26 Aug 09
"Defence Minister Peter MacKay says his department has made progress on "most, if not all" of the 36 recommendations from a Commons committee highly critical of the care Canada's soldiers get for physical and mental injuries suffered in Afghanistan."
"MacKay to NATO allies: Don't look to Canada for more troops" - More
40+ Killed in K'Har City Multiple Car Bombing: CAN Foreign Affairs Minister Condemns Bombing - AFG President Blames Taliban - Taliban Denies Responsibility - AFG Media - Reuters - Agence France-Presse - CBC.ca - NY Times - CNN.com - BBC.co.uk - Voice of America - Al Jazeera - Globe & Mail
Wall Street Journal: "The U.S. and its allies are planning to reinforce Afghan police and army units guarding Kandahar with American and Canadian troops, a move that acknowledges the deteriorating condition of the south's largest city."
Former Globe & Mail Embed on Reporting from AFG: "A key blind spot is that we have no idea what ordinary Afghans want."
More on How CAN Helped with AFG Election - MILNEWS.ca Blog: Good Article, But Better Sooner - Pressure to Get CAN To Help Investigate Possible Election Fraud - AFG Election Commission: Only One out of Ten Votes Counted So Far - Results for Pres, By Province (.pdf)
Danger Room Blog Embed with More Details on Helmand IED Clearing - GPS + Computer = Way to Look for Convoy Bottlenecks
AUS Special Forces Nail Oruzgan Bad Boy Boss - More - Bad Boy Nailed in Kandahar, Too
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Americans Allegedly Killed in Helmand
New Counterinsurgency Guidance Issued by ISAF Boss - Guidance Available for Download
Opinion: "Unlike NATO, the Taliban must know that time is on their side"
25 Aug 09
Injured RCMP Officer Back in Hospital in Ottawa - More
Former CAN OMLT Trainer: Why It's Taking So Long to Train Up ANA
"Top UN envoy urges calm as Afghanistan awaits election results" - More - Initial Results Expected Today - More - Opinion: Tribal Warlords Still Wield Power
Blogger Shares Detailed Account of Brit Operation in Helmand - Air Assault K'Har Throws Wrench into Taliban Comms - "The Governor of Oruzgan province, Assadullah Hamdam has thanked Australian Army engineers for their efforts in refurbishing the Tarin Kowt Boy’s School."
Two EST, One USA Troops Killed in Helmand Blast - Latest UK Fallen Identified
Talkin' to the Taliban: Calls for Talks with Taliban Willing to Stop Fighting, Buy Into Gov't - More - more
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Claimed Against Canadians in Arghandab, Spin Boldak - More
24 Aug 09
Canadian Wrestling with Allegations (From Both Sides) of Electoral Irregularities - Democracy International Observers: "Too Early To Judge If Afghanistan Election Is Credible" - More
CENTCOM Opening PAK/AFG Int Training Centre
Weapons Seized, Suspect Bad Guys Nabbed in K'har
USA Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Quoted Calling AFG Situation "serious and deteriorating" - More - US Military Commanders Say More Troops Needed
"Canadian helps found Afghanistan's first wildlife preserve"
The REST of the Story About Acid Attacks on Girls in November - More
"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no Pashto speakers and only a third of the Dari speakers it deems necessary to operate in Afghanistan, almost eight years after Britain went to war there." - UK shadow defence secretary "has called for Britain to shorten its deployment in Afghanistan by having clearer targets for success and sending more troops to train the Afghan army"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Karzai seeks Pakistan talks on Taliban"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Claimed in K'Har, Helmand
PAK Media: "Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada, Monday announced to attend the meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Istanbul, Turkey from August 24 to 25"
"Pak denies Mullah Omar, Taliban central council operating from Balochistan"
23 Aug 09
Injured RCMP Officer Doing Better in Germany - MILNEWS.ca: Good to Hear, But...
Flickr Feed of CAN Photos of Election in K'Har - Observer Group Issue Preliminary Report on Election (.pdf) - Initial EU Monitor Assessment: "Free was not the case in some parts of the territory due to terror installed .... Fair -- generally what we have observed was considered by our observers with our methodology good and fair." - EU Initial Report (.pdf) - More
Helmand: "Marines Fight Taliban With Little Aid From Afghans" - Brits Say Lots of Change in Sangin since 2006
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Alleges Two Canadians Killed in IED Blast
New Boss for PAK Taliban
Opinion: "The Afghan problem is 30 years in the making. Even if the US military and the government has fully absorbed the lessons from Iraq and have installed the right leaders [both which remain to be seen], implementing any solutions are difficult given the poor resources in Afghanistan."
22 Aug 09
Eleven Electoral Workers Killed - Taliban Cuts Fingers Off in K'Har - "Canadian commander hopes Afghan election brings 'refreshed' political atmosphere " - "Millions of Afghans vote, but is it enough?" - "Majority of Afghans ready to move forward, says Canadian chairman of electoral commission" - UN Security Council Pleased - Obama Pleased - Both Front Runners Claim Victory - More - more - Initial Results Expected Next Week
CF Helicopter Pilots Training in US for AFG - Meanwhile, Cyprus Looking Forward to More Troops Post ROTO
US Looking into Non-Combat Death at K'Har Air Field - US DoD Statement
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Last of Attacks Claimed from Election Day
21 Aug 09
Afghan Election: "Canadian Forces in southern Afghanistan succeeded in fighting off Taliban insurgents seeking to attack Kandahar city during the presidential election, which saw less violence than initially feared. " - Gen Vance: "After "some pretty grand pronouncements" the Taliban "failed miserably" to make good on their boast to destroy Afghanistan's presidential election" - Taliban Threats Affect Turnout - More - more - more - Voting's Done, Counting Begins - Counting Done? - Next Step: Who Won? - Taliban Claim LOTS of Attacks Across the South Here and Here - Full List of 60+ Attacks Claimed by Taliban Across AFG on Election Day (all links to non-terrorist sites) - Turnout in K'Har? Good and Not So Great - UN Uber-Envoy and Sec-Gen Congratulate Voters - Wise Words from Registan.net: "We have no idea how the election went."
Taliban Claims Shootdown of Chinook; UK Media Quote "Military Sources" It Was Shot Down
"Dutch Choose Bushmaster IMVs for Afghan Mission"
"The head of US Central Command, Gen David Petraeus, has said international forces have about a year to prove their strategy in Afghanistan can succeed."
What's Death of Taliban Boss in PAK Mean for AFG?
20 Aug 09
"Three Canadian soldiers infected with a bacteria are under quarantine at a Quebec City hospital."
Public Safety Minister Speaks to Injured Mountie (MILNEWS.ca Blog: This Isn't "News")
"Polls open as Afghans brave violence to vote" - "Taliban Attacks Close Poll Booths as Afghans Vote for President" - "Although intimidation by the Taliban had apparently succeeded in keeping many Kandaharis at home, voting for Thursday's presidential elections "was going very well," according to an Afghan election official."
What AFG Security Forces are Doing to Ensure Election Security - What NATO/ISAF's Doing - More - What Some Canadians are Doing
"Afghanistan's Helmand Province Becomes Electoral Litmus Test" - Today's Vote Could "help stem the recent political gains of the Taliban" - "Analysts Fear Violence If Vote Lacks Credibility"
"Taliban threaten to decapitate, dismember Afghan voters marked by anti-fraud ink "
IED Blast Kills Two NATO Troops in South - Three More Killed in Firefight in South - "An (American) international security force member died from non-battle-related injuries in southern Afghanistan .... The incident is currently under investigation."
Brit Chinook Engine Fire Forces Emergency Landing - More
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Claim Killing Canadians in "Tank" - Slew of Attacks Claimed Across RC-South
Opinion: "Afghans will not be muted by fear" - "Because of its willingness to bleed and lead, Canada has gained power, influence and stature. All that could disappear"
19 Aug 09
Wounded Mountie Doing OK
Want to Follow AFG Election Via Twitter? - Taliban Controlling Radio in Ghazni... - ...While AFG Gov't Wants to Control Media Elsewhere - More - more - Free Media Allowed to Say "No, Thanks"
"A district chief was killed along with a tribal elder as their vehicle hit a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday." (.pdf permalink here)
Taliban Sub-Boss in Helmand: "We didn't take the election seriously until the Americans started arriving in larger numbers with more and better equipment than ever before .... Once we realized how important it was for the Americans to secure the election for their puppet Karzai and his corrupt government, it became equally important for us to try and stop it." - "Taliban message: Vote at your peril" - "The message (Taliban) hope to convey: It's not safe to vote."
K'Har Governor Reportedly "optimistic about Thursday's presidential and provincial council elections, in which he'll cast his first-ever ballot in Afghanistan." - Helmand Governor: "British troops give us hope"
"Despite US troops, Taliban roam freely in south" - Helmand "Villagers give election registration team short shrift, believing insurgents could soon be back."
"Coalition forces have set up a 'tiered' security plan at polling places" - "Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the president's supporters were trying to force it to accept polling stations in Taliban strongholds where voting could not be properly monitored."
AUS Troops Help Build School in Uruzgan - Red Cross Helping Out K'Har Hospital
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Claimed in K'Har, Helmand, Zabul
18 Aug 09
"Des artistes québécois atterriront en Afghanistan au début du mois de septembre afin d'aller supporter les troupes canadiennes déployées sur le terrain."
Election Prep: "Following the call from the government of Afghanistan for a Day of Peace, the International Security Assistance Force will suspend offensive operations during the election." - "No-Show Karzai Disappoints Helmandis" - "Afghan police and NATO troops have tightened security in southern Kandahar province ahead of Thursday’s presidential election." - "Thousands of Afghans defied Taliban threats and attended political campaign rallies in Kandahar on the weekend, vowing to go to the polls this week to elect their president and provincial councils." - "Afghanistan prepares to vote" - "A desperate President Hamid Karzai spins backroom deals as equally determined insurgents battle to close polling stations and keep ballot boxes from reaching dusty villages."
Taliban Pre-Election Push: Six Afghans (Including Four Cops) Killed in Uruzgan Election Centre Bombing - Taliban Blaming Any Casualties During Election on Victims - "Taliban rooting for Karzai's defeat" - "Taliban hardliners spread out to undermine Afghanistan election"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Peace Talks With Taliban Are a Top Issue in Afghan Vote"
Latest British Fallen Identified
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Rockets on K'Har Airfield, Americans Accused of Killing Civilians in Helmand
Opinion: "Canada will pull its troops out of combat in Afghanistan in 2011, and we must decide what the new role will be for our military" - "Regardless of who gets the most votes, Barack Obama will end up the real leader of Afghanistan" - "NATO commander putting brave spin on Afghan war" - Blogger: More Allied Dead =/= More Taliban Action
17 Aug 09
Homicide Bomb Attack near NATO HQ in Kabul: Injured Canadian Identified as a Mountie - More - more - "According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the target of Saturday's explosion in Kabul was not the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan but the American embassy. This careful clarification reveals the insurgents' strategic logic." - More
Embed: "Two miles from the gates of this isolated Canadian military base in southern Afghanistan is Sangsar, where the Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islam was born. A few miles farther east is a school in Siah Choy where students learn to build roadside bombs for passing U.S. and Afghan troops or the farmers who welcome them."
"Despite the angst and the anger, or perhaps because of it, Kandahar City is gripped by a definite election buzz." - More - Some Ways the Taliban are Disrupting Voting - "A group of Taliban fighters made their announcement in the bazaar of a nearby village a few days ago, and the word spread fast: anyone caught voting in the presidential election will have his finger — the one inked for the ballot — cut off."
ISAF Commander: Less "Tail", More "Teeth"?
Stars & Stripes: "Canada has handed over about half of its battle space in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province to newly arrived U.S. soldiers"
"Three British soldiers killed on a foot patrol in Afghanistan were caught in a Taliban “daisy chain” trap involving consecutive bomb blasts." - UK MoD Statement
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Rockets Alleged on K'Har Airfield, Military Prosecutor Claimed Killed in K'Har
Opinion: "Pashtun nationalism alone does not explain the Taliban’s strength, which is fueled by drug money, Islamist fervor, corrupt warlords, hatred of the American occupation and the hidden hand of Pakistani intelligence agencies. But the psychological cement that holds the disparate Taliban factions together is opposition to Tajik dominance in Kabul."
16 Aug 09
Homicide Bomb Attack near NATO HQ in Kabul: Canadian Civilian, AFG Staff of CAN Embassy Injured in Blast - More - more - Taliban Say They Did It (links to non-jihadi site) - Karzai Pissed - UN Sec Gen Pissed - CAN Foreign Minister Pissed - NATO Video of Attack Aftermath
AFG Troops Re-Capture Volatile Helmand Area
Remember the Taliban "Ceasefire" for the Election? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight - More
"For now, the most immediate target of the Taliban is to prevent people across this region from turning out to vote in presidential elections, due on 20 August. If they succeed, it will dent the credibility of the election and may spiral into a political crisis for the government, analysts say. But if they fail, then Kandaharis hope for greater stability in the future."
"Karzai counts on tribal vote to win Kandahar" - "Vote a test for Afghanistan's tenuous south" - Women Election Staff in K'Har Only Allowed to Work at "Women's Only" Polling Stations
"A rocket attack in Afghanistan’s south wounded two children Sunday"
Opinion: "Canada's role is changing, in line with the expectations of Canadians, the will of Parliament and the demands of ordinary Afghans themselves who want considerably more aid and less violence. Harper has a duty to drive that unequivocal message home." - Point by Gwynne Dyer - Counterpoint by The Torch - More Concerns About Limiting Support Fire Rules of Engagement
UK Cas Toll Reaches 200+ - Latest Brit Fallen Identified - Another Brit Cas
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Alleged in K'Har, Helmand and Uruzgan - Catch-Up Claims in K'har, Helmand When Voice of Jihad English was Down - "The Obama administration is establishing a new unit within the State Department for countering militant propaganda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, engaging more fully than ever in a war of words and ideas"
15 Aug 09
"Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, the country's top commander in Afghanistan, says Canada's combat mission here will end just as crucial momentum is building toward a lasting victory against the Taliban."
US Think Tank Report: AFG Cops the Weak Link
MILNEWS.ca Blog: Where's the Media Outrage Over Taliban Killing Civilians in Kabul?
US DefSec: "In the intelligence business, we always used to categorize information in two ways, secrets and mysteries .... Mysteries were those where there were too many variables to predict. And I think that how long U.S. forces will be in Afghanistan is in that area." - More
One AFG Soldier Killed, Five Wounded in Suicide Bomb Attack in Lashkar Gah - "U.S. Marines pushing into Afghanistan's southern Helmand province are running up against a skeptical Afghan population heavily influenced by Taliban insurgents, signaling a long campaign ahead. "
Taliban Funding Ops by Taking Cut of Aid Projects - Anti-War Blogger Takes This a Step Too Far
UN-AFG Rights Group Report (.pdf): "An upward trend in breaches of the principle of non-intimidation by anti-government elements (AGEs), as well as rival candidates and their supporters, is also of concern. AGEs tend to be responsible for the majority of breaches of the principle of nonintimidation." (Translation: Bad Guys Doing Most of the Anti-Voting Intimidation)
"Rehashed legislation allows husbands to deny wives food if they fail to obey sexual demands"
14 Aug 09
CAN Embed: "This time, they think they've got it, they've really got it: A plan, a strategy, a clear objective, a hope in hell. And they're no longer alone...." - "Joint patrols, training, building up Afghan forces for coalition exit"
CAN Officer Warning to Incoming US Troops: "It's not complicated. Expect everything." - "We are proud to have been here. This is the heart of the insurgency .... But of course it's frustrating, because we lose ground every time we lose an area."
NZ Reporter: NZ SF Troops (Likely) Replacing NLD SF, Not JTF-2 - More
Big Heavy CAN Trucks Resupplying the Tanks
"Taliban chiefs agree ceasefire deals for Afghan presidential election" - "Karzai orders Afghan forces election cease-fire" - Recipe for Disaster?
"Gates Notes Security Progress Prior to Afghan Election"
Three Brits Killed in Sangin Explosion - Step-By-Step of Marine's Fight in South
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Alleged in K'Har, Hemland, Uruzgan & Nimroz
Opinion: "(NATO Sec-Gen) Rasmussen's plea for Canada to continue its present combat role after 2011, is recognition that our soldiers have done a superb job -- not only in thumping the Taliban in every operation, but in helping rebuild the infrastructure wherever they could. " - "So, logic and political promises aside, the prime minister will somehow worm out of his word, abetted by a compliant if "heated" parliament, keeping the killing going despite the Nervous Nellies at home that would have Canada's part in this multi-generational colonial combat project stopped; the sooner, the better."
13 Aug 09
US Stars & Stripes Magazine with CAN Troops: "Taliban mortar team cut down by Canadians" - "Canadian forces take ‘ink spot’ approach"
One of CAN's Injured Prepares for First Half-Marathon Since Double Amputation
YouTube Video of How CAN's Foreign Affairs Staff is Helping on Governance
"Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines backed by Harrier jets stormed into a Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan before dawn Wednesday and exchanged heavy fire with insurgents, killing at least seven."
Opinion: Former CAN General Says Expect PRT, Some CAN Military Assets to Stay After 2011 - Canadians should be clear that, while our military has gained respect for the disproportionate casualties it has incurred since 2005, we haven't necessarily impressed anyone with that military's actual prowess in its counterinsurgency operations, at least to date. "Being respected for one's toughness and for one's ingenuity are two different, and sometimes almost unrelated, things."
More on CAN's Help to PAK
Globe & Mail Embed Highlights Where Her "Fixer" Is Now
Taliban Pre-Election Push: Taliban Blasts in Helmand, K'Har Kill +10 Civilians - Threats to Cut Off Fingers
Updated Bibliography, Taliban Anti-Aircraft/SAM Capabilities - Chronological Version
Two Motorcyclists Not Stopping When Ordered Shot by AUS Troops in Uruzgan - More - more - Motorcyclists Were AFG Cops - More
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Claims Responsibility for Attack on Canadians, Posts (Alleged) June-July Stats - MILNEWS.ca Review of Stats Video
"A Senate committee report says U.S. spy agencies believe that about $70 million flows to the Taliban annually from drugs -- enough to finance the militants' relatively low-cost insurgency." - Link to News Release & Report
12 Aug 09
"Importante mission complétée en Afghanistan" - "Canadian troops have moved into several villages to the southwest of Kandahar City in the past few days to live among the population and be much closer to the heart of the Taliban insurgency." - More - The Torch Helps Sort Out Who's Doing What in K'Har
"U.S. General Stanley McChrystal said he will reshuffle troops fighting the drug trade in Helmand province and other remote areas and refocus them on protecting civilians by securing the more heavily populated Kandahar"
"Canadian-trained Afghan police on the front line for next week's elections " - CAN Troops Say ANP Getting Better - Think Tank Report: "The Obama administration has acknowledged the importance of the police and announced its intentions to expand and improve the ANP"
Christian Bobbitt, R.I.P.: Friends, Family Say Goodbye
Former CAN OMLT-eer: Does CAN Leaving Leave Room for Training AFG Forces?
Cordesman on CAN Leaving: "The withdrawal of a small number of troops is not as big an issue as the loss of experience and credibility with local Afghans in what has become the most important battleground in the war-torn country"
Gen. McChrystal: “We will win. The Taliban won’t win.”
"Western airstrikes kill fewer Afghan civilians"
Helmand IEDs Reportedly Affecting Supply Lines - Embed Reporters Injured in IED Blast in K'Har - More
More Discussion in Whether K'Har Has (In Essence) Fallen - More - Registan.net: "Kandahar has been encircled by militants for years, and those militants have been systematically murdering community leaders to make that point precisely."
Talkin' to the Taliban: ISAF/US Boss Quoted Saying "I would absolutely be comfortable with fighters and lower level commanders making the decision to reintegrate into the Afghan political process under the Afghan constitution." - More
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): AFG Intelligence Officer Allegedly Killed in K'Har
CAN Provides $25 Million to PAK for Refugees - More - Minister Quoted Saying "Pakistan was a great friend of Canada and they would not leave the country in the middle of the crises" - Also Quoted Saying "Pakistan had commendably confronted the militants at a great human and material cost."
Opinion: "Without winning the confidence of Mullah Omar led Taliban, peace in Afghanistan will remain illusive."
11 Aug 09
"The head of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan has pledged to do “whatever we got to do” to back war-weary Canadian troops fighting to stop the Taliban from strengthening control over Kandahar city." - More on the Fight in the South - Fight in South Squeezing Bad Guys North?
Canadian Press: "The military is recommending an overhaul of its medal system to address a growing number of complaints that have overshadowed the glittering honours awarded to troops who serve overseas."
CAN Buying New Helicopters.... - ....But Not in Time for Use in AFG?
How Helmand Mullahs are Pressing Afghans to Boycott Election - "Military operations against the Taleban may have failed to prepare Helmand for polling."
NZ SAS Headed (Back) to AFG - More - more - Will Kiwi SF Be Working with AUS/NLD, or CAN Special Forces? - Some Brits Having to Dye Cam Clothing Greenish
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Vehicles Allegedly Destroyed in K'Har, Helmand, Zabul
Opinion: Huffington Post Asks If K'Har Has (Essentially) Fallen Already - Is Helmand a Sideshow? - More - "We can win in Afghanistan, but only if we restructure the campaign and resource it properly."
"U.S. to Hunt Down Afghan Drug Lords Tied to Taliban" - More - Registan.net: "Killing the engine of Afghanistan’s rural economy doesn’t address the fundamental problem, which is that opium is an indicator, not a cause, of other, deeper issues like a lack of institutions, severe insecurity, and crap infrastructure."
10 Aug 09
"Canada transferred responsibility for the northern approaches to Kandahar City to the United States .... in a move designed to allow the Canadian battle group to concentrate on fighting the Taliban in the provincial capital and three notoriously turbulent, heavily populated outlying districts."
"Canada needs post-2011 Afghan strategy, experts; critics" - MILNEWS.ca Blog: Sure Do
- "Opinion d'experts - Le Canada devrait établir une stratégie après le retrait des troupes en 2011"
USA, ISAF Boss: Taliban Has Momentum, Push-Back Has to be Firm
Helicopter Gunship Video of IED Planters in Zabul
Opinion: "Two months before the eighth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the beginning of NATO's first-ever ground war the world is witness to a 21st Century armed conflict without end waged by the largest military coalition in history." - "It is hard to imagine a secretary-general of NATO failing to understand, or respect, the American or British positions on Afghanistan – or even, for that matter, that of the obstreperous French."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Two Brit Tanks Claimed Destroyed in Helmand - Taliban Claims New FM Transmitters in Ghazni, Paktia, Paktika, Kunar and Nuristan (.pdf version if lnk doesn't work) - Registan.net Asks Why They're Still Transmitting
Death of PAK Taliban Boss = Trouble in AFG? - "No, Really, He's Just Really Sick, That's All..."
9 Aug 09
"Les civils craignent les représailles" - "Reconstruire l'Afghanistan, un village à la fois"
"Canada's role in Afghanistan will be on the menu when Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits the White House next month." - More
Opinion: "NATO's new boss is 100% committed to Afghanistan. Is Canada?"
Pentagon: Review of AFG Mission Taking Longer than Planned - More - Analyst Discusses What to Measure
More on Investigation of Civvy Cas in Uruzgan
USMC Trains, Mentors AFG Cops in South Helmand
UK Identifies Three Fallen Paras - Another UK Soldier Killed - AFG Troops Killed in Zabul Blast - Three AUS Troops Injured by Uruzgan IED Blasts
Talkin' to the Taliban: "The Taliban have no trust in the Western-backed Afghan government and no immediate incentive to accept calls for talks which could stop their insurgency dragging on for decades"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Attacks Alleged in K'Har, Helmand, Nimroz & Uruzgan - Taliban Claims Four FM Transmitters Around AFG
PAK Taliban Says PAK Tailban Leader Just Hiding - More - PAK: Yeah? Prove It!
8 Aug 09
OMLT Work =/= No Combat
Former OMLT-eer Blogger Questions Toronto Star Article on Post-Deployment Decompression
Opinion: "It's too late to "sell" the Afghanistan mission to Canadians" - "Canada is operating on borrowed time in Kandahar, with less than two years remaining until the end set by Parliament to the mission. It is not too late, however, for Canada to make a difference." - "NATO can't back down from the challenge."
Failed Communist Party of Canada Candidate Dings NDP Leader for Supporting the Troops Too Much
Kilcullen: USA Has Two Years to Hand Off to AFG Forces (or Leave Losers)? - Brit General Predicts UK Could Have 40 Year Role in AFG - More
Fertilizer Bomb Material Seized in K'Har City - ISAF Looking Into Civvy Cas in Uruzgan - More
UK Paras Killed Supporting Special Forces - NLD Special Forces Nab Bad Guys in Uruzgan - More - NLD Also Involved in Nailing IED Supplies Cache in Helmand - More on USA Patrolling on Foot in Zabul
Think Tank: Run Off Election (Plus More Violence) Likely - "Afghanistan Elections: Guns and Money" - More
Talkin' to the Taliban: "All this chatter about negotiating with even the vilest of protagonists/antagonists presumes that there's a receptive ear for such overtures. On the evidence, that simply isn't the case."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Seven Allegedly Killed in Outpost Blast near K'Har
PAK Taliban Boss Stops Predator Missile - More - more - PAK Getting Bounty? - Possible Successors - More - Taliban Still Denying It
7 Aug 09
NATO Sec-Gen Drops By CAN Project, Hopes CAN'll Stick Around Past 2011: Canadian Press - Globe & Mail - CanWest - CTV.ca - CBC.ca - Reuters - What He Was Up To Before Visiting CAN Project
Canada's Response: We're Sticking by The Resolution of March 2008 - More - MILNEWS.ca Blog: What's That Mean, Exactly? - Text of Motion Adopted by the House of Commons 13 Mar 08
Opinion: "With every day that passes, a 2011 pull-out - from combat operations in Kandahar, if not Afghanistan altogether - seems more inevitable." - "It may be that there is a role for Canadian troops to play in other, less volatile regions of Afghanistan than Kandahar, more akin to their operations in Kabul before 2006."
Worries About How CAN Troops Spend Money After Tour?
ISAF Chopper Lands Because of Mechanical Problems in South
Three British Paras Killed in Blast North of Lashkar Gah - More - Poochie Helps Brit Bomb Hunters
Afghans Allege Gunship Shot Up Van with Cucumbers (ISAF Says They Watched Van for an Hour Being Loaded with Weapons) - More - Holger Awakens Blog Shakes Its Head at Story
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Americans Accused of Killing Civilians in Kandahar - Drop in Taliban Postings Post-Kidnapping? (.pdf)
White House Wrestling with How to Measure Progress
PAK Bans Swack of Terrorist Organizations
6 Aug 09
"As the Canadian Forces and the Taliban both opt to do less face-to-face fighting, Canada's role is shifting towards a joint civil-military effort aimed at winning the hearts and minds of Afghans through the digging of wells, building of bridges and allocation of micro-grants."
MILNEWS.ca Blog: Why Isn't Canada Sharing Good News Quicker?
AFG-ISAF Team Nabs K'Har Bad Boy Bosses
Latest Reports of Alleged Civvy Casualties in K'Har: Villagers' Story - ISAF's Story - Looking Into It
Roadside Bomb Kills Wedding Guests in Helmand - More - more - Taliban Rule Book: "Governors, district chiefs and line commanders and every member of the Mujahideen must do their best to avoid civilian deaths, civilian injuries and damage to civilian property. Great care must be taken."
NATO SecGen Drops By AFG, Says NATO'll Finish the Job - More - Pledges Action on Civvy Casualties
Map Obtained by Reuters Shows Hot Spots - MILNEWS.ca Blog: Reuters Takes "Glass Half Emtpy" Approach (Needs Help with Rounding Figures, Too) - Army.ca Discussion
Latest UK Fallen Identified
Talkin' to the Taliban: UK Ambassador to AFG Quoted Saying "As many as two-thirds" of the Taliban Could Be Persuaded to Switch Sides
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Claim Responsibility for Latest Two Canadian Casualties - More on Taliban Threatening to Disrupt Elections - More
UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Report: "Global Security: Afghanistan And Pakistan" (.pdf) - More
Small Wars Journal paper: "The Interrelationship of Culture, Economics, and Security in Afghanistan"
5 Aug 09
Matthieu Allard & Christian Bobbitt, R.I.P.: "Corps des soldats Allard et Bobbitt de retour au pays" - Plus - Tbey're Home - More
CAN, Other Forces Review Pre-Election Security Measures
RC-South Commander: Trust in ISAF Forces is Building (But It's Been Hard Work Getting to This Point)
New ISAF Command System: Four Star is in Charge of War in AFG, Three-Star In Charge of Day-to-Day Ops - More
AFG Troops Kill Bad Guys in Helmand - ISAF Medics Share Care in Zabul - Safe Areas Reportedly Growing in Uruzgan
Alleged Civvy Casualties in Arghandab Air Strike - NATO: No Civvies Hit
UK Maintainer Killed in IED Blast Near Babaji - More - AUS Troops Injured Mentoring AFG Troops in Uruzgan - AUS Chinook Takes Small Arms Fire in South - UK DefMin Drops By - Bulgarians Help Guard K'Har Airfield
Brit Vehicles Stalled in Dubai Due to RAF Plane Shortage - More
PAK Preparing for Taliban Streaming Out of Southern AFG
4 Aug 09
Matthieu Allard & Christian Bobbitt, R.I.P.: Second Fallen Sapper Identified - "L’identité du deuxième militaire canadien tué en Afghanistan est révélée" - "Rapatriement des dépouilles mortelles de nos soldats" - Coming Home Tomorrow - Presse Canadienne - Globe & Mail - Canadian Press - CanWest - CBC.ca - "We must not only grieve: We must remember their fellow engineers who, at this very moment, are on the roads of Kandahar, walking slowly toward armed monsters, quietly calculating how they can render the IEDs harmless to fellow soldiers and the little Afghan girl watching from the side of the road."
2 i/c of CAN Counter-IED Unit (.pdf version of article): "We've been getting better equipment, our vehicles are better-equipped to resist some of the blasts. And that impacted their response: They had to put more explosives in in order to achieve the same results, so that makes it harder for them to hide them."
"A suicide bomber attacked a vehicle of a district intelligence official in the southern Zabul province, killing 4 and wounding 17" - "Afghan-International Security Forces Disarm Taliban in Helmand"
MILNEWS.ca Blog: UN Report on Civilian Casualties Includes Information on Taliban Tactics, Targeting - Taliban Trying to Make "Invisible" IEDs in Helmand
UK Media: Choppers Destined for AFG Not Safe - MoD: We're Getting Them Ready - 50+ Amputees in UK From Svc in AFG - NLD's Civilian Rep Heads to Uruzgan
Kabul Blogger Teaches Blogging in Helmand
More on the Taliban's Latest Set o' Rules - More
Talkin' to the Taliban: UN Uber-Envoy: "When the new Government has been formed, a political process should be opened with all parts of the population as soon as possible and that would have to include insurgents."
Latest Taliban Warning: "People with camera cellphones must not have pictures of unrelated women and handsome boys in their phones, which is against Islamic sharia"
New NATO SecGen Calls for More "International" Effort in AFG - More - UK Calls for Same - ISAF Commander's "Special Advisors" on the AFG Strategy
3 Aug 09
Deux soldats canadiens tués et un blessé par un engin explosif: Soldats morts sont rapatriés - FC dit "Deux soldats canadiens ont été tués et un blessé lorsqu’un engin explosif improvisé a explosé près d’une patrouille dans le district de Zhari." - CF Statement - Message de gouverneure générale - Message from GG - Déclaration du Premier ministre - PM Statement - Déclaration du ministre de la Défense nationale - DefMin Statement - ISAF Statement - Presse Canadienne - Canadian Press - Le Soleil - Radio-Canada - CBC.ca - CanWest - More - Globe & Mail - More - more - CTV.ca - Toronto Star - More - Xinhua
CAN Helping Fix Up K'Har Prison
MILNEWS.ca Blog on UN Report on Civilian Casualties: Headlines You Won't See
New NATO Sec-Gen: “I’m not in favor of setting timelines .... Let no Taliban propagandist try to sell my message as a run for the exits. It is not. We will support the Afghan people for as long as it takes.” - Doesn't Want AFG To Become Terror Hub - OTAN secrétaire général: "Nous resterons (en Afghanistan) tant que cela sera nécessaire"
Registan.net on How Foot Patrolling Out of Platoon-sized FOB is Working in Zabul - More
Talkin' to the Taliban: UN AFG Boss Says Any Talks with Taliban Have to Include Leadership - More - more - more - FRA Foreign Minister Supports Talking to Taliban
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Claims Responsibility for Canadian Deaths, Claim Lots of Casualties in Helmand, Zabul
"The propaganda fight is intense because whoever wins it will gain the support of the people and stands a chance of winning the war on the ground too."
"Tensions grow in Afghanistan as villagers get rid of opium, fall into poverty"
2 Aug 09
Two Canadian Military Engineers Killed by Two IED Blasts in Zhari
CAN Commander in AFG Quoted Saying, "There’s no way that Afghan forces will be able to assume responsibility for security in Kandahar in 2011." - "L'armée afghane ne pourra pas assurer la sécurité à Kandahar en 2011, estime un général canadien"
Two Bad Guys Nabbed in Compound Search in Senjaray, Zharmi District - Four Bad Guys Nailed in Nimroz
Three ISAF Troops Killed in South - Identified as US Troops - More - Two More Fallen
Concerns About NZ Troops Handing Detainees Over to USA - More - more - more
Talkin' to the Taliban: Tough Talking to the Taliban While They're Trying to Disrupt Elections
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Summary of July 2009 Taliban Statements Claiming Responsibility for Canadian Casualties
Opinion: "Many Canadians may be anxious for a military pullout in the stated time. But the success of the mission also depends on the government explaining to Canadians what our long-term goals are in a country where we have planted our footprint."
AFG Academic: "The West, when it toppled the Taliban, mistook the Taliban defeat for its elimination. It was a big mistake."
UN Uber-Envoy: "This year is a critical year for Afghanistan. While this has been said before and the security situation looks dire, the present circumstances also provide ample opportunities. The picture is more mixed than ever. If we build upon recent progress and manage the situation well, this year could indeed become a turning point for Afghanistan."
Long War Journal on IRN Helping the Taliban
1 Aug 09
Former CAN OMLT Member: Recent Quote from ISAF Boss by Blogger Seen as Dig at CAN Mil Int in AFG - Looking at ANA Down the Road - More
AFG Hands Over Land to CAN Embassy in Kabul
Counting the Dead: Harder Than You Think for Compensation or for Stats (1.1 MB .pdf version of both articles) - MILNEWS.ca Blog: Why So Long To Say This Out Loud?
US Report: Taliban Responsible for About 97 out of 100 2004-2008 Attacks - Federation of American Scientists Shares "Afghanistan — Geospatial Analysis Reveals Patterns in Terrorist Incidents 2004-2008” - More - "US pledge to reduce Afghan deaths"
More on UN Report on More Civvy Cas in First 1/2 of 2009 - "Mid-Year Bulletin on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan" (.pdf) - More
"School Foundation Stone Laid Down in Helmand"
"US, NATO forces fade into background for Afghan election to avoid perception of influence" - "Over 9,000 British and an additional 10,000 American troops have been sent into Afghanistan's Helmand Province to rout the Taliban and establish security ahead of next month's national elections. " - "Tens of thousands more U.S. soldiers may soon be needed in Afghanistan to quell the raging Taliban insurgency, top American generals are preparing to tell President Barack Obama."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Another Rocket Attack Claimed on K'Har Airport
PAK: We Have No Evidence Osama's Here
31 July 09
Ronald Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.: Colleague Found Guilty of "criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of a military duty" - More - more - more - more
Military Historian Jack Granatstein: "Canadians likely could have been convinced to keep more than 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, if Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other federal politicians had done more to tell the public about the goals of the mission." - Opinion: "(Canadian) leaders were willing to put a few hundred troops in harm's way but never wanted to risk their own political careers by trying to convince Canadians the war only could be won with an all-out effort."
Embed's View of Drive from K'Har Airport to City
AFG Big Item on Incoming NATO Sec Gen's Plate Starting Today
How Number-Crunching Analysts are Helping Predict IEDs, Bad Guy Activity - UAV's to Help Out More in the Fight?
UN: More Civvy Cas, Mostly from Bad Guy Activity - ISAF Airstrike in Zabul May Have Hit Civilians - Three Bad Guys Nabbed in K'Har Compound Search
ISAF Soldier Killed in South - Bad Month for Brit Cas - Bringing In More Medics to Help
More on Taliban Promising to Disrupt Election - More - more - Taliban Statement (Arabic) - Arabic statement at non-terrorist web page - GoogleEnglish translation - Registan.net on Why This May Be Good News
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Missile Strike Alleged Against K'Har Airfield
More NATO Reaction to "Tailban Rule Book": “The insurgents use children as suicide bombers. Despite their so-called ‘code of conduct,’ the insurgents have no respect for human life. They buy and sell children as young as 11 to act as suicide bombers and use them against the local population.”
30 July 09
RC-South Commander: "It is important that the Afghans know that we are here to stay"
CAN Soldier Sees Progress Over Two Tours
CAN, USA War Wounded to Paddle Together Along West Coast
More on Think Tank Report (.pdf) Calling for More USA Troops
Afghans Still Not Happy with Their Cops - More
US Marines Hard at Work in Helmand - More
NATO, AFG Officials: "A new Taliban code of military conduct that tells fighters to limit suicide attacks and avoid killing civilians is a sham that doesn't reflect the true nature of the insurgents"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): Taliban Claims to Shoot Down Helicopter in Shah Wali Kot (.pdf version at non-terrorist site here) - ISAF: Taliban Damages Medical Evac Helicopter in South - MILNEWS.ca Blog: BAAAAAAAAAAD Taliban! - Taliban Calls for Election Boycott - More
Opinion: "Let's not forget Jean Chrétien sent ground troops, unprotected by helicopters"
29 July 09
CAN Reportedly Taking Kandahar City, Environs While USA Covers Rest of K'Har Province - More - CAN Def Min Says USA Troops'll Make Big Difference in the Fight - Violence Expected to Wind Down Post Election
Big Push in Helmand: The Big Map (from BBC) - Excerpts from CO's Diaries During Brit Push
IED Kills Two AFG Civilians in Zhari - Eight AFG Security Contractors Killed in IED Blast near Gereshk - "An Afghan civilian has been killed, and five others wounded, following an incident involving International Security Assistance Force troops and insurgents ....in southern Afghanistan."
Latest UK Fallen Identified
UN Uber-Envoy Calls on Taliban Not to Disrupt Election
USA Envoy: "More money is coming from the Gulf than is coming from the drug trade to the Taliban" - Jihadi Post Canvasses for Mo' Money for the Taliban (.pdf) - Blogger: Plea = Time to Jump Down Hard on Opium Trade
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web page): 12 ISAF, 11 AFG Troops Allegedly Killed in Helmand - Unknown Poster to Jihadi Forum Claims to Witness Four Aircraft Downed in Helmand
Opinion: World Socialists say UK "intends to deepen its collaboration with the United States in Afghanistan"
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CAN in Kandahar July 2009
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