If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.
You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

CANinKandaharMay2008

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 11 months ago

News

May 2008

CAN in Kandahar News Archive (Apr-Dec 2006)

31 May 08

CF Pushing in OP Rolling Thunder in Zhari; Firefights but No Cas - OP Reportedly Wraps Up Successfully (.pdf version) - Canadiens effectuent opération antitalibans en AFG

Rockets on K'Har Part of the Routine

Guy Laroche a vécu un été «chaud» en AFG - GoogEng: Outgoing CF General Found it Hot

Reporter Blog: Why the Troops Say They're There (.pdf version)

More Troops Taking Meds to Help Sleep - Nos soldats sont dépressifs - Plus

Zabul Governor, Bodyguards Nailed

Brit Medic Shoots Would-Be Bomber, then Saves His Life

Opinion: Columnist - "If you want to survive you'll have to broaden the base of the regime, forget (liberalism), make a deal with the truly influential forces… You'll have to revive Islam, respect traditions and try to show the people some tangible benefits from the revolution." - Time to Talk to the Taliban - "Americans bring Afghans their new 60-year plan" (.pdf version)

More on USA Worries that PAK Safe Havens Can Help Keep AFG Insurgency Going - More - more - USA SecDef: PAK Needs More Time to Get a Grip - Meanwhile, USA Democrat Questions Military Aid to PAK - Says Paramilitary USA is Helping Pay For Could be Helping Taliban - USA Senator Reassured PAK Will Do Its Part - AFG Pres Not So Worried?

More on the Push to Deal with Opium

30 May 08

AFG Elders Encourage CF to Focus on Terrorists, Not Taliban - More

More on CAN Being Pushed to Create Jobs in AFG

CAN PM's Office Backtracks on Report of ITA Removing Caveats - More (.pdf) - more - more - more (.pdf) - more - more

L'armée a dû rectifier le tir de Bernier - GoogEng: CAN General Says Bernier Comments on K'Har Governor Caused Extra Work

CF Reservist Boned for Pension Time @ Civilian Job While on Tour

Liberal MP Back from "Secret" Visit Says Mission Going OK - Another MP Pipes Up, Too

New Causeway Opens in K'Har Province - Kidnapped Docs Released in K'Har - "ISAF Marines" Build Trust, Support in Helmand

Retired USMC to Look Into USA Reconstruction Spending in AFG - More - Calls for More Emphasis on Cop Training, Not Development, to Win Hearts & Minds (.pdf permalink) - UN SecGen Attending Paris Conference on Aid

Slovakia Sending Troops to Uruzgan - Brit Mil Cop Shares Good, Bad Stories from Helmand - NOR Troops Pulled Outta the Fray, Into Training AFG Troops? - AFG Official Quoted Saying They Don't Give a #$% if DEU Troops Leave

Opinion: Why CF Needs HUMINT in AFG - "Anyone who travels through the country with Western troops soon realizes that NATO forces would have to be increased tenfold for peace to be even a remote possibility."

PAK Nat'l Secur Advisor Briefs NATO Delegation - NATO Optimistic PAK Will Get Back At 'Er in the Border Zones - USA General Not So Optimistic - Hopes So, Though - More - more

NATO Wants AFG to do More About Opium Trade - AFG Seeking to Revive Farm Sector - "Mr. Market" the Answer?

Taliban Says Osama's Not Dead Yet - Taliban Claim Shoot-down of Civvy Chopper in Khost (.pdf)

29 May 08

CAN Aiming to Get AFG Cops (At Least a Bit) Literate - Meanwhile, Europe Lagging on AFG Cop Training

CAN Troops Tell AUS Reporter Fighting Under ISAF Sucks, Diss Aussies Restricted in Night Ops? (.pdf permalink)

Study on Taliban Org (.pdf): "the Taliban are becoming self-sustaining by producing effects that feed back into their resource base. Thus, the movement is capable of surviving and, in the absence of a U.S. and NATO presence, eventually ruling the Pashtu-dominated region of Afghanistan and spreading its sphere of influence into the FATA and other regions of Pakistan" - Alternate download site (.pdf)

Aid Convoy Headed to Part of RC-South Seized by Bad Guys - AFG Red Crescent Distributes Food in Helmand

12 May 08 Quarterly UN Progress Report on ISAF (.pdf)

Civvy Killed in Homicide Bombing Attack near Police Station in Lashkar Gah

ITA Tells CAN PM Change in Caveats Being Studied - UK DefMin Finds "Progress & Optimism" in Helmand During Visit - Latest Fallen Brit Identified - Brits to Get Mo' Armour Protection - RAF Building Schools, Bringing Power into Remote Areas - Culture Shock for Scots Training ANA - Brits Raise Money for Wounded via Helmand Half-Marathon

PAK Says Two Big Taliban Bad Boys Swapped for Nabbed Envoy, Army Officers - USA "Skeptical" of PAK-Taliban "Peace" Deal

Food Weather: Warmer Than Usual, Expect "Extreme Heat" in SW - .pdf version w/maps

28 May 08

CAN Commons Defence Committee Kept Under Wraps during Secret AFG Visit - More - more - If You Want CF Imagery of the Visit... - Committee Chair: AFGs Want Jobs, Not Handouts

Medals of Bravery to CAN Troops Hucking Ammo Outta Burning Vehicle Post-Suicide Attack - More - GG News Release

CF Soldier Says Progress is Being Made - More

CAN Access to Info Watchdog Defends Holding Back Info on Detainees - "Mad Max" Bernier's Prodigal Briefing Notes Left at Girlfriend's Had AFG Mission Info (.pdf permalink)

LOTSA Bombs, Death by Taliban in South - More - Elsewhere, Too - New Taliban Messaging: Suicide Bombers Don't Die

Worries About a Support the Troops Event? - More - more - more - Army.ca Discussion (including family of the fallen speaking out)

More on Rededication of Memorial Inukshuk

Opinion: The "Israeli Approach" in AFG, PAK? - Why Anti-War Movement Thinks CAN Should GTFO (.pdf permalink) - Army.ca Discussion/Rebuttals

UK DefMin: "The Taliban will never rule Afghanistan again but its influence threatens to become entrenched in the country's south" - AUS Army Journal Article: "Coalition military forces in Afghanistan must remain responsive to the needs and directions of the fledgling national government while developing the infrastructure required for law and order." (.pdf) - USA Says AFG Cops Starting to Get Better - Worries About the Death of an Irish Soldier in Bagram?

Blogger on Why Alternate Crops Ain't Working Yet Against Opium: "Market incentives have operated on small, very poor, former subsistence farmers, who got so much more cash for poppy than foodstuffs that it wasn't a choice." - AFG Drug Minister Expecting Opium Drop

NATO Calls on PAK to Avoid Spillover into AFG - UK Def Min Supports PAK-Taliban Talks - Meanwhile, Taliban Keeps Saying They'll Keep Attacking AFG - So, THAT's Where Osama Is These Days! - More

27 May 08

CF Considering Something Between Tank and AFV for AFG

CF Commander Says HUMINT Has Been At Work for Some Time in AFG - Still, Critics Worry? (.pdf permalink) - Army.ca Public Discussion of Issue

Friendly Fire Inukshuk Re-Dedicated at KAF

CAN Rejigging PMC Contracts to Adjust Rules of Engagement

Reporter: KAF Pretty Cushy Compared to FOBs (.pdf permalink)

More on PAK's Taliban Continuing to Fight in AFG, But Willing to Talk - More

One CAN Diplomat's Story at K'Har PRT

Opinion: "We can't just take them out" - "The fate of our soldiers and their families should not be the fodder of stump speeches used to divide our country."

USMC Working at "Clearing Space for Optimism" in South - New Hope for Helmand with New Governor? - Brit Worries About Armour on AFVs - EST Good to Go in Helmand - AUS Officers Say Troops "Ashamed" of Low Risk Missions? - Australian Army Journal articles (.pdf) - AUS Army Boss: No Shame in Missions

More on ITA to Be More "Flexible" About Getting Troops Into the Fight - More - Translation: ITA DefMin Says Caveats Changing in June, with Shorter "Ready to Move By" Time (GoogleEnglish translation) - While Cutting Size of AFG Contingent? - More

EU Council: "Security and rule of law remain key challenges to progress in Afghanistan. A lack of security in parts of the country is compounded by weak judicial and law enforcement institutions. " (.pdf) - MSWord version - More on EU Doubling Police Trg Mission

UK Says Terrorism in the Area Needs Regional Solutions - More

26 May 08

More on CF Troops Injured in Homicide Bomber Blast - More - more - more - more (.pdf permalink) - 4 soldats CAN blessés dans attentat à la bombe

CBC.ca: CF Setting Up New Int Unit for AFG?

CAN PM's Spokesperson Confident NATO Will Send Mo' Troops (.pdf permalink)

PAK Media: Canadian National (Reportedly) Nabbed Entering AFG Illegally, Then Released (.pdf permalink) - More (.pdf permalink)

CF Women Helping AFG Women, One-on-One in Many Cases - Female Globe & Mail Reporter on (Not) Encountering Women

More Bravery Medals Being Awarded to CF Members

CF Gunner Victim of ID Theft While Overseas

ANP Getting Better in Helmand?

Taliban Says They'll Fight As Long as Foreign Troops are in AFG - More - more

Brit Killed in Explosion in Sangin - More on EST Soldier Killed in Accident in Helmand - POL Sending ~400 Mo' Troops - (Only A Bit) More on Taliban Changing Tactics

USA Official to NATO Parliamentarians: "parliamentarians have an important role to play in educating the public and their colleagues on the NATO mission in Afghanistan and the need to give the Alliance the capabilities it needs to pursue the common security agenda" - PAK Media: USA DefSec Admits Better Post-Soviet Ending in AFG May Have Prevented Current Fracas (.pdf permalink)

Opinion: Afghans Not the ONLY Corrupt Ones in the Mix

How Governments, Media Communicate the War

25 May 08

Canadian Press: CAN Troops Injured, One AFG Child Killed in Homicide Bomber Blast - Globe & Mail - CBC.ca - CanWest - More - Attentat suicide dirigé contre un convoi de l'Otan près d'une base à Kandahar a tué un civil afghan - Quatre soldats canadiens sont blessés - Plus - plus

How CF Troops Winning Loyalty through Base, Projects in Arghandab - Troops Head Out to Fix Stuff in K'har Province

More on PAK Taliban Boss Vowing to Continue Fight in AFG - More - Promises to Target USA Troops in AFG - "A Jihad Between Neighbours" - AFG Calls in PAK to Get a Grip - USA SecOfState: PAK Not Trying to Create Problems for AFG - NATO Saying It's Already Causing More Headaches in AFG - AFG Media: Brits Support PAK Peace Deal? (.pdf permalink)

Un commando d'élite afghan va épauler les Canadiens à Kandahar - Plus

CF Officer Writes Home from Kabul - «On a accompli plus qu’on avait prévu» - Soldats québécois reviennent de loin

Afghanistan : Manley s'inquiète du suivi de ses recommandations

Opinion: CAN Renting UAV's from ISR Maybe Not Such a Great Idea? (.pdf permalink)

Attentat suicide dirigé contre un convoi de l'Otan près d'une base à Kandahar a tué un civil afghan

Bad Boys Nailed in Helmand - More - more - more - more - Brits Chasing Even More

EU Expanding AFG Police Training Mission - More

EST Soldier Killed in Accident at UK Base in Helmand - Brits Having Trouble Being Compensated for Injuries Linked to Old Soviet Mines? - Actress May Sue AUS Gov't Over Leaked Allegation of Sex with SAS in AFG

FRA ForMin: Need to Talk to Taliban (But Up to AFG Gov't When) - Réconciliation devra passer par les talibans, estime Kouchner - Brit MP Says Fight Could Last "A Generation"

Local Drought, Regional Shortages Drive Up Bread Costs - Returning Refugees Pressuring AFG Drug Addiction Treatment System

24 May 08

PAK Taliban Says They'll Keep Fighting in AFG - More - more - more - PAK Peace Deal Almost A Done Deal - More

CF Looking for Combat Vets to Become Counsellors

Rocket Attack Breaks Up Troops' Entertainment - More

CF PRT Officer Writes Home

Bad Boys Nail Selves in "Own Goal" in Helmand - More Killed the Old Fashioned Way, Too - More - Chasin' Bad Boys, Bringing Help in Zabul

AFG Air Force Still Five Years Off

Brits Preparing for Taliban Push in Helmand - Brit Coroner Trashes Nimrod ISTAR Planes Following Inquest into AFG Crash - Worries About Grounding Nimrods - UK MoD: No Need to Worry - Nimrod MR2 - This Isn't His ONLY Military Death Inquest, Either - More on ITA (Maybe) Willing to Head Into Riskier Work

FRA ForMin Wants New Approach to Aid - "Afghanisation de l'aide internationale"

CHN Influence in AFG Growing

23 May 08

OC Charlie Coy, 2 PPCLI: "We can't go around with the mindset of being terrorists killers" (.pdf permalink)

Former AFG Pres: Taliban Ready to Talk Peace?!? (.pdf permalink) - Taliban seraient prêts à des négociations de paix?!? (version .pdf)

Manley Panel Head: Recommendations Not Being Carried Out - More

It Ain't Easy, but Schools Are Opening in K'Har Province

Change in NATO Command ROTO's in RC-South Not a Done Deal Yet - More - more - Prolongation des périodes de commandement pas encore conclue

Locals in S.AFG Say US Troops Must Hit Hard Now To Prevent "Spring Offensive"

ISAF Veterinarian Team Visit K'Har Village

Globe & Mail Reporter on Berries & Graffiti Near K'Har - Not ALL the Bad Guys are Taliban

USA Trainer Boss: AFG troops "ready for bulk of fight"

Analysts Skeptical About PAK Peace Deal with Taliban - PAK Official: "Taliban have accepted government’s writ in the region and will help the local administration in maintaining law and order in the district"

Still Worries About IRN Arms Sneaking In

Opinion: "America needs to lean much harder on Afghanistan's President Karzai" (.pdf permalink)

ITA Shows Signs of Possible Flexibility in Caveats - SWE Sending (A Few) More Troops - AUS Releases Results of Inquiries into Three Deaths in AFG Last Year - ADF Apologizes to Entertainer Accused of "Entertaining" AUS SAS Troops in Oruzgan - Looking into How AUS Ministerial Paperwork is Handled

Bringin' in the Marines (With Biometrics) - Brits Frying Up Jelly Doughnuts in Helmand - Brit Northern Ireland Minister Visits Royal Irish Regiment Troops in Helmand

22 May 08

NLD, UK Agree to Stay In Charge of RC-S a Year at a Time - Therefore, US Holding Off on Taking Stronger Role in South (For Now) - More - more - more - more - USA Pentagon Transcript: NLD Will Take Over from CAN, Then Stay in Charge for 12 Months - Alliés de l'Otan vont allonger leur période de commandement dans le sud afghan

Journal Article: How the Fight Has Been Unfolding in Kandahar (2003-2007)

PAK Agrees to Withdraw Military from Tribal Areas: Text of Agreement - More - more - more - AFG Pissed - More - USA Holding Back on Judgement - USA State Dep't Transcript: "Does it produce a result where you have people who are previously unreconciled to a political process participating in that process and turning away from violence? We’ll see." - UN Says They'll Keep an Eye on Things - Taliban Says They'll Stay Quiet As Long as Sharia Law Enforced in Province

IRN Wants UN Doing More in AFG - NATO Spokesperson Says Ya Gotta Be Careful About How You Criticize AFG

AUS Entertainer REALLY "Entertaining" the Troops? - AUS Mil Looking Into It - ADF Statement - Entertainer Denies Entertaining THAT Way - Reader Comments - Army.ca Discussion - NOR Book on SF in AFG Includes JTF-2 References

Paper: How's the Disarmament/Demobilization Work Going?

Drugs Still Pumping Lotsa $ into Bad Guy Coffers - Journal article: Are Drugs Helping or Hurting the Peace?

Calls for Support for $50B Aid Package - Aid Group: Get More Aid Right Into Afghans' Hands

Highway of Heroes Rallies Planned for 31 May 08

Returning CF Troops Can Get Car Bargains

21 May 08

How Some Thunder Bay Families of the Deployed Are Coping (.pdf permalink)

Valcartier troops home safe and sound

Head of AFG Red Cross: Keep CAN Troops In Country, But Let NGO's Do Aid (.pdf permalink)

Meanwhile, More Schools Going Up in K'Har Province

Academic Paper: "Canadians must be clear in our own minds what we are able to offer in Afghanistan, before we start reacting to the inevitable pressures from the US military." (.pdf permalink)

Taliban Cranking Up the (Youth) Press Gang

NATO Worried About PAK Deal with Taliban - NATO Beefing Up Forces on Border - Deal Coming in Days? - AFG ForMin to PAK: Don't Appease Taliban - More - US Presses PAK to Nab Taliban Bosses - This CERTAINLY Won't Help Matters!

Brit Killed in South with SAS - Latest USA Casualty in AFG Identified - Brit Reserve Medics Prepare to Head to Helmand - More on AUS Push - AUS Int Indicates "Lull" in Taliban Activity - Brit ForMin to Tell USA There's No Military Solution to Taliban

Attacks in PAK Affecting USA Supply Lines

CAN ForMin After Zagreb Meeting: “Croatia’s expected NATO membership and ongoing participation in the mission in Afghanistan are two issues that make Canada and Croatia partners.” - Bernier: << L’adhésion prévue de la Croatie à l’OTAN et sa participation à la mission en Afghanistan sont deux facteurs qui en font un partenaire du Canada. >> - CAN Liberal Party Foreign Affairs Critic: ""We can't actually leave .... It's not simply open for us to say . . . that we're going simply to cut and run,"

Opinion: On Strategic Incoherence: "The catch-22 in today's Afghanistan is that insecurity in the heartland of the insurgency means that reconstruction is haphazard and inconsistent. Outside the conflict zones, where reconstruction would be easier and help to prevent the spread of the insurgency, there has not been a comprehensive nationwide strategy for reconstruction."

AFG to IRN: We'll Decide When Foreign Troops Leave, Thank You

20 May 08

CAN Beefs Up Anti-IED Work - More - more - Meanwhile, As Mines Get Dealt With, AFG Deminers Need to Retrain

CF Troops Sickened by Teenage Boy Used as Homicide Bomber - More

CAN Troops Trying to Build Cultural Bridges

US General: Making Progress (Even if Under-resourced)

UNAMA 19 May 08 News Conference: UN Helping Refugees in Helmand; WFP Aid Convoy Attacked - More on Aid Convoy Attack - More

CIDA Helping Train AFG Women to Sew

Opinion: CAN's Goals in AFG

Bad Boys Hiding Guerillas in Refugee Families Returning from PAK

Helmand Opium Farmers Protecting their Crops

Back-and-forth in the Fight Straining Allied Relations? - Allies Experiencing "Battle Fatigue"? (.pdf permalink)

Brit Killed in Musa Qaleh Blast - More - more - more - Seems Another NATO Trooper Killed in Firefight Elsewhere in the South

USMC Focusing on "Character Building" with AFG Cops - More on Helmand Arms Cache Nabbed - More on AUS Push in South - More - USA, UK Helping Refugees from Helmand - Brit Media Says CAN Troops Respected on the Streets (Unlike Brit Troops @ Home) - Brit Mil Writer's Son Serving in AFG, Advancing to Contact Across Helmand - Brit Soldier Takes Place of Buddy About to Get Married - More on DEU SF Missing a Chance to Nail Bad Guy

DEU Caveats=SF Not Able to Nail Taliban Boss (.pdf permalink)

PAK PM Quoted Saying He Won't Talk with Taliban - IRN Pres Calls for Timetable for Foreign Troop Wd from AFG

19 May 08

CAN ForMin Visiting Italy to Discuss (Among Other Things) AFG - He's Going to Talk to HRV About the Fight in AFG, Too - More

CF Air Traffic Controller Prepares to Head Back Soon

This Year's Prediction on Taliban Spring Offensive (.pdf permalink) - On the Other Hand, Taliban Giving Up?

Ambassadeur RUS à Kaboul: OTAN commet les mêmes erreurs que l’URSS

Columnist on CF Tanks in AFG: "There's no reason to suppose they can't, or won't, do to our precious tanks what they did to Soviet tanks." (.pdf permalink)

Kash in K'Har

NATO Rejects Report by UN Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings - More - more - ISAF Spokesperson Statement (MS Word)

AFG Cop Shop Targeted by Homicide Bombing Attack in Helmand - Attentat en AFG: quatre civils tués - Plus - Offensive des troupes australiennes contre les talibans

Peaceniks Protest AFG Fight at Victoria Day Rally

Slide Show: US Marine Cheats Death in South

Still Prying Up LOTSA Mines in AFG

UN Uber-Envoy Meets with IRN Reps (.pdf)

18 May 08

More on 11-Year-Old Homicide Bomber Injuring CF Troops - Deux soldats canadiens blessés - Plus

More on Anthropologist's Assessment of 2006 CF ROTO Decompression Period

Canadiens, Americains feront guerre à part

CAN PRT Padre Seeking School Supplies for K'Har School - Padre Jim Short's Blog from K'Har - Snail Mail Address: Major Jim Short, KPRT, P.O. Box 5005, Stn. Forces, Belleville, ON, K8N 5W6 - Moose Jaw Students Also Collect School Supplies for AFG

Bike Bomb in K'Har Kills Civvy - Un civil tué par une bombe

Ring Road Thru K'Har Part of HUGE AFG Road Project

Reports of Attack on NATO Chopper in South, Forcing Forced Landing - Maybe Rocket Attack? - More - more - more - more - more - Gouverneur visé par un attentat - OSINT Bibliography: Taliban/MANPADS

Academic: At Some Point, West'll Have to Talk to the Bad Guys

Opinion: La leçon afghane

Baxters: Des mets envoyés en AFG

A Poochie Story (With a Difference)

17 May 08

Michael Starker, R.I.P.: The Funeral - Canadian Press - Calgary Herald - More - Edmonton Sun - Radio Canada (francais) - Presse Canadienne - Today's media clippings (.pdf)

Latest CF Injuries Caused by Ten-Year-Old Suicide Bomber - More - more - Un garçon aurait pris part à l'attentat-suicide qui a blessé deux Canadiens - CF Spokesperson Calls Attack "Sign of Desparation"

AFG Envoy to CAN: No Short, Easy Answer

More Water for More People @ Spin Boldak

PAK Official on How PAK Should Clamp Down on Taliban: "Pakistan will take care of its own problems, you take care of Afghanistan on your side .... NATO is in Afghanistan; it’s time they did some soldiering.” - Alternate story link - .pdf permalink - Yet, They Complain When NATO Does Soldier... - PAK DefMin Says Peace Deal With Taliban Will Cut Down Cross-Border Attacks? - Even Optimistic About Talks

Detailed Open Source Analysis of Developments in AFG (.pdf)

Nabbed PAK Envoy Released - More

The Fight is On in K'Har - Arms Cache Spotted in Helmand

An AFG Aid Program That Seems to be Working - Still, Worries on the Part of a Former AFG Finance Minister - Hard to Do Census When It Ain't Safe

16 May 08

Michael Starker, R.I.P.: Public Invited to Today's Funeral - More - more - "Police prepare a route of valour for a fallen hero" - Calgary Herald Editorial: "Let's Remember the Fallen, Today" - Ottawa Citizen: "Cpl. Starker did not come back alive, and it is our duty to remember him. We also have a duty to those of his comrades who come back physically whole, but still, sadly, not completely intact."

Two Canadians, Two Afghans Injured in Blast During Patrol in Zhari

New Report: Tough Transition from CF Fighter to Combat Vet - Report (.pdf) - Alternate download site (.pdf) - More

Def Journalist-Blogger: No Predator UAV's for CF in K'Har

More on Changing CAN Mission

USA SecDef Confirms Marine Surge in RC-South Outta There Before Year's End - More on US Preferring One Country in Charge of Fight South - More - USA envisagent d’envoyer 7,000 effectifs ‎supplémentaires

USA Officer: What Taliban Spring Offensive? - Bad Boys Nailed in Helmand

AUS Troops Accused of Mistreating Prisoners - AUS Looking Into It - AUS CDS Says Abuse Accusations Crap - Brit Part-Timers in Helmand - NLD ForMin Drops By with Slovak Colleagues

Opinion: "Les médias trop promilitaires ?"

UN Report: AFG "virtually the world's sole producer of opium, yielding at least 93 per cent of the global annual output" - full report (.pdf)

Food, Fuel Prices Still Skyrocketing - More

Agreement to strengthen border cooperation between AFG, IRN and PAK - Working on the Drug Thing, Too - AFG Denies IRN Smuggling Arms to Bad Guys

8 May 08

Michael Starker, R.I.P.: Clipping Search Results (.pdf, 110 pgs.) He's On His Way Home - Rapatriement de Dépouille - Was On His Second Tour - Family Trying to Cope - Family Statement - More - more - Calgary City Flags to Go Half Staff Once He's Home (.pdf permalink) - Meanwhile, Next ROTO Gearing Up

New CAN General, New "Touch"? (.pdf permalink) - More Toward Development? - More - more - Nouveau Commandant pour les Troupes en AFG

AFG Envoy to CAN Wants BIG Clampdown on Taliban Attacks on Schools - L'ambassadeur AFG au CAN souhaite que cessent les attaques contre les écoles - Says CAN Aid $ Not Ending Up in Corrupt Officials' Pockets

Report: Calls for More Troops, On Ground Face-to-Face, Doing More to Minimize Civvy Cas (.pdf) - Alternate download site (.pdf)

New Figures: One Outta 13 CF Troops Who've Been to AFG Suffer "Stress Conditions"

Un article sur 10 arrive à temps à Kandahar - Plus - Le soutien aux déploiements outre-mer — Défense nationale

ANA Still Needs Work

Ex-Prince Wants Taliban Brought Into AFG Gov't - Hekmatyar Flack: No Talks Planned with AFG Gov't

NATO Helps AFG Improve Ammo Dump Safety

European Union Lays Out AFG Commitment to 2013 - More on UK One-Legged Gunner Returning to the Fight - ITA Dude New Head NATO Civvy Rep

7 May 08

Michael Starker, R.I.P.: Army.ca public condolence forum - ISAF Statement - GovGen Statement - Message de gouverneure générale - PM Statement - Déclaration du Premier ministre - DefMin Statement - Déclaration du ministre de la Défense Nationale - Liberal Party of Canada Statement - Déclaration de Parti libéral du Canada - NDP Statement - Déclaration du NPD - Clippings in today's papers (129 pg. .pdf) - Canadian Press - Latest Fallen Calgary Paramedic - More - more - CTV.ca - CanWest/National Post - More - more - Calgary Sun - More - Globe & Mail (.pdf permalink) - More (.pdf) - Associated Press - Reuters - Presse Canadienne - Radio Canada - Plus - AFP en français

New CAN General to Take Over Soon (.pdf permalink) - BGen Thompson Bio

Eight More "Family Peer Support Co-ordinators" Hired for Families of CF Overseas - Canada élargit son soutien aux familles des militaires - Du renfort pour les familles des militaires - Still, More Calls for Help for Troops

Auditor General: AFG mission testing CF logistics, BIG time! - Chapter 2 of May 2008 Report - Main Points - Mission en AFG "met à l’épreuve la capacité de la Défense nationale de soutenir des opérations d’envergure" - Mainstream Media Coverage: Canadian Press - Presse Canadienne - CanWest/National Post - More - Bloomberg (USA) - Reuters (UK) - Canoe.com (en français) - Radio Canada

K'Har Jailbirds Stage Hunger Strike

Hekmatyar Speaks!

Karzai: OK to Talk to Taliban (Only if AFG Gov't Does It)

Detecting IED's from the Air

AFG Governors Say NATO Must Co-ordinate Aid, Security Better

US Marines Bypass Poppies to Avoid Pissing Off the Locals - Brits Blame PAK for Taliban Woes in AFG - Argylls Patrolling (with a Poochie) in Lashkar Gah - POL Troops, Pilots Not All That Keen to Head to AFG - US Counter Terror Boss: PAK Safe Havens Still a Concern - US State Dep't: IRN Trying to Keep AFG Unstable

PAK Sending Wheat to AFG to Head Off Worst of Food Crisis... - ...In Spite of Grain Worries of Their Own

UNHCR Quelling Rumours of Stopping Repat Assistance to AFG Refugees in PAK - Still a BIIIIIG Issue

6 May 08

Michael Starker, R.I.P.: CF Announcement- FC Communiqué - Canadian Press - CanWest/National Post - Associated Press - CTV.ca - CBC.ca - Reuters - Agence France Presse - Public forum for condolences

CAN Auditor General: AFG Mission "tests National Defence’s ability to support a major operation"

CF Drawing Line on Where Compensation for Battle Damage is Paid: At Poppy Fields

PRT PAffO Writes About Encounter with Kids on Patrol (.pdf permalink) - Loadsa Kids Still Outta School in K'Har Province, Though

USA SpecOps Boss: AFG, IRQ Taking Their Toll - Can't Send Mo' USA Troops to AFG Until Mo' GTFO IRQ (.pdf permalink)

CF Looking for "Superman Suits" to Help Troops Carry Heavier Loads - Eyeing LAV-3 Replacements, Too - Investissements prévus en déminage

CAN VetAff Min to Announce More Help for Families Today

Getting AFG Army on Wheels - Getting Back Into the Air, Too

Prince Harry Gets AFG Gong - UK Sending One-Legged Gunner Back into the Fray - More - IED Plant in Oruzgan Nailed (As Well as Two Bad Boys) - ISAF tuent deux rebelles et en capturent quatre autres en Oruzgan - AUS SAS Trooper Paints Picture of Fight in Oruzgan - Cleaning Up Garmsir - Argylls Helping in the Push - US Trooper "Calls" Home, Leaves Three Minute Firefight Voice Mail

Taliban Tactics Shifting - Attacks Moving North - Not to Mention Lotsa Jokes About Them Circulating on Internet

Opinion: USA "Surge" in AFG Just Filling in the Cracks

Quick Study Coming on Who's Hungry in AFG

5 May 08

CEFCOM Looking for More IED/Mine Detection Vehicles for AFG - More - more - FC souhaitent acheter des véhicules de déminage - plus

Catch-22 in CAN Compensating Poppy Growers in Panjwayi - Globe & Mail with Brits: "if a spiral of violence and misery is to be avoided, it's better to trust the economics: Get the warlords out of power and open the roads, and poppy fields will disappear on their own" (.pdf permalink)

ISAF Mil Boss: Troops Could Start Going Home in Three Years

Latest JTF-2 Book: Why Would CAN Spy in AFG in Late 1990's? - More

Taliban Killing More Civvies - More

US Marines, Brits Find Weapon Caches in Helmand - AUS PM Attends Funeral of Fallen Commando

Opinion: "Unless NATO is willing to accept no return on all the men, money and equipment it has poured into Afghanistan, member nations will have to assume a large share of the burden of feeding Afghans."

4 May 08

CF CIMIC Boss in AFG: We're Not Talking to Taliban, We're Talking to Pissed off Youth, Elders! - More on CAN DefMin's Position - More - Dialoguer avec les talibans créé la controverse - MacKay met ses militaires au pas

Meanwhile, AFG OK With PAK Talking to Their Own Taliban, But... - More - Taliban Walks Away - Says It's PAK's Fault

Is Taliban Spring Offensive Coming?

Fijian Latest Brit Killed in Helmand - More - Brit Warrior AFV's Called "Desert Devils" by Bad Guys - Brother Recalls Sibling's Death - Video Blog from Brit Section Commander from AFG - Fmr DEU ForMin: We've Gotta Fight in South (.pdf permalink)

Proposed AFG Bill Could Ban Video Games, Billiards, even Women Wearing Makeup in Public

3 May 08

CAN DefMin: CF Follows GOVERNMENT Policy (Therefore, We Don't Talk to Terrorists) (.pdf permalink) - More (.pdf permalink) - MacKay: les militaires n'ont pas le mandat de négocier - Plus - Perche tendue aux talibans - Editorial: " "There would be so many Taliban willing to come home," Ahmed Wali Karzai, head of the Kandahar provincial council, told the Canadian Press this past week. "Nobody supports this madness." If that is so, Canada would be remiss not to reach out."

World Food Program Distributing Loads'a Wheat in K'Har (.pdf permalink) - But What Happens After July?

Governance, Corruption Still Big Issues to Tackle

Red Fridays set to roll along Highway of Heroes - Red Fridays Foundation web page

USA Adm Officials: We're Sending 7K Mo' Troops to Pick Up the Slack (.pdf permalink) - More - More on USA Eyeing Command of RC-South - Gates réfléchit à l'envoi de troupes dans le sud afghan

L’opération militaire américaine fait des milliers de déplacés

First You Build a School (Then They Piss in Your Cornflakes)

Brit Soldier Killed in Mine Strike in Helmand - More - Coroner: Brit Killed in 2006 Could Have Lived in Different Vehicle - AUS Promises Stand Its Ground in AFG - No AUS Timeline - UK Gov't Response to Parliamentary Committee Report (.pdf) - 14 Feb 08 Report (.pdf)

Pollsters: West Getting Impatient?

2 May 08

More on CAN "Reaching Out" to Taliban - More - more - CAN à Kandahar prêts à des contacts avec les talibans - Plus - Let's Not Forget What They're Like, Though

Mission en AFG: un demi-milliard de plus d’ici 2011

(A Bit) Closer to Chinooks for AFG?

One CF Officer's Story in Kabul

Gettin' Outta the Way of Latest Push in South - Fast Air Coming Through - ID of Bad Boy Nabbed in South Released

AFG Int Boss Steps Aside After Taliban Attack on Parade in Kabul (.pdf permalink)

New Evidence of IRN Support of Taliban? - IRN: AFG Terrorism Must Stop

More on the Need for Good, Honest AFG Cops - ANA Training Not Going as Well as Planned, Either?

Fallen AUS Commando On His Way Home - More - AUS Troops Help AFGs Celebrate "We Beat the Soviets" Day - RAF in K'Har, Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - DSO, MCs Handed Out for Previous Brit ROTO - More - Séoul enverra des officiers de police - Les Super-Etendart en Afghanistan: une "escroquerie" ?

World Food Program (after visiting CAN PRT): "right now meeting basic food needs is extremely problematic for millions of Afghans" - More - People Buying Leftover Crusts of Bread in Light of Food Prices

USA ForMin: Need for More Co-ordination Between Int'l Players in AFG (.pdf permalink)

UK Foreign Office Official: Legalizing Production of Opium in AFG Unworkable

"Islamic Pashtunistan" Coming Between AFG & PAK? (.pdf version)

1 May 08

CAN Rethinking Talking to Insurgents? (.pdf permalink)

What 2 PPCLI, B Coy Has Been Up To (.pdf permalink)

What's Up in Kabul Affects CAN Troops in K'Har

CAN, DEU Help Rebuild Tech School in K'Har

AFG Civvies Killed in Double Blast @ Spin Boldak: Voice of America - Reuters - Associated Press - Agence France Presse - Huit personnes tuées par deux bombes sur une route

Goodies Being Collected for CF Troops

Update on USA Marine, UK Push in South - More - AUS Gunners in the Fight - USA Considering Bigger Role in South?

USA Training Boss: AFG Cops Need WAY More Trainers

USA State Dep't Report: AQ Regrouping in PAK; AFG Attacks Up - More - "Country Reports on Terrorism 2007" - "Country Reports: South and Central Asia Overview"

Commentary: "Chaotic, violent, and lacking in conviction and popular support, Afghan suicide bombing mirrors the current military occupation of the country. It is not surprising, then, that the Taliban call suicide missions "equalisers". Sadly, the irony of this label is lost on them." - Opinion: "Facing truth in warfare and politics"

BBC Reporters Share Online Series on Brits in Helmand - One in Four Brit Fallen Killed with Explosive Devices - CZE Sending Spec Ops Troops - Coming Just as CZE Trooper Killed - ISAF Statement - CZE 601st SF Site (Thanks to hspacek for these items!) - Prague vote l'envoi de renfort - DEU Sends $, Not Mo' Troops - GoogleEng: Foreign Legion Sappers Home in Time for Camerone Day (Original in French)