there are more than about two people on the Hill who think you would go through with a coalition government with the NDP, so why do you keep this idea alive? 

Answer: We have already discovered what the coalition has done to force Mr. Harper back from an attack on the right of public sector workers to strike, on the financing of political parties, on pay equity for women, on the timing of the budget itself. 
More on link

Czech government slashes 2009 troop numbers for Afghanistan  
Europe News Jan 19, 2009, 13:07 GMT 
Article Link

Prague - The Czech Republic government agreed Monday to reduce its planned troop numbers in Afghanistan for 2009 in a bid to cement parliamentary support for country's military deployments abroad, officials said. 

The parliament's lower house spiked an earlier cabinet proposal on this year's military deployments on December 19. The rejection has threatened troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Kosovo by March. 

Under the revamped proposal, the government asks lawmakers to approve up to 480 soldiers for NATO's International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, down from cabinet's original request for up to 645 troops but a slight boost from the 2008 limit of 415 soldiers. 
More on link


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## MarkOttawa (21 Jan 2009)

Obama to seek Afghanistan troops elsewhere: MacKay
CP, Jan. 21
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2009/01/21/8099536.html



> Defence Minister Peter MacKay predicts new U.S. President Barack Obama will seek increased troop commitments for Afghanistan from other NATO allies rather than Canada.
> 
> And the withdrawal date for Canada’s combat troops remains 2011, MacKay said Wednesday, regardless of how charming and persuasive Obama may be in proposing an international rededication to the Afghan mission.
> 
> ...



Petraeus on Afghan visit after supply routes deal
Reuters, Jan. 21
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE50K1KK20090121?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews



> U.S. General David Petraeus met Afghan President Hamid Karzai overnight, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, after the regional military chief said deals had been made on new transport routes into Afghanistan from Central Asia.
> 
> The U.S. military has had to look at new ways to help supply its troops in the landlocked country from the north after Taliban militants have attacked and torched dozens of trucks carrying supplies on the main route through Pakistan.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (22 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 22

Taliban Fill NATO’s Big Gaps in Afghan South
_NY Times_, Jan. 21, by Dexter Filkin
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/asia/22taliban.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world



> TSAPOWZAI, Afghanistan — The Taliban are everywhere the soldiers are not, the saying goes in the southern part of the country.
> 
> And that is a lot of places.
> 
> ...



NATO: Aid Needed for Afghan War 
AP, Jan. 22
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/22/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html



> ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- President Barack Obama's plan to nearly double American troop numbers in Afghanistan *needs to be matched by a similar surge in development workers and aid funding, NATO's top official said Thursday* [emphasis added].
> 
> In a sign of the tough fight ahead in Afghanistan, NATO and Afghan troops earlier in the day killed up to 22 militants in airstrikes and ground battles near the border with Pakistan, officials said.
> 
> ...



Holbrooke named special adviser
AP, Jan. 22
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/clinton_holbrooke_1



> Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has introduced former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke to be a special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
> 
> In making the announcement, Clinton said anything short of a "relentless diplomatic effort" in the region will fail. She said Holbrooke's challenge would be to coordinate U.S. efforts in the region, including those of the Pentagon.
> 
> ...



SCENARIOS--Holbrooke faces big test in Afghanistan/Pakistan
Reuters, Jan. 22
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSTRE50L6G320090122



> President Barack Obama on Thursday appointed foreign policy veteran Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
> 
> Holbrooke, a former ambassador to the United Nations who negotiated the 1995 peace agreement that ended the Bosnian war, faces an array of challenges in dealing with the war in Afghanistan and its tense and fragile border with Pakistan.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa (23 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 23

Afghanistan and Obama
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up, Jan. 23
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1232733032

Obama says Pakistan, Afghanistan require wider strategy
AFP, Jan. 23
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ghb7OzxcCbsAzHzMBQMyDaGKdcJQ

US President Barack Obama on Thursday [Jan. 22] said Islamist extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan posed a grave threat that his new administration would tackle as a single problem under a wider strategy.

In announcing a special envoy to the region, Obama said the situation was "deteriorating" and that the war in Afghanistan could not be separated from the volatile border area with Pakistan, where Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements have regrouped.

"This is the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism. There, as in the Middle East, we must understand that we cannot deal with our problems in isolation," Obama told employees of the State Department.

Obama, saying US strategy would be carefully reviewed, announced the appointment of seasoned diplomat Richard Holbrooke as a special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan -- where the Taliban has come back from its ouster by US-led forces in 2001 to wage a bloody insurgency.

"There is no answer in Afghanistan that does not confront the Al-Qaeda and Taliban bases along the border, and there will be no lasting peace unless we expand spheres of opportunity for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan," Obama said.

"This is truly an international challenge of the highest order."

As a candidate, Obama accused his predecessor of taking his "eye off the ball" by invading Iraq. He has vowed to send more combat troops to Afghanistan and reiterated Thursday he would place a higher priority on the region.

Obama said Holbrooke "will help lead our effort to forge and implement a strategic and sustainable approach to this critical region."

"My administration is committed to refocusing attention and resources on Afghanistan and Pakistan and to spending those resources wisely."

But the new president gave a stark assessment of the conditions in Afghanistan and its border with Pakistan, warning "that the American people and the international community must understand that the situation is perilous and progress will take time."

He said violence was up sharply in Afghanistan and that "Al-Qaeda and the Taliban strike from bases embedded in rugged tribal terrain along the Pakistani border."

"And while we have yet to see another attack on our soil since 9/11, Al-Qaeda terrorists remain at large and remain plotting."

US intelligence agencies suspect Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda figures are operating out of the mountainous border region of Pakistan near Afghanistan...[/quote]

Suspected US missile strikes kill 18 in Pakistan
AP, Jan. 23
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD95SVITO4



> ISLAMABAD, Pakistan--Two suspected U.S missile attacks killed 18 people Friday in Pakistan just east of the Afghan border, security officials said, the first such strikes since the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
> 
> At least five victims were identified as foreign militants, an intelligence officer said.
> 
> ...



NATO: Aid needed for Afghan war
AP, Jan. 22
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012200579.html



> ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Barack Obama's plan to nearly double American troop numbers in Afghanistan needs to be matched by a similar surge in development workers and aid funding, NATO's top official said Thursday...
> 
> [NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop] Scheffer said other NATO allies should also boost troop levels in Afghanistan if possible, but also increase the number of civilian experts to help with reconstruction and development in a country brought to its knees by decades of war.
> 
> "I do see the need for the military surge President Obama is proposing, but it should be met with a civilian surge [emphasis added]," he told reporters. "Let us not be under the illusion that extra U.S. force (alone) will do the trick."..



Disputes cloud Afghan 'public guards' plan
The Western-backed program to organize volunteer tribesmen to ward off Taliban attacks on their villages has been delayed. Some fear a resurgence of intertribal violence.
LA Times, Jan. 22
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-militias23-2009jan23,0,918722.story



> In village after village, the pattern is the same. Sinister "night letters" threaten tribal elders considered loyal to the government. The local girls school is forced to close down -- or goes up in flames. Those bold or reckless enough to travel by road risk ambush, abduction or worse.
> 
> Alarmed by the tightening Taliban grip on huge swaths of Afghan countryside, U.S. strategists last year began quietly pushing the idea of using locally recruited tribesmen to protect their villages against an increasingly lethal insurgency.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Yrys (23 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 23



			
				MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> NATO: Aid needed for Afghan war
> AP, Jan. 22
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012200579.html



Another article on the same subject : 

NATO general approves of Afghanistan troop surge

NATO's top commander in Southern Afghanistan believes the U.S. president's intention 
to send an additional 30,000 American troops into the war-torn country will be a "very 
effective" strategic move.

Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif says the troop surge ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama 
will help improve the level of security that NATO troops can offer the Afghan people.
"What we need here in Afghanistan is more boots on the ground to deliver more 24-7 
security to the people," he told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.

"I don't think it will spur more Taliban attacks but it will definitely lead to an increase 
in incidents because we will go into regions and bring security where we've never been 
before until now," de Kruif said. "And that will possibly lead to a spike of incidents within 
RC (Regional Command) South."

De Kruif, 50, said Obama's apparent push to have his administration use more diplomacy 
in its foreign policy efforts has not yet affected NATO's approach to its work in Afghanistan.
"We are operating here more on the tactical level, so until now, I haven't got any new orders," 
he said. But he conceded that the Obama administration's appointment of former United Nations 
ambassador Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan was a commendable 
move. "I think that one of the solutions of this conflict is, of course, a regional approach in which 
we try to increase the situation in the whole region," de Kruif said. "From that point of view, the 
appointment of Mr. Holbrooke is a good sign and a step forward from my point of view."'

As of mid-January, NATO has some 55,100 troops stationed throughout five regional command areas 
in Afghanistan. Canada has 2,700 troops stationed in Kandahar province and Kabul.


----------



## Yrys (24 Jan 2009)

Russia says it is ready to co-operate on Afghanistan, The Associated Press

MOSCOW -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow is ready to help 
stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. Russia says it is willing to allow the United 
States and others to cross Russian territory with cargo intended for coalition forces 
in the war-wracked nation.

Medvedev said that Russia also is prepared to help international efforts to combat 
drug-trafficking and terrorism in Afghanistan. During his visit to Afghanistan's 
neighbour Uzbekistan, Medvedev voiced hope that Barack Obama's administration 
will do better than its predecessors in stabilizing Afghanistan.

Medvedev's comments appear to reflect the Kremlin's wish to mend ties with 
Washington, which deteriorated under the administration of George W. Bush.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood says he welcomes Medvedev's 
comments.


----------



## MarkOttawa (24 Jan 2009)

Marines force of 20,000 seen for Afghanistan
Reuters, Jan. 23
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302430.html



> Up to 20,000 U.S. Marines could be deployed in Afghanistan as part of a planned major troop build-up to battle worsening insurgent violence, the top U.S. Marine officer said on Friday.
> 
> Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said any buildup of Marines in Afghanistan would have to be accompanied by an equivalent cut in the 22,000-strong Marine force in Iraq to maintain the corps' schedule of seven-month deployments.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Yrys (24 Jan 2009)

ARTICLE OF JAN. 22

Same subject as :


			
				MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> NATO: Aid needed for Afghan war
> AP, Jan. 22
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012200579.html



NATO: 'Civilian surge' needed for Afghan war, AP
Obama urged to add more experts in reconstruction, development

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Barack Obama's plan to nearly double U.S. troop numbers 
in Afghanistan should be matched by a similar surge in development workers and aid funding, 
NATO's top official said Thursday.

The statement came as Obama announced that Richard Holbrooke, a former ambassador to 
the United Nations, would be a special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
...
The U.S. has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan battling a resurgent Taliban, but Obama is 
expected to send up to 30,000 more this year as his administration shifts its focus from the 
war in Iraq to Afghanistan.
...


----------



## Yrys (24 Jan 2009)

ARTICLE OF JAN. 20

US reaches deal on Afghan supply routes to troops, The Associated Press

SLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Russia and neighboring Central Asian nations have agreed 
to let supplies pass through their territory to American soldiers in Afghanistan, 
lessening Washington's dependence on dangerous routes through Pakistan, a top 
U.S. commander said Tuesday.

Securing alternative routes to landlocked Afghanistan has taken on added urgency 
this year as the United States prepares to double troop numbers there to 60,000 
to battle a resurgent Taliban eight years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani army said it had killed 60 militants in a stepped up offensive 
close to the Afghan border, a lawless region considered a likely hiding place for 
Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders. Washington has long urged Islamabad 
to take the fight to the insurgents sheltering there.

U.S. and NATO forces get up to 75 percent of their "non-lethal" supplies such as food, 
fuel and building materials from shipments that traverse Pakistan, a volatile, nuclear-
armed country. The main road through the Khyber Pass in the northwest of the country 
has occasionally been closed in recent months due to rising attacks by bandits and 
Islamist militants.

U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus said America had struck deals with 
Russia and several Central Asian states close to or bordering Afghanistan during a tour 
of the region in the past week. "We have sought additional logistical routes into 
Afghanistan from the north. There have been agreements reached," Petraeus, who 
oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told reporters during a visit to Pakistan.
"It is very important as we increase the effort in Afghanistan that we have multiple 
routes that go into the country."

Petraeus gave few details, but NATO and U.S. officials have said recently they were 
close to securing transit agreements with Russia and the patchwork of Central Asia 
states to the north of Afghanistan.

Analysts say the United States' dependence on Pakistani supply routes means it has 
little leverage to push Islamabad too hard on issues of bilateral concern, such as the 
campaign against al-Qaida.

U.S. officials have said one likely new route is overland from Russia through Kazakhstan 
and on through Uzbekistan using trucks and trains. Another possible route is through 
Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to the Kazakh port of Aktau and then through Uzbekistan.

Few analysts expect Washington to abandon the Pakistan routes altogether _ unless they 
become impossible to traverse due to security concerns _ because they are the shortest 
and cheapest lines. The goods arrive in Pakistan in the southern port of Karachi.

Petraeus met with Pakistan's army chief, prime minister and president on the trip, the latest 
in a flurry of visits by high-ranking U.S. officials in recent months.

Washington and other Western allies are trying to keep Pakistan focused on the al-Qaida 
threat as well as defuse tensions with neighboring India over the November terror attacks 
in Mumbai.
...


----------



## Yrys (25 Jan 2009)

ARTICLE OF JAN. 22

Indian-built Afghan road opened, BBC News

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee 
have opened a new Indian-built road in western Afghanistan.

The 200km (124-mile) highway, costing about $85m, links Zaranj on the Iranian 
border with the main road between the cities of Herat, Kandahar and Kabul.
On the Iranian side, it links with a route to the coast. It also allows India to 
export goods by sea to Iran and transport them to the growing Afghan market.

India cannot export through Pakistan to Afghanistan because of tensions between 
the South Asian neighbours. Delhi is heavily involved in aid and reconstruction work 
in Afghanistan and the new road underlines the growing economic and political ties 
between the two countries.

Indians are also building Afghanistan's new parliament and upgrading its electricity 
transmission network.


ARTICLE OF JAN. 23

Karzai hails Guantanamo closured, BBC News

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed the decision by new US President 
Barack Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. He said it was a good decision 
that would help build international support for the fight against terrorism.

President Karzai has repeatedly called for all detained Afghan citizens to be 
released so that their cases can be dealt with at home.

Many prisoners in Guantanamo were captured in Afghanistan in 2001. They 
were detained during the US-led war that drove the Taleban from power. 
...

ARTICLE OF JAN. 25

Karzai anger at US strike deaths, BBC News

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticised a US military operation 
which killed at least 16 people in eastern Afghanistan.






*"The people who were killed today were running around, 
manoeuvring against our forces, and we killed them"*
_Col Greg Julian, US military spokesman_


Mr Karzai said most of those killed were civilians, adding that such 
deadly incidents strengthened Taleban rebels and weakened 
Afghanistan's government. Women and children were among 
those killed, Mr Karzai said.

The strike was the first controversy in Afghanistan involving US 
troops since US President Barack Obama took office.

In a statement, the president said two women and three children 
were among the dead in the attack, which the US said targeted a 
militant carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

Speaking at a ceremony for newly-graduated officers entering Afghanistan's 
armed forces, Mr Karzai said he hoped the country's own military would 
soon be able to shoulder more of the burden of fighting the Taleban.
"Our goal is to improve our army and have the ability to defend our country 
ourselves as soon as possible, and not have civilian casualties anymore as 
we again had yesterday," he said. 
...


----------



## MarkOttawa (25 Jan 2009)

Kandahar's new governor forges quiet victory 
Voter registration begins. Canadians should focus on reconstruction work by their government, Wesa says
Canwest News, Jan. 25
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/news/1215712/story.html



> As millions around the world watched a new president take office in the United States this week, Tooryalai Wesa celebrated a quiet political victory of his own at his new home in the high-ceiling splendour of the Governor's Palace.
> 
> Jan. 20 marked Wesa's one-month anniversary as governor of Kandahar province, once the idyllic backdrop of his youth, now home to about 90 per cent of the world's opium production and the birthplace of the Taliban movement.
> 
> ...



Radio Spreads Taliban’s Terror in Pakistani Region 
_NY Times_, Jan. 24
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/world/asia/25swat.html?ref=todayspaper



> PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Every night around 8 o’clock, the terrified residents of Swat, a lush and picturesque valley a hundred miles from three of Pakistan’s most important cities, crowd around their radios. They know that failure to listen and learn might lead to a lashing — or a beheading.
> 
> Using a portable radio transmitter, a local Taliban leader, Shah Doran, on most nights outlines newly proscribed “un-Islamic” activities in Swat, like selling DVDs, watching cable television, singing and dancing, criticizing the Taliban, shaving beards and allowing girls to attend school. He also reveals names of people the Taliban have recently killed for violating their decrees — and those they plan to kill.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP (26 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 26, 2009*

Taliban turning to more 'complex' attacks
Analysis shows insurgents are increasingly confronting NATO troops in open warfare, rather than relying on bombings, suicide strikes 
GRAEME SMITH From Monday's Globe and Mail January 26, 2009 at 2:23 AM EST
Article Link

Taliban fighters are increasingly hitting their targets directly instead of relying on bombs, according to a year-end statistical review that contradicts a key NATO message about the war in Afghanistan.

Public statements from Canadian and other foreign troops have repeatedly emphasized the idea that the insurgents are losing momentum because they can only detonate explosives, failing to confront their opponents in combat.

But an analysis of almost 13,000 violent incidents in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, prepared by security consultant Sami Kovanen and provided to The Globe and Mail, shows a clear trend toward open warfare.

By far the most common type of incident, in Mr. Kovanen's analysis, is the so-called “complex attack,” meaning ambushes or other kinds of battle using more than one type of weapon. The analyst counted 2,555 such attacks in 2008, up 117 per cent from the previous year.
More on link

Pakistan cycle bomb 'kills five'   
  Article Link

At least five people have been killed and many more wounded in a bomb blast in north-west Pakistan, police say. 

The bomb, attached to a bicycle, went off on a busy main road in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, close to tribal areas where Islamic militants are in control. 

The bomb's target is not clear. Some reports said it went off minutes after a provincial lawmaker had passed by. 

Dera Ismail Khan has in the past seen sectarian violence between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shias. 

Wounded 

Police say more than 20 people were hurt in Monday's attack.
More on link

Taliban kill Pakistan 'spy': security official
6 hours ago
Article Link

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) — Taliban militants shot dead a man and severed one of his hands in Pakistan's lawless northwest tribal region, accusing him of spying for the United States, an official said Monday.

The body of local tribesman Mohammad Hussain was found dumped in the mountains in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, a notorious hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

"Hussain, who was kidnapped a week ago, had multiple bullet wounds in head and one of his hands was chopped off," a security official told AFP.

A note found on Hussain's body said he was "spying for the US," the official said.

Almost every week, militants kidnap and kill tribesmen, accusing them of spying for the Pakistani government or US forces operating across the border in Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters are leading an insurgency.
More on link

Karzai anger at US strike deaths   
  Article Link

Karzai has regularly criticised the levels of civilian deaths in Afghanistan 
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticised a US military operation which killed at least 16 people in eastern Afghanistan. 

Mr Karzai said most of those killed were civilians, adding that such deadly incidents strengthened Taleban rebels and weakened Afghanistan's government. 

Women and children were among those killed, Mr Karzai said. 

The strike was the first controversy in Afghanistan involving US troops since US President Barack Obama took office. 

In a statement, the president said two women and three children were among the dead in the attack, which the US said targeted a militant carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). 

Speaking at a ceremony for newly-graduated officers entering Afghanistan's armed forces, Mr Karzai said he hoped the country's own military would soon be able to shoulder more of the burden of fighting the Taleban. 
More on link


----------



## MarkOttawa (26 Jan 2009)

Afghan roadside bombs hit record in 2008
_USA Today_, Jan. 26
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-01-25-Roadsidebomb_N.htm



> Roadside bomb attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan hit an all-time high last year, killing more troops than ever and highlighting an "emboldened" insurgency there, according to figures released by the Pentagon.
> 
> Last year, 3,276 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated or were detected before blowing up in Afghanistan, a 45% increase compared with 2007. The number of troops in the U.S.-led coalition killed by bombs more than doubled in 2008 from 75 to 161. The Pentagon data did not break down the casualties by nationality.
> 
> ...




Biden expects more U.S. casualties in Afghanistan
"We've inherited a real mess," Biden said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Saying that the Obama administration has inherited a 'real mess,' the vice president predicts 'an uptick' in casualties as more troops are deployed in Afghanistan in a stepped-up campaign.
_LA Times_, Jan. 26
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-biden-afghan26-2009jan26,0,4701237.story?track=ntothtml



> ...
> One of President Obama's first major foreign policy challenges is to confront an increasingly aggressive Taliban by trimming U.S. forces in Iraq and bolstering the troop commitment in Afghanistan.
> 
> But the complexity and potential cost of the new strategy were underscored Sunday by an outcry from Afghanistan over a U.S. operation that the United States said killed 15 militants but Afghan officials said had claimed the lives of 16 civilians, including two women and three children.
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Yrys (26 Jan 2009)

*Article found January 26, 2009*

 Nato: Afghanistan could spoil the Obama party, BBC News

As Nato approaches its 60th anniversary, there are signs of tensions ahead 
if the concessions on security policy already put in hand by President Obama 
are not matched by a greater commitment to the war in Afghanistan by other 
member states.

President Obama might find that his international honeymoon, even among 
his closest allies, is short. He will be welcomed by some Nato governments 
keen to see the new US approach to the world in action, though some others
 in eastern Europe, still worried about Russia, will not want all the attention 
to be concentrated elsewhere.

But Afghanistan threatens to spoil the party.

In a speech in Brussels on Monday, Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop 
Scheffer said bluntly: "I cannot accept that the US has to do all the heavy lifting... 
Europe too has to step up with more forces and when that is not forthcoming, 
more on the civilian side." 






European countries have been 
unwilling to commit further troops

*Showing willing*

The kind of deal envisaged by the secretary general is that in return for President 
Obama meeting many of the demands by his European allies - the closure of 
Guantanamo Bay, the prohibition on waterboarding, the review of rendition flights 
to ensure compliance with US obligations - those allies must step up the plate 
(to use an American metaphor) when it comes to Afghanistan.

President Obama is intending to switch the main American effort from Iraq to 
Afghanistan and wants to repeat the surge policy that had an effect in Iraq. 
But this requires more combat capability and key Nato countries - France and 
Germany notably - have been unwilling to commit significantly to the frontline.
Even Britain, which is already engaged in "heavy lifting", might not send as 
many reinforcements as the Americans want.

The Nato chief said: "If the Europeans expect that the United States will close 
Guantanamo, sign up to climate change treaties, accept EU leadership on key 
issues, but provide nothing more in return, for example in Afghanistan, than 
encouragement, they should think again. It simply won't work like that." If 
Nato allies falter now, the long term implications in terms of separating the 
United States from Europe could be severe. Nato is committed to fighting the 
Taleban and was never engaged in Iraq, so the Americans are unlikely to be 
as tolerant of excuses in Afghanistan as they had to be in Iraq.

*Troubling issue*

The issue is emerging as a potential troubling one at the 60th anniversary 
summit to be held in early April in the French city of Strasbourg and the 
German town of Kehl on the opposite side of the border. The sites were 
chosen for their symbolic significance as they were fought over in three 
wars between the old enemies and modern allies.

That Nato should now be debating what to do about a war in the faraway 
country of Afghanistan while celebrating peace in the heart of Europe shows 
how far the alliance has moved - and how its role in the world is changing.
Mr de Hoop Scheffer was keen to claim that Nato had a role to play way 
beyond its original responsibility of protecting Western Europe from an attack 
by the Soviet Union.

"The world is not suddenly more peaceful," he said. "International terrorism, 
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the growing numbers of 
failing states are not just the obsession of a few." He even suggested that Iran 
and other regional players be brought in to help in Afghanistan, an intriguing 
prospect upon which he did not elaborate. 

_Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk_


----------



## Yrys (26 Jan 2009)

*Article found January 26, 2009*

How Not to Lose Afghanistan, NY Times

Barack Obama has said that his priority in the war on terrorism is Afghanistan, and is poised to increase troop levels there, perhaps by as many as 30,000. How should the United States deal with growing strength of the Taliban? Is increasing troop levels enough? We asked some analysts for their thoughts on military and political strategy in the region.



    * Kori Schake, former national security adviser
    * Andrew Exume, former United States Army officer
    * Bruce Riedel, former C.I.A. officer
    * John Nagl, former United States Army officer
    * Parag Khanna, senior research fellow at the New America Foundation


----------



## Yrys (27 Jan 2009)

*Article of  January 25, 2009*

Skateboarding in Afghanistan Provides a Diversion From Desolation, NY Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — It looked like an ordinary neighborhood playground: six children 
tumbling off their skateboards to the tune of laughter. But only hours before, just 20 
yards away, the body of a suicide car bomber was sprawled beside a glistening pool 
of blood.

Afghan youth have learned to recover almost instantly from such routine violence. One 
person determined to inject some normalcy into their lives is Oliver Percovich. A 34-year
-old from Melbourne, Australia, he plans to open this country’s first skateboarding school, 
Skateistan, this spring. He sees sport as a way to woo students into after-school activities 
like English and computer classes, which are otherwise reserved for the elite.

“Teenagers are trying to dissociate from old mentalities, and I’m their servant,” Percovich 
said. “If they weren’t interested, I would’ve left a long time ago.” Now, when he pulls his 
motorcycle into a residential courtyard here, a dozen youngsters pounce before it comes 
to a stop, yanking six chipped skateboards with fading paint off the back. The children, 
most participating in a sport for the first time in their war-hardened lives, do not want 
to waste any time. Their skateboard park is a decrepit Soviet-style concrete fountain with 
deep fissures. The tangle of novice skaters resembles bumper cars more than X Games.

But Percovich has raised the money needed to build an 8,600-square-foot bubble to house 
the nonprofit Skateistan complex, and the Kabul Parks Authority has tentatively donated land. 
He is still waiting for official permission to begin the project. And since a spate of kidnappings 
and the car bombing in late November, he has reduced his daily sessions at the fountain to 
once or twice a week.
...
Percovich is determined to overcome the obstacles. He arrived here rather impulsively in 
early 2007 because his girlfriend at the time had taken a job in Kabul. He gave up his bakery 
business, stuffed some clothes — and his skateboards — into a bag and left Australia.
Unable to find work, Percovich did what he has done since he was 6. He rode his skateboard, 
undaunted by the military convoys, pushcarts, donkeys, a suffocating film of dust and occasional 
car bombings.

“Whenever I turned up, kids gathered around and asked, ‘What is that?’ ” he said, referring to 
his skateboard. “They’d ask to have a go, and I realized quite fast it’s an excellent way to interact 
with youth.”
...


----------



## Yrys (27 Jan 2009)

*Article of  January 26, 2009*

Afghan Prison Poses Problem in Overhaul of Detainee Policy, NY Times

WASHINGTON — For months, a national debate has raged over the fate 
of the 245 detainees at the United States military prison at Guantánamo 
Bay, Cuba. But what may be an equally difficult problem now confronts 
the Obama administration in the 600 prisoners packed into a cavernous, 
makeshift prison on the American air base at Bagram in Afghanistan.

Military personnel who know Bagram and Guantánamo describe the 
Afghan site as tougher and more spartan. The prisoners have fewer 
privileges and virtually no access to lawyers. The Bush administration 
never allowed journalists or human rights advocates inside. Problems 
have also developed with efforts to rehabilitate former jihadists, some 
of whom had been imprisoned at Guantánamo. Nine graduates of a 
Saudi program have been arrested for rejoining terrorist groups, Saudi 
officials said Monday.

President Obama must now decide whether and how to continue holding 
the men at Bagram, most of them suspected of being Taliban fighters. 
Under the laws of war, they are being held indefinitely and without charge. 
He must also determine whether to go forward with the construction of 
a $60 million prison complex at Bagram that, while offering better 
conditions for the detainees, would also signal a longer-term commitment 
to the American detention mission.

Mr. Obama tried last week to buy some time in addressing the challenges 
Bagram poses even as he ordered Guantánamo closed. By a separate 
executive order, Mr. Obama directed a task force led by the attorney 
general and the defense secretary to study the government’s overall 
policy on detainees and to report to him in six months.

But human rights advocates and former government officials say that 
several factors — including expanding combat operations against the 
Taliban, the scheduled opening of the new prison at Bagram in the fall 
and a recent federal court order — will probably force the administration 
to deal with the vexing choices much sooner. “How the Obama administration 
plans to deal with detention in Afghanistan is an open question,” said 
Tina M. Foster, executive director of the International Justice Network, 
a human rights organization in New York. “How will this administration
differ from the Bush administration in its conduct of detention in Afghanistan?”

The population at Bagram has increased nearly sixfold over the past four 
years, driven not just by the deepening conflict in Afghanistan but also by 
the fact that the Bush administration in September 2004 largely halted the 
movement of prisoners to Guantánamo, leaving Bagram as the preferred 
alternative to detain terrorism suspects.

Bush administration lawyers argued this month that the Bagram detainees 
were different from those at Guantánamo. Virtually all of the Bagram prisoners 
were captured on the battlefield and were being held in a war zone, the lawyers 
contended, and they could pose a security threat if released. On Thursday, 
Judge John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia 
gave the Obama administration until Feb. 20 to “refine” the government’s legal 
position with respect to four men who are seeking to challenge their detention at 
Bagram under habeas corpus, a right that the Supreme Court has granted for 
detainees at Guantánamo. The four plaintiffs were taken to Bagram from outside 
Afghanistan and have been imprisoned there without access to any legal process, 
many of them for over six years, said Ms. Foster, who is representing the detainees.

Judge Bates issued his order after Mr. Obama signed his directives on Thursday, 
and the judge cited the presidential orders as “indicating significant changes to 
the government’s approach to the detention, and review of detention, of individuals 
currently held at Guantánamo Bay.” He noted that “a different approach could impact 
the court’s analysis of certain issues central to the resolution” of the Bagram cases 
as well.

At a White House briefing about the executive orders last Thursday, a senior 
administration official was asked whether terrorism suspects captured by American 
authorities would continue to be sent to Bagram. The official said not to expect any 
changes to existing policies in Afghanistan for at least six months, pending the 
completion of the task force’s review. A Justice Department spokesman, Dean Boyd, 
declined to comment on Judge Bates’s order, saying that government lawyers were 
studying it.

The challenges confronting the Obama administration at Bagram do not extend to 
the much larger American detention operations in Iraq, where the United States 
now holds about 15,000 prisoners. Under a security agreement with the Iraqi 
government, the United States will begin next month to release up to 1,500 
detainees a month. Fighters captured and imprisoned in Iraq are afforded legal 
protections under the Geneva Conventions.
...


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## MarkOttawa (27 Jan 2009)

The return of the Taliban
As the insurgents infiltrate the area west of Kandahar, Canadian troops concentrate on holding territory until U.S. forces arrive 
Globe and Mail, Jan. 27
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090127.wafghan27/BNStory/Afghanistan/home



> PASAB, AFGHANISTAN — The foot patrol to Charkuchi, an impoverished rural enclave in western Kandahar province, didn't follow the script. Coalition forces operations in southern Afghanistan rarely do.
> 
> The Canadian soldiers, led by Afghan police, were to walk through the mud-walled village, speak to residents, wave at children and inquire about insurgent activity. The goal: to let war-weary Afghan villagers know that Canadian Forces and Afghan police are dug in at a police station a few hundred metres away.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (27 Jan 2009)

Gates sets modest Afghanistan goals
_IHT_, Jan. 27
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/27/america/gates.5.php



> Defense Secretary Robert Gates set forth modest goals for Afghanistan on Tuesday [Jan. 27], saying that success should be defined as an Afghanistan that is not a safe haven for Al Qaeda, whose people reject the rule of Taliban insurgents and support a legitimate government.
> 
> In his first congressional testimony as defense secretary under President Barack Obama, Gates cautioned that success in Afghanistan also requires security progress in neighboring Pakistan, given the porous and violent frontier between the two nations.
> 
> ...


 
Mark
Ottawa


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## GAP (28 Jan 2009)

*Articles found January 28, 2009*

B.C. doctor disciplined for writing about soldier's death in Afghanistan
16 hours ago
Article Link

VANCOUVER, B.C. — A British Columbia doctor has been fined and ordered to undertake ethics training for publishing a graphic account of the death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.

Dr. Kevin Lee Patterson admitted to unethical and unprofessional conduct for breaching confidentiality when he wrote the story that identified Cpl. Kevin Megeney and gave a detailed account of his March 2007 death.

The B.C. College of Physicians has ordered Patterson to pay $5,000 for the cost of his hearing and make a charitable donation of $7,000 - the amount he received for the story published in Mother Jones magazine.

"The penalty imposed by the College took into account Dr. Patterson's admission of guilt, his contriteness and remorse for his conduct, and his full co-operation throughout the College's investigative process," college registrar Dr. Heidi M. Oetter said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Patterson could not be reached for comment
More on link

Afghanistan sets dateline to end civilian killings by NATO  
South Asia News Jan 28, 2009, 12:36 GMT 
Article Link

Kabul - Afghan government said Wednesday that it would seek a 'national decision' on what to be done with international military operations in the country if the NATO-led alliance does not respond to a draft agreement that calls for an end to civilian casualties within the period of one month. 

   The government sent an eleven-article draft to NATO headquarters in January 10, asking the alliance to avoid civilian casualties during their war against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets by coordinating their operations closely with Afghan authorities. 

   The draft also demands the unilateral operations by international forces to be stopped and the house searches and detentions of the Afghans, which have been so far conducted by NATO-led troops and US soldiers, be shifted to Afghan security forces. 

   'NATO and the international military forces should make their stance clear how much of the Afghan draft agreement is acceptable for them,' presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada said. 

   He said if Kabul does not receive any response within one month, it would seek a 'national decision' through a referendum to decide the future role of international fores in the country. 
More on link


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## Journeyman (28 Jan 2009)

B.C. doctor disciplined for writing about soldier's death in Afghanistan

CBC also carried the story online. 
In the public commentary section, some dingbat named "flu888" writes:





> This article states: “The Canadian Forces did not charge Patterson for writing the account, but Cpl. Matthew Wilcox faces multiple charges in connection with the death.”
> 
> I wonder what is the circumstances surrounding the shooting. *Are there any cover-ups to preserve military’s good name and for public good?*



Gotta love those wacko conspiracy theorists  :


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## MarkOttawa (28 Jan 2009)

First batch of extra U.S. troops in east Afghanistan
Reuters, Jan. 27
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE50Q3A020090127?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews



> The first deployment of a planned United States surge of up to 30,000 troops, has moved into bases in two key provinces of east Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.
> 
> The U.S. has pledged between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops for Afghanistan, where violence has increased markedly since Taliban-led insurgents regrouped in 2005.
> 
> ...



Obama Afghan strategy to stress non-military role
Reuters, Jan. 28
http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE50R55820090128



> President Barack Obama will press Afghan President Hamid Karzai to extend government control beyond the capital and fight corruption in a new U.S. policy that will have a "significant non-military component," a White House official said on Wednesday.
> 
> The White House is conducting a review of all aspects of Afghan policy which is not yet complete.
> 
> ...



NATO key to more Australian troops in Afghanistan
AP, Jan. 28
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090128.waustafghan0128/BNStory/Afghanistan/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090128.waustafghan0128



> Australia would consider sending additional troops to Afghanistan if its NATO allies also increase their contributions and develop a plan for victory against the insurgents, Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Wednesday.
> 
> Mr. Fitzgibbon signalled that Australia was open to help after U.S. President Barack Obama made the war in Afghanistan a major priority for his new administration....
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (29 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 29

Afghan presidential poll delayed for poor security
AP, Jan. 29
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900701.html?wprss=rss_world/wires



> Afghanistan's presidential elections will be delayed four months until Aug. 20 to allow extra international forces enough time to bolster security, the election commission said Thursday.
> 
> Lawmakers were expected to make provisions to avoid a power vacuum after President Hamid Karzai's five-year term officially expires May 22, said Azizullah Lodin, the head of the Independent Election Commission.
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (29 Jan 2009)

NATO High Commander Issues Illegitimate Order to Kill
*Spiegel Online*, Jan. 28
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,604183,00.html



> *The approach to combatting the drug mafia in Afghanistan has spurred an open rift inside NATO. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL, top NATO commander John Craddock wants the alliance to kill opium dealers, without proof of connection to the insurgency. NATO commanders, however, do not want to follow the order.*
> 
> A dispute has emerged among NATO High Command in Afghanistan regarding the conditions under which alliance troops can use deadly violence against those identified as insurgents. In a classified document, which SPIEGEL has obtained, NATO's top commander, US General John Craddock, has issued a "guidance" providing NATO troops with the authority "to attack directly drug producers and facilities throughout Afghanistan."
> 
> ...



Afghanistan: goals, strategy, future
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up, Jan. 29
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1233258102

Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (30 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 30

Canadian firm to hire Afghan guards as dam refurbished
Canwest News, Jan. 30
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Canadian+firm+hire+Afghan+guards+refurbished/1233659/story.html



> A Canadian company is recruiting a private Afghan security team to help guard Canada's "signature" aid project in Kandahar, the province's governor said yesterday.
> 
> Canada will spend $50 million to refurbish the Dahla Dam in the northern part of Kandahar province. After the Canadian International Development Agency announced the project earlier last year, violence across Afghanistan -- especially in the south -- spiked to record levels, sparking concerns the dam would become a prime target of Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents.
> 
> ...



Kandahar leader asks for tractors, not tanks
_Toronto Star_, Jan. 30
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/579586



> OTTAWA–Tractors and training, not necessarily more troops, are the ways to stanch the insurgency and improve security in Afghanistan, says the governor of Kandahar province.
> 
> Tooryalai Wesa, who's here to meet with top Canadian government officials, is a month into his new job and sees only possibility where most of the rest of the world has seen violence and despair.
> 
> ...



U.S. Removes Kashmir From Envoy's Mandate; India Exults
_Washington Post_, Jan. 30
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903737.html



> NEW DELHI, Jan. 29 -- Inside a chandeliered ballroom Thursday, Indian diplomats and business leaders and American officials held forth about a new "Cooperation Triangle" for the United States, China and India. But little mention was made at the Asia Foundation's conference on Indo-U.S. relations of the Indian government's recent diplomatic slam-dunk.
> 
> India managed to prune the portfolio of the Obama administration's top envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard C. Holbrooke -- basically eliminating the contested region of Kashmir from his job description. The deletion is seen as a significant diplomatic concession to India that reflects increasingly warm ties between the country and the United States, according to South Asia analysts.
> 
> Indian diplomats, worried about Holbrooke's tough-as-nails reputation, didn't want him meddling in Kashmir, according to several Indian officials and Indian news media reports. Holbrooke is nicknamed "the Bulldozer" for arm-twisting warring leaders to the negotiating table as he hammered out the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the war in Bosnia, a peace that has stuck...



Interview: For Holbrooke, Situation in Pakistan, Afghanistan Is 'Dim and Dismal' 
_NY Times_, Jan. 29
http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/world/slot3_20090128.html



> *Interviewee:* Bruce O. Riedel, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
> 
> *Interviewer:* Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor, Council on Foreign Relations
> 
> ...



Mark
Ottawa


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## MarkOttawa (31 Jan 2009)

ARTICLES FOUND JAN. 31

Great expectations for U.S. Afghan reinforcements
Surge of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will take weight off Canadians, allow more reconstruction, training
_Toronto Star_, Jan. 31
http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/580159



> It's the new broom for sweeping terrorism from Afghanistan. The silver bullet aimed at the heart of the Taliban insurgency.
> 
> For Canada, the surge of up to 12,000 extra American troops promised by President Barack Obama's administration is the cavalry coming over the hill, after years of pleading for reinforcements in the country's embattled south...
> 
> ...



U.S. eyeing plan for fifth brigade in Afghanistan
Reuters, Jan. 31
http://uk.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUKN30373652



> U.S. President Barack Obama could eventually send five combat brigades to Afghanistan, including one devoted wholly to training the Afghan army, Pentagon officials said on Friday.
> 
> The White House is expected to announce up to three new brigade-size deployments for Afghanistan as early as next week to help meet a long-standing request for additional forces from field commanders.
> 
> ...



Earlier:

Illinois Guardsmen count days till they’re in Afghanistan
2,700 to help Afghans defend against Al Qaeda and Taliban forces
_Chicago Tribune_, Nov. 19, 2008
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/nov/19/local/chi-guard-trainingnov19



> A group of sweaty, tired Illinois National Guardsmen, a fraction of the 1,400 still training on a North Carolina military base standing-in for Afghanistan, hunched over rifles and stared downrange in the last days before deployment.
> 
> In freshly learned Pashtu they shouted for cooperation from pop-up targets. The response was a mock mortar explosion behind them every bit as surprising as the real thing, and a resulting cacophony of live fire that tested the Illinois troops ability to communicate, reload and defend themselves. The staged firefight was one of their last opportunities to train for war before facing life-or-death decisions for real.
> 
> ...



Afghan Strategy Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama 
_NY Times_, Dec. 1, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/world/asia/02strategy.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper



> ...the Pentagon is already planning to send more than 20,000 additional troops in response to a request from Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top commander in Afghanistan. Pentagon officials say that force *would include four combat brigades, an aviation brigade equipped with attack and troop-carrying helicopters, reconnaissance units, support troops and trainers for the Afghan Army and the police* [emphasis added].
> 
> The *first of the combat brigades is to deploy in the eastern part of Afghanistan* [emphasis added], while the rest of the brigades are expected to be sent to southern and southwestern Afghanistan. All told, it would increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan to about 58,000 from the current level of 34,000, and add to the approximately 30,000 other foreign troops who are operating there under a NATO-led command...



Mark
Ottawa


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