News
Updated ~12:30UTC and ~01:30UTC
Background Information & Research Information
"Canadian troops get huge joy from small treats"
Khadr Trial: "US requests 25-year sentence for Khadr" - More - "Military jury weighs Khadr sentence" - More - more - Jury Retires until Sunday - More
"Analysis: Why the military plays down vital (Kandahar) battle"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Taliban peace talks come to a halt" - "Reconciliation in Afghanistan: Can the UN right some wrongs?"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Interview on (Alleged) Their Big Push in Kandahar - New Taliban Graphics (Twitpix.com): Microphone 1 - Microphone 2
30 Oct 10
"Canadians target Taliban supply lines" In, Around Panjwai
"U.S. takeover of Kandahar PRT base harbinger of Canada's withdrawal"
"Nato and Afghan forces, which this week seized the last Taliban safe haven directly threatening Kandahar City, are drawing up plans to stop insurgents re-infiltrating the area and waging a campaign of intimidation against local inhabitants."
Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.: Shooter Gets New Court Martial - More - more - CF Statement - Backgrounder
"Soldiers expressing themselves through poetry" - "In Arms" website
Khadr Trial: "Canada has no part of Khadr deal: Cannon" - "Khadr asks jury to consider rape threat in sentence" - More - more - more - "Omar Khadr waits to hear jury's sentencing decision"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "The U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan has played down reports of reconciliation talks with the Taliban, saying that while more cadres were coming forward, their leaders were not." - "Afghan Taliban is demanding names of its senior leaders are removed from US and United Nations terror blacklists and that a number of prisoners are released as a precondition of further peace talks"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged Against Tanks, Vehicles in Kandahar
29 Oct 10
"Canadians resume mentoring Afghan army"
Update: "Canadian Forces Release Statistics on Afghanistan Detainees"
Khadr Trial: Widow to Khadr: "You will forever be a murderer in my eyes. It doesn't matter what you say from this day on." - Khadr Says He's 'Really, really sorry for the pain' - More - "Edited transcript of Omar Khadr's statements" - "No Khadr return deal in place: Cannon" - "Omar Khadr can be rehabilitated, U.S. captain testifies"
"Kandahar security forces shatter 27 terrorist networks" - "Kandahar campaign's fate not clear until June: NATO" - More - "Hopeful signs in NATO's Kandahar offensive: British general" - "Elders Could Fuel Stability in Kandahar, General Says"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "It will be a tremendous achievement on part of the international troops if they managed to succeed in creating rifts among the Taliban using the prospect of talks as a ploy. However, if otherwise, the trick will alert the Taliban fighters and their leadership who will think twice if invited to peace talks in future."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): "US war in Afghanistan unjustifiable, unwinable and intolerable" - Contractor, AFG Cops Claimed Killed in Kandahar, Zabul - Meme o’ the moment – “puppet”
28 Oct 10
Next ROTO (1 R22eR BG) Prepare to Head to AFG - Oromocto Town Councillor, RCR NCO Deployed in AFG
"Afghan mission enters 'crucial' phase: MacKay" - Getting Better? - "Afghan withdrawal on track: defence chief " - Meanwhile, No More Flights To, From Dubai for AFG Mission - "Closing ceremony planned for Camp Mirage, MacKay says"
Frank Mellish, 1968-2006, R.I.P.: Son of Fallen Receives Canadian Hero Fund Scholarship
AFG Officials: "Victory against Taliban in Afghan operation 'in sight' " - More - more - Former OMLT Officer: Too Early to Tell if Things are Going Well in Kandahar
K'Har Province Statement: "Afghan and NATO-led troops during a joint operation in Mianshin district eliminated a Taliban key commander Mullah Jamaludin who served as close aide to Taliban chief Mullah Omar" - More
CF Statement: "How To Support Deployed Troops During The Holidays Season" - "No Public Packages for Military Overseas: CF"
Khadr Trial: "Testimony on Khadr informed by psychologist with anti-Muslim views" - More - more - UN Child Soldier Official: Bring Khadr Home to Canada - "In memory of a soldier: a eulogy for Christopher Speer"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): 14+ Alleged Killed in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul Attacks; Police Allegedly Defect to Taliban in Zabul
"President Karzai expected to allow private security contractors to operate in the country until next March" - More - more - AFG Pres Office Statement - 24 Oct 10 Statement - UNAMA Agrees
27 Oct 10
"Canadian general says NATO, Afghan efforts getting results"
"HAMKARI: (Canadian) Engineers at work in Kandahar"
Khadr Trial: Agreed-To Statement of Facts (PDF) - "Guantanamo made prisoner more dangerous, doctor says" - "Doctor brands Omar Khadr ‘highly dangerous,’ cites strong ties to radical family" - "Khadr a ‘rock star’ in Guantanamo, psychiatrist testifies" - " 'Highly dangerous' Khadr called remorseless" - "Canadian militant Omar Khadr revelled in US killing" - "Harry Potter-reading Khadr is a cold-blooded killer: Witnesses"
"Australian commandos seriously injured during hunt for bomb maker in Afghanistan" - "Uruzgan Teachers to Begin Receiving Salaries"
"Security firm ban will not hurt us - NGOs" - "Don’t ignore our ways, Afghan tribal elders say"
U.S. Treasury Designates Southern AFG Drug Lords linked to Taliban "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" - "Taliban IED senior leader captured in Kandahar" - "U.S. military campaign to topple resilient Taliban hasn't succeeded" - More
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Prospects of talks with Taliban are very much overestimated" - "It's hard to comprehend how the U.S. would fail to forecast that its enthusiasm for a Taliban power-sharing arrangement might trigger angst amongst the warlords of the Hazara, Tajik and Uzbek minority groups in the north."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Interviews Alleged Commander of Dand District on Taliban's (alleged) Surge in Kandahar (MILNEWS.ca blog) - Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul
Deja Vu All Over Again: "Russian military could be drawn back into Afghanistan" - "Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, has warned that Afghanistan risks turning into another Vietnam, telling Nato that victory is impossible"
26 Oct 10
"Time running out to teach Afghan soldiers to be self-sufficient"
Canada Leaving AFG: "A former top ground commander in Kandahar says he's confident Canada and the international community won't allow Afghanistan to suffer from "withdrawal shock" after 2011." - Opinion: "John Ivison: Harper should rethink ending Afghan mission"
Omar Khadr Pleads Guilty, Sentencing to Follow - Coming Back to Canada Soon? - more - more - more - more
Opinion: "No easy road to peace for Afghanistan"
"Five Afghan children among nine dead in Kandahar blasts" - "U.S. operations in Kandahar push out Taliban"
AUS Spec Ops Troops Wounded in Northern K'Har Firefight - More - AUS Military Statement
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Meme o' the moment - martyr
25 Oct 10
"Canada tries to bring order to Panjwaii"
Khadr Trial: "Canadian at Guantanamo to announce plea decision" - "Expect fireworks this week in Khadr trial" - "Omar Khadr: Deal or no deal?" - "No plea deal yet, Khadr's lawyer says" - More - more - "Khadr says he will give any book, movie profits to Ottawa"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Taliban peace talks with Hamid Karzai are 'mostly hype' " - "Possible coalition with Taliban may deny Al-Qaeda a foothold" - Analysis: "A Karzai-Taleban coalition won’t survive a few days" - More - "More high-level Taliban interested in talks: Holbrooke" - "U.N. will help, but not discuss, Afghan peace talks" - World Socialists: "In sponsoring talks with the Taliban and Taliban-aligned groups such as the militia led by the Hekmatyars, Washington is renewing old acquaintances."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Zabul
24 Oct 10
Panjwai: "Canada's next battle"
Fallen Honoured at Regina Memorial - More
Khadr Trial: "Khadr relaxed days before possible plea" - "Clinton, Cannon talk Khadr as hearing looms" - "Khadr Gitmo sighting"
"A series of blasts killed at least two civilians and wounded several others Saturday in Afghanistan's main southern city, the scene of several recent deadly attacks on police." - "Petraeus cites progress in Kandahar"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Canada signals support to Kabul's peace talks with Taliban"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul
23 Oct 10
"Coalition forces have momentum and have taken away the Taliban's ability to move freely around Kandahar, Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan said Friday." - "NATO Squeezing Taliban, but No Claims of Victory" - Blog Watch: "More ISAF Spinning, Clumsily"
Survey Says: "Just Over a Third of Canadians Support the Mission in Afghanistan"
Khadr Trial: "Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke Friday about accused Canadian terrorist Omar Khadr being tried by military court here for war crimes." - More - more - Canada Has (Effective) Veto Over Plea Deal?
Analyst: "NATO, UN urged to stand up to U.A.E. eviction notice"
NYT Photographer Wounded in IED Blast
"Taliban feel political power within grasp"
Talkin' to the Taliban: New Headline: Canadian Troops Will Follow Orders to let Taliban Get to Talks if Given! - More - CAN PM OK With Talks (Under Strict Conditions) - "U.S. officials, experts: No high-level Afghan peace talks under way" - "Peace Talks With Taliban? Depends On Whom You Ask" - "The last US plan - to have a more broad-based reconciliation process only after its military would regain the upper hand on the battlefield – has not worked. The surge has not shifted the momentum. Not the Taleban but in reality the US are under pressure ...." - "Don't believe the hype about reconciliation talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban -- this war isn't even close to over."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Loads o' Attacks Alleged (Again) in, around Kandahar City
22 Oct 10
"NATO anticipates change in political leadership in restive Panjwaii"
Next ROTO Getting Ready to Head Downrange
"Canadian troops heading to Arctic after Afghan mission"
Khadr Trial: "Beware a Khadr double cross" - "No Cannon-Clinton Khadr confab, officials say"
AUS Special Forces Reportedly "left for dead by two Dutch attack helicopters during a deadly ambush in Afghanistan" - "Dutch to review SAS claims"
Talkin' to the Taliban: MILNEWS.ca: "Taliban back to old talks message" - Reinforced by New Taliban Statement (Scribd.com) - Report: Group of Former Taliban on Peace Council Useful Conduit to Taliban for Talks? - Report (PDF) - "Taliban Demand Privileges in Afghan Peace Talks" - "Afghan peace council to offer concessions to Taliban" - More - "Pakistan Seeks Role in Taliban Talks" - "Pakistan left out of Afghan-Taliban talks, official says" - "Afghan peace council wants Saudi Arabia's help" - "The talk about "The Talks" is just talk" - Reuters Factbox: "What's happening in the Afghan-Taliban talks?"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Bigger Bosses Reinforce "No Talks With Foreign Troops in Country" Message
21 Oct 10
"Canadian cordon around restive Panjwaii"
Canada's Post-2011 Mission: NGO Suggests Focusing on Women's Rights in AFG - More - more - NGO Report (PDF)
"Want to know how the war in Afghanistan is going? Watch Kandahar" - "NATO coalition pushes Taliban into retreat in southern Afghanistan" - But Is That Enough?
"Afghanistan fears international forces pulling out too early"
Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.: Reservist Gets New Court Martial
Khadr Trial: "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is reported to be reaching out to Ottawa to try to resolve the Omar Khadr case" - "Feds deny reports of U.S. negotiations over Khadr"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Afghan peace body calls on Taliban to join talks" - "Afghan-Taliban peace process may be overstated" - More - "Support peace with Taliban or ‘we will go after’ you: Afghan general" - "A New Plan to End the War!" - "The new, same old talks with the Taliban"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks, Civilian Casualties Alleged in Kandahar, Zabul - Taliban Propaganda Meme o' the Moment: "Cross Worshipers"
20 Oct 10
Canada's Post-2011 Mission: CARE Canada to Share Plan for Possible Canadian Mission - "CARE Canada recommends the government become an international champion for Afghan women." - "Canadian Forces looking for solutions on how to keep soldiering interesting in the years ahead"
Macleans.ca Not Missing a Chance for a Spectacular Headline (One Building =/= Village)
Khadr Trial: "Plea negotiations continue" - "Khadr yet to repent, doctor says"
"Pomegranate farmers rue Kandahar fighting" - "Karzai rejects security firms plea"
"U.S. Launches Criminal Investigation into Death of Detainee in Kandahar"
Blog Watch: "Impressions of Americans at war"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Are Talks with the Taleban Snow-Balling?" - "High-Level Talks Aim for an End to the Afghan War" - "Taliban’s Elite, Aided by NATO, Join Talks for Afghan Peace" - "Talks with the highest levels of Taliban leaders have begun in Kabul" - "Tentative steps taken towards Taliban talks" - "Planning a Military Campaign to Support Negotiations in Afghanistan"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Now, Taliban Guy Says "No Talks with Any Troops in AFG" - This Following "Written Withdrawal Guarantee Will Do"
19 Oct 10
"NATO claims it is choking off insurgents' supplies"
Canada Leaving AFG: Former Soviet 'Stans Considered as Alternatives to UAE? - New York Times Notices "Canada Poised for 2011 Withdrawal From Afghanistan"
AUS Decides No Tanks for AFG Fight - More - "Australia to debate Afghan mission" - Hansard Transcript of Day One of Debate (2MB PDF) - "Australia said on Tuesday it expected some troops and advisers would stay in Afghanistan for at least a decade more" - "Cracks Emerge in Australian Unity on Afghan War"
Former Taliban Envoy: Osama Bin Laden Not in PAK
Talkin' to the Taliban: Aussie Def Forces Haven't Spoken to Taliban
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Wants U.S. Withdrawal Deadline in Writing - Taliban "Survey" Results from Logar
"Afghan poll results delayed (again)"
18 Oct 10
"Canadians work to corral Taliban as major operation begins"
CAN Outta UAE: "Canada searches for new base after U.A.E. flap" - More - "Will Islamabad allow Canada a base?"
"Recent operation called success, but no international press witnessed it."
Statement on Taliban Site (link to statement at non-terrorist site here): "The rationale for reconciliation can be only convincing when, at least, the invading Americans put signature on a document before the people of Afghanistan and the world, binding them legally to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan in a given time-frame."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Multiple Bombings, Attacks Alleged in Kandahar City
17 Oct 10
CAN Outta UAE: Cyprus as Back-Up Staging Area?
AFG Villagers in Panjwaii Claim CAN Forces Didn't Compensate for 2005 Damage, Losses?
"Air Assault" on Panjwaii Begins
"Series of attacks rock southern Kandahar city, including police headquarters; 2 Afghans dead" - More - more - more
NATO Civil-Military Fusion Centre Weekly Sector Review (PDF): Refugees Continue to Flee Fighting, Causing More Civilian Casualties, Greater Demand for Artificial Limbs
"(Aussie) Troops 'overwhelmed and cannot defeat Taliban' "
Talkin' to the Taliban: Karzai Upbeat about Peace Council
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): IED Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Rockets Claimed on Zabul Base
16 Oct 10
Canada Leaving AFG: More on Plans to Start Packing Up
"Sixteen soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition have died in the past three days, but the mood among commanders and troops in southeastern Afghanistan continues to be more optimistic than ever before." - "Is Kandahar safer? Depends who you ask"
COIN Expert: Canadian Maple Leaf Sign of Vehicle Quality Among Taliban?!?
Guy Lafleur Drops By (A Third Time) - "Canada's biggest musical tribute to soldiers goes on air this week"
Khadr Trial: "Harper has only days to make choice on Khadr" - "PM remains mum on Khadr" - "Negotiations in the Omar Khadr case involve senior members of the Obama administration, as the White House continues to push for a plea deal and avoid a trial of Guantanamo’s youngest detainee" - More - more - "Khadr saga is far from over" - "Last word on plea bargain Khadr's: lawyer"
"Zabul Province Blast Kills Several Afghan Villagers"
Talkin' to the Taliban: Asia Times Online: "Pakistan has freed the supreme commander of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, so that he can play a pivotal role in backchannel talks through the Pakistani army with Washington" - "Afghan talks gain pace; U.S. engages: sources" - More - "Taliban talks: “an iffy, high-level treaty” " - Questions Media Should Ask Selves Before Filing More Reintegration/Reconciliation Stories
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul
15 Oct 10
Canada Leaving AFG: Planning for Packing Under Way
Matthew Dawe, 1980-2007, R.I.P.: "Kingston ‘can-do’ soldier lives on in new CFB residence"
Khadr Trial: Plea Bargain Reportedly in Works Where Khadr Spends Most of Sentence in Canadian Jail - BBC - New York Times - Postmedia News - Canadian Press - Toronto Star - CBC.ca - AFP - Miami Herald - "No deal to bring Khadr home: PMO"
Official UN Security Council Resolution Extending ISAF Mandate (PDF)
AFG NGO Safety Org: "The sum of (Taliban) activity presents the image of a movement anticipating authority and one which has already obtained a complex momentum that Nato will be incapable of reversing" - More - ANSO Quarterly Report Q3 2010 (PDF)
Washington Post: "The United States and its NATO allies, worried about how the Afghan government's ban on private security companies might affect their operations, have asked President Hamid Karzai to sign a letter allowing such companies to continue protecting the foreign aid community"
AUS to NLD: We'd Be Happy to Use Your Apaches if You're Leaving....
Bad Boy "Suicide Attack Facilitator" Nabbed in Kandahar
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Pakistan ready to facilitate Afghan-Taliban talks" - Head of AFG High Peace Council Says Taliban "haven't completely refused talks" - NATO Sec-Gen: "The reconciliation proces in Afgh is lead by the Afgh government. If asked NATO will provide practical support" - More - "ISAF allowed Taliban official to Kabul: Petraeus" - "US called 'partner' in Afghan talks with Taliban" - More - more - "U.S. Uses Attacks to Nudge Taliban Toward a Deal" - "U.S. says Taliban's leader Omar (wouldn't) qualify for role in Afghan future"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Claims +40 ISAF, AFG Casualties across Kandahar, Disses U.N. (Again) for Mandating ISAF Mission (Again)
14 Oct 10
Canada to GTFO UAE Base: Canada Eying Pakistan as Alternative Route? - PAK Considering It?
UN Security Council Unanimously Endorses ISAF Mission for Another Year - Text of Resolution
"NATO Senior Civilian Representative Provides Script for Transition in Afghanistan" - More - Maybe Time for a Better Pashto/Dari Word for "Transition"?
Account of One 82nd Airborne Final Patrol in Arghandab
"No prosecution of Dutch soldiers after friendly fire incident in 2008 in which two soldiers died"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "A former Afghan president who heads a new peace council said Thursday that he's convinced the Taliban are ready to negotiate peace." - "More Taliban could be removed from UN blacklist: US" - "Gitmo not linked to Afghan reconciliation" - "Nato facilitating Taliban contacts with Afghanistan government"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban (Yet Again) Denies Any Talks, Direct or Indirect, with AFG Regime
13 Oct 10
Wounded Warrior Continues to Recover in London
Canada to GTFO UAE Base: CF Flights Resume (But Still Have to be Gone by 2 Nov) - More - more - UAE Move Seen as "Blackmail" - "UAE official says Canadian response is ‘fear tactics’ " - "UAE rift exposes division in Harper caucus"
Blog Watch: "Military leadership believes that very few foreign fighters are in the country, which means that the Taliban is mainly a domestic insurgency that is only vaguely guided by the leadership in Pakistan" - Analyst/Blogger: "Don't Rescue Me"
"Australian army chief resists pressure to drop charges against soldiers over 5 Afghan deaths" - AUS Chief of the Army Statement (also available here via Scribd.com) - AFG NGO Safety Report (PDF): Expect Fewer Attacks in South (Thanks to Winter Coming) - Red Cross: More Wounded in K'Har=More Trouble - Uruzgan Bad Boy Nabbed in Kandahar - Fertilizer, Wires Seized in K'Har Border Area - Taliban Claim Responsibility for Assassinating Uruzgan Official
Talkin' to the Taliban: PAK PM: AFG Peace Talks Will Fail w/o PAK at the Table - "Afghan peace council members want gesture from US"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Dozens of ISAF, AFG Troops Alleged Killed, Woiunded in Kandahar, Uruzgan
12 Oct 10
Canada to GTFO UAE Base: CAN DefMin, CDS Drops By AFG.... - ....But Take the Long Way Home - Canadian Press - Postmedia News - Globe & Mail - AFP - Associated Press - Wall Street Journal - BBC - UPI
"Tangled Tale of American" Spotted in Kandahar Province
"ISAF looks into civilian casualties following failed insurgent attack"
Talkin' to the Taliban: NGO report on reintegration & reconciliation calls assumptions behind strategy "flawed" (PDF)
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Alleges ISAF Friendly Fire in Kandahar
11 Oct 10
More on Upgraded CAN Leopard 2's Headed Downrange
More on Canada Losing Use of UAE Support Base - More - CAN-UAE Relations to Suffer? - More - UAE Statement: Original in Arabic - Google Translation
Opinion: "Afghans’ unbreakable spirit: How three little girls gave one reporter an unforgettable life lesson" - "Cpl. Lewis is angry about a WikiLeaks report, based on ambiguous U.S. documents, that alleged the casualties of Sept. 3, 2006, were caused by friendly fire. "I was there," he told us. "I know these people died from the enemy." We can’t imagine a more credible source."
Talkin' to the Taliban: Karzai Confirms They've Been Talking for a While - More - more - PAK Taking Part in Kabul Peace Talks, Too
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Uruzgan & Zabul
10 Oct 10
AFG Pres Calls for Removal of Security Belt Around Kandahar City - Calls on Taliban to Lay Down Arms
Suspected Bad Boys Nabbed in Zabul
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Zabul
9 Oct 10
Manufacturer: First Batch of Upgraded Canadian Leopard Tanks Headed to AFG - New Grenade Launcher, Too? - CASW Announcement (via Army.ca)
Canadians Start Packing Up UAE Support Base
"Assignment Kandahar: Afghanistan’s fiery, fragile future"
Quebec Women's Group Removes Line Offensive to Moms of the Fallen from TV Spot - More - more - Womens' Group Statement (French) - Google English translation
AFG President Visits Kandahar - Karzai's Bro': Taliban "Defeated and Broken" - "Caught in the Crosshairs: Was He a Farmer or Taliban?" - "The International Security Assistance Force confirmed the death of Mullah Abdul Nafi, a Taliban leader and improvised explosive device facilitator responsible for planning and coordinating attacks throughout the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar province"
AUS Special Forces TF Soldier Wounded by IED in Kandahar
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Claimed in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul
"Pakistan reopens Torkham border route for NATO supplies to Afghanistan" - More - more
8 Oct 10
Canadian troops "tout progress in Afghanistan, say morale 'has never been higher' "
"The Canadian military is considering taking part in a controversial program to help Afghan villagers defend themselves against the Taliban amid reports that a growing number of locals are standing up to insurgents in the incendiary Panjwaii district .... "
"UAE threatens to kick Canada out of Camp Mirage" - History, Analysis of Airline Efforts to Expand Canadian Service
Quebec Women's Group Attacks Mothers of Fallen in TV Ad - Commercial Takes Flak - Commercial (YouTube) - Fédération des femmes du Québec contact page - Army.ca Discussion
NATO Sec-Gen: We Started Training AFG Forces WAY Too Late - "Afghan researchers have warned that Dutch plans to undertake a police-training mission in Afghanistan could end in disaster"
Taliban "Assassination Cell Leader, Weapons Facilitator" Nabbed in Kandahar City
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Could a deal with the Taliban end the war in Afghanistan?" - Peace Council Kicks Off - Key Players - Mullah Omar Behind (Alleged) Talks??? - Taliban "Very Serious" About Stopping Fight??? - More - more - more - "Talk about Talks Again"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban issues statement on anniversary of U.S. invasion of AFG
"Canadian military may pull forces from base in UAE" - More
"Women’s rights were once the poster issue for Western intervention in Afghanistan"
Detainee Fracas: "No evidence of Afghan abuse, general insists"
Cookbook Sales to Help Wounded Warriors - Operation Cooking For Soldier On
Talkin' to the Taliban: Peace Council Launched - "Afghanistan denies secret negotiations with Taliban" - More - Brit General on Talks: "There needs to be a dialogue. On the other hand, one needs to recognize that sometimes some people are irreconcilable, and that means you have to apply different tactics." - "Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban aren't likely to advance until the United States and NATO forces gain an advantage on the battlefield, several experts on the region say."
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): More Attacks, Assassinations Claimed in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul as Taliban Ramps Up Violence
ISAF on Strike into PAK: “This tragic event could have been avoided with better coalition force coordination with the Pakistan military.” - More - more - more
NATO on PAK Route Convoy Sabotage: "We have plenty of stocks and supplies within Afghanistan, just in case things like this happen. Secondly over the last couple of years we managed to diversify supply routes"
CAN Officer Guilty of Shooting Wounded Insurgent Demoted, Released from Army (with No Jail Time): CF Statement - Canadian Press - Reuters - AFP - BBC - Globe & Mail - Toronto Star - Ottawa Citizen - Toronto Sun/QMI - CTV.ca - CBC.ca - "Semrau’s sentence criticized for ‘ambiguous’ message" - More - "Semrau gets raw deal"
"Canada’s withdrawal will harm Afghan war effort: U.S. commander" - Said Almost Exactly the Same Thing in May to Same Reporter (Google Cache) - "Bellon says the United States will have to stretch its forces further to make up for Canada's more than 1,000 combat soldiers"
Detainee Fracas: "The military man who used to be in charge of Canada's overseas operations says responsibility for the fate of Afghan prisoners rested largely with task force commanders in Kandahar." - Former CEFCOM Commander: First-hand reports of abuse =/= FACTUAL reports - More
Lane Watkins, 1987-2007, R.I.P.: "The Manitoba government is naming five lakes after soldiers from the province who were killed in Afghanistan. But one of their mothers says the move comes too late to make up for the fact she’s waited more than three years to see her son honoured."
Nichola Goddard, 1980-2006, R.I.P.: "The Canadian military has investigated just five reports of sexual assault in Afghanistan since 2004, with only one investigation leading to a guilty verdict — a number that contrasts sharply with the picture painted in a new book about a female soldier."
Nine Killed (Mostly Kids) in Multiple Kandahar City Bombings - More - President Reportedly Condemns Attacks - ISAF Condemns Taliban Assasination Campaign
Talkin' to the Taliban: Washington Post Says Talks Underway Between Taliban, AFG Gov't
"Dispute Reveals Weakness In Afghan Supply Route" - "Supply route may decide outcome of Afghan war"
5 Oct 10
Canadian Families of Fallen Call for PM to Extend AFG Mission - More - more
Editorial: "Afghanistan has been a graveyard of hopes before. Still, this is shaping up to be a pivotal moment. The Prime Minister should tell us how the government sees things playing out and what it is prepared to contribute going forward." - "Afghan women doomed if NATO leaves"
Canadian Detainee Fracas: "Roughly 21 per cent of Afghan prisoners interviewed by Canadian diplomats over a nine-month period reported some form of abuse by Afghan authorities, say new figures released Monday." - "The man who stopped and then restarted detainee transfers in Afghanistan says there was no pattern of abuse in the country's prison system."
Nichola Goddard, 1980-2006, R.I.P.: Fallen Soldier Wrote Home About Sexual Assaults at Camps
Semrau Trial: Sentencing Today - More - more
Blog Watch: "Malalai Joya’s Message Is Anti-Peace"
"Three explosions just minutes apart rocked Kandahar .... killing up to four Afghan police officers in the nation's largest city in the south." - More
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Q&A-Karzai's peace council: will it work?"
"US struggling to counter Taliban propaganda"
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks Alleged in Kandahar, Zabul
4 Oct 10
"First of Canada’s new Hercules aircraft to land in Afghanistan before year’s end"
AUS PM: Military Not Asking for Mo' Troops, Equipment - PM Speech Text
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Attacks claimed in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul; Int'view w/alleged K'Har Taliban Cdr
"Afghanistan opium crop blight sends drug prices soaring" - More
More Strikes on Convoys in PAK - More - more - more - PAK Official: "No timeframe for reopening Afghan supply route" - PAK Taliban Claim to Set Up New Group to Carry Out These Attacks - NATO S-G On Hot Pursuit Attacks on PAK: "Obviously, it was unintended. Obviously, we have to make sure we improve coordination between our militaries and our Pakistani partners." - More
3 Oct 10
CF Confirms August Chinook Downing from Enemy Action - More - Initial ISAF Statement - Taliban Verison (Scribd.com) - Taliban Anti-Air OSINT Page
1 October MILNEWS.ca Military News Highlights
Opinion: "Canada shafts soldiers: Wounded vets forced to fight bureaucracy for financial support"
Blog Watch: Afghans Will be the Losers When NATO Leaves - "The Canadian military command in Afghanistan has certainly learned some lessons from the former controversy surrounding the capturing and holding of detainees." - "What if the Hazaras win in Uruzgan?"
"Sunnybrook surgeon treats trauma on two battlefields"
"Coalition Force Finds Large Cache of IED-making Material" - "An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban senior leader and improvised explosive device expert Saturday who was active throughout the city of Kandahar as well as Panjwa'i and Dand Districts." - Afghan forces kill 5 militants, detain 2 in Uruzgan
AUS PM Drops By - More - more
Taliban Propaganda Watch (Links Only to Non-Terrorist Sites): Taliban Claims Killing "Ebony skinned" U.S. General in Kandahar
"Afghan MOI Starts Disarmament of Private Security Firms" - "Karzai Prepares Afghan Forces for Foreign Withdrawal"