The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread August 2008

[MarkOttawa]

Defense minister: France eyes bigger Afghan role
AP, April 27
http://www.aol.co.nz/news/story/Army-chief-says-France-eyes-bigger-Afghan-role/904811/index.html

France is considering whether to send more special forces, aircraft or firepower for NATO's fight against the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies in Afghanistan, the French defense minister said Tuesday.

Herve Morin told lawmakers the special forces could be sent to gather intelligence but not to fight, adding that any decision would ultimately rest with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Morin and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner faced questions Tuesday before a parliamentary panel as part of an examination by French leaders of the circumstances of an ambush by insurgents east of Kabul last week that left 10 French soldiers dead. The incident sparked debate in France about its role in the war-battered country.

Despite recent polls suggesting the majority of French people favor a pullout from the troubled Central Asian nation, the two ministers emphasized the necessity of staying the course in Afghanistan.

Sarkozy _ speaking at a separate event before members of the regiment that lost eight soldiers in last week's attack _ said France's status as a major player on the international stage depends on its continued participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

"I say it with force: By abandoning the Afghan people to their bad luck and their tormentors, by abandoning out democratic allies and our responsibilities as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, we would be in a way abandoning the security of the French people and our status as a great power," Sarkozy said during his visit to the southern town of Castres, where the hard-hit regiment was based.

"The combat that they are leading in Afghanistan is a just combat, a combat that we must not lose," Sarkozy said.

Morin said during the parliamentary question-and-answer session that recent Taliban attacks were aimed more at spooking the West than regaining territory.

"For them, the goal is ... to hit our spirits, to cut our forces off from the support of public opinion, to sow doubts in Western public opinion so that certain countries leave," he told the lawmakers.

Morin said the Taliban are changing tactics, moving from suicide bombings to well-planned ambushes _ which he called "every soldier's dread [emphasis added]. " He said he would soon present Sarkozy with a string of proposals aimed at responding to the changing tactics.

Possible proposals include the deployment of more special forces, drone aircraft, greater firepower or more helicopters [emphasis added], he said.

Still, Morin acknowledged that even beefed-up equipment would not guarantee the safety of French troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

"It's not because you have extra drones or helicopters that you'll avoid that Talibans who are hidden in the mountains appear and decide to launch an operation," Morin told lawmakers.

He advocated the deployment of special forces to help in intelligence-gathering, as "In such zones, human intelligence is more important than technical intelligence."

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South)
272339EDT Aug 08

The following material comes from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban or Taliban spokespersons.  Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content - it is shared for information only.

"Continuing battle severe Kajaki, Helmend " (Google Translation) - Original Arabic

Continuing battle severe Kjki

Continental / Yusuf Ahmadi

Since five o'clock early this morning 2008-08-25)) clashed directly battle between the Mujahideen and the Islamic Emirate Assaker British forces in the occupied zone "Jermao" Directorate Kjki mandate of Helmand.

Clashed in the battle zone when the teams attacked the infantry and armored forces of the British directly on areas that are under the control of Mujahideen.

The details will be updated later ...

.pdf attached (Google English) if link doesn't work

 

[GAP]

Articles found August 28, 2008

U.S. troops, contractors indicted in Afghan bribery scheme
Article Link

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. troops and a group of contractors have been indicted on charges they were part of a bribery scheme involving the awarding of military contracts in Afghanistan, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Maj. Christopher P. West, an Illinois National Guardsman and head of operations at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, was arrested Monday on charges of bribery and conspiracy.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Patrick W. Boyd, a resident of Rockledge, Florida, and a contracting officer at Bagram, was arrested Tuesday on the same charges.

Contractors Assad John Ramin, Tahir Ramin, Noor Alam and Abdul Qudoos Bahkshi were also charged in the indictment.

Those indicted face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for bribery, and up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for conspiracy.
More on link

Kandahar reality update
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Article Link

Further to the posts here and here, from our general in-theatre in a Canadian Press story:

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Recent military operations have taken a major bite out of the insurgency's ability to plant deadly roadside bombs on the outskirts of Kandahar city but long-term security will require more time and manpower, a Canadian commander said Wednesday.

In a speech aimed at showing Afghan civilians that Canadian and Afghan forces have had success beating back the insurgents, Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson admitted Taliban activities have been "disrupted" but not "eliminated" by the operations in the Maywand and Zhari districts.

"There is combat every day in this province and that isn't going to end any time soon," said Thompson, the top commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan.

"We are going to stay in the fight and we have to stay active in order to prevail and not lose the initiative to the insurgents."

Noting just one third of the countryside is secure enough for development and reconstruction to take place, Thompson said efforts are underway to boost both the number of coalition troops operating in Kandahar as well as the number of Afghan police and army personnel.
More on link

Top Marine wants to shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan
By Peter Spiegel and Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers August 28, 2008
Article Link

Gen. James Conway says the insurgent threat in Iraq's Anbar province has decreased and the forces could better serve in violent regions of Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON -- Marines in western Iraq's Anbar province no longer face a serious threat from insurgents and would be better used in increasingly violent regions of southern Afghanistan, the top Marine Corps officer said Wednesday.

Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, said that gains made by two Marine units sent to Afghanistan's volatile southern provinces this year could be lost if the troops are not replaced in November, and suggested that a drawdown in Iraq would allow him to send fresh units to the region

"Everyone seems to agree that additional forces are the ideal course of action for preventing a Taliban comeback, but just where they're going to come from is still up for discussion," Conway said at a Pentagon news conference. "It's no secret that the Marine Corps would be proud to be part of that undertaking."

There are 25,000 Marines in once-restive Anbar province, but despite Conway's assessment, any withdrawal is expected to be minimal. Military officials said they were likely to request a reduction of about 1,500 Marines. That is the number needed to replace one of the departing Marine units in Afghanistan, the Twentynine Palms-based 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment, which is in southern Farah province.

Still, Conway's comments were the most direct yet by a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in favor of a drawdown in Iraq. He joins a chorus of military leaders in Washington -- including Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs' chairman -- who believe withdrawals should resume next month. Mullen said last month that he expected to recommend additional reductions.
More on link

Bomb kills US coalition member in Afghanistan
5 hours ago
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S.-led coalition says a roadside bomb has killed one of its members in southern Afghanistan.

A coalition statement says the the soldier was killed during a patrol on Wednesday. The victim's nationality and the exact location of the blast have not been released.

Separately, the coalition says its troops killed a militant and detained two others during a raid in the eastern Paktika province.

It says the militant was killed by small-arms fire as the troops searched compounds on Wednesday.
More on link

Ottawa defends contract with U.S. intelligence firm
OMAR EL AKKAD August 28, 2008
Article Link

OTTAWA -- Ottawa is defending its decision to award a contract to a U.S. intelligence firm to train Canadian soldiers on the nature of the Afghanistan insurgency.

The government announced this week that it will hire the Terrorism Research Center to train Canadian soldiers. The training will focus on understanding insurgent groups such as the Taliban.

The Virginia-based company is part of Total Intelligence Solutions, LLC. That operation, which employs several former employees of U.S. agencies such as the CIA, counts among its highest-ranking officers a number of influential architects of Washington's Iraq war. TIS chairman Cofer Black spent nearly 30 years with the CIA, and was central to the direction of Washington's "war on terror" strategy.

The Terrorism Research Center has done extensive business with branches of the U.S. military. But TIS itself is also a subsidiary. It is owned by the Prince Group, the same holding company that owns Blackwater Worldwide.
More on link

 

[MarkOttawa]

Don't expect miracles in Afghanistan: Canadian envoy
CTV, August 27
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080827/afghanistan_security_080827/20080827?hub=CanadaAM

Don't expect any miracles by the time Canada's military commitment to Afghanistan ends in 2011, says the outgoing Canadian ambassador to the country.

Arif Lalani, who has held the position for 15 months, said the mission is a difficult one and great challenges lie ahead.

But he said progress is being made.

"In 2011 I think Canadians should not expect everything in Kandahar will be fixed," Lalani told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.

"I think it will look pretty much as it does now, but the key difference will be that Afghan institutions, Afghan army and police and government will actually be in charge and in the lead in building from what we helped them build together over the last few years."

He said Canada has paid a high price and the year ahead is going to be a tough one, but the Canadian Forces are headed in the right direction.

"We have to continue to do what we've been doing, which is build up the Afghan national security forces, provide basic humanitarian assistance and to work on border security," Lalani said...

U.S.-Pakistani Brainstorming on Border Violence
NY Times, August 28
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/washington/28policy.html?ref=world

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff secretly convened a highly unusual meeting of senior American and Pakistani commanders on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to discuss how to combat the escalating violence along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

While officials from the two allies offered few details on Wednesday about what was decided or even discussed at the meeting — including any new strategies, tactics, weapons or troop deployments — the star-studded list of participants and the extreme secrecy surrounding the talks underscored how gravely both nations regard the growing militant threat...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South)
282105EDT Aug 08

NOTE:  The following material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban or Taliban spokespersons.  Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content - it is shared for information only.  When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original (indicated by "GoogEng") - this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.


"33 puppet soldiers killed in different attak in Kandahar" (GoogleEng) - Original in Arabic

Continental / Yusuf Ahmadi
According to details provided: Mujahid Islamic Emirate dawn this morning 2008-08-27)) at 07:15 am kind of car Rnger of the army's Directorate Bnjuaei in the market by an explosive device, resulting in the destruction of the car completely killing 9 soldiers.  At 10:15 this morning attacked the Mujahideen near any of the Directorate of the Directorate of buttons on a convoy of funding to the enemy in the region of the radio buttons Directorate of the mandate itself on the road to Kandahar, Herat highway, during the attack were burned four trucks loaded with Mujahidoun container.  Who carried out the attack in an ambush in addition to the loss mentioned above have been targeted Mujahidoun Bar PJ three cars of the Army customer, which killed thirteen soldiers and a number of others severely wounded.  According to the news of another independent, killing eleven soldiers in Afghanistan this afternoon 2008-08-27)) at the Directorate Meond region Kach Juppin on the road to Kandahar, Herat, while they were on foot patrol in the area.  After the accident closed down the area by the enemy and they transfer a dress of their dead by cars. (Google English)

"Americans killed 36 and wounded more than thirty people, including women and children, in Helmend" (GoogleEng) - Arabic version

Americans killed 36 unarmed result of folks severe air strikes in Helmand
Continental / Yusuf Ahmadi
According to details the Americans yesterday afternoon 2008-08-26)) at 4:10 pm sharp aerial bombardment Hdidali village Debra cypress castle in the state of Jin Directorate of Helmand. Resulting in the extermination of six families in full, cited 25 people including women and children, and wounded more than thirty people.  News adds the rest of the bodies of some of the martyrs under the rubble until this morning because of the raids, but some people have not found their bodies are missing.  In a similar vein, the Americans last night 2008-08-27)) at 01:15 am sharp aerial bombardment in the Directorate of neighbouring similar to this in any Directorate Kjki resulted in the death of 11 civilians were killed and fifteen others wounded severely.  It is interesting that this is not the first time that Americans satisfactory revenge against defenceless people, where they have a week ago in the village of Zer Directorate Handnd mandate Herat - according to the media free - have killed more than 100 unarmed innocent people and injured a similar number, the Department has supported the figures Kabul client as well.

"Destroying a british tank, killing seven soldiers in Helmend" (GoogleEng) - Arabic version

33 Mottagl military in Kandahar by strong explosions
Destroying a tank of troops near the English charge of the Directorate Jermser
Continental / Yusuf Ahmadi
Mujahid Alamarhalaslamih dawn this morning at 6:10 am sharp tank Forces English charge when the convoy of troops on their way towards the centre Jermser in an area north of Tal located five kilometers east of the Directorate.  Tank destroyed in the blast completely killing seven soldiers passengers therein.  After the explosion closed the road between statehood and the Directorate in the face of traffic, and they were killed by helicopters.

"Killing five officers of intelligence in Kandahar city" - Arabic version

Killing five elements of intelligence in Kandahar city
Continental / Yusuf Ahmadi
At 10:25 last night from 2008-08-26)) killed five of Enasralastkbarat (national security) when their car suffered from type Rnger Mujahideen attacked the Islamic Emirate in front of a mosque Koubaa Alkhmamsh side of the city of Kandahar.  In the attack, which was implemented through the attack resulted in the destruction of the enemy vehicle full addition to the loss mentioned above.  These five were senior officials of the Intelligence Department has earned their reward after a long period of comment by the Mujahideen.  It is noteworthy that before the duration of the investigation Mdergsm Mujahideen were killed in this administration at the heart of the city of Kandahar at the intersection of martyrs in the sudden attack.

 

[GAP]

Articles found August 29, 2008

Pentagon brass meet with Pakistanis on carrier
By PAULINE JELINEK
Article Link

WASHINGTON (AP) — With violence worsening in Afghanistan and Pakistan, top U.S. military officers secretly met commanders from Islamabad on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to talk about what else could be done.

The meeting Tuesday came after several weeks of Pakistani offensives against militants in the country's volatile northwest — an effort American officials welcomed but said Thursday has come nowhere near to stemming growing problems near the Afghan border.

The meeting aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was the latest of several between Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and General Ashfaq Kayani, chief of staff of the Pakistani army.

U.S. defense officials said that this time Mullen also brought Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, who will soon leave to become the senior commander in the Middle East; Adm. Eric T. Olson, head of the Special Operations Command; Gen. David McKiernan, NATO's commander in Afghanistan; Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, acting commander of American forces in the Middle East; and Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, American military liaison in Pakistan.

A U.S. official familiar with the discussion said Tuesday's meeting was "more collaborative," compared to a similar meeting a month ago when Mullen took a "more firm tone" in warning Kayani that Islamabad was not doing enough to counter militants waging cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.
More on link

Iraq militants moving to Pak
29 Aug 2008
Article Link

WASHINGTON: A top US military officer has said that the al-Qaida militants in Iraq are moving to safe haven in tribal areas of Pakistan, posing threat not only to coalition forces in Afghanistan but to Islamabad.

In a press meeting, the commandant of the marine corps Gen James Conway said the coalition forces will not be able to solve the problems in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan and it was essentially up to the government in Islamabad to come to the terms with what is happening on their sovereign soil.

"We do see more foreign fighters now, though, I think, coming to Pakistan and operating in Afghanistan than we're seeing in Iraq... no intelligence agency would say this, but it may be that there's been a refocus. I think the al-Qaida knows that they have blown a movement in Iraq through a number of missteps over time..." Gen Conway said.
More on link

About 165 troops from CFB Gagetown, N.B., off to Afghanistan  
The Canadian Press — Gagetown, N.B.
Article Link

More than 150 soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown are slowly making their way to Afghanistan for six-months of combat duty.
The exodus of troops will continue until the first week of October, base public affairs officer Lt. (Navy) Brian Owens said Thursday.
In total, 165 troops, comprised of 100 members of the Second Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, along with 38 from 4 Air Defence Regiment and 24 from 4 Engineer Support Regiment are making the journey.
There will be joined by a small number from other base units.
The departures are occurring with little or no publicity.
“Those events are closed,” Owens said. “The chain of command has basically told us that’s for the families and families alone and we are not doing any media exposure on this days as they go out the door.”
More on link

Afghan base is "world's busiest trauma hospital"
Fri Aug 29, 2008 By Luke Baker
Article Link

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Reuters) - From the outside it's a prefabricated building in the midst of the desert, an unremarkable one storey white block. Inside it may be the busiest trauma hospital in the world.

In the past week more than 100 casualties have been shuttled in to the British-run Camp Bastion hospital in southern Afghanistan, more than half with major trauma from explosions and requiring surgery, according to medics.

The wounded, and sometimes dead, have included British, American and Danish soldiers, members of the Afghan army and police, and civilians caught up in the crossfire as the battle against the Taliban has intensified across Helmand province.

"It's the busiest trauma hospital in the world," said a member of Britain's airborne medical response team, pausing barely long enough to catch his breath after delivering another two casualties from a hovering Chinook helicopter.

"At least this week it has been. Busier than anywhere in Iraq. Busier than Johannesburg," he said, referring to the city in South Africa with a notoriously high crime rate and one of the busiest hospitals in the world. "It's non-stop."

The Taliban have indeed stepped up attacks in recent weeks, mounting ambushes and planting deadly roadside bombs across the province, one of the most volatile in Afghanistan.

The upsurge was expected -- in past years the Taliban have taken advantage of the dry summer months and the end of the opium poppy growing season to step up their activities. But this year's rise in violence has surprised even medics.
More on link

 

[MarkOttawa]

NATO hands Kabul security to Afghan forces
Reuters, August 28
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKISL11326220080828

Afghan forces took over responsibility for the security of the capital, Kabul, on Thursday, in what is largely viewed as a symbolic move.

Although there are no plans for foreign forces to pull out of the city any time soon, the move is also meant to reflect the growing strength of the Afghan army and police force.

While the Taliban insurgency has strengthened this year, with more suicide and roadside bombs and more people killed than at any time since 2001, Afghan forces are steadily growing in size and Kabul has seen fewer attacks in 2008 than in the same period last year.

There are currently around 57,000 soldiers serving in the Afghan army and that number is expected to rise to 120,000 over the coming years. On top of this, there are some 82,000 in Afghanistan's police force.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been in overall charge of the security in the capital...

Pentagon Reports U.S. Airstrike Killed 5 Afghan Civilians, Not 90
Washington Post, August 29
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/28/AR2008082802203.html?wpisrc=newsletter

A U.S. military review of an airstrike last week in western Afghanistan maintains that only five civilians were killed, Pentagon officials said yesterday, a finding that starkly contradicts reports by the United Nations and Afghan officials that the civilian death toll from the bombing was at least 90.

The completed review corroborates an initial assessment by the military of the operation Friday by U.S. and Afghan forces in a village in Herat province. The review determined that 25 militants, including a Taliban commander, and five civilians had been killed, the officials said.

"We did not kill up to 90 civilians as has been alleged," one U.S. military official said. The review "comports with our operational understanding" of the events, said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record...

Void in U.S. strategy for Afghanistan
As officials consider sending more troops to Afghanistan, some worry about the lack of a larger plan.
Christian Science Monitor, August 29
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0829/p01s01-usfp.html

Senior defense officials are debating how many troops they can send to Afghanistan and how soon they can do it to improve the deteriorating security situation there.

But even as political pressure mounts to do more to stop the violence in that region, there is increasing fear in the Pentagon that sending in more forces is just a stopgap measure that masks the absence of a broader, viable strategy.

"To a certain extent, we have boxed ourselves into the idea that additional troops is a panacea for revising strategy," says a senior Pentagon official. "That in and of itself becomes the strategy."

More troops does mean more security, says the military official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the matter. But he and others don’t think the conversation inside the Defense Department or at the national level has “matured” past that.

Other officials fear that plans to withdraw more troops from Iraq offers a convenient way to send more to Afghanistan, without a plan for how they would be used or to what objective.

That thinking suggests that Iraq and Afghanistan are one and the same, says the official, when in fact they are different, not only in terms of US interests but in what can be done on the ground.

When the war in Iraq was failing at the end of 2006, President Bush appointed counterinsurgency expert Gen. David Petraeus, who laid out a new approach. The announcement of a surge of roughly 30,000 new troops in Iraq at the start of 2007 was not so much a change in strategy as tactics – and more forces to help implement it.

Many defence officials believe Afghanistan needs that same kind of reassessment. But as with Iraq, sending in more troops alone won’t do the trick, they say.

“If my tires are low on air, putting more gas into the car won’t help,” says the senior official.

Any attempt to reassess US strategy in Afghanistan is made more difficult by two factors that don’t exist in Iraq: Much of the violence in Afghanistan stems from terrorist sanctuaries across the border in Pakistan, where coalition forces generally cannot tread. And responsibility lies with a NATO coalition of forces, which means the US has to walk a political tightrope as it sorts out what needs to be done and who should do it...

The Pentagon has said it wants to send as many as three brigades, or about 12,000 more American troops, there. Some could be sent before the end of the year. Earlier this year, then NATO commander US Gen. Dan McNeill told the White House by video teleconference that three more brigades would do the job.

There is concern that the request for three brigades has come to dominate the debate about Afghanistan, but without being scrutinized with any real vigor. “That kind of rationalization has not been done for Afghanistan as far as I can tell,” says one aide to a senior member of Congress...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South)
300015EDT Aug 08
.pdf version attached at bottom of message

NOTE:  The following material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban or Taliban spokespersons.  Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content - it is shared for information only.  When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original (indicated by "GoogEng") - this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.


"6 Canadian invadiers soldiers Killed in Kandahar"

Friday morning   29-08-2008, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with remote controlled landmines blew up a patrolling unit of Canadian invadirs army in Makoan area of Zhari district of Kandahar province. In explosion 6 soldiers terrorists were killed and a number wounded.. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"2 tanks of Canadian invaders destroyed in Kandahar"

Friday night 29-08-2008,Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with remote controlled landmines blew up 2tanks of Candain occupation army convoys when they were traveling  in Kaztora area of Mewand district of Kandahar province. In the explosion the tanks were completely destroyed and 9 the invader terrorists in it were killed. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"6 military vehicles of puppet army destroyed  in Kandahar"

Friday morning 29-08-2008 at approximately 10:15 am local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ambushed a convoy of puppet army   which was travelling on Uruzgan Kandahar highway in Sri Gari area of Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. In the attack 6 military vehicles of  puppet army were destroyed in which 30 puppet soldiers were killed and a number wounded. Reported by Zabihullah Mujahid

"American invaders  martyrs 22 civilians in Helmand"

   Friday night 29-08-2008, 22 people including women and children were martyred in an cowardly bombardment and attacks of American invaders on houses of civilians in Zamendawar area of Kajaki district of Helmand province. The invader forces  directed the local residents houses  and   martyring 22 innocent civilians including women and  children.  Also in same district four days before British invaders martyred 11 women and children. Reported by Zabihullah Mujahid

"5 American terrorists killed 7 wounded in Helmand"

Friday noon 29-08-08 at 10:20 am local time, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ambushed a foot patrolling units of American occupation  army and their puppets in Mula Nawab area of Bakwa district of Farah province.  In the the attack 5 British terrorists were killed and 7 were wounded. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"4 checkpoints of puppet army captured in Helmand"

Friday afternoon 29-08-2008 at approximately 3:15 pm local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with heavy and light weapons attacked puppet police checkpoints in Baba Jai area of Lashkargah city capital of Helmand province. In attack the checkpoints were demolished 9 puppet police were killed others fled and their arms were Mujahid booty.  Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"1checkpoint of puppet army demolished   in Helmand"

Friday night 29-08-2008 at approximately 10:15 pm local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with heavy and light weapons attacked puppet police checkpoints in Kamparak area of Grishk district of Helmand province. In attack the checkpoint was demolished 6 puppetr police were killed.   Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"1 checkpoint of puppet police demolished in Nemroz"

Friday noon 29-08-2008 at approximately 11:20 am local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with heavy and light weapons attacked puppet police checkpoints in Poshti Hasn area of Khashrod district of Nemroz province.  In attack the checkpoint was demolished but the casualties of enemy was not reported.   Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"Martyrdom not Suicide - An Islamic Perspective"

Before presenting the Islamic evidences that such operations are Islamically legitimate, we need to emphasise that it is wrong to call such operations a “suicide”. Killing one’s self aggressively or casting one’s self into destruction, all of which are forbidden in the Qur’an....killing one’s self this way is “suicide” as it is Islamically pointless, meaningless and intentionally suicidal.  On the other hand, the one who contributes his life to the cause of Allah, Islam and Muslims his doing is sacrificial; he gives his life away for Islam and Muslims, which is the highest sacrifice.... (more on link)

"Footage of Saudi Army In (Uruzgan)"

A brother from a forum posted this. The video is in Dutch.  Skip to 00:36 seconds and watch from there for a few minutes.  You see the Saudi Forces in Afghanistan, deceitfully handing out candy’s and Qur’aan’s to the Afghan people.  How can they hand out copies of the Qur’aan .... (video, more on link)

"More Then 20,000 Coward American Troops Suffer Stress"

At least one in six coward american soldiers in Afghanistan and at least one in eight in Iraq are taking daily doses of prescription antidepressants, sleeping pills or painkillers to help them cope with the stresses of combat, according to figures contained in a US Army mental health advisory team report seen by The Herald.  The findings mean that more thaen 20,000 coward american troops are on medication such as Prozac or diamorphine while working in the front line or on equally dangerous convoy escort or driving duties in conflicts where Mujahideen regularly target the supply chain .... (more on link)

 

[George Wallace]

30 August 2008

Pakistan car bomb kills eight; lawyers start anti-government protests
28/08/2008 11:48:55 AM 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Suspected militants bombed a bus in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, reportedly killing eight people, as protesting lawyers blocked roads across the country in an effort to press the government to reinstate judges purged by former president Pervez Musharraf.

CBC News
The car bomb exploded in the middle of a long, concrete bridge near the city of Bannu, leaving a large crater.

The bus, which was travelling across the bridge at the time, smashed through a railing on the side of the bridge and tumbled about nine metres into a mostly dry riverbed below.

The bus was en route to a prison to pick up several inmates, said local police chief Jalil Khan.

Seven policemen and an education department official who had hitched a ride were killed, he said.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, police said militants were the likely culprits.

Hours earlier, security forces drove off a Taliban attack on a fort and pounded another band of militants holed up in a health centre, officials said Wednesday as fighting spread to new areas in the tribal belt along the Afghan border.

As many as 49 insurgents were reported killed in separate attacks.

More than 200 people have been killed in a cycle of bombings and clashes since longtime U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf quit as president on Aug. 18 to avoid impeachment by the coalition government that triumphed in February's elections

His resignation, nine years after he seized power in a military coup, has caused widespread political and social turmoil.

A week after his departure, the country's second-biggest party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, pulled out of the coalition over its failure to restore judges purged by Musharraf last year.

Meanwhile, lawyers who agitated for more than a year in favour of the judges and against Musharraf led new protests against the government Thursday.

Several thousand demonstrators blocked roads in a string of major cities.

They also chanted slogans against Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and the favorite to replace Musharraf when lawmakers select a new president on Sept. 6.

Protesters destroyed posters of Zardari in Islamabad, and held similar demonstrations in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Peshawar, reported Reuters news agency.

However, their numbers were smaller than in the past and Sharif's supporters largely stayed away.

The turmoil has left the main ruling party, once led by slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and now succeeded by Zardari, in a position to dominate the government.

U.S. officials have been pressing for more action against insurgent strongholds in Pakistan's wild border region, but Pakistan's military insists it is doing what it can to contain militants and prevent them from moving against NATO and Afghan troops on the other side of the border.

There are also 2,500 Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the southern Kandahar province.

Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other top American commanders Tuesday to discuss security strategy "in an open and cordial manner," a military statement said.

The gathering was scheduled, it said, but gave no further details.

The New York Times reported that the meeting took place on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean and focused on co-ordinating counter-insurgency efforts along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

Pakistani officials have sought peace agreements in the border region in hopes of curbing Islamic extremists who have been blamed for a wave of suicide attacks across the country in the past year.

The Pakistani Taliban, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly bold, claiming responsibility for a wave of suicide bombings and gun attacks.

The main ruling party, the Zardari-led Pakistan People's Party, has been hardening its stance on Islamic extremists.

With files from the Associated Press

 

[MarkOttawa]

U.S. beefing up presence in southern Afghanistan
Stars and Stripes (Mideast edition), August 9
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63871&archive=true

OSMAN KHEYL, Afghanistan — American commanders are reinforcing NATO-led troops in southern Afghanistan, sending an additional U.S. Army battalion to Kandahar province to help combat an increasingly violent and lethal insurgency here.

Forward elements of the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment have been operating [emphasis added] in Maywand district, about 45 miles west of Kandahar city. The unit will deploy to the area "late this summer," said a battalion officer.

The additional U.S. forces will mean "an enduring presence to provide security for the Maywand district," said Maj. Stephen Ruth, the battalion’s operations officer.

The beefed-up U.S. presence will add about 1,000 additional foreign troops to Maywand, augmenting several small teams of Canadian and American advisers that are training and mentoring Afghan army and police units in the district.

The development comes as NATO announced Thursday that several hundred French troops had been deployed to train and mentor Afghan security forces in neighboring Uruzgan province, which has also seen a sharp increase in the Taliban-led insurgency.
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2008/08/afstan-french-troops-to-regional.html

Soldiers from the Fort Hood, Texas-based 2-2 Infantry Regiment are part of a brigade of 1st Infantry Division troops that were originally supposed to deploy to Nuristan and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan, which has also been wracked by insurgent violence. But after Taliban fighters staged a dramatic jailbreak on a Kandahar prison in June, freeing hundreds of prisoners, many of them militants, the unit was ordered instead to Maywand [emphasis added], Ruth said.

At a meeting here guarded by several hundred U.S., Canadian and British troops, along with Afghan security forces, Mullah Masood — the government-appointed leader for Maywand — urged about 80 local elders to cooperate with foreign troops and Afghan security forces to improve life in the district...

American battalion to help Canadian forces in Afghanistan
Calgary Herald, August 30
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2e2b8b97-6c70-439e-baab-fd34ad668795

The United States has deployed a much-needed battalion of 800 troops to assist Canadian and Afghan Forces in Kandahar and to try to tame the province's Wild West.

While the battalion has been active in Kandahar since early July, it has only just begun its operations in the past few weeks in the Maywand district, which borders on Helmand province to the west, and will serve as its new home.

Until now, insurgents have been using Maywand as a corridor to move soldiers, money, and weapons into Kandahar from Pakistan, through the Helmand River Basin. A lack of security in Maywand has helped feed the insurgency in such hotly contested areas as Zhari and Panjwaii in Kandahar, which have been the epicentre of the fighting here this summer.

The new troops come from the 2-2 Infantry Battalion assigned to the third brigade [combat team] of the first infantry division of the U.S. army and are based in Fort Hood, Tx. The battalion is better known as the "Ramrods" or the "2-2s".

The battalion, which will now fall under the command and control of the Canadian Forces [emphasis added] will serve a vital role in disrupting the activities of insurgents in Maywand, which has lacked a permanent presence by Coalition and Afghan forces due to a lack of personnel, according to Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, Canada's top soldier in Kandahar.

"This district is a key district. It's key as a logistics hub for the movement of insurgent fighters, arms and money, and the presence of 2-2 infantry will disrupt these activities and have a real impact on the security picture here in Kandahar," Brig.-Gen. Thompson said a news conference at the Kandahar Air Field Saturday morning.

He added that the new U.S. troops will assist the Canadian and Afghan forces by "choking off" this vital lifeline for the insurgency.

In order to take control of Zhari and Panjwaii, Brig.-Gen. has already asked Kabul for 4,000 trained police officers, up from the 1,000 currently trained here, and another battalion of Afghan National Army troops, in addition to more support from Canada's NATO allies.

The new U.S. troops got their first look at Maywand in early August as part of a recent operation in the district led by Canadian and Afghan forces that yielded caches of weapons, opium, and materials for building IEDs...

The battalion's 15-month deployment [emphasis added] in Kandahar comes at a time when both Brig.-Gen. Thompson and Defence Minister Peter MacKay have been lobbying Canada's NATO allies for more support in the volatile region of Afghanistan, where the bulk of Canada's 2,500 troops here are stationed.

Brig.-Gen. Thompson called the Ramrods' presence in Kandahar an "interim measure" while Ottawa decides how it will meet the recommendation contained in the Manley report [emphasis added], which, among other things, called for an additional 1,000 troops on the ground in Kandahar.

The Ramrods' presence in Kandahar has been one of the more poorly guarded secrets here, but was one that could not be reported earlier due to security reasons [emphasis added].

Its 800 troops will be deployed here in a combat capacity and will add to the 1,000 infantry and combat armed soldiers Canada has in the province...

American soldiers join Canadian forces in Kandahar province
Globe and Mail, August 30
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080830.wtroops30/BNStory/Afghanistan/home

...
The 2nd of the 2nd Infantry Battallion, based at Fort Hood, Tex., otherwise known as the Ramrods, “has been officially placed under my operation control [emphasis added],” Brig.-Gen. Thompson told a morning news conference at the Kandahar Air Field...

A report released earlier this year by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley recommended that more troops be sent to help out the Canadian forces in Kandahar. But Brig.-Gen Thompson said fulfilling the recommendations of the Manley report will be something that is decided in Ottawa, not in Kandahar...

The battalion of American that is on the ground now, he said, is “an interim measure to cover off the obvious security gap here in Kandahar province.”.

But the Canadian Commander and [battalion commander] Lt.-Col. Hurlbut agreed that the Americans would be operating under the ISAF rules of engagement that are followed by the Canadian task Force [emphasis added].

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South)
301600EDT Aug 08
.pdf version attached at bottom of message

NOTE:  The following material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban or Taliban spokespersons.  Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content - it is shared for information only.  When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original (indicated by "GoogEng") - this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.


"2 military vehicles of puppet army destroyed in Kandahar"

Saturday noon 30-08-2008 at approximately 1:15pm local , Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ambushed a convoy of American occupation army and its puppet army who were providing security for the convoy  which was travelling on Kandahar Herat highway in Mera Khor area of Mewand district of Kandahar province. In the attack 2 military vehicles of  puppet army  were destroyed in which 7 puppet soldiers were killed  2 wounded and their arms were mujahideen booty.   Also today morning at 10:18 am local Mujahideen blew up a vehicle of puppet army on remote controlled landmine in Boldak ada area of Kandahar city in which 4 puppet soldiers were killed and 5 wounded.  Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"6 British invaders soldiers Killed in Helmand"

Saturday morning   30-08-2008 at approximately 9:10am local , Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with 2 remote controlled landmines blew up a patrolling unit of British invaders army in Shaker area of Sangin district of Helmand province. In explosions 8 soldiers terrorists were killed and 5 wounded.. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"8  puppet police killed in Helmand"

Friday midnight 29-08-2008 at approximately 12:15 am local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ambushed a convoy of puppet army   which was patrolling  in Saed Tajdar Agha  area of Grishk district of Helmand province.  In the attack a military vehicle of  puppet army was destroyed in which 8 puppet soldiers were killed and a number wounded.  Reported by Qari Muhammad yousuf

 

[The Bread Guy]

Hundreds gather in Medicine Hat to bid farewell to soldier killed in Afghanistan
Canadian Press, 30 Aug 08
Article link

Hundreds gathered in Medicine Hat, Alta. to bid farewell to a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan.  Sapper Stephan Stock, 25, was killed along with three others on August 20th.  He and his family moved to Medicine Hat in 2001.  Friends and family remember Stock as a funny, warm-hearted person who would give the shirt of his back to help someone in need.  The three men, all with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their armoured vehicle ....



(NOTE:  Daikundi is locacted in Regional Command-South)
Afghanistan: Time running out to avert winter of hunger warns Oxfam
OXFAM UK news blog, 29 Aug 08
Posting link

....An Oxfam assessment in one of the worst affected provinces, Daikundi, shows that people may be facing the worst conditions in over 20 years – and similar conditions can be found in other provinces. As it is almost impossible to deliver aid to rural areas during the harsh Afghan winter, concerted action is needed now to avert the crisis.....

Oxfam Says Five Million Afghans Need Food Aid
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 30 Aug 08
Article link

The charity Oxfam says 5 million people in Afghanistan face serious food shortages this coming winter.  The British-based group said there are several reasons for this including drought, high food prices, and spreading insecurity.  Oxfam international policy director Mat Waldman told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the "international community should act as swiftly as possible to provide assistance and aid to people who are affected by this crisis." ....



US, UN, and Afghanistan Launch Joint Investigation into US Air Strike
Voice of America News, 30 Aug 08
Article link

The U.S.-led coalition, Afghan government and the United Nations have agreed to jointly investigate last week's U.S. air strike that witnesses say killed some 90 civilians in western Afghanistan.  Spokesman for the NATO-led force Brigadier General Richard Blanchette Saturday announced the joint probe to clear up discrepancies in casualty figures ....

US to back Afghan air raid probe
BBC online, 31 Aug 08
Article link

The US has agreed to take part in a joint investigation into reports that a recent air raid in western Afghanistan killed more than 91 civilians.  US officials insist most of those killed by the strike, in the western region of Herat, were militants and that only five civilians died.  The prove will be conducted jointly with the UN and the Afghan government ....



AFGHANISTAN INQUIRY FINDINGS PUBLICLY RELEASED
Australian Defence Force statement, 29 Aug 08
Statement link - Enquiry report into alleged mistreatment of prisoners (.pdf)

.... The Inquiry Officer found that medical evidence and witness statements did not support an Afghan soldier’s claims that Australian soldiers mistreated detainees who were transported to a Forward Operating Base on 29 April 2008. The Inquiry Officer found that the allegations were most likely the result of cultural misunderstanding ....

ADF Satisfied With Aero-Medical Evacuation In Afghanistan
Australian Defence Force statement, 29 Aug 08
Statement link - Inquiry Report into 27 Apr 08 Death of AUS Soldier (.pdf)

The Australian Defence Force is satisfied that the International Security Assistance Force Aero-Medical Evacuation (AME) support arrangements provided for our personnel in Afghanistan are appropriate.  To ensure that ADF personnel are provided with the best available medical support is a key consideration when planning all ADF activities.



German military proposes new Afghan rail link
Reuters, 30 Aug 08
Article link

The German military is considering building a railway line in northern Afghanistan to ease transport of NATO supplies to the country and boost economic activity in the area, a German news magazine reported on Saturday.  Apart from a short stretch from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan has almost no functioning railways, with less than 25 km (15 miles) of track in the entire country. A number of railways leading towards Afghanistan stop short of the border.  The proposed 67 km (42 mile) stretch would link the northern city of Mazar-I-Sharif with the Uzbek town of Termez, where the German air force has a base, Der Spiegel magazine reported.  Germany currently has an agreement with Moscow permitting it to transport supplies via rail through Russia to Afghanistan. The new link would greatly ease supplies to Germany's biggest Afghan base at Mazar-I-Sharif ....



Afghan child mortality linked to uneducated mothers
Tan Ee Lyn, Reuters, 30 Aug 08
Article link - Study summary - Draft study (.pdf)

High child mortality rates in conservative Afghanistan are linked not just to war but to mothers being uneducated and having little or no say when their children need medical help, a study has found.  Child mortality rates in Afghanistan are among the highest in the world, and one out of every five Afghan children (or 191 out of every 1,000 live births) will not survive beyond age five ....



Taliban ambushes threaten Nato's vital logistics route into Afghanistan
Taliban fighters are trying to strangle Nato's mission in Afghanistan by stepping up attacks on convoys in the Khyber Pass, the perilous mountain trail that carries most supplies into the country.
Nick Meo, The Telegraph (UK), 31 Aug 08
Article link

Using age-old guerrilla tactics, they hijack or destroy the ponderous lorries creeping up the narrow road and sell the contents in local bazaars to finance new raids.  A prominent, independent tribesman from the Khyber region, who cannot be named for his own safety, told The Sunday Telegraph that the Pakistani army was close to losing control of the pass.  "You see vehicles destroyed by rockets on the side of the road," he said. "The wreckage isn't there for long, the army soon removes it to make it look as if they are still in control of the road. But they are on the verge of losing it." ....



The Afghan War after Musharraf
David Eshel, Defence Update, 30 Aug 08
Article link

Now that Pervez Musharraf has resigned as the president of Pakistan, America’s global war on terror has gotten a bit more difficult. Musharraf was unpopular in his own country, but he was perceived here as a strong ally of the United States in its fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. But was he a dependable ally, or did he play both ends against the middle? After all, it was the Pakistani military intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, which played a major role in the creation of the Taliban and was a key supporter of al-Qaeda since its inception in the late 1980’s....

 

[MarkOttawa]

ARTICLES FOUND AUGUST 31

Joint Inquiry Sought Into U.S.-Led Strike In Afghan Town
Washington Post, August 31
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/30/AR2008083001989.html

HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug. 30 -- NATO's top commander in Afghanistan on Saturday called for a joint investigation into a U.S.-led airstrike that U.N. and Afghan officials say killed as many as 90 civilians recently. Meanwhile, an Afghan military official involved in the attack said misinformation led U.S. forces to hit the wrong target.

Gen. David D. McKiernan's appeal for a coordinated inquiry came four days after U.N. officials in Afghanistan said their investigators had found "convincing evidence" that at least 60 children and 30 adults were killed in the Aug. 21 airstrike in the western province of Herat. U.S. military officials maintain that five civilians were killed.

NATO officials have said that about 40 Taliban insurgents were killed in the attack on a compound in the town of Azizabad.

"General McKiernan wants to ensure that the numbers can be reconciled somehow, so it's important that there's cooperation," said Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, a spokesman for McKiernan. "It's very surprising that the numbers are so disparate. We believe that this could be because of some Taliban propaganda or misinformation."

Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, a U.S. military spokeswoman, said the U.S. military is still looking into the incident but would welcome a cooperative effort to resolve any discrepancies. "We are hopeful that a collaborative inquiry will result in finding out the truth," she said.

Official results of the U.S. investigation are expected to be publicized within the next few days. But U.S. military officials said last week that an initial inquiry had determined that 25 insurgents and five civilians were killed in what the Pentagon called a "well-coordinated" and "legitimate" raid on a Taliban commander's hideout...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South)
312055EDT Aug 08
.pdf version attached at bottom of message

NOTE:  The following material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban or Taliban spokespersons.  Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content - it is shared for information only.  When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original (indicated by "GoogEng") - this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.


"Al-Somood:: The Conquest of the Kandahar Prison And its effect on the military situation in Afghanistan" (Taliban account of Sarposa prison break) - .pdf version attached @ bottom of post

The massive Taliban jailbreak has always been a question of the US military; just how did they do it? It was an operation that was so complex and great that it appeared to be something out of a Hollywood action film.  Here is a translation from the Taliban’s Monthly Al-Somood Magazine done by Dar al-Murabiteen; we have done some slight editing for ease of reading .... (more on link)

"A vehicle of  puppet police  blew up in Kandahar"

Sunday morning 31-08-2008 at approximately 10:10 am local, Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with remote controlled landmine blew up 1 vehicle of puppet police on Herat Kandahar highway in Bazaar of Mewand district of Kandahar province. The landmine completely destroyed the vehicle and  6 puppet terrorists in it were killed.  Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"1 tanks of American invaders destroyed in Zabul"

Sunday noon 31-08-2008 at approximately 01:15pm local time , Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ambushed a  convoy  of American occupation in Mughalzo area of near the Qalat city of Zabul province.  In attack 1 tank of invaders  army was completely destroyed and 6 invaders in its were killed. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf

"British invaders  martyrs 70 civilians in Helmand"

Saturday night 30-08-2008, 70 people including women and children were martyred 30 wounded in an cowardly bombardment and attacks of British invaders on houses of civilians in Sarwan Kala area of Sangin district of Helmand province. The invader forces  directed the local residents houses  and   martyring 70 innocent civilians including women and children. Reported by Qari Muhammad Yousuf