Articles found December 30, 2007
Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan
Updated Sun. Dec. 30 2007 11:05 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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An explosion has killed a Canadian soldier out on routine patrol in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
Four others were wounded in the blast, which occurred about 9:10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The dead soldier has been identified as Gunner Jonathan Dion of the 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada, which is based in Valcartier, Que.
"The soldiers were carrying out a routine vehicle mounted patrol when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by an explosion," said an ISAF news release issued Sunday.
"They were immediately evacuated for medical care, sadly, one died of wounds inflicted by the explosion."
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the soldier who was killed and those who were injured," Wing Commander Antony McCord, Regional Command South spokesperson, said in the news release.
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Taliban sacks key commander
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-30 16:29:06
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KABUL, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar has dismissed its key commander Mullah Mansoor Dadullah for disobeying orders, a statement of militants released in southern Afghanistan said Sunday.
"Mullah Mansoor Dadullah has been sacked because of insubordination and disobeying the orders of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," said the statement received by Xinhua.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the official name of the Taliban regime which was toppled by the U.S.-led military invasion in late 2001.
Mansoor, who replaced his brother Mullah Dadullah following the latter's death on May 12 in the southern Helmand province, was among key commanders of the outfit in the southern region of the war-torn Afghanistan.
"From now on Mullah Mansoor has no authority and no responsibility within the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," Omar noted in the statement.
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U.N. envoy calls for early release of staffer in Afghanistan
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-30 16:18:23 Print
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KABUL, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan Tom Koenigs on Sunday ruled out the involvement of the staffer of U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in illegal activities and called for his early release.
"We are certainly concerned that one consultant to work for us is still in jail and we will do everything to get him out," Koenigs told newsmen here.
Rejecting allegations against the held staff as "misunderstanding", he said that the governor of Helmand province Assadullah Wafa in talks with local media denied the involvement of UNAMA in any malpractice.
"Governor Wafa the principle actor in this drama has said that UNAMA is not involved and so our consultant should be released," the outgoing U.N. envoy to Afghanistan noted.
However, he did not identify the man being held in custody.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman Hamayon Hamidzada told newsmen on Dec. 25 that the authorities had arrested two foreign high-rank officials as their activities were against their mandate but did not give more details.
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Navy bomb defusers adapt to Afghanistan roads
Updated Sat. Dec. 29 2007 9:59 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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Canadian navy divers are putting their underwater expertise to use along the sand roads of Afghanistan.
Experts trained to defuse bombs underwater have been stationed in Afghanistan since early 2006, adapting their skills to combat the deadly roadside bombs commonly used by insurgents.
The military asked bomb-clearing personnel to join the mission in Kandahar province to help counter the increasing threat of roadside bombs.
Petty Officer Luc Champagne was among the first group of divers to serve in Kandahar. He said it was a bit of a surprise, at first, to be called to the landlocked country.
"I was like, 'OK, what am I going to do over there,'" Champagne told CTV News. "There is not that much difference between under water and surface."
Most commonly, navy bomb handlers use their demolition expertise to defuse unexploded ordinances left over from the Second World War.
It's a dangerous job offered only to elite divers. Most often, navy divers are noted for their role responding to civilian tragedies.
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Army officers in Afghanistan plan wedding
Last Updated: 2:06am GMT 30/12/2007
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Two Army officers are planning their wedding while serving in different parts of Afghanistan and using Army radios to thrash out final details like the gift list.
As Stu Deakin and Kirstie Main are unable to speak to each other by telephone, the only direct contact they have is by radio, with others able to listen in.
Rather than whispering sweet-nothings, the couple have to settle for chats punctuated in less-than-romantic style with "over".
The couple, who got engaged earlier this year, are to marry at the Sandhurst Military Academy in July but will both be in separate areas of Helmand province until April.
While many of the arrangements for the big day were made before they were deployed, much has had to be organised from the war zone.
Capt Deakin, 35, is a fire support team commander responsible for providing cover for Scots Guards troops. His 29-year-old fiancée is a troop commander responsible for the welfare of 30 soldiers.
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Wilkins encourages Canada to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2009
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COLUMBIA, S.C. - The U.S. ambassador to Canada says he's unsure how the death of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto will affect Canada's upcoming parliamentary vote on troops in Afghanistan.
Ambassador David Wilkins says: "It remains to be seen" if the crisis in Pakistan will affect how Canadian legislators vote.
As ambassador, he is encouraging Canadian officials to extend the country's military operations in Afghanistan beyond its current commitment that ends in February 2009.
But, he says, "It's up to Canadian elected officials to make that decision."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the mission would not be extended without the approval of Parliament. No date has been set for the vote but Wilkins says he expects it to happen early in 2008.
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It’s good to talk … even to the Taliban
By Trevor Royle, Diplomatic Editor Comment
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TALK TO the Taliban? Why ever not? In any counter-insurgency war there comes a time when contact with the enemy, however distasteful, makes sense. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuiness became an integral part of the peace process but it's not so long ago that he was the commander of the Provisional IRA's brigade in "Free Derry". And those of us with longer memories will recall the demonisation of Archbishop Makarios only for him to turn into a respected world leader. From terrorist to statesman: the experience can be as easy as fitting Cinderella's slipper.
That's why the Afghan government's decision to expel the two Western diplomats from the country makes no sense at all. It's not as if either of them are innocents abroad. Michael Semple, the Irish-born acting head of the EU mission, and Mervyn Patterson, a UN adviser, both know Afghanistan like the backs of their hands. They've been in the country for 10 years, are fluent linguists and, most importantly of all, they seem to have been trusted by the tribal elders who represent the ever-changing kaleidoscope of alliances in the areas where Kabul's writ is largely disregarded.
Even Bill Woods, the US ambassador in Kabul, came down on their side when he described their expulsion as a "misunderstanding". Now that's really something given that neither the EU nor the UN figure highly on the state department's Christmas card list. And let's not forget that Woods represents a government which is not at all happy about making contact with a group that gave direct support to al Qaeda ahead of the 2001 attacks on the US homeland.
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Civilian 'not scared' about her stint in Afghanistan
Restricted to the base, she will organize travel for soldiers who head off on leave to be with their families
Trish Audette The Edmonton Journal Saturday, December 29, 2007
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EDMONTON - When Michelle Joljart says she supports Canada's troops, she isn't talking about donning a yellow ribbon or wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day. And she isn't talking politics.
She is going to Afghanistan.
On Jan. 3, the 38-year-old civilian is expected to begin a six-month deployment at Kandahar Air Field -- an adventure she calls a birthday present to herself.
"A lot of my friends are military," says the Edmonton woman. "I believe in what they do. It's something I can do for Canada."
Joljart, who is working on contract with the Edmonton Police Service until the end of December, has been angling for a position with the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency for three years, since she saw an ad in the Edmonton Journal. She applied for a position overseas six times before being accepted earlier this year.
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Guantanamo Terror Convict Freed
By ROHAN SULLIVAN –
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ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — David Hicks, the only person convicted of terrorism charges at a U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, walked free Saturday and said he did not want to do "anything that might result in my return" to the prison in Cuba.
The 32-year-old was released from prison in his home town of Adelaide in southern Australia after completing a nine-month sentence struck under a plea deal that followed more than five years' detention without a trial at Guantanamo.
Hicks smiled briefly as he was led by guards toward the gate of the Yatala Labor Prison, but did not speak to reporters.
In a statement released by his lawyer he thanked supporters including rights activists and anti-torture groups who helped get him out of Guantanamo Bay.
"First and foremost I would like to recognize the huge debt of gratitude that I owe the Australian public for getting me home," Hicks said in the statement. "I will not forget, or let you down."
Last week, a federal magistrate ruled that Hicks was a security risk because of the training he acknowledged receiving in terrorist camps in Afghanistan. The court was told he met al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at least 20 times, describing him as a "lovely brother" in letters home.
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Portugal to boost military presence in Afghanistan
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-29 18:38:57
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KABUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua)-- The visiting Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira said Saturday that Portugual will boost military strength in the post-Taliban Afghanistan.
"We know that training of Afghanistan National Army is very important and that is why Portugal will send at the beginning of 2008 a team for training of Afghan Army," he told newsmen at a joint press conference with his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak.
The new team is composed of 15 elements to train the personnel of Afghanistan National Army, he said.
He also linked the security of Europe to the security of Afghanistan and added Portugal is committed to support peace and stability in Afghanistan.
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It’s part of the job’; Corner Brook man heading to Afghanistan
CORY HURLEY The Western Star
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CORNER BROOK — A native Corner Brooker is about to serve his country in Afghanistan.
Justin Hughes, 28, has been preparing for this day since he signed up with the Second Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment 12 years ago. When the call for soldiers came in to Canadian Forces Base Greenwood, he was the only one to volunteer for the overseas mission.
“It’s part of the job,” Hughes told The Western Star on Friday at his childhood home in Corner Brook. “It’s what we do and I wanted to do it.”
The Regina High School graduate is a close friend of another local soldier, Jamie MacWhirter, who served in Afghanistan last year. They were in the reserves together and were trained as mobile support equipment operators together.
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Soldier paralysed in Afghanistan back on duty
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent Last Updated: 2:05am GMT 30/12/2007
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Have Your Say: Pay your own tribute to Sgt Caldwell
Sgt David "Paddy" Caldwell was directing mortar fire from a rooftop in Sangin in August last year when a Taliban bullet passed through his neck.
Another soldier, Cpl Karl Jackson, was awarded the Military Cross for pulling him back while under enemy fire, allowing his platoon sergeant to have surgery within the crucial "golden hour".
He received further treatment at Birmingham's Selly Oak hospital but was paralysed from the neck down and told his chances of recovery were slim. The AK47 bullet severely damaged his spine, sending it into shock and causing an injury called C4 Incomplete.
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Blatchford captures combat chaos
By JOSEPH HOWSE Sun. Dec 30 - 7:50 AM
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For most Canadians, the highways and villages of southern Afghanistan are (in Neville Chamberlain’s infamous phrase) "faraway places of which we know little." We are not alone in our ignorance. Even sources such as the United Nations and the World Bank publish sketchy census and economic data on Afghanistan, unless one counts the meticulous opium price index of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
For some Canadians, however, these places far away from home are where they have struggled to do good and stay alive.
Fifteen Days, by journalist Christie Blatchford, reconstructs some of the hardest scenes from Canadian Forces’ operations in Kandahar Province during March to November 2006. Most of the "fifteen days" featured in the book are dates of Canadian soldiers’ deaths. For insight into the surrounding events, Blatchford has interviewed dozens of soldiers and kept in contact with them over long periods of time. Her research also includes first-hand observation on two tours in Afghanistan, and conversations with soldiers’ families back home.
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Taliban Kill 8 in Afghan Convoy Attack
By JASON STRAZIUSO – 7 hours ago
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban militants fired rocket-propelled grenades from their vehicles at a convoy of private security guards on Afghanistan's main highway, killing six guards and two police officers, a police chief said Sunday.
The attack in a dangerous section of Wardak province occurred Saturday afternoon as the security contractors were guarding equipment being driven from Ghazni city to the capital Kabul, said Wardak police chief Gen. Zafaruddin, who goes by one name.
Taliban militants opened fire on the convoy near Maydon Shahr, about 20 miles southwest of Kabul, and six guards and two policemen were killed, he said.
This year has been Afghanistan's most violent since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban from power. More than 6,300 people, mostly militants, have been killed in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press count.
Meanwhile, the U.N.'s top representative here, Tom Koenigs, said he was "particularly concerned" that an Afghan consultant who worked for the U.N. remains jailed after he accompanied officials from the U.N. and European Union, allegedly to a meeting with Taliban commanders in Helmand province.
The government asked the two officials to leave the country last week, and detained the Afghan consultant for attending the alleged meeting.
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