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CANinKandaharMar2009

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News Archive

 

MARCH 2009

 

CURRENT NEWS


 

31 Mar 09 

CAN Troops Help Fix Arghandab River Valley Irrigation System

 

"The former head of the military mission in Kandahar (dismisses) the argument that Afghanistan is caught in a downward spiral, even as he said the local population's sense of security is plummeting." - Says More Troops a Good Thing

 

Remembering Canada's Fallen, One Planted Flag at a Time - YouTube Video

 

CAN NGO Suggests Eliminating PRT's? - World Vision Canada news release - More Study Needs to be Done on NGO-Taliban Relations?

 

CAN Seeks to Delay Detainee Treatment Hearings

 

Big AFG Conference Opens in The Hague - NATO SecGen:  No Early End to Need for Help in AFG

 

MORE Folks Shot When They Wouldn't Stop When They Were Told To - More - No USA Ospreys Headed to AFG

 

Analysis:  "Garrisons and force protection crowd out other objectives in Afghanistan"

 

Senior Bad Boy Killed in Helmand - Helmand Bad Boys Worry About "The Dragon"

More AUS Troops Coming (When Asked For) - Brit Medics Training AFG Medics - Black Watch Off to Helmand - Keeping an Eye on the Tailban from Brit Guardtower - Video of DNK Troops in South - AUS Troops Get Some Distraction in Uruzgan

"Civilians are scared to death of people who decapitate suspected collaborators and deface kids with acid. So will the Taliban continue with these tactics? Absolutely."

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says those who joined the ranks of the terrorist organizations "not out of conviction, but out of desperation" should be given a chance to abandon extremism." - "Our advice to President Obama is to cut his losses early and start negotiating with the Taliban but not with the idea of getting them (or even some of them) involved in the political process. Rather to hand the government over to them and to begin the process of immediate withdrawal."

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Attack on supply convoy in Kandahar 30/3/09" (GoogEng) - "2 armored vechikles of (B)ritish invader army destroyed in Helmend 30/3/09" (GoogEng) - "Tank belonging to foreign soldiers was destroyed killing or wounding the soldiers on board, in Chah-e Mirza 29/3/09" - "3 cars of puppet army destroyed, 3 soldiers killed in Tirin Kot, Uruzgan 30/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

Opinion:  "Obama's Afghan strategy may make it easier for Canada" - "Nato operations in Afghanistan depend on a precarious international supply system – and the Taliban have realised it" - "Battling illiteracy and the resultant poverty will do more to eliminate the Taliban than the crushing weight of NATO’s military might." - "Our adversaries in Afghanistan know that we're leaving, too. We might as well make it public, and start talking."

 

 

30 Mar 09

CAN PM: "Afghan surge by U.S. is welcome but not a cure-all" - Still, CAN Troops Happy for the Help - "Canadian troops central to U.S. plan" - "Influx of U.S. soldiers will reduce pressure, but not the danger"

 

CAN PM Says USA Strategy "almost a mirror image of the Manley report" - More

 

One of the Recently Injured Returning Home Soon - Dealing with the "Invisible Scars"

 

More on CAN Sending More Cops Downrange - "NATO is seeking $2 billion a year from the international community to bolster Afghanistan's security forces"

 

CIDA Hiring "Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant" for K'Har PRT (.pdf permalink)

 

4K Hectares of Opium Dealt With in Helmand

 

K'Har Cops Killed, Injured in Homicide Bomber Attack - More - more

 

"Most Afghan Taliban are willing to lay down their arms, a former insurgent commander said, but are afraid they will be killed for defecting because the government cannot ensure their safety."

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Former Taliban Officials Offer Insight On How Talks Can Progress"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Taliban Claims Battle Continues @ Nad Ali and AFG Cops Stealing and Killing in Zabul Province - "Puppet police martyr innocent civilians and loot villages"

 

USA Opens Northern Supply Route into AFG

 

 

29 Mar 09 

CFB Petawawa Prepares to Welcome Home Returning Troops

 

CAN Reportedly Upgrading New Tanks in Europe to Replace Tired Ones in AFG Quicker

 

CBC Catches Up to CAN-Sapper-Built Mini-Robot Story (39 seconds into video)

 

"By the end of the summer, four of every five soldiers outside the wire in Kandahar will wear a Stars and Stripes shoulder patch"

 

CAN to Double Number of Poochies to Help in the Fight - More - Meanwhile, USA Dealing with Poochie War Burnout

 

Commentator:  Most of Opium Grown in AFG Grown in RC-South

 

More Taliban Commanders Killed in Helmand - Lots More Killed Across South

 

British and Dutch Troops Mentor AFG Cops - NLD to Focus on "Civil Reconstruction"

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  Karzai:  "Remove Taliban leaders from UN blacklist" as First Step Towards Talks" - Irish Go-Between in 2007 UK-Taliban Dealings Speaks Out

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Taliban Alleges Friendly Fire Casualties, Continued Fighting in Helmand

 

"Afghan President Could Call Loya Jirga To Solve Poll Row"

 

"Pakistan intelligence agency elements must stop support for Taliban, al-Qaeda:  US"

 

"Pak militants destroy key NATO supply bridge" - More

 

Opinion:  "The international community must review and effectively double their counter-narcotics efforts on the global and regional levels, and to recommit firmly to providing Afghanistan with long-term law enforcement and alternative development resources to win the drug war in the country." - "You do not have the right to leave your kids without a mother or a father. Do you really think that your presence is essential to the effort in Afghanistan? Of course, it's not."

 

28 Mar 09 

CAN Foreign Affairs Min on New USA Plan (see more below): "There are many elements of the plan set out in the review that Canada and Canadians would recognize from our own transformation of the mission in the past year" - More - more

 

USA Announces New Approach:  "We have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." - White Paper (.pdf) - More Focus on AFG-PAK Fight - More - more - Not Ruling Out Troops to PAK? - More Trainers Headed Downrange - Def Sec:  Better Chances of Working - AFG Pres Welcomes Approach - Mainstream Media Coverage (Google News) of New Strategy - K'Har Co-op Owner:  " 'Lower your sights' is the wrong vision for Afghanistan"

 

CAN Flickr Pix: AFG Cops in Training

 

Think Tank Report on How NATO/ISAF Keeps Track of Its Progress in AFG

 

UN SecGen: "Terrorism, drugs and crime thwarting Afghan development" - Speech Text

 

Update on Latest AUS Wounded - STILL More on Op AABI TOORAH - Brit Medics Treat Troops, Civvies in Sangin - Former Brit Airman Arranges Care Package for Brit Poochie in Helmand

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  Columnist says "Seeking out moderate killers is dangerous"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "American invaders forces martyr 13 civilians in Helmand" - "Attack on center of invaders, 11 foreign soldiers killed in Garmser 27/3/09" (GoogEng) - "American tank destroyed in Helmand Province" - "American army bas(e) attack, 9 invaders killed in Helmand" - "13 Puppet army terrorists killed and 2 vehicles destroyed in Zabul"

 

 

27 Mar 09

CAN Mission to Focus on K'Har City, Agricultural Areas West of City (.pdf permalink) - CEFCOM Deja Vu from December? - More on Telegraphing Intent

 

Some Frustration in Theatre

 

Journo/Blogger:  Can Upgraded CAN Tanks Make It into Theatre Before CAN Leaves?

 

"Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada says this country's commitment to Afghanistan is helping to keep Canadian citizens safe." (Thanks, Ian!)

 

"The former head of the Canadian Forces in Kandahar says the mission of coalition forces in war-torn Afghanistan is not to crush the Taliban (but) to minimize the influence of the Taliban on the civilian population." - Thompson Dispels Myths About AFG

 

More on CAN Warning About Bigger, Deadlier Taliban Bombs Coming

 

"The agency that oversees Canada's military police is rejecting Ottawa's call for a hold on public hearings into the transfer of Afghan detainees." - More - more - more

 

AFG, PAK Taliban Teaming Up Against USA Surge - USA Offers Big $ for AQ Types in PAK, AFG - Sirajuddin Haqqani - Abu Yahya al-Libi - Baitullah Mehsud - Mullah Omar Still At Large

 

More Schools Reopening in South - "Some schools are overflowing and new ones opening as education is increasing in Kandahar" - One Helmand Teacher's Work to Rebuild

 

Taliban Homicide Bomber Takes Six More Would-Be Bombers With Him - Others Disarming Somewhat More Sensibly

 

Mo' Brit Troops Headed Downrange? - More - more - Brit Highlights Package from Operation AABI TOORAH

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  UK May Talk if Taliban Disarms - More - More on First UN Steps

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "(P)uppet army post captured and 11 terrorists killed in Helmand" - "11 Puppet army terrorists killed and 4 vehicles destroyed in Helmand " - "2 policeman arrested, 4 have surrendered in Garmser, Helmend 26/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

Opinion:  "We are there to assist, but the war in Afghanistan will not be won until its public institutions are stabilized"

 

USA Unveiling New Strategy Today - More $, Trainers? - Benchmarks? - $ for PAK Too? - More - "President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan says more resources are needed for the war and the civilian rebuilding effort in that country." - More

 

NATO Countries Wrestling with "AFG vs. Closer-to-Home" Threats and Commitments - More

 

Aid agency report: "US foreign aid in Afghanistan is failing to reach its full potential because it is short-term and security goals are being emphasized over a coordinated and effective strategy to reduce poverty." - More - "Field Report from Afghanistan: Smart Development in the Field Series"

 

 

26 Mar 09 

"Canadian focus to narrow as U.S. joins mission in Kandahar; U.S. forces likely to be more pro-active, which will increase violence in the short term"

 

New, Improved Gov't of CAN Web Page on AFG - New Interactive Map

 

Ainsworth Dyer, Richard Green, Marc Leger, and Nathan Smith, R.I.P.:  Flag Honouring the Fallen Makes it to Outer Space, Now Back to Edmonton Garrison

 

Military Journal Reprint of CAN Tank Lessons Learned in AFG (.pdf permalink)

 

NY Times: "The Taliban’s widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials." (.pdf permalink)

 

RC South Commander from NLD: "If there is one thing that makes my skin crawl it is the term 'Dutch approach .... The Dutch are doing excellent work - but it is no different from what the British, Americans and Canadians are doing." - The Torch on Why It Is a Bit Different in Uruzgan Uruzgan: "Afghanistan's south between reconstruction and insurgency"

 

Taliban Attack Kills Nine AFG Cops in Helmand

 

Bad Boy Bosses Nabbed in Uruzgan - More on Op KAPCHA BAZ - NLD Renting ISR UAVs for AFG - USMC Logisticians in Bad Guy Country in the South - Brit Rescuing Poochies of War

 

UN Names Deputy Uber-Envoy for AFG - More - more

 

"U.S. Consulting Closely With NATO Allies on Afghan Strategy Review" - USA Special Inspector Generals Warn It'll be a Long Haul

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Afghan Commission For Talks With Taliban Unveils Program" - More - RUS "Open To Moderate Taliban Contacts" - European Council on Foreign Relations: "European governments should now formulate a hard-headed political strategy as a complement to the coming US military surge.  The overall aim of this strategy should be to begin systematic outreach to Afghanistan’s insurgency groups." (.pdf) - "What would Mullah Omar tell all these suddenly talkative Westerners? He would tell exactly what Mullah Omar's close friend Mullah Mutassim, a former Taliban finance minister, told al-Samoud magazine two weeks ago: we want the US and NATO out of Afghanistan now, we want sharia law and we want absolutely no Western interference in our country."

 

Taliban Spokesperson: "We're not against polio immunisation"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Blasts kills five Canadain soldiers in Kandahar" (GoogEng) - English, Arabic & Farsi version - "2 mortars fired at Kandahar airport" - More Taliban Claims from RC-South

 

25 Mar 09 

Former RoCK speaking to Der Spiegel:  "Can you have a government that is viable, that can protect its borders, protect its people and deliver basic services? Yes." (.pdf permalink)

 

Former CAN TF Commander:  "The key to overcoming fear, winning the war and withdrawing our troops .... is to train local police forces and soldiers who are more efficient at sniffing out insurgents."

 

CAN CDS:  Letters, Postcards Easier to Get to the Troops to Cheer Them Up then Packages

 

Taliban Using More Disguises, Building Bigger Bombs (.pdf permalink)

 

Backgrounder on How CAN's Fallen Get Back Home (.pdf permalink)

 

Postcard from Chair of Gov't of CAN's AFG TF on Recent Visit (.pdf permalink)

 

UN Security Council 23 Mar 09 Resolution Extending UN's Mandate to March 2010 (.pdf)

 

"NATO’s top commander (AGAIN) called for NATO nations to beef up their efforts in Afghanistan to support security and rebuilding efforts there."

 

Think tank report (.pdf): "Despite the dramatic deterioration in the security situation in Afghanistan, and the long list of issues and challenges in the country, we can see clear evidence that the seeds of democracy have been sown in Afghanistan, and the people of Afghanistan are a receptive audience." - More - Surprise Over Lack of Taliban Violence Uptick for Election Campaign

 

AUS Troops Injured in Uruzgan Firefight - "Afghan national army and International Security Assistance Force troops recently completed Operation KAPCHA BAZ in an area south of Garmsir, in southern Helmand province." - More - Brit Marines' Perspective - Vehicle Check Points Help Control Taliban in South - Brit Sappers & Logisticians Returning Home

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Former Taliban Ministers: Yes, We'd Talk To Obama" - Taliban Political Official Says They Could Talk to UN (Only After Foreign Troops Get Out) (.pdf permalink)

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "In explosion 5 puppet soldiers killed and 3 wounded in Tirin Kot, Uruzgan 24/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

USA Unveiling Plan for AFG Friday - Obama Says USA Will Stay on Offensive - Think tank report (.pdf): "Responding to this challenge will require a comprehensive, sustainable approach that uses all elements of U.S. national power—military, economic, and diplomatic. Given declining American and European support for the war in Afghanistan, the strategy must be not only effective but convincing, too." - NATO Supreme Commander Europe Says Finding Measurables to Assess Success "Overwhelming"

 

Opinion:  "Afghanistan is easy to conquer, tough to hold" - "Destroying the poppy fields hasn't worked. The US should focus on long-term development to solve Afghanistan's drug problem"

 

AFG Diplomat in USA: "The Taliban cannot be defeated in Afghanistan without dismantling their command-and-control infrastructure" in PAK Border Areas (.pdf permalink) - PAK Phone Company TOO Transparent in Special Cell Phone Offer to Taliban

 

24 Mar 09

Jack Bouthillier, Tyler Crooks, Corey Joseph Hayes, and Scott Francis Vernelli, R.I.P.:  They're Home - More - more - more - more

 

One of the Injured Expected Home Thursday

 

Fox Host Apologizes for CAN Military Comments - More - more - Father of Fallen Underwhelmed - Comedian Gets Edmonton Gig Cancelled After Threats - More - General:  "If our young men are willing to fight for our country, I'm willing to get slandered for them.”

 

More on Guy Who Disarmed IED With a Bayonet

 

UN Security Council Extends Mandate of AFG Mission Until March 2010 - SecGen Spokesperson's Statement

 

"US will appoint Afghan 'prime minister' to bypass Hamid Karzai" - USA Special Envoy Rejects Report - USA Chair of Joint Chiefs: "The U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan must “put the Afghan people at the center,” as the United States and coalition provide them the support they need to build their country"

 

More on Helmand Bad Boy Nailed - ISAF Busy in the South

 

Flickr Pix:  NATO Deputy Sec-Gen Drops By RC-South - AUS Gunners @ Work - The Big RC-South Staff Photo

 

Schools Reopening in the South, West - UK Marines Offering Clinics in Sangin

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  K'Har Reconciliation Officer Quoted Saying Taliban More Willing to Talk?

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "According to the newspaper: <PM Harper>, however, deserves praise; to that before the fact and said the truth to Canadians, and now the question is: if they do not win this war, not the lives of Canadian soldiers at risk unabated?" (GoogEng) - Original in Arabic + Farsi - Possible Column Referred To (.pdf permalink) - "7 puppet soldiers killed in ambush in Kandahar 23/3/09" (GoogEng) - "Destruction of 3 tanks belonging to the invader Amercian forces in Garmsir in the province of Helmand 23/03/09" (GoogEng) - More Taliban Statements

 

Opinion:  "Helping the Afghan people help themselves begins with listening to them."

 

 

 

23 Mar 09 

Jack Bouthillier, Tyler Crooks, Corey Joseph Hayes, and Scott Francis Vernelli, R.I.P.:  Arriving Home Today - More - more - CF Media Advisory

 

"It is almost impossible to find a soldier who speaks against the mission and even rarer among the infantrymen and armoured types who have done the bulk of the fighting."

 

Former BG Commander in Charge of Counter-IED (Detective) Work (.pdf permalink)

 

RCMP Commissioner Says More Mounties Headed Downrange - USA Sending More Cops, Too

 

One Contract Worker Killed, Six Injured in Rocket Attack on K'Har Air Field - Meanwhile, USA Looking for More Private Sector Security Help in South

 

USA Special Ops Now Under ISAF Commander's Control (.pdf permalink)

 

More on Latest Push in the South - One More Bad Guy Boss Nailed near Kajaki - More - more

Eight AFG Cops Killed in Spin Boldak Ambush

 

UK Sending More Diplomats, Aid Workers in Civvy Surge - The Grim Reaper, Flown from Vegas

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:   Haqqani Network Commander Calls USA, AFG Peace Moves "a plot by Western nations trying to weaken and demoralize our fighters" - USA Envoy in Kabul quoted saying "America would be prepared to discuss the establishment of a political party, or even election candidates representing the Taliban, as part of a political strategy that would sit alongside reinforced military efforts to end the increasingly intractable conflict" - UN Uber-envoy Reportedly Supports Talking to Taliban (or USA Talking to Taliban?) - More

 

US Special Envoy:  Taliban Still Making Big Bucks from Drugs - "President Obama is planning an overhaul of the ineffective anti-drugs policy in Afghanistan as Washington prepares to announce the non-military side of its strategy to defeat the Taleban."

 

Opinion:  Why Not Try Ethnic AFG Army Units to Speed Up Build-up? - Why No Acknowledgement of Op Enduring Freedom in AFG? (.pdf permalink)

 

22 Mar 09

Jack Bouthillier, Tyler Crooks, Corey Joseph Hayes, and Scott Francis Vernelli, R.I.P.:  On Their Way Home - More - more - Petawawa Mourns - ISAF Statement

 

"The deaths of four Canadians and the wounding of eight others yesterday adds a grim urgency to the never-ending quest to find a way to protect the country's soldiers against more complex and powerful roadside bombs in Afghanistan" - More - Tough Spring Expected

 

Big CAN-USA Op Nets Bad Guys, IEDs - More - more - more - more

 

More on Next ROTO Having More Rifle Companies

 

Fox Late Night Show about CAN Troops (YouTube):  Idiots in the Middle of the Night, or Significant Disrespect? - Army.ca Discussion - One Blogger's View

 

Flickr Pix of Pre-Surge Construction in RC-South

 

More on RC-South Commander Saying He's Outta Troops - Another AUS Fallen - ISAF Statement - More Details of Latest Fallen - Photos On His Way Home - AUS Gunners Help Out Brit Gunners - Brit Marines Wrap Up Major Op - Photos of Op AABI TOORAH

 

New Road in Nimruz Boosts Trade

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  AFG Clerics Call for SAU-mediated Talks with Taliban

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Tank of American invaders destroyed in Kandahar 20/3/09" (GoogEng) - " In a ambush 7 American invaders soldiers killed in Helmand 21/3/09" (English + Arabic) - "8 puppet police terrorists killed and 1 vehicle destroyed in Uruzgan 21/3/09" (English, Arabic and Farsi) - "4 puppet soldiers killed and wounded in Nimroz 21/4/09" (GoogEng)

 

Opinion:  "Will Canadians tolerate their troops fighting under U.S. command?" - "Q&A: Why is an Aussie anthropologist coaching American generals on how to win wars?"

 

21 Mar 09

Jack Bouthillier, Tyler Crooks, Corey Joseph Hayes, and Scott Francis Vernelli, R.I.P.:  CF Statement - Gov-Gen Statement - PM Statement - Def Min Statement - Army.ca Condolences Thread - Canadian Press - Canadian Press video - CanWest Toronto Star - CTV.ca - CBC.ca - Associated Press - Agence France-Presse - Radio Netherlands

 

"The (Canadian) government says it is reviewing employment insurance rules after the parents of an injured soldier were told they could lose their benefits if they left Newfoundland and Labrador for more than a week to help care for their son in Ottawa."

 

RC-South Commander:  New Surge Won't Bring More Security Until 2010 - Expect More Attacks, Too - AFG President:  You Guys Couldn't Have Done This Sooner? - CAN PM Not Surprised at Study Showing AFG People Fell More Threatened than in 2004

 

FRA Suggests European Paramilitary Cops Train AFG Paramilitary Cops

 

NLD Update on AFG: "a "disappointing" deterioration of the security situation in Southern Afghanistan - with the notable exception of Uruzgan province, although the government hastens to add that the current relative quietness in Uruzgan is not a guarantee for the near future." (.pdf version of article) - AUS Gunners Prepare to Head Home

 

UN Uber-Envoy:  Aid Not Being Distributed by AFG Gov't Actually Splintering AFG

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Afghanistan's top religious council Friday called for a national conference including the Taliban to discuss ending the country's growing violence, with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah playing a role." - More

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "(F)oot patrol of invaders blew up, 7 soldiers killed and wounded in Kandahar 20/3/09" (GoogEng) - "Explosion kills 8 puppet soldiers in Deh Rawood in the province of Orugzan 21/03/09" (GoogEng) - 4 killed and wounded from the police in an attack in Khash Rod in the provnice of Nimroz 21/03/09 (GoogEng)

 

PAK Officials:  Mullah Omar's Not Here, Guys

 

 

 

20 Mar 09

Four CAN Soldiers Killed in Two Bombing Incidents:  CF Statement - Canadian Press

 

CAN Ops Boss in AFG:  More Boots On Ground Needed - Next ROTO May See More Troops Outside the Wire

 

Next ROTO Making Its Way Over - Some Bringing Hometown Flag - Latest CAN "Who's Where" List in AFG (.pdf permalink)

 

CAN Wishes AFG Happy New Year

 

The Torch:  Let the CF Speak, Dammit!

 

"Can Afghanistan Support a Beefed Up Military?"

 

UN Uber-Envoy for AFG: "Priorities in Afghanistan clear, but resources and will needed" - Statement Summary - Worries of Unfair Election Not Zero

 

Anti-Taliban MP Killed in Helmand IED Blast - MP a Former Int Boss - more - more - Taliban:  We Did It

 

Big Opium Haul by AFG Cops in Zabul

 

Another AUS Soldier Killed - More - Camp Bastion in Helmand to Grow x 3 - UK Sappers Open Bridge in Helmand

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "The likes of Harper and Obama so want the Afghan mission to end that they and our allies persuade themselves that "moderation" is a Taliban trait. It is a mistake of grievous consequences." (.pdf permalink)

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "In explosions a number of Canadian invader killed in Kandahar 19/3/09" (English, Arabic and Farsi versions) - "1 tank of British invaders army blew up in Helmand"

 

Analysis: "Can a Round of Poker Solve Afghanistan's Problems?"

 

"Risks Of Expanding Scope Of U.S. Strikes Within Pakistan Debated" - US Also Expanding Aid to PAK

 

19 Mar 09

Blimps + Towers = CAN IED System (Almost) Good to Go - Blimp Proposal Call

 

CAN Trade Min says AFG Wants to Build Trade Links - AFG ForMin to NATO Envoys: "Our joint partnership and commitment must not be reduced to only anti-terrorism campaign. In addition to addressing our urgent security needs, Afghanistan requires reconstruction and developmental assistances."

 

Top US/NATO Commander in AFG:  It's "Absolutely Winnable"

 

USA Seeking LOTS of Aviation Fuel for AFG, PAK (.pdf permalink) - Blog Commentary - More

 

USA Considering Faster Expansion of AFG Security Forces?

 

More on Latest Southern AFG Taliban Bosses Nailed - More

 

Helmand Parents Torn:  Kids to Taliban, or Kids to PAK Suicide Bomb School? - Gereshk Doing Better - Helmand Man Speaking to BBC: "When you fire rockets and guns, it lands in our houses; when the Taleban shoots, it also lands in our compounds. We are very scared of both of you." - Helmand Governor Says Taliban Forcing Farmers to Harvest Poppies

 

Taliban Grab Cut of Development Aid in Farah

 

News Conference on Latest AUS Fallen - Statement from Family - On His Way Home - More - POL Sending More Troops (But Doesn't Know How Many Yet) - Brit Commander Tells BBC Forces "Stretched"

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Haqqani network has agreed to discuss a peace proposal with government-backed mediators"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Killing and wounding in the ranks of invaders in Helmand 18/03/09" (GoogEng - mentions Israeli soldiers?) - Arabic version - "7 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "1 vehicle of puppet army destroyed 7 soldiers killed in Zabul"

 

Opinion:  "The 'Minimalist' Path Is Wrong for Afghanistan" - "Kilcullen's advice, as I read him, consists of three "don'ts." Don't do it again; don't make it worse by overescalation; don't think you can pull out now without damaging U.S. interests."

 

New think tank study: "A precondition for allied success is an Afghan state that is legitimate in the eyes of its citizens and able to provide them with essential services. A renewed U.S. commitment to funding grassroots development and governance in Afghanistan must therefore accompany the influx of troops." - Link to full report (.pdf)

 

 

18 Mar 09   

Embed Learns the Merits of Looking More Like the Others - What Canada's War Poet is Reading Before Deploying

 

Ronald Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007 Judge Dismisses Petition by Defence Counsel for Soldier Accused of Manslaughter - More

 

CAN Sailor Gets Star of Courage for Dismantling IED with Bayonet (After Vehicle Hit by Another IED)

 

More on One of the Wounded Working His Way Back

 

Reuters Photo of What the LAV Gunner Sees

 

More on CAN Ministers' "Law and Order" Visit - Gov't of CAN Statement - Backgrounder - Flickr Pix of Visit - Journalist/Blogger Disagrees with Minister's Assessment of Security Situation

 

NATO Sec-Gen Says 4K More Troops Needed for Election - "Stressed ISAF’s determination to support the upcoming elections and bring in more forces to secure the country" to Karzai - More on North Atlantic Council Envoys Dropping By - Flickr Pix of Visit

 

Helmand Civvies Get Educated About Things That Can Blow Up - Some Getting Fresh Start in Helmand Growing Wheat

 

Brit Kennels Prepare Poochies for AFG

 

Pretty Important Taliban Bosses in Helmand Nailed - Kandahar Bomb-makers Nailed, Too - More - Elsewhere in RC-South...

 

Worries About Protests Over Alleged Civvy Casualties May be Part of Taliban-driven Propaganda

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "The U.S. cannot trust Taliban promises not to support terrorism in the future .... It seems like our country has gone to a lot of time and trouble just to return to the 1990s."

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Puppet army commander vehicle ambushed in Kandahar" - "Puppet army convoy's ambushed, 9 puppets killed in Helmand" - How to Make Your Jihad Blog Less Menacing, More Inclusive

 

USA May Broaden UAV War Over PAK

 

 

17 Mar 09  

CAN Sapper Creates Small Robot to Help Inspect Suspicious Areas (.pdf permalink)

 

12 RBC Training for Coming ROTO (video)

 

CAN's Former RoCK:  It IS Winnable

 

CAN Foreign & Int'l Trade Ministers Drop By - Visit Sarposa Prison - More - CAN Helping Pay AFG Cop Salaries - More - more - NATO's North Atlantic Council Dropping By This Week, Too

 

Senator Wants it Easier for AFGs who Helped Troops to Come to CAN

 

Thunder Bay Elementary School Twins with Elementary School in Kandahar (.pdf permalink)

 

AUS Soldier Killed in Firefight in Kakarak, north of Tarin Kowt - More - ISAF Statement - UK ID's Latest Fallen - UK Testing New Armoured Vehicle for AFG

 

Protests Against Alleged Civilian Cas in Maywand - US Military: "The forces killed five militants who maneuvered on them during the operation."

 

EU To Help Monitor Election (If It's Safe Enough) - EU Statement:  "the EU will provide substantial financial assistance and, subject to security and other conditions being met, deploy an electoral observation mission." (.pdf permalink)

 

Taliban Threatening "Fixers" Helping Western Journalists - More

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  "Taliban says no peace talks with leader Mullah Omar" - More - more - Taliban statement:  "No negotiations with invaders and their puppets" (.pdf permalink) - More - "Plan to Split Taliban Lures Obama Deeper into War"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "7 puppet soldiers killed in an explosion in Shah Wali Kot in the provnice of Kandahar 16/03/09" (GoogEng) - "(P)uppet army vehicle destroyed in Kandahar" - "Martyrdom Operation kills 47 puppet terrorists in Helmand" - "Killing 3 English forces in Musa Qala in the province of Helmand 16/03/09" (GoogEng) - "1 tank of British invaders army blew up in Helmand" - More

 

RUS:  Surge Won't Fix Security - Analysis:  Opportunities for Shanghai Cooperation Organization-NATO Co-operation?

 

More AFG-Bound Trucks Destroyed in PAK

 

 

16 Mar 09   

Could CAN Learn from NLD's Example in Uruzgan?

 

The Torch on the "Americanization" of AFG's South - The Economist Says USA Surge Won't Be Enough

 

One of the Injured Finishes 5-K Fundraising Run - More

 

CAN, AUS and NLD Discussing AFG in ITA

 

+10 Killed by Suicide Bomber Dressed as Cop Attacking Station in Lashkar Gah - More - more - more - more

 

Three IEDs Neutralized in Sangin

 

UK 2 Bn Royal Welsh Fallen Identified - Two UK REME Killed in Garmsir Blast - ISAF statement - More - AUS "Actively Considering" Request for Mo' Troops - NLD Sending (A Few) More SF, Marines into Uruzgan - More

 

 

RC-South Brings Donations to Orphanage & Drug Treatment Centre - Flickr Pix from Visit - Polio Still Popping Up in Southern AFG - Here's One Big Reason Why

 

Taliban Spokesperson:  International Aid Workers Latest Targets as "Spies" - More - Health Centres Distributing Contraceptives=Taliban Targets

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  More on Mullah Omar Supporting Talks? - Or in "Talks About Talks"? - More - Optimism, But...

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "The vehicle of puppet mayor blew up in Kandahar city" - MORE Taliban Confusion About Brit vs. American Helicopters (Allegedly) Shot Down - "In 3 explosions a number of British invader killed in Helmand 15/3/09" (English, Arabic and Farsi version) - "Arrest of the regional commander in Khash Rod in Nimroz Province 14/03/09" - More

 

RUS Foreign Minister: "Russia supports US operations in Afghanistan and is ready to contribute to stabilising the country"

 

PAK Taliban Torches AFG-Bound Supplies - More - more

 

 

15 Mar 09   

CAN TF Boss:  Some Normality Returning to Life in K'Har - Has Nice Words for 2 RCR Troops

 

CAN Head of NATO Military Committee Says Other Countries Letting CAN Down

 

Kingston Paper Embed on PRT Work, Keeping Air Assets Flying and Driving Around K'Har

 

IED Planters Nailed in Sangin - K'Har Mayor Targeted, but Survives Blast

 

Millions Registering to Vote

 

Kandahar Co-op Operator Sarah Chayes: "No build-up in force strength, or stronger policing, can create security when its mission is to prop up a government that has been repudiated by the people" (.pdf - alternate .pdf download site) - Alternative Development Plan for AFG (alternate .pdf download site)

 

US Battalion Finds It Harder than Planned to Get Info in the South - Brit Soldier Killed in Blast During Musa Qala Foot Patrol - More

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  Mullah Omar Relents, Sends Reps to Saudi Talks? - Can Negotiations Succeed?

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Five policemen were killed in an attack on a post near Lashkargah." - "13 puppet army terrorists killed, 1 tank and 1 vehicle destroyed in Uruzgan" - "Even the women of Afghanistan would kill the Americans"

 

West "Lowering Sights" in AFG?

 

 

 

14 Mar 09   

CAN Fighting IEDs in AFG

 

CAN UAV Wing Clipped in January Accident

 

Kingston Whig-Standard Embed on Camp Mirage, more on Camp Mirage, the Mail and the Sigs

 

One CAN Air Force Tech's Story in AFG - More on CAN Chinook Into Battle

 

Former CAN CDS:  Job of Stabilizing AFG Won't Be Over by 2011

 

Latest Map of Who's Where (Drawn from Open Sources) (.pdf)

 

UN Sec Gen Recommends Another Year's Mandate of Mission - Calls 2009 "Critical Year" - Says Things May Get Worse in 2009 - Calls Coming Election "Crucial Test" - UN SecGen's Report to Security Council - Alternate .pdf download site

 

Think Tank Report (.pdf): "Winning in Afghanistan: Creating Effective Afghan Security Forces"

 

AUS VC Special Forces Trooper Can Still Head Downrange - UK, DNK Help Rebuild Helmand

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "(C)ar of puppet police blew up, 8 soldiers killed in (M)aiwand, Kandahar 13/3/09" (GoogEng)  - "8 puppet police terrorists killed and 1 vehicle destroyed in Kandahar; American invader base in Kandahar" - "Killing 15 puppet soldiers in Helmand 13/03/09" (GoogEng) - "(T)wo powerful explosions killed and wounded 13 puppet soldiers in Tirin Kot, Uruzgan 13/3/09" (GoogEng) - "(P)uppet army post captured and 4 terrorists killed in Uruzgan" - "Attack on invaders convoy, 7 invaders killed in Dilaram, Nimroz 13/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

Opinion:  "The key question for those who advocate pulling back is this: Where will we get the intelligence to direct (more Special Forces) raids?" - Globe & Mail Columnist Bashes "Fixer Journalism" (.pdf permalink)

 

70 Countries Taking Part in 31 Mar 09 AFG Summit

 

 

 

13 Mar 09  

Marc Diab, R.I.P.:  He's Home - More - more - more - more

 

Video:  One Soldier Tells Story of Protecting CIMIC Troops in AFG

 

More on CAN's "Lost Leopards"

 

Analysis:  How AUS COIN Expert Says Tailban Can be Defeated - Commentary on Prairie Pundit How Stopping Special Ops is a Win for the Taliban

 

Helmand Residents Get Explosives Awareness Education

 

Brit Marines Help Out AFG Forces in Recent Op - Brit Bomb Squad Busy - Brit Harriers Busy, Too - "The Dutch model; The flower-strewers partly vindicated" in Uruzgan? - Commentary on The Torch - AUS Bracing for Request for More Troops

 

Analysis: "the Taliban are still losing 15-20 men for every foreign soldier killed (and) have had to raise the pay of their fighters, to $300 or more a month, and they are finding fewer takers" (.pdf permalink)

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  Think Tank Report Discourages "Negotiations with jihadi groups, especially from a position of weakness" (.pdf download site 1 - .pdf download site 2) - More

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "9 puppet army terrorists killed and one vehicle destroyed in Helmand" - "Liberation of a police post in Tarinkot in the province of Oruzgan" (GoogEng) - Taliban Tell Al Jazeera They're Still Going to Fight

 

AFG VP Says CAN's Role in AFG Hurts Our Reputation

 

"The White House will complete its strategy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan as early as next week before mounting a new push for help from NATO and other allies"

 

Opinion:  "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has suggested Iran be invited to an international conference on Afghanistan planned for the end of March."

 

USA Chooses General as New Ambassador to AFG

 

PAK Taliban Seeking $375K for Kidnapped Web Page Producer from Vancouver - The Web Page Right Now

 

IRN Reportedly Willing to Attend AFG Summit Scheduled 31 Mar in the Hague

 

 

12 Mar 09  

CAN to USA:  Bring Tanks to AFG, They're Handy (.pdf permalink)

 

Remembering the Invisibly Wounded

 

More on Heliborne Assault Using CAN Choppers to Ferry CAN Troops (.pdf permalink) - Reservists as Helicopter Door Gunners

 

ISAF Supports AFG Security Forces in Operation AABI TOORAH in Helmand

 

More on Talib Released from Gitmo Now Being Taliban Ops Boss in Helmand - More

 

AFG Envoy to USA:  West Isn't Doing Enough to Win

 

TUR Media:  USA Recruiting Kurdish Fighters in IRQ to Fight in AFG

 

USA Def Int Agency Boss:  AQ Returning to AFG (.pdf permalink) - USA SecDef: "U.S. Won’t Allow Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan"

 

The Economist Meets Special Forces in Uruzgan

 

Talkin' to the Taliban: "A Tricky Proposition" - "U.S. Supports Afghan-Taliban Reconciliation, With Caveats"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "2 tanks of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - "In a ambush 5 invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "1 tank of British invaders army blew up in Helmand" - "5 puppet army soldiers killed, check post demolished in Helmand" - "1 vehicle of puppet army destroyed in Helmand" - "7 puppet army terrorists killed in Uruzgan"

 

Opinion:  "Canada's efforts are mostly in Kandahar. Canada's losses are mostly in Kandahar. When we leave in 2011, we are leaving Kandahar, and that's where our impact/legacy will be remembered and our success measured." - "This is not a war being well fought, nor one that serves Canada's best interest. Canadians who are dying there are doing so in vain, and they deserve better than condolent press releases." - "Washington's reliance on the unstable former Soviet republics in Central Asia shows how few options it has in this war."

 

 

11 Mar 09

Marc Diab, R.I.P.:  Arriving Home Tomorrow Afternoon - CF Media Advisory - More - Another Way to Pay Respects

 

CAN Air Wing a Step Closer to "Full Operational Capability" (.pdf permalink)

 

CAN DefMin Says He's Working on Getting New Tanks Into Action ASAP - CAN For Affairs Min Says Same

 

The Economist on "The Tribes of ISAF"

 

Academic:  Ten AFG Soldiers, Cops Killed for Every CAN Troop Killed

 

AFG Fixer/Freelancer, Former Bagram Guest, Shot Dead in Kandahar - More - more - more - more - more - Wikipedia profile

 

Top Taliban Ops Officer in South Former Gitmo Guest (.pdf permalink) - His File (from NY Times)

 

Part of USA Surge to Train AFG Cops - Next British ROTO Heads Downrange - Family of Fallen Ghurka Allowed to Stay in UK - November 2008 Statement on Colour Sergeant Dura's Death

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  Some (Initial) Talkin' Already Going On - USA VP Says Outreach Must be Done by AFG - DEU Def Mni Agrees - Biden Figures 7/10 Taliban Ripe for Turning? - Taliban Mullah Suspects Talks Proposed Only to Split Movement - AFG Women Want a Role in Any Talkin' to the Taliban

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Killing an intelligence officer in Kandahar 10/03/09" (GoogEng) - "Killing 13 and wounding 5 from the enemy soldiers in Helmand" (GoogEng) - "Killing 8 soldiers including the commander (Amanullah) by an IED in Zabul 10/03/09" (GoogEng)

 

USA Veep Consults NATO Allies on AFG - NATO Statement - Says War Tough, but "Far from Lost"

 

Opinion:  "If U.S. president wanted our troops to stay in Afghanistan, could we say no?" - "They died, as will many more, in an ill-defined mission that defied all the rules of counterinsurgency, sent by an enthusiastic general who has curiously become a kind of media hero, and by gullible politicians who did not ask the right questions, did not know the country, the nature of the war, the precise aims, the equipment required to fight it, and how to define success." - "The fact is that Afghans view American and NATO forces as their liberators, while they perceived the Soviet forces as invaders and occupiers with a godless ideology." - "Has Washington learned nothing from the Soviet experience?"

 

 

10 Mar 09

Marc Diab, R.I.P.: On His Way Home - More - "Soldier killed in latest Taliban attack dreamed of career in military" - More - more - CF Combat Camera Photos

 

Erin Melivin Doyle, 1976-2008, R.I.P.:  The Guy with the Red Beard (2.1 MB .pdf permalink)

 

How One of the Wounded is Doing - Original Story About Injury

 

CAN Army Boss:  Forces May Need One Year "Operational Break" After AFG Mission - More - more - "We are running out of time to keep your army functioning the way that it should because our vehicle breakage rates are now higher than I've ever seen them"

 

Defence Construction Canada Civilian Working in K'Har PRT (.pdf permalink)

 

US SpecOps Forces Put Some AFG Ops on Pause?

 

USA Gov't Watchdog Report:  More Troops Needed to Help Train Growing AFG Police, Interior Forces - Media Spin:  AFG Forces Under More Pressure from Enemy (check pg. 10 of full report in .pdf)

 

NATO Backroom Whispers that AUS "Overstating" Contribution to AFG Fight? - EU Says No More Troops to AFG

 

More Kids Going to School in Uruzgan

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  CAN Gov't - Only the AFG Gov't Can Choose to Speak to Taliban - More - more - Taliban Spokesperson Says No Such Thing as Moderates in Movement; Reiterates "No Talks Until Foreign Troops Leave" - More - more - Some Analysts Say USA Position "Useless" - "A futile search for 'moderate' Taliban"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "1 tank of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - English+Arabic version - Taliban Struggles to Sort Out American from British Helicopters? - "Destruction of two tanks belonging to the foreign forces in a face to face battle in Helmand 09/03/09" (GoogEng) - "Taliban killing 9 foreign troops in a fierce battle in Helmand 09/03/09" (GoogEng) - "1 vehicle of puppet army destroyed in Helmand" - "4 police surrender in Helmand" - "7 puppet army terrorists killed in Uruzgan"

 

"Top UN envoy to Afghanistan visits Iran to boost ties"

 

9 Mar 09

Marc Diab, R.I.P.:  CF Statement - ISAF Statement - Governor General/Commander in Chief's Statement - Prime Minister's Statement - Minister of National Defence's Statement - Petawawa Daily Observer - Canadian Press - CanWest/Global - More - Globe & Mail - Toronto Star - Associated Press - Agence France-Presse - Army.ca Condolences Thread - More below on first item of "Taliban Propaganda Watch"

 

CAN Helicopters Carry CAN Troops Into, Out of Battle (.pdf permalink) - More - more - more

 

Commander of US/ISAF Troops:  More Needs to be Done to Win the Fight in South, Some of East - More

 

Taliban Continue to Use Civilians as Human Shields in Attacking ISAF Troops

 

CAN DevMin:  Funding Cuts to Find Money for AFG "Temporary"

 

Mid-level Taliban Boss Nailed in Maywand, Bad Guys Nailed in Oruzgan (paragraphs 6 thru 9)

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  USA Twisting Arms Via Predator to Get Moderate Elements to Negotiate - Opinion "Talk with the Taliban? It may be necessary"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "1 tank of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - "Battle in Nad Ali, Helmend 7/3/09" (GoogEng) - "Battle in Nad Ali continue 8/3/09" (GoogEng) - "4 tanks of American invaders army destroyed in Helmand" - "In a ambush 23 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "In a ambush 3 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "Invaders killed 12 civilians in Uruzgan 7/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

More on Converting Opium Farmers to Saffron Farmers

 

Opinion:  "Eliminate Afghan grievances, not Afghans with grievances"

 

 

8 Mar 09

Marc Diab, R.I.P.:   Royal Canadian Dragoon Killed in IED  Incident NE  of Kandahar

 

How CAN Infantry Help Plan Air Operations in AFG

 

AFG Envoy to CAN:  Uh, Yeah, the Taliban CAN be Defeated

 

RAF Chinook Pilot Gets DFC for Saving Coalition Ally in Ambush - More

 

Talkin' to the Taliban:  USA Pres Open to "Outreach"? - Original Article Quoting Pres with Idea - AFG Pres Happy to Hear It - More

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "In a ambush 23 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "In a ambush 3 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "Martyrdom Operation kills 19 puppet soldiers in Nemroz"

 

Some AFG Farmers Switching from Opium to Pot

 

Kandahar, Daikundi to Host Int'l Women's Day Marches Against the Burqua - More - UN Uber Envoy Statement - More - UN SecGen Message - CAN's Contribution to Women's Week - What CAN Women are Doing

 

7 Mar 09 

Denis Raymond Brown, Dany Olivier Fortin, Chad O’Quinn, R.I.P.:  They're Home - More - more - Opinion:  "There is much Canadians don't know about their fallen"

 

CAN Making Progress with Elders in Panjwai (.pdf permalink)

 

What (Some) CAN Artillery Troops are Up To in AFG

 

CAN PM:  Victory = Pushing Back Taliban Enough to Facilitate Development Surge (.pdf permalink) - CAN DefMin to NATO:  Can't Take Foot Off the Gas Just Because of USA Surge - USA SecState: "U.S., NATO Have ‘Unity of Purpose’ in Afghan Mission"

 

Flickr of CAN Supporting Int'l Women's Week in AFG - News release

 

AFG Pres Accepts August Election

 

Two Cops Killed in Nimroz Police Station Homicide Attack - Taliban's Version:  "Martyrdom Operation kills 19 puppet soldiers in Nemroz"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "British invader army helicopter shot down in Helmand" - "3 soldiers of puppet army have joined mujahideen in Helmend 6/3/09" (GoogEng) - "1 vehicle of puppet army destroyed 6 soldiers killed in Zabul"

 

Replacing Poppies with Saffron in K'Har?

 

USA Officer:  Securing AFG-PAK Border "High Priority"

 

AFG Supply Chain Still Weak Point - USA Sees Deal Coming on Tajik Transit Rights - "Making Nice with Russia and Iran, for A'stan's Sake"

 

6 Mar 09 

Denis Raymond Brown, Dany Olivier Fortin, Chad O’Quinn, R.I.P.:  Coming Home Today - More - more - more - One of the Injured Tells His Story (.pdf permalink) - Family, Friends Remember - Opinion:  "It's seven years later and Canada' s deep commitment to its neighbor to the south is still measured by the flagged-draped coffins that come home bearing the red, white and maple leaf." - World Socialists Pipe In

 

Gaetan Roberge, R.I.P.: Father Has Questions About Burial

 

CAN Air Force Boss: "Armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with air to ground weapons are a valuable capability and it's a good option to have, and it is a good option for Canadians to have"

 

More on CAN's Contribution to AFG Election in Chinese Media .... but Not in CAN Media? - More - AFG Politicians Support August Election

 

CAN, USA Defence Ministers Discuss AFG Approach - CAN DefMin Says WAY More than Military Needed to Win - Meanwhile, NATO Foreign Ministers Discuss AFG

 

CAN Considering Own "Special Envoy"

 

CAN Taxpayer Federation Underwhelmed with "Roadshow Promoting Canada's Role in Afghanistan"

 

Report Leaked to UK Media "damning of a US military often unwilling to share intelligence among its military allies"

 

UK Historian: "Afghanistan Is Better Than You Think"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Killing 6 policemen in Kandahar 05/03/09" (GoogEng) - "Losses of American invaders army in operation in Garmser, Helmend 5/3/09" (GoogEng) - "In a ambush 5 British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "In 7 explosions a number of British invader killed in Helmand" - "A number of British invaders soldiers killed in Helmand" - "British invaders army base attacked in Helmand"

 

Opinion:  "Every armed outsider bends over backwards to accommodate religion and tradition and consultation with elders .... There is no aim to destroy Afghanistan in order to reinvent it in whatever dim echo of democracy, Islamic-style, the citizenry favours. The vast majority of Afghans understand this. Too many Canadians don't." - "It's not something you can "win," because it's not a conventional war. It's long past time Canadians, and their media, cottoned on."

 

"NATO Commander Notes ‘Warming of Relations’ Between Pakistan, Afghanistan"

 

 

 

5 Mar 09

Denis Raymond Brown, Dany Olivier Fortin, Chad O’Quinn, R.I.P.:  On Their Way Home - Governor General/Commander in Chief's Statement - Prime Minister's Statement - Minister of National Defence Statement - Spring Offensive? - "Expected soldier-husband to die in Afghanistan but still shocked, teary widow says" - "Fallen soldier was proud to be a member of Lincs and Winks" - More - Colleagues Mourn - "Oromocto High grad killed" - "He will be missed"

 

CAN's Third Quarterly Report Just Out (.pdf) - .html version - Alternate .pdf site - News release - "Ottawa's latest quarterly report on the Afghanistan conflict paints a bleak picture of deteriorating security but the Harper government insists Canada's $11.3-billion mission in the strife-torn country is still making gains."

 

CAN's Share of Help for Elections - UN Welcomes August Election - NATO Welcomes August Election - ISAF Commander's Statement - More on August Election

 

"The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), supported by International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), recently conducted the latest in the Operation GHARTSE PALANG series, targeting known facilitators of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and disrupting the flow of enemy weapons and funding in Helmand Province’s Sangin area." - "A boy injured by insurgent fire near Kajaki has been treated by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) doctors."

 

More on New Cops Graduating in Helmand - "European politicians are looking in vain for policemen willing to go to Afghanistan to help train their colleagues"

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  REPEAT "1 tank of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - "(O)ther tank of invaders destroyed in Arghandab, Kandahar 4/3/09" (English, Arabic + Persian)

 

4 Mar 09

Denis Raymond Brown, Dany Olivier Fortin, Chad O’Quinn, R.I.P.:  CF statement - ISAF statement - Canadian Press - CanWest/National Post - Globe & Mail - CBC.ca - The Guardian (UK) - Bloomberg - Deutsche Press-Agentur (more in "Taliban Propaganda Watch" below)

 

How CF Helps Train Non-Military Gov't Workers to Deploy (video)

 

One CAN Corrections Officer's Story

 

300 More AFG Cops on Streets in Helmand - Bad Boy Boss, 16 Others Nailed in Helmand

 

CAN Helps Rebuild Water Point in K'Har Province - Brits Pumping in More Aid $

 

AFG Election Panel Rejects Early Election - More - more

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "1 tank of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - "(B)attle in Girishk continue, 5 (B)ritish invaders killed, 3 wounded, 1 tank destroyed 3/3/09" (GoogEng) - English version 1 (first item) - "Mortars fired at British invaders base in Helmand" - Alternate version, mentioning Dutch in title

 

Opinion:  "Canada's plan to leave Afghanistan in 2011 will be a risky move: The Taliban might well be able to fight or buy their way back into control of at least a portion of the country." - "When even modest goals are ambitious" - "A homegrown Afghan militia may be more accountable to the civilian population -- more cautious about atrocious collateral damage that regularly takes place in the country."

 

CAN University's Fragile States Country Report No. 20, Afghanistan (.pdf): "Over the last two years, Afghanistan has seen increases in risk scores for four of its six measures of performance including Governance, the Economy, Human Development, and Crime & Security making it now the second most fragile state in the CIFP index"

 

NATO May Ask CHN for Support, Supply Routes

 

"(PAK) Taliban rivals unite to fight US troop surge" - Jihadist Web Page says "Muslims Should Still Fight PAK Troops Because they Represent a Bad Government" (.pdf permalink) - Meanwhile, the Hunt for PAK's Taliban Boss Continues (.pdf permalink)

 

 

3 Mar 09

CF Investigation:  It Wasn't CAN Munitions that Killed Kids (.pdf permalink) - ISAF Statement (.pdf permalink) - More - more - more - Maybe Taliban IED? - More

 

CAN Announces Consolidation of Care for Injured, Families of the Fallen - More - more (.pdf permalink to all three documents combined)

 

Author of Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan (.pdf - alternate download site):  "The prime minister is right that the objective should be to 'Afghanize' security, by training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces, army and police, so that they take it over" - Critics Allege Flip Flop - More - Father of Fallen Calls Talk "Defeatist" - Opinion:  "2011 is not as far away as it seems. CNN studios may be a more comfortable environment, but it is in Parliament where the future of the mission will soon need to be addressed once more."

 

"The Moustache Has Landed" in K'Har

 

23 Feb 09 Sangin Firefight Probe:  "while the Enemies of Afghanistan were using civilian houses, religious facilities and other community buildings for their terrorist activities, in Sangin, on the 23 Feb, at the Gul Agha Sheli Village, they ambushed an ISAF Patrol, which defended itself as the attack continued for a few hours" - More

 

UN:  Early Elections in April "Nearly Impossible" - NATO Says August Better Bet - More

 

Advisor of AFG Pres Complaining About Situation in Kandahar

 

Four DNK Troops Wounded in S.AFG Blasts - USA Contractor Killed in Uruzgan Blast - UK's 19 Light Brigade Heading Downrange - Next USA Units Headed Downrange - More - more

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "Puppet intelligence service official killed in Kandahar" -

(Alternative link in English & Arabic) - "5 puppet army soldiers killed 3 wounded in Kandahar" - (Alternative link in English, Arabic & Persian) - "Preparing the Mujahidin: The Taliban’s Military Field Manual" (.pdf permalink to blog posting)

 

Opinion:  "....the United States did not invade Afghanistan; the Canadian Forces did not first go into the country on a peacekeeping mission; and there never was any indication that any of the various Canadian missions would be over in two months...." - "Les soldats vont-ils simplement «faire du temps»?" - "The illusions, evasions and distractions of 2002 help explain the crisis of 2009"

 

Red Cross:  Civvies Could Bear Brunt of Cranked Up War Effort - More - more

 

RUS Allows Transit of Cargo Train Bound for AFG

 

2 Mar 09

CAN General: New Manual Will "shape the future of Afghan war"

 

CAN PM: "Coalition troops serving in Afghanistan will never rid the country of insurgents and won’t win the war simply by maintaining a presence in the area" - More - more - more - 8 Minute CNN Interview 

 

"Military investigators in Afghanistan have found that an explosion that killed three Afghan children was caused by old munitions and not explosives belonging to Canadian troops.  Kandahar governor Tooryalai Wesa and the new commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, announced the investigation's results to reporters in Kandahar late Monday afternoon local time. "

 

Analysis: "Canada Rules The Night Air"

 

CAN Aid Projects in AFG Funded through Earlier Cuts to Other Aid Programs

 

NATO Sec-Gen on Allies Not Doing More: "It's not always easy to find the money for these very costly and expensive missions abroad. From time to time it's a lack of political will. .... From time to time it is a matter of limiting the modus operandi of the forces, the so-called caveats ...." - NATO Members May Do More to Boost AFG Cop Training?

 

Coalition Forces Kill Militants in Afghanistan, Seize Caches in Maywand District

 

ISAF Treats Kid Apparently Injured in Helmand Mortar Attack

 

"Afghan President Accused of 'Sabotage' Over Election Date"

 

Pro-Gov't Cleric Gunned Down in Kandahar

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "1 tank of Canadian invaders army destroyed in Kandahar" - Alternative Version, w/English, Google Translation from Arabic and Persian - "6 puppet army soldiers killed, check post demolished in Kandahar" - "(T)ank of (B)ritish invaders blew up in Helmend 1/3/09" (GoogEng)

 

Opinion:  Stopwar.ca Blog Pipes In About Kids Killed by Unexploded Ordnance

 

 

1 Mar 09

AFG Prez Seeks Elections in April, Not August - More - CAN Troops Getting Ready for Possible Early Election - USA Still Backs Later Election Date

 

Women Doing More Closer to the Front

 

CAN PM Calls AFG Major Test for NATO - More - more - more

 

USA Int:  IRN Supplying SA14 Gremlin Anti-Air Missiles to Taliban (.pdf permalink) - MILNEWS.ca Open Source Bibliography on Taliban MANPADS

 

Provincial Reconstruction Teams Share Ideas, Best Practices - Flickr Pix: Helping Out Widows, Children of Fallen ANA, Those Living Near Kandahar Air Field

 

New AFG Cops Grad near Kandahar - Flickr Pix of Grad - Long War Journal's AFG Cop Update

 

Bad Guys, Weapons Nabbed in Raid in Khakrez District - Mines Recovered in Uruzgan

 

"Privately the Americans are fiercely critical that the overstretched British are merely “treading water” until more US forces arrive this summer."

 

UK Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Poochie in Helmand

 

Taliban Propaganda Watch:  "4 police surrender in Helmand" - Original in Arabic - "Four collective martyrdom operations killed 17 and wounded 10 invaders in Helmend 27/2/09" (GoogEng) - Original in Arabic - Azerbaijan Media Account - "Attacked a supplying convoy of American invaders in Kandahar"[/url] - "1 tank of Australian invaders army blew up in Uruzgan" - "In a ambushed a tanks of American invaders destroyed in Zabul" - "2 puppet army soldiers killed, check post demolished in Nemroz"

 



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