CANinKandaharJul2008

Taliban Propaganda Says 17 "Puppet Army Terrorists" Allegedly Killed in K'Har - Statement: "American, NATO and the current puppet administration of Kabul are doing exactly the same as the former Soviet Union and its puppets communist regime did, they are trying to implement cheating polices, which will help them continue their illegal occupation" (.pdf version)

More on Taliban Info Ops Study - More

Most Schools in Helmand Closed, Not Up to Snuff

Brit Vet Corps Soldier Killed in Sangin Firefight - Poochie Killed, Too - More - ISAF Statement - DNK Soldier Killed in IED Incident - More - GoogleTransl: DNK Tank Hit Trying to Help Out AFG, UK, USA Troops Under Fire @ FOB Attal - Original Danish Statement from DNK Ministry of Defence - Medevac Issues as AUS Troop Lay Dying? - More - Def Forces Deny Cock Up - Looking Into It - More - GoogTrans: Belgian F-16's Staying Longer than Planned in South - Original Article in Dutch - BBC On Patrol in Helmand with Brits - Nobody Wants to Work with POL SF? - EST Surgeon to Work in Camp Bastion

Will More Foreign Troops Bring Peace? - Could More Troops Backfire? - More

Opinion: So Which Is It: Vietnam, or Iraq? - Columnist: "Al-Qaeda is reasoning that (a NATO) attack on (PAK) tribal areas, in fact a real third front in the "war on terror" .... will have Pakistani public opinion so outraged that the Pakistani army would be powerless to follow the US track. And al-Qaeda, in the end, would be left with an even freer hand."

New EU Special Envoy for AFG

PAK Rounds Up AQ Bosses

25 Jul 08

AFG Fight "finds echoes in centuries-old feud between tribes"

Worries Donated CAN Firefighter Gear Could be Converted to Booby Traps?

AFG Election Readiness Debated

"Taliban Propaganda: Winning the War of Words?": News release - Executive Summary - Full report (.pdf) - Alternate .pdf site - Dari version - More - more - more

AQ Allies Use Snuff Film for Recruiting

Brit Envoy to AFG: Power Sharing with Taliban Won't Work

UN Al-Queda and Taliban Sanctions Committee Grows, Fine Tunes Bad Boy List - The List

Bad Boys, AFG Cops Killed in Zabul Fight - More - more - more - Some Bad Guys Nailed in Helmand, Too

Agriculture Training in Zabul

Still Lotsa Refugees in the South Not Wanting to Return to North (.pdf version)

More USA Troops Could Be Headed Over Soon? - Latest USA Cas in AFG Identified - USMC 24 MEU Faces Different War than in IRQ - Google Translation: Two DNK Troops Injured in Gereshk - Original Dutch article - More - Bad Boys May Be Getting Brits to Kill Rivals For Them - Brit Section Commander Video Blog - Brit Mil Doctor Blog - Some Brit Medics Home

Opinion: "Talking to the Taliban Is Foolish"

NATO SecGen Drops By - Says PAK Should Play Nice with the Neighbours - More - Says NATO Won't Chase Bad Boys into PAK - PAK Politico Says NW Frontier Province in Jeopardy

World Bank Boss: AFG "Has To Stand On Its Own Two Feet"

24 Jul 08

Sperwar UAV's Getting Better in AFG?

Journalist Returns to K'Har Prison (.pdf permalink)

BBC Television on CAN's Commitment to AFG (video)

MRAP Warnings in AFG, IRQ

"In the fight for women's literacy in Afghanistan, food is a subtle weapon" - Polio Spotted in South

Taliban Propaganda Watch: "3 British invader terrorists killed in Helmand" - "Martyrdom Operation kills 30 puppet army terrorists in Kabul" - Bad Boys Using the Internet to Teach Urban Terrorism

Bad Boys Nailed in Shah-Wali-Kot

New Book: Most of Bad Boys in AFG Aren't Taliban - "Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare"

Pentagon: Next USA Gov't to Decide on AFG Troop Increases - More Troops May Help, But Not Solve Everything - More - So, How Soon is Soon?

Brit Para REME Fallen Identified - Google Translation: NLD Sending Choppers - Original Dutch article - RAF (Wrongly) Taken to Task for Destroying Crashed UAV in AFG

Maps Compare Food Secure vs. Drug Free Zones - More - Former USA Counternarc Official Says AFG Pres Blocking Drug War Efforts - More

PAK Officials Complain of NATO Overflight

23 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: He's Home - More - more - Still Gathering @ Overpasses Enroute - Military Funeral in Winnipeg This Week

More Valcartier Troops Return from Last ROTO - Kenora WO Enjoys Break - Next ROTO Getting Ready - More (all videos)

CAN Strategic Advisory Team Watered Down, Disappearing? - "Capacity Building – A Myth in Afghanistan?" (.pdf)

CAN General (Ret'd): "Perhaps the failure is within the media because very few appear to clearly understand the strategic context and operational interdependencies of Canadian activities in Afghanistan." (.pdf)

Some Allied Air Strikes Avoided to Prevent Civvy Casualties

New CAN Global TV Embed Blogs - More

USA General Says LOTS More AFG Cop Trainers Needed

Six Supply Truck Guards Killed in Zabul - Maybe More Killed

High Wheat Prices=Good News for AFG Farmers - New Wells in K'Har - Bridges, Wells in Helmand Complete

UK MoD: 2 Para Maintainer Killed on Patrol Near Kajaki - ISAF statement - More - more - Brit Marine to Receive George Cross (NOT Posthumously) for Throwing Self onto Grenade

One Helmand Bad Boy Nailed, Another Turns Self In in PAK - ISAF Statement on Nailed Bad Boy - More - more - more - more - Hopes Raised? - More

Opinion: "The assumption that Canada is in Afghanistan to impose our value system on a society that does not accept it is both false and pernicious." - "Canada in Afghanistan: Staying the course with realistic goals"

PAK Extremists Warning Elders Yanks are Coming - More

22 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: He's Home - More - more - Still Gathering @ Overpasses Enroute - Military Funeral in Winnipeg This Week

More Valcartier Troops Return from Last ROTO - Kenora WO Enjoys Break - Next ROTO Getting Ready - More (all videos)

CAN Strategic Advisory Team Watered Down? - "Capacity Building – A Myth in Afghanistan?" (.pdf)

New CAN Global TV Embed Blogs - More

USA General Says LOTS More AFG Cop Trainers Needed

High Wheat Prices=Good News for AFG Farmers

One Helmand Bad Boy Nailed, Another Turns Self In - More - more - more - more

PAK Extremists Warning Elders Yanks are Coming - More

22 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: Arriving Home Today - Tribute Awaits in Winnipeg - CF Photos - Editorial: "He died for a good cause"

CF Soldier Will Face Charges in March 2007 Shooting Death - More - more - more - more

CAN Adjusting Targets in AFG Efforts (.pdf version) - Opinion: Time to "Recalibrate" Mission (.pdf version)

CAN Pushing Ahead with School Projects - Chess Sets Help Bridge Cultural Gap

Kandahar Customs Revenue up by 13.5 %

Taliban Propagandists Like Globe & Mail Account of Sarposa Prison Break (.pdf permalink) - What They SAY They've Been Up To Lately

AFG Cops Making (Slow) Progress

Ex-Taliban Warlord Claims Responsibility for Nabbing FRA Aid Workers in Daykondi - More

More on ISAF Soldier Killed Following IED in Helmand

GoogleEnglish: DNK Troops Under Fire @ FOBs Robinson, Sandford in Helmand - Oritinal Danish Article - AFG Cops Say They Nailed 15 Bad Boys in Helmand - More - USMC 24 MEU Progress in Garmsir - Royal Irish Reg't Troops Injured in Helmand - Another Embed On Her Way to Helmand - More - SAS Poochie Story - More

More on the Real Story Behind Battle for Wanat - More

Opinion: "Canadians have reason to be confused by the different messages from two high-profile visitors to Afghanistan in the past week." - "Creating the conditions for compromise and consensus includes at least stalemating the Taliban on the battlefield and strengthening the government in Kabul. But the only plausible resolution is diplomatic and that's another reason for Canadians to remember Glyn Berry." - "If the US and NATO fail to prevail over the jihadis in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal belt, these tribals, fresh from their victories in that region, would move over to Kashmir to resume their jihad against India" - "Barring some voices, the general consensus in the US is that America has no choice in Afghanistan but to stay the course."

UN Mine Action Centre for AFG: +38K Mines Cleared in Last Six Months - More

Senior AQ Bad Boy Calling on PAK Residents to Help Fight USA in AFG - More - Unilateral USA Action in PAK Could Backfire - PAK Tailban Leave Area After Elders Ask - Quite a Few Foreigners in Tribal Belt According to PAK Int - Plot to Divide Taliban Foiled?

21 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: On His Way Home - More - more

CDS Quoted Saying More NATO Troops Needed as Taliban Stream in from PAK - Things Not Good in Kabul, East, South? - More - more

CAN NGO Making Development Progress (But Too Scared to Reveal Exactly Where) - Development Works in K'Har

CAN Comedian Returns from Show in K'Har

Taliban Propaganda Claims (Wrongly) Five Canadians Killed in K'Har - Claims Brits, Tanks Also Nailed in Helmand - Alleged Bad Boy Video of Attack on Brit Helmand Base - Army.ca Discussion of Taliban Propaganda

Road mine in Helmand kills 3 children - 9 Taliban killed 7 wounded in Zabul

IED, Up Close and Personal, in Helmand

West Point Official: "Afghanistan at tipping point"

Opinion: "The Taliban Strikes Back"

20 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: CF Statement - Canadian Press - CBC.ca - Army.ca - Governor General's Statement - Prime Minister's Statement - Minister of National Defence's Statement - "Wanted to see world, save lives" - "Remembered as fearless, passionate" - "Utterly fearless"

What Happens When the Fallen Return (.pdf permalink)

ISAF Soldier Killed in Kandahar Convoy Blast

Bad Boy Boss Nailed in Helmand - More

Women Learning, Training in Zabul

OP Azada Wosa: "Recounting the 24th MEU’s progress in Garmsir"

AQ May Shift Resources, Focus from IRQ to PAK, AFG? - More

EST Officer Gets Award for Helping in Helmand - More - more - YouTube Video of EST Troops - More on DNK Troops Pissed at Not Getting Into the Fight

Blogger Says It's Pretty Damned Hot in South

Opinion: Unity of Command Needed in RC-South - "Afghanistan Is Not a Good War" - "Propagandizing the Air Raid"

Brigade Commander: Bad Boys Did NOT Penetrate Perimeter in Fight that Killed Nine Americans - Wikipedia on Battle of Wanat

More Sabotage of NATO-bound Vehicles in PAK - AFG Puts CCTVs Along PAK Border - PAK Pro-Gov't Taliban Killed in Car Accident - One Blogger's View of What PAK Should Do About Taliban

19 Jul 08

James Hayward Arnal, R.I.P.: CF Statement - Canadian Press - CBC.ca - Army.ca

Panjwaii Boss Says CF Troops Helping Things Getting Better

More on Calgary Reservist Working Through Double Leg Amputation

More on USA Figuring Out How to Get Mo' Troops to AFG

Embed Brit Reporter Learns Heat a REAL Enemy to All - More - Another Brit Reporter's Blog - USMC Officer Dies in "non-hostile incident" in Helmand - Video of US Marines in Helmand

"Helmand, Afghanistan: The world’s most dangerous place"

Profile of US Medical Officer in Zabul who Likes Taking Pictures

Bad Boy Propaganda Assessment: "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is considering the current situation as a profitable one for the Mujahid nation of Afghanistan, which during the last week alone killed at least one hundred invader terrorists, it shows that Afghanistan is going to be a hot oven for the kafirs and munafiqs, the advice of the Mujahideen for them is to leave before the heat of Mujahideen burns you." (.pdf version of statement)

JPN Ends Up Saying "No" to Sending Troops to AFG

VERY Good Question... - USA Kids Being Trained in PAK Madrassas?

18 Jul 08

Two CF Troops Injured in Zhari IED Blast - More

CAN Commons Committee: More Focus on Development in AFG Needed - "Canada in Afghanistan: Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development" (.pdf) - Alternate report download (.pdf) - News release

CAN Reporter Discovers the Obvious: Dam=Target (.pdf version) - USA Reporter Visits CAN, Finds Folks Want Peacekeepers Again (.pdf version)

Sending Books to the Troops - Edmonton TV Gives AFG Weather Updates (video)

USA Looking Into AFG Surge - More - News Conference Transcript

AFG Air Force Flies First Cargo Sortie for ISAF to K'Har - USAF Busy Over AFG - A-10's Busy Too

AFG Guards Killed in K'Har Convoy Blast

Bad Boys Tell World Their Support is Building in PAK Tribal Areas - Lookit All (They Say) They Blew Up! - More

Going for the Bad Boy Bosses - More - Unnamed Bad Boy Boss Reportedly Killed in Zabul

Human Scalp Recovered in Cache in Uruzgan - Helping the Kids in Uruzgan - Winning Hearts, Minds in Sangin - General Sir Mike Sees Progress in Helmand - Images & Impressions from 24 MEU PBS Embed - ROM Change of Command in Zabul - JPN Dropping Plan for Troops?

USAID prediction: Food Security Problems Coming for K'Har, Zabul Provinces into December - Full report (.pdf) - Alternate report download (.pdf) - US Geological Survey Report on Helmand Basin Flows - Archeology via Google Earth in Helmand (Since It's Too Dangerous to Visit) - More - Poppy Crop Growing in Helmand

Opinion: "Infrastructure projects are the best way for the West to make a difference in the lives of Afghans"

More on Pull Out from Wanat-area FOB - Nine American Fallen Identified - More - Looking Into It - Could Attack Have Been Predicted? - More

US Shifting Gaze to PAK - PAK Push in Tribal Areas - Polio Spotted in PAK Tribal Areas - More

Study: "Afghanistan is perhaps one of the most extreme cases of a country where custom and culture do not permit women a public voice" - Alternate study download site (.pdf) - More - Two Specific Examples

17 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: Remembered as "Man of Hope" - Crowds Gather to Remember - More

CF Closer to Getting Griffon Choppers to AFG - Public Works Canada news release - Army.ca discussion

More on CAN Troops Killing Taliban 2 i/c in K'Har - More - Brits Nail Bad Boy in Helmand - More - more - more - more - ISAF Statement

Commuters Killed in Zabul on K'Har-Kabul Highway

USA: AFG Ready to Manage its Own Aid - Kandahar Getting New Power Generators (.pdf version) - "The dangers of teaching girls in Afghanistan"

Foreigners Coming to Fight

Did PAK Dump Nuke Waste in Kandahar, Helmand Under Taliban Regime? - More - more - more

USA Seeks More MRAPs for AFG - USA Gov't Watchdog Worries About Buying Then in a Hurry - More - Some USA Troops in IRQ Aching to Fight in AFG - AUS DefMin Says AFG Surge Needed Calls for More DNK Civvy Personnel for Development in Helmand - More - JPN May Help Out in a PRT? -

Opinion: "The war (in AFG) is just, and to abandon it would plunge that country into still greater turmoil while undoing the strides that have been taken to make it less of an international threat." - CAN Officer Reminds Editorialists "We Are Not the Soviets" - "Western readers have become numbed into accepting the code words “enemy” and “insurgents”, ignoring the underlying fact that the Taliban are still the legitimate government" - "Military intelligence said allies would crush the Taliban thanks to our superior firepower. So how are the Afghan rebels routing US forces?" - "Going longer in Afghanistan will not prove anything, other than losing more (Canadian) lives."

Stars & Stripes: "Confusion, carelessness led to overstated stories" on Tillman Fratricide

IMF report: "Economic developments in the second half of 2007/08 were broadly favorable, but inflation picked up significantly." (.pdf)

USA Returns Fire on Taliban in PAK - More - ISAF Statement - And They're Ready to Move, Too - USA Denies Buildup - Is "Force Consolidation" Offensive or Defensive?

US: Shoulda Marked All Yer Posts on the Map, PAK - PAK Gov't: Lies, All Lies! (.pdf)

USA Chair of Joint Chiefs: PAK's Gotta Do More to Protect Border Zones - Jihadist Agreement In PAK = Surge Of AFG Violence - "Militants ready for a war without borders" - AFG Accuses PAK Int of Stoking the Flames - PAK Now Giving IND the Same Deal as AFG

Food Prices Fuelling Sex Trade in North?

16 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: Funeral Today - More

Mom of Fallen Medic Receives Gift from Interpreter He Helped Save

CAN CDS Delayed in Leaving Kandahar

CAN UAV Providers Chosen (And Some Not Happy)

NATO Announces Arrest of Key Bad Boys, IED "Facilitators" in South - More

AFGs Not Buying CAN General's Assessment - More - USA Report Allegedly Says More of K'Har Province Under Taliban than NATO Control

More Money + More Control = More AFG Sovereignty? (.pdf version) - Comments

Taliban Claim to Have Shot Down Spy Plane Over Oruzgan - More Propaganda

USA Pres Says IRQ Going Better than AFG - More

NATO TV Series on USMC 24 MEU - Latest USMC Pix

USA Politicians Release Report on Tillman Fratricide in AFG - Report (.pdf)

Inquest: Brit Troops Halted During 2007 Mission to Confirm Rules of Engagement - Confusion left soldiers without air cover? - No Shortage of Bravery in Engagement - US Money vs. Brit Talk

Opinion: "Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan" - "If [Bush] can say he has killed Saddam Hussein and captured Bin Laden, he can claim to have left the world a safer place" - "The Taliban Have A Plan That Sucks" - "With Afghanistan growing more chaotic by the day, now is no time to throw Hamid Karzai under the bus"

Analysis: "One of the most important criticisms of the Bush adventure in Iraq is that it shifted resources from the real fight against al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Kunar Attack Joint Taliba-AQ Op - USA Pulls Troops Out - No Shortage of Bravery Here, Either - More on Attack - more - more - more

Propaganda Claim in Nooristan.... - ....and ISAF Rebuttal

USA Says They'll Look Into PAK Link to IND Embassy Bombing - PAK Tribesmen: NATO Forces Gathering on AFG - More - PAK Still Drawing Heat - PAK Says Push on Bad Boys in Tribal Areas to Continue - PAK on AFG Accusations: "Whachu Talkin' 'Bout, Willis?" - "Ya Know, We ARE Helping You Rebuild" - "It's Them Foreigners, Ya Know" - USA Urges PAK, AFG Play Nice - PAK "may face an existential challenge if the US is forced to intervene in Pakistani territory in the name of the 'war on terror' "

15 Jul 08

Brendan Anthony Downey, R.I.P.: Remembered as Dedicated Family Man @ Funeral

CAN Seeking Contractor to Fix Up Dahla Dam: Public request for proposal (.pdf version) - Gov't of CAN news release - Canadian Press - Contractors Will Have to Provide Own Project Security - More (.pdf version)

FaceBook Photos of Injured Soldiers Arriving in Thunder Bay for Healing Journey

More on CAN Choppers Working Hard for NLD

Civvies Killed in Zabul by Taliban for Spying

US SpecOps Member Killed in IED Strike in Helmand - More - UN Pissed @ Market Suicide Attack in Uruzgan - DNK Troops Say They're Wasting Their Time in Helmand Not Fighting - CZE Seeking New Vehicles for AFG

Brit Development Work in Helmand Not Going According to Plan? - What's Going Where

More on Nine US Dead in Attack on Kunar FOB: Armed Forces Press Service (USA) - Long War Journal - New York Times Christian Science Monitor roundup - Al Jazeera - The Guardian (UK) - Times (UK) - BBC - United Press International - (.pdf version) - Reuters: Attack Shows More Help Needed - DPA (DEU) - Associated Press - Agence France Presse - CNN - Dawn (PAK) - Pak Tribune

Centre for Defence Information Roundup, June 2008 (.pdf version)

Opinion: "Are Canadians getting the truth about Afghanistan?" - "Whatever we're doing in that desperately sad country, it's not working. No cliché, euphemism or creeping indifference is going to change that." - "Talk of winning the war is fantasy land. It will take dialogue with the Taliban to pave the way for a political solution" - "The (USA) Army is building mosques and madrassas with good intentions. But it's far too likely to backfire in the long run."

"Regroupment of the Taliban and al-Qaida" in PAK Borderlands Brings War Closer to Kabul - Former PAK Army Officer: "Imminent Attack of America on Pakistan" - PAK Bad Boys Say They'll Fight in AFG - AFG Boycotts Talks with PAK - More

14 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: Funeral Still Being Arranged

New CAN CDS Drops By - More - more - Quoted Saying He Won't "Extend Combat Rotations" - More - Reportedly "dismissed the growing violence in Kandahar as “insignificant” " (.pdf version) - Denies Increase in Violence (.pdf version)

CAN IED Expert: Most Ordnance Old Soviet Stock; CF "Exploiting" IEDs (.pdf version) - New, Improved TLAV Doing Well in AFG - M113A3

Flickr Pix of Someone Sorting Out Clothes Donated by Canadians - More - CF Med Type Teaching Trauma Class Somewhere

Wounded Reservist Says Former CDS Assured Him "The (Chief of the Defence Staff) and the military are really keen in keeping guys like me in and giving us gainful employment" (.pdf permalink)

University of Toronto Program to Send Books to K'Har, Other Universities in AFG

AFG Cabinet Minister: "Your young Canadian soldiers give their blood for Afghanistan . . . but there is no reconstruction, only corruption."

"U.S., British, Canadian and Dutch diplomats are leaning hard on other NATO members to provide more meaningful support in Afghanistan."

NLD Medics Help Wounded from Market Suicide Bombing - Six AFG Security Gds Killed in Blast in Helmand - More - Some Missiles Aimed @ KAF Stopped - Bad Boys & Boats Nailed in Sangin - Taliban Sends Boy Suicide Bomber In, Kills Two AFG Troops in Marjah - ISAF Statement - AFG, Coalition Forces Provide Med, Aid Support in Nahr Surkh - What the Bad Guys Say They're Up To

Not JUST Young Brit Men Off to Helmand - “The Afghans are the ones (who are) going to win this war, America is here to help support them in their journey” - AUS DefMin: Aussies "have a "quite robust" tolerance for battlefield casualties"

Nine Americans Killed in Attack in NE - ISAF Statement

Opinion: ‘Educating girls best means to curb terrorism’ - "The Taliban now rule growing parts of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the fabled Pashtunistan is now within reach."

PAK Worried About USA Troops in Hot Pursuit - More - more - More on PAK Not Allowing US Troops to Hunt Osama - More - PAK Arming "Soft Taliban" to Deal with the "Hard Taliban"

13 Jul 08

Injured USA, CAN Troops Heal in Northern Ontario - Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. - Map of Area

Sault Ste. Marie Families Show Support for the Troops

Alleged Former USA SpecOps Quoted Saying JTF-2 As Good as the Americans in AFG

Homicide Bomber Kills Two AFG Troops, One Child in Marja District - More

Nimruz Development Boss Found Beheaded

K"Har Exporting More Dried Fruit (.pdf version) - Kids/Women's Hospital Opens in K'Har (.pdf version)

Motorcycle Suicide Bomber Kills 24 in Uruzgan Police Patrol Attack - More - more - more

USA Considering Faster IRQ Wd to Send Tps to AFG? - DEU Needs Parliamentary Approval Before Deploying AWACS to AFG - US Marines Help AFGs Get to Know Their Border Cops - 24 MEU Pix on Flickr - Brit IED Expert Loves His Job - Sounds Like He's Getting Busier, Too - AUS OMLTs Coming - Royal Marines Nab AFG Drugs Headed to UK - More

Opinion: "Whatever we're doing in that desperately sad country, it's not working." - "Military force is essential in Afghanistan to combat the Taliban. But over time, in Pakistan and Afghanistan alike, the best tonic against militant fundamentalism will be education and economic opportunity." - Richard Holbooke: "We're not going to win the Afghan war because the its government is so weak, incompetent and, corrupt"

"A regroupment of the Taliban and al-Qaida in the Pakistani borderlands is bringing the war closer to Kabul."

USA Chair of Joint Chiefs Meets PAK Leaders - PAK Not Happy with Mortar Fire from AFG - More - PAK Says USA Not Hunting Osama on PAK Turf - USA AWACS, UAV's Poking Around?

12 Jul 08

Injured AFG Interpreters Seek to Come to Canada (.pdf permalink)

How One Injured Reservist is Coping (.pdf permalink) - Des soldats blessés dans l'âme

First, the Highway of Heroes, Now, "Repatriation Row"? - Christie Blatchford Talks to Family of One of the Fallen (.pdf version)

NLD Celebrates 10,000 Hours on (CAN) Chinooks

CAN Looking @ Lessons Learned by Soviets - Minkov, Anton and Smolynec, Gregory. "3-D Soviet Style: Lessons Learned from the Soviet Experience in Afghanistan," Defence Research and Development Canada, DRDC CORA TM 2007-36, 26 Oct 07 (.pdf) - Alternative download site (.pdf) - RUS Experts Share Their Views (.pdf permalink)

AQ Boss in AFG Warns of More Attacks Coming - More

Two AFG Troops Killed in Suicide Bombing in Helmand - More - more - more

"A Culture of Revenge - The Impact of Collateral Damage on Taliban Insurgency" (.pdf) - Alternate .pdf download site - More

Heat, One of the Other Enemies in AFG - More

USA Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Pumps Marines Training AFG's Cops - More

So, How Helpful, Really, ARE New Roads? - Counterpoint - More on Helmand's New Sewing Machines

UK Continues Looking into Friendly Fire Incident

Big Money in Copper in RC-S

Lookit How Successful Bad Boy Propaganda Says Taliaban Is!

Opinion: "A lasting reconciliation will only come with the support of every Afghan faction" - "The whole NATO/American effort in Afghanistan is circling the drain .... America's yellow press will deserve no small share of the blame" - "The average Afghan knows NATO will be gone one day. But ordinary Afghans know the Taliban is there to stay."

UN Security Council Backs SecGen's Call for More UN Power in AFG

USA Reportedly to Give No More Warnings for Hot Pursuit into PAK - More - Taliban Sow Confusion on PAK-AFG Border - Bad Boys Trying to Get PAK, AFG to Fight Each Other - More - Could PAK Help Unite "Domestic" Taliban in AFG to West's Benefit?

11 Jul 08

CAN General: "We're seeing that (insurgency) being contained"

Kandahar Airfield Facing $780 Million Expansion

"Prophet's cloak can't shelter Kandahar from terror" (.pdf permalink)

Day in the Life of CF PRT Trooper (.pdf permalink) - Mounties Training AFG Cops - One CF Medic's Last ROTO - CAN Tanks in Action (With Tunes) (video)

CF Troops @ KPRT Get Pancake Breakfast for Calgary Stampede

Injured CF Soldier Helping Those in Wheelchairs

ISAF Commander: Climbing Stats Caused by “coalition and Afghan troops taking the fight to the insurgency and the rising number of insurgents crossing the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan" - ISAF Commander Asking NATO for AWACS Planes - More

Brit PM Says AFG Tougher Go than IRQ - Sees Long Haul Ahead

More on ANA's First FOB - More

US Military Still Short of Dari, Pashto, Uzbek, and Turkmen Speakers

Bad Boy Bosses Nailed Near Arghandab - One AFG Cop Dead, Six Wounded in Attack on Cop Shop - What Do They Need all the Syringes For? - "Fueling the Taliban: Poppies, Guns and Insurgents" - Some ITA Euro-MPs Call for Action on Taliban Drug Funding - RUS Suggests "Drug Security Belts" around AFG

Sewing Machines for Helmand

Nine Brit Paras Injured in Friendly Fire Incident - UK MoD Looking Into It - More - more - more - more - Brit PsyOps Folks Rehabilitate Former Warlord/New Police Chief

Opinion: PAK, AFG "have a common and increasingly urgent interest in rolling back the power of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and working together to promote democracy and development in Pakistan. President Bush needs to persuade Pakistan’s leaders of that — and he needs to do it now, before Al Qaeda and the Taliban get any stronger." - "There are problems on both sides' - "Deadly Precedents in Afghanistan"

USA Blames PAK as AFG Incursions Increase - PAK ForMin Says They Won't Allow Foriegn Troops

Column: USA Spec Forces Blames Risk Averse Pentagon, Bureaucrats for Less-than-peak Aggression Against Osama

European Parliament Calls for Bigger EU Political Role in AFG - More - Resolution of European Parliament (.pdf version)

10 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: He's Home - More - more - more - Corps du 87e soldat canadien rapatrié

CAN PM More Optimistic than US on AFG? (.pdf permalink)

Globe & Mail Reporter Talks of "Franchising" of Taliban

Bad Boys Nabbed in Helmand - Meanwhile, Bad Boy Propaganda Alleges We're Losing (.pdf version) - High Level AQ Bosses (Reportedly) Nailed in Zabul

More Bad Boy Propaganda Allegations: UK Tank Killed in Helmand - "Puppet commander, terrorists" Killed in Uruzgan

Dam Slated for Nimruz to Help Agriculture

June 2008 Update on AFG

Red Cross Calls on All Sides to Protect Civvies - More

US SF Boss Says They're Making a Dent in AFG - Scumbag Steals Plaque from UK Fallen's Grave - DNK: Approved to 2012, but Could Be Outta There Sooner

UN Looking for Big $ Surge for AFG Food Aid

Aid Groups Call for UN to Separate Political, Aid Work - 29 Jun 08 NGO coalition news release (.pdf version)

PAK ForMin Asks AFG to Deploy Troops in Border Areas - Meanwhile, USA Troops Reportedly Ready to Chase Bad Boys into PAK if Needed - UN: "Foreign Ministers Stress Kabul-Islamabad Cooperation against Terrorism, Extremism" - "The ISI and Terrorism: Behind the Accusations" - "Policymakers need to grasp cultural realities in Pakistan's tribal area" - PAK Said to Be Attracting Insurgents

9 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: Coming Home Today - More - more - People Feel Duty during Repatriations

CAN Def Min Says Increased Violence Due to Campaign Season Under Way

CAN PM: G8 Agrees AFG "has reached a pivotal stage that will require a redoubling of efforts to improve security, governance and development over the next two years" - More - G8 Pushes AFG to do More for Own Security - Lew-Mac to NATO Leaders: "the time has passed for modest troop increases" (.pdf version)

Some CF Troops Planning Internet Radio Station in AFG (video)

News Release: "Angus Reid Poll: Support for Afghan Mission and Talks with Taliban Dwindles in Canada" - More - more - Tiny AFG Online Poll Finds Folks Think Taliban Getting Stronger

Bad Boys Nailed in Maywand - Some Pix from K'Har

AUS SAS Killed, Two Injured in Blast in Uruzgan - AUS News Release (MS Word version) - ISAF Statement - More - ANA Opens First AFG Designed, Built FOB (MS Word version)- Helmand Governor says USMC MEU Has Nailed ~400 Bad Boys - More - Some UK Marines Facing Third Tour in Six Years.... - ...As 3 Cdo Bde Replaces 16 Air Aslt Bde - USS Abe Lincoln Moving Closer to AFG to Provide Fast Air - More - more

RUS Media: AFG Interior Minister Tells Tajik Audience ISAF Withdrawal to Begin in Fall?

US Watchdog Report: Roads Getting Built (But Can They Tell if They're Effective, or Maintained?)

U.N. Envoy Denounces Hidden Abuse of AFG Boys

Red Cross: "Civilians must never be the target of an attack, unless they take a direct part in the fighting."

Wikipedia Summary of Blast at IND Embassy in Kabul - IND Increasing Security Presence in AFG Following Tragedy - Indo-Tibetan Border Police (Wikipedia) - "Was the attack on the Indian mission in Kabul a one-off terror attack, or part of a calibrated Pakistani strategy?" - Pro-Mo' Troops: "New Delhi cannot continue to expand its economic and diplomatic activity in Afghanistan, while avoiding a commensurate increase in its military presence there." Anti-Mo' Troops: "(An Indian) military presence in Afghanistan might increase India's profile and add to its stature as a growing power in the region. But it will end up being bracketed with the Americans in Afghanistan, an image it would do well to avoid." -

NATO Commander: Attacks from PAK Up, but 'We do return fire' - PAK Elders, Taliban Agree to Kick Out Uzbek Bad Boys

8 Jul 08

Colin William Wilmot, R.I.P.: On His Way Home - "Enthusiastic Volunteer" - Remembered as Keen, Intelligent Soldier More - Didn't Want To Be Left Behind When His Friends Deployed - Grim Days, Indeed - 87e soldat canadien tué - Plus - Statement from Governor General/Commander in Chief - Message de gouverneure générale et commandante en chef - Statement from Prime Minister - Déclaration du Premier Ministre du Canada - Statement by the Minister of National Defence - Déclaration du ministre de la Défense nationale - Statement by the Leader of the Opposition - Statement from NDP leader

Brendan Anthony Downey, R.I.P.: He's Home - More

More AFG Cops Graduate

SOMEONE's Gotta Print the Manuals, Right?

More Bad Boys Nailed, Nabbed in Helmand

AUS Shifting to Training Role - UK Minister for Defence Equipment and Support: "We're Not Short Changing the Troops" - USMC 24 MEU Blog - Russian Reflect on AFG Experience

Opinion: "Is a ‘debacle’ on the horizon for Afghanistan?" - "Afghan war finally grabs U.S. attention"

UN SecGen Says UN Mission Has to be Enhanced with Staff and (Maybe) a Reorg - Link to report in different languages - Alternative link to report

Bombing of IND Embassy: Video from Huge Bombing Effects - Someone Doesn't Want IND in AFG? - More - Foreign Int Blamed - Maybe PAK Int? - PAK: It Wasn't Us

7 Jul 08

CF Medic Killed on Foot Patrol in Panjwai - CF Statement - FC: "Décès d’un militaire canadien en Afghanistan" - ISAF Statement - More (.pdf version) - more - more - more - Army.ca Condolences Thread - Facebook - Soldat Colin William Wilmot a été tué dans explosion lors d'une patrouille à pied - plus

Brendan Anthony Downey, R.I.P.: Coming Home Today - Information and Condolences (Army.ca)

CAN Gov't Helps Build Security Wall at K'Har University - 50+ Development Projects in K'Har (.pdf version)

More on K'Har Politician Killed by Gunmen

AFG Counter-Narc Minister Promises More Anti-Opium Push

Northern Warlord Suggests He and His Army Best Option to Defeat Taliban - Wikipedia bio

DNK Chaplain Discusses Punch-Up Against Taliban - Original Article (in Danish) - Time.com on How the Brits are Doing in Helmand - More

How AFG Armour is Getting Ready

Opinion: "Reorganization Of The Taliban: A Danger For World Peace" - "Every year, the number of troops grows -- and so do enemy attacks." - "The UN is spot on in identifying one of the key areas that need shaping up. The sooner it is done the better." - "Civilian and military deaths at new highs in Afghan war"

PAK Taliban Claim to be in Support of Education of Girls? - More - Not So Craxy About CD's Though...

Bad Boys Still Capturing Trucks Supplying NATO From PAK

6 Jul 08

Brendan Anthony Downey, R.I.P.: Leaves Pregnant Wife, One Son Behind - More - more - more - Looking into the Death - More - Governor General's Statement - Prime Minister's Statement - Defence Minister's Statement - Agence France Presse

New CAN CDS: Taliban Not Making a Comeback - Admits Prison Break Not Good News, Though

UN Uber-Envoy Condemns Assassination of K'Har Politician (.pdf) - More

AFG Envoy to USA: Sacrifice Not in Vain (.pdf permalink) - Video of USMC Civil-Military Operations Centre - Helping Pay for Battle Damage - Reporter Follows USA Team on Last Patrol of the Tour - USMC Tour Longer Due to Taliban Pushback? - RAF Fights Taliban from Nevada

More on Kids Being Recruited as Suicide Bombers

Opinion: "Hold fast, we’re building a new Afghanistan" - "What Afghanistan needs is infrastructure" - "If the United States continues to focus the vast majority of its focus, resources, and troops in Iraq, it is unclear how we can accomplish these enormously challenging objectives in Afghanistan." - "More chaos and more troops"

Clarke: Negotiate With PAK To Staunch al-Qaida - PAK Gov't Officials Seem Pleased with Talks

Wheat Flour Smuggling Continues Across PAK-AFG Border - Wikipedia on Atta Flour

5 Jul 08

CAN Mil Cop Found Dead at MidEast Staging Base - More - CF Statement

RCMP Trainers Still Confident AFG Cops' Training Working - Top Cop Trainer Won't Put Number on AFG Cops Needed to Do the Job - It Hasn't Been Good for Cops Lately in K'Har - More

CF Docs, Medics Winning War to Save Lives

How One CF Officer is Helping an AFG Orphanage

CAN PM to Make AFG Priority at G-8

Gunmen Kill AFG Member of Parliament in Zhari - More - more - more - more - more - A Bit of The Guy's Eclectic History(.pdf)

Governor of Musa Qala, Fomer Talib, Calls for AFG Unity - Says He'll Help Coalition - Blames IRN, PAK Nationals for Attacks on Brits - Does So Under Protection

USMC Staying Longer=30 More Days for NATO to Pony Up Mo' Troops

Video: UK 3 Para in Firefight - Brit Remembers Another Battle Last Summer - Helmet Saves Jock's Life - More

How the Bad Boys Show Off Coalition Ambush in Zabul... - Of ANA in Zabul.... - ...and the Brits in Helmand - Shame They Can't Identify an 82mm Mortar - OK, They Got it Right THIS Time - As-Sahab: AQ's Media Production House

Meanwhile, Bad Boys Score "Own Goal" in IED Planting Incident (Any Video to Share of This?) - More - more

Farmers Caught in Helmand Poppy Trade

UNICEF: Attacks on Schools Threaten Education - AFG Cop Nabbed for Child Sexual Abuse (.pdf permalink)

Opinion: Crunch Time?

PAK Denies Their Fight Against Taliban is Fake - More - Taliban Unity Forces PAK to Rethink Reconciliation Approach - Still, Talks Set to Resume Between Taliban, PAK Province

4 Jul 08

Tough Anniversary for Six CF Fallen

CAN CDS Reportedly Confident CF Can Wrap Up Combat Ops by 2011 - "2011 is when our mission is up"

Analyst Says NATO On the Right Track Against Taliban

Tech Briefing Today from Senior CAN Cop on the Ground

More Troops Preparing to Head Over

More Wells in Spin Boldak

CAN Reports: Still Big Attritiion Rates in ANA - More on AFG's "Struggling Security Services"

Fired K'Har Police Chief: I'm Innocent, I Tell Ya - More (.pdf permalink) - more - Those NATO Guys Shoulda Chased Those Prisoners!

AFG Cops Killed in Panjwai, Bad Boys Nabbed in Helmand - More - Bad Boys Nailed in Maywand District

UN Envoy: Taliban Using Kids in the Fight - Kids Not Doing Well in Other Ways, Either - 3 Jul 08 News conference transcript

Analysis: "Unintended consequence of knocking out senior Taliban leaders has been the rapid rise of inexperienced younger leaders, some of whom have been radicalized by al-Qaeda"

USMC in South to Stay a Month Longer - More - more - more - Quiet in Uruzgan with NLD? (.pdf permalink) - Brit PM Sets No "Artificial Deadline" for Pull Out - Reports of More DNK Troops Being Reduced (Eventually) - Brits Winning Hearts, Minds, $300 at a Time - "Building Goodwill in Gereshk", Part 1 - Part 2

Opinion: "Our disabled military vets deserve so much better" - "I do not believe that Canada's war in Afghanistan fails to meet (the just war) test, but simply that it is difficult to make such a judgment at all given what we don't know."

All Sides Looking Into PAK-AFG Border Incident

3 Jul 08

Two CF Convoys Hit with No Casualties - More

ANA, 2PPCLI, 3Para Take the Fight to Tailban in Joint Op

Article & Video of CF Advising ANA in the Fight (.pdf permalink)

One CF Sapper's Story

New CAN CDS Says AFG Army Making "Huge Progress"

More CAN Cops Join EU Training Team (.pdf version) - More - EUPOL News page

CAN Aid Workers in K'Har PRT Get Awards

Latest on AFG-CAN School Project

Former "Cultural Advisor" to CAN Troops: "Canada still hasn't mastered the intricacies of dealing with Afghanistan's tribal culture and it's having a negative impact on the mission"

NATO Talks Transport Choppers at Conference - Conference web page

Convoy Headed to K'Har Hit - Nimruz Governor Escapes Assassination Attempt - More - more - more

Bad Boys, Weapon Caches Nabbed in Helmand - More

USA Pres Says More Troops Heading into AFG Before End of Year - Or Just Thinking About It? - "We're constantly reviewing troop needs, troop levels. We're halfway through 2008. As I said, we're going to increase troops by 2009" - More - Pentagon Concerned about Latest AFG Cas Figures - ISAF Says Numbers Linked to "Fighting Season" - AFG Issues Statement About USA Cas Leading Up to 4th of July (.pdf version)

ITA Changes Caveats to Reduce Response Time if Asked for Help - This After ITA Def Min Drops By - CZE NBC Troops Arrive in Uruzgan to Help NLD

Warlord Key to Sorting Out AFG?

Pashtuns Seen as Biggest Victims in Back-and-Forth - New CAN Newsletter from Pashtun Peace Forum (.pdf version)

PAK Blaming UZB Bad Boys for AFG Border Shenanigans - Osama (About to be) Toast? - US (Reportedly) Has Deal with PAK to Let 'Er Rip if they See OBL - More - USA Not Answering Questions on Deal, Though

New USA Warnings About AQ (Looking at PAK and AFG in Particular) - PAK Taliban: "Jihad against America obligation of all Muslims"

2 Jul 08

Convoy with CAN Vehicles Attacked near Spin Boldak, CF Says No Troops Injured - More - AFG Officials Originally Said Two CAN Troops Injured - More

CF PsyOps On the Job (.pdf permalink)

Just Another Day @ The Office for CAN Troops on Canada Day - Same At PRT - More

K'Har Authorities Pissed at CAN Over Prison Break?

Opinion: "As we approach the eighth year of the Afghan war there are no signs that the outcome will add to the historical legacy of Gen. Hillier. Rather there will be proof that when you are smarter than the politicians who surround you, then you need to do the thinking for everyone."

Bad Boys Nabbed, Nailed in Nimruz

NATO Supreme Commander Wants Caveats Dropped - Need More Planes, UAV's Too - Says OSCE Could Be Helping Out, Too - USMC Sea Knight Chopper has "Hard Landing" in Helmand - UK Household Cav in Helmand - Brit Anti-IED Teams Busy - New UN Office in Tarin Kowt (.pdf) - More

How One (Former) Talib Joined the Fold

"Jalaluddin Haqqani Challenges Mullah Omar’s Leadership of the Taliban" - Reproduction of Letter (in Pashto, with Comments) (.pdf version) - Jalaluddin Haqqani bio (Wikipedia)

Hekmatyar Tells PAK Taliban To Stay Out Of AFG (.pdf version) - More on NATO-PAK Hit on Bad Boys - ISAF Statement More - US Envoy: OK for PAK to Talk to Tribal Elders (But Not to Taliban)

AFG Looking for NGO Help on Governance

1 Jul 08

Worries About Taliban Amnesty Program (Even Though CAN Funds OTHER Such Programs)

CBC Insinuates Problems with Special Forces Raids to Kill Bad Guys - More - "War in the Shadows"

CAN Reporter Bums Another Ride into Town

PAK, NATO Co-operating on Nailing Some Bad Guys - More - more - PAK Taliban Groups Uniting to Fight NATO - Meanwhile, Pentagon Still Waiting for White House Green Light on US SF Ops in PAK

Is All the Fighting in PAK Real? - "Smoke and Mirrors in the Khyber Valley"