1 May 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: Funeral Today, Memorial Service Tomorrow
"De ville fantôme qu’elle était il y a à peine trois ans, Panjwai est en train de renaître."
CAN to Make it Easier for AFGs Helping the Troops Get into CAN
CAN Father-Son Working Hercs
CAN Historian on Patrol in K'Har
Some Commenters Underwhelmed with Globe's Latest Blog Post from AFG
AFG Cops Need More Human Rights Training
US Navy F-18 Pilot's View of AFG - "Been There, Done That" Advice Blog
IED Factory Dealt With in South
UK Troops Waiting for USA Surge to Help Out in South
Taliban Propaganda Watch (links to non-terrorist web pages): Attack Claimed in Zabul
Red Cross: Using Clinics as Polling Stations Not a Great Idea
30 Apr 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: Funeral in Kingston Tomorrow - More
"En plein cœur du royaume des talibans, l’armée afghane apporte un coup de pouce essentiel aux forces canadiennes." - "De ville fantôme qu’elle était il y a à peine trois ans, Panjwai est en train de renaître."
CAN DefMin Says Second Look Being Taken at NATO Media Rules - "Ottawa se penchera sur les restrictions de l'OTAN pour les journalistes à Kandahar" - CanWest Embed Begs to Differ About "Restrictions"
NLD Chaplain Counsels, But Without God
K'Har Politician Says It's Still Risky Voting in Some Districts
ANA Fighting Taliban in Bagharan and Babaji areas of Helmand
Latest UK Fallen Identified - UK Announcement of Mo' Troops Headed Downrange - Still Not Enough, Though? - "Donkey ‘suicide’ bombing is latest tactic against patrols" - USA "Going Dutch" In Its Approach?
Taliban Propaganda Watch (all links to non-terrorist web pages): "Killing and wounding 17 Canadian soldiers in explosions in Zhari in the province of Kandahar 29/04/09" - Official English Version of Taliban Pre-Operation Notice - More - more - Attacks Claimed in Kandahar
USA Pres: "Enemy Fighters in Afghanistan, Pakistan Pose Direct Threat" - More - USMC General: "We can and will eventually run up the victory pennant in Afghanistan, but without eliminating sanctuary across the border, the bad guys will simply come back"
29 Apr 09
Some Vandoos In for Second Tour
New NATO Restrictions on Journalists?
CAN Cops Mentoring AFG Cops Learning About Multicultural Policing
Life At KAF Through the Eyes of a CAN Officer - Moving KAF's "Poo Pond" to Make Way for More Accommodations
Federal Court of Canada Says No Reason to Block Enquiry into Detainee Handling (.pdf of court decision) - More
"American commanders are planning to cut off the Taliban’s main source of money, the country’s multimillion-dollar opium crop, by pouring thousands of troops into" Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul
AFG Pres Promises to Change Controversial Family Law - Admits He Didn't Even Read It - Confirms He's Running Again
32 insurgés présumés tués dans le sud dans les provinces du Helmand, Orouzgan - Plus
Brit Soldier Killed in Helmand - UK Sending More SAS - More Aussies Headed Downrange, Too - Let's Hope They Get Better Food - L'Australie va envoyer plus de 450 soldats supplémentaires en Afghanistan
Winning Hearts and Minds Through Radio in Helmand
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Statement Kicking Off Taliban OP Victory 30 Apr 09 (link to non-terrorist web page) - Al Jazeera "Producer" Finds 13-year-old Wanna-Be Suicide Bomber in Kajaki (YouTube)
USA A-OK With PAK Taking It to Their Own Taliban
28 Apr 09
"Ils attendent pendant des heures, mais quand ils sortent, ce n’est souvent pas bon signe." - "Ils connaissent les risques, mais tous se sont portés volontaires pour revenir au moins une deuxième fois en Afghanistan." - "À sa première mission en Afghanistan, le lieutenant Alexandre Hottin est à la tête d’un des pelotons d’infanterie les plus expérimentés de Valcartier."
Tough Start of Tour for CAN Chaplain
CAN's Envoy to AFG Most Important in Kabul?
No Evidence of CAN MP Abuse of Detainess (But Calls for More Study of MP System) - Full report (.pdf) - More - more
K'Har Textile Mill Getting No Work, Investment Because of Security Issues
Five AFG Cops Killed in Zharei IED Blast - More
Kandahar-Uruzgan Convoy Route Secured via "Tolls" - "Partnership" Between AUS Forces, Warlord - More
Paper on "Combat Advising" in AFG: "Perhaps because U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) have been primarily responsible for the conduct of this mission, the United States has never implemented permanent solutions to enable the general purpose force to execute combat advising operations."
"La loi sur les femmes chiites afghanes sera-t-elle supprimée?" - "Le texte autorisant le viol conjugal sera révisé, promet Hamid Karzaï"
Opinion: "Enough, please, of the wilfully ignorant and easy cynicism that says "our troops aren't doing any good, bring them home." It may assuage the consciences of some to assume it's all been a waste, nothing's at stake and nothing will be lost if Afghanistan falls back into Taliban hands. It's just not that easy. Tens of thousands of Afghans, including 300 women in Kabul, know different."
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Mortar Attacks Alleged Against K'Har Airfield (link to non-terrorist web page)
Worries Over PAK's Nukes? - PAK Prez Says Osama Could Be Dead - "Ben Laden serait mort, ou pas, selon le président pakistanais" - NATO Ships Begin PAK Ex
27 Apr 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: She's Home - More - more - more - more - Dépouille de la majore Michelle Mendes est arrivée dimanche à la base militaire de Trenton
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: R22er.dit "Le Karine était une camarade de travail extraordinaire"
"Commandant du 22e Régiment a un message pour la population:la menace est réelle" - "Van Doos commander has a message for Canadians: the threat is real"
Opinion: "Every effort needs to be focused on training our soldiers to acquire at least a conversational level of Pashtu."
CAN "Human rights advocate says NDP, antiwar groups wrong to abandon Afghanis to Taliban 'fascism' "
Report on CAN Military Police Handling of Detainees Expected Out Today - More
More on Fewer Civvy Casualties in AFG
UK's PM Drops By - More - Says More to be Done in Border Areas
Head of K'har Transportation Department Gunned Down
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "Destruction of 2 tanks of invader Canadian forces as a result of a martyrdom attack in Boldak in the province of Kandahar 26/04/09" (link to non-terrorist web page) - "Destruction of a tank of Canadian forces in Panjawe in the province of Kandahar 26/04/09" (Google English) - Arabic version - Alternate official English version - More on non-terrorist web page
PAK Prez Says PAK Nukes Safe
26 Apr 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: "Avis aux médias : Rapatriement de la dépouille d'un officier" - PM Statement
CAN DefMin: PAK's Gotta Get a Grip on Border Areas - "La Pakistan devrait améliorer la sécurité à sa frontière, selon MacKay" - USA to PAK: Stop the Taliban, or We'll Stop Them
"Commandant du 22e Régiment donne l'exemple d'Astérix et Obélix à ses soldats" (.pdf permalink)
"Police afghane enquête avec les Canadiens sur un attentat-suicide"
CAN Worries About Getting "Swamped" in Ops Area with USA Surge?
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Take Credit for Multi-Bomber Attack on K'Har Gov't Complex (link to non-terrorist web page)
Former PAK Int Boss Claims USA Arming the Taliban in PAK, Says He's Still Friends with AQ in AFG Folks (.pdf permalink)
25 Apr 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: On Her Way Home - Arriving Tomorrow - More - more - more - Gov Gen/Commander-in-Chief Statement - PM Statement - DefMin Statement
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: Portée à son dernier repos - plus - plus - Josée Verner offre ses sympathies à la famille - Fallen Laid to Rest - More - more
DefMin on CF Mental Health: "I think while we have addressed it and will continue to do so . . . there is more to be done." - More - more
Embed Finds CAN Troops in Spectacular Scenery in FOBs - CAN Columnist Doesn't Understand Why People are Pissed at Referring to Fallen as Girl Dressed Up as Soldier (.pdf permalink)
RC-South, AFG Military Sign "New operational orders" to "promote cooperation in southern Afghanistan"
"Un triple attentat-suicide contre les bureaux du gouverneur de Kandahar, en Afghanistan, a fait cinq morts et trois blessés, tous des policiers, samedi." - At Least Three AFG Cops Killed in Multiple Homicide Bomber Attack on K'Har Gov't Compound - More - more - more
"Coalition and Afghan forces killed 14 insurgents in a six-hour battle in the Sangin district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province"
AUS Troops Hurt Taliban in North Kajaki - More - Brits Can't Afford to Send More Troops? - One Brit Soldier's View of Handover in Helmand
Think Tank Reports: Atlantic Council's "A Ten-Year Framework for the Future" - Center for Strategic & International Studies' "The Dynamics of the "AfPak" Conflict: Metrics and Status Report"
24 Apr 09
Michelle Mendes, R.I.P.: CF Statement - FC Communiqué - Canadian Press - Presse Canadienne - CBC.ca - CanWest News Service
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: Funeral Today
Senior CAN Diplomat: "Canada's mission in Afghanistan is set to undergo a "dramatic" transformation in the coming year as American troops flood into the country"
"New capability in Afghanistan will help save lives: (CAN) Air Force commander"
More on Increasing Violence in South
US Government Watchdog Report (.pdf): "The security situation in Afghanistan, though cyclical in nature, has deteriorated since 2005. Attacks on civilians as well as Afghan and coalition forces have increased year after year."
Bad Boys "Disrupted" in Helmand, Oruzgan - More - "Part-time" Taliban in Herat? - Anti-Aircraft Gun Discovery & Destruction Proves Villagers Not ALL Against ISAF
More on Problems Between CZE, UK Troops - UK MoD's Response - Brit Teacher Back in the Rifles, Blogs from AFG
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Supply Convoy Strike in K'har (link to non-terrorist web page)
Opinion: "When it comes to Afghanistan, I think most Canadians support this mission. The pollsters just need to start asking the right questions."
More NATO Fuel Truck Torched in PAK - PAK Sending Paramilitary Troops to Hold Back Taliban - USA, Analysts Concerned - More - NATO Promises No ISAF Raids into PAK
23 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: "The military funeral for Corporal Karine Blais will be held on Friday, April 24, at 10:30 a.m., in Saint-Edouard Church, located at 162, Principale Street, in the municipality of Les Méchins."
"Les hélicoptères canadiens ont contribué à la mission «au-delà de toutes les espérances» depuis leur arrivée en Afghanistan, affirme le commandant des forces aériennes, le colonel Christopher Coates."
ISAF Deputy COS of Ops: "U.S. Troop Focus on Southern Afghanistan" - Transcript of entire news conference - Taliban Picking on Troops in South - "Troupes américaines sont dans une impasse dans le sud de l'Afghanistan"
CFB Pet Playing Host to Conference of AFG Big Players
CNN Sees CAN Hasn't Forgotten AFG War
NATO: Fewer Civvy Deaths This Year than Same Time Last Year
AFG Border Guards Kill IRN Border Guard in Nimruz - More
"U.S. May Fill Afghan Civilian Posts With Military Personnel" - Former AFG Finance Minister Calls on USA to Improve AFG Governance to Defeat Taliban
Analysis: Why AQ Is Staying Out of AFG? (.pdf permalink)
Talkin' to the Taliban: Taliban Spokesperson Denies Any Talks with AFG - Uruzgan Governor, Talking to Taliban, Quoted Saying Less than 50 % of Violence Caused by Taliban (.pdf permalink)
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Alleging a Lot of Action in Zabul Province (link to non-terrorist web page)
Petraeus: Success in AFG "achievable, but not using the exact strategies that sparked a turnaround in Iraq"
"The United States cannot afford to ignore the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and success or failure in one country likely means the same for the other, a senior Defense Department official told a foreign policy think tank"
22 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P: Les funérailles de Karine Blais auront lieu vendredi, à 10 h 30, à l'église de Les Méchins
"L'honorable Peter Gordon MacKay .... et le Général Walt Natynczyk .... Défense, accueilleront les soldats qui reviennent de leur période de déploiement en Afghanistan."
CAN School Helping AFG Kids
Hometown Covers CAN Embed
Raids Nail Tailban Anti-aircraft Guns in Southern AFG - More - more - more - One in Nad-Ali - Another in Nad Ali 12 Hours Later - All Articles in .pdf format (9 pages 490 kB) - Official Statement 1 - Official Statement 2 - US Forces in AFG Statements (.pdf) - ZPU-1 Anti-Aircraft Gun, 14.5mm - More on Taliban Anti-Air Threat
Karzai: No AQ Bases in AFG - Is AQ Winning Info War?
UNICEF: 5M Not in School Across AFG
Zabul IED Kills AFG Guard
40 Bad Boys Nailed in Eight-Hour Firefight to Clean Up Helmand Drug Bazaar
CZE Special Forces Refuse to Fight when Brits Asked? - CZE Media, English - CZE Media, Czech (Google English translation - .pdf permalink of GoogEng translation)
Talkin' to the Taliban: So, Is the AFG Gov't Making Progress in Talkin' with the Taliban? - More - Or Isn't It? - "Afghan government urges to drop some names from the blacklist as negotiation with oppositions improves"
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Attacks Claimed in Zabul (link to non-terrorist web page)
Opinion: "What is worth remembering is that it was the U.S. military's aid to the mujahedeen in the 1980s that has guaranteed Afghan women their second-class status for the past three decades."
PAK Taliban Welcome Osama (If He Isn't Already There)
21 Apr 09
"72 Hours in AFG"
Blog: CAN OMLT Officer Home (Thanks to The Torch for this!) - More from the Same Officer
CAN, USA Forces in AFG Sorting Out New Turf with Surge
More on CAN's Air Wing in AFG (.pdf permalink) - The Torch: "CF-18s for Afstan? No way"
AFG Rural Development Minister: "The tide is still in favour of our people. This is my strong belief. It is based upon what I see in rural Afghanistan where the population speaks confidently about tomorrow and does not think the war is lost."
Paper: "Winning the War in Afghanistan: An Oil Spot Plus Strategy for Coalition Forces" - Small Wars Journal Discussion Forum on Paper
Uruzgan Family Mourns Children Killed by Suicide Bomber
Coalition, AFG Forces Nail and Nab Taliban in Khas Oruzgan, Greshk and Maywand Districts - More on USMC Op in Helmand - Taliban Drug House Hit in Kandahar - AFG Cops Nab Bomb Makers in Helmand
Seriously Injured AUS SF Operator Returns Home - Brit Soldier Blogs, Sister Shares Posts in Her Pub - NLD Troops Stationary Biking at K'Har Airfield for the Kids
Taliban Threatening AFG Voters in South
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claim Kills in Helmand and Zabul (link to non-terrorist web page) - Taliban Whining About Possibly Losing Radio Stations, Web Presence (.pdf link to non-terrorist web page) - Opinion: Taliban Call for Freedom of Press=Chutzpah
20 Apr 09
Allies Pushing CAN to Send CF-18's to AFG?
CAN General Helping Sort Out Air Surge Coming to K'har
Scott Vernelli, R.I.P.: "A fallen Sault Ste. Marie soldier taught one of his high school teachers an important lesson with his death."
More CAN Families Looking for Help During Deployments - "De plus en plus de familles de militaires demandent une aide psychologique" - Plus
'La lutte antidrogue devrait enregistrer des "progrès significatifs" en Afghanistan" - "NATO commander sees progress in anti-drug operations in Afghanistan" - More
More on ISAF Looking into Civvy Deaths in Helmand - ISAF Commander: “Apologies are not sufficient, so we do try to compensate families and communities where we’ve made mistakes .... There’s not enough money in the world to replace the loss of a family member.”
AFG Plans to Grow Police Force - More - more
Four DNK Troops Wounded, One Seriously, in Helmand IED Attack (GoogEng) - Original Article in Danish - NZ "Reluctant" About Sending Troops to AFG - Wants More Exit Strategy Info Before Committing
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Le président afghan Hamid Karzaï a estimé dimanche que les efforts américains pour nouer un dialogue direct avec les taliban étaient voués à l'échec si son gouvernement n'était pas associé à cette initiative." - "Karzai Objects To Direct U.S. Talks With Taliban" - AFG Pres: "Al Qaeda has no structural presence in Afghanistan"
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Heavy Fighting, Destruction of Bulldozers in South (link to non-terrorist web page)
"Bin Laden deputy slams Obama's Afghan plan"
Opinion: "Legal Afghan poppies prescription to weaken Taliban"
ISAF Boss: PAK's Gotta Do More to Eliminate Taliban Bases - Holbrooke: "(PAK) peace pact strengthens Taliban to attack the world"
19 Apr 09
"L'ambassadeur canadien fait sa part pour la réouverture des écoles afghanes" - CAN Envoy Pledges to Help AFG Schools
Why One Columnist Thinks Women Shouldn't Go to War.... - ...And Why Many Think Differently
CAN Reporter Discovers Brits Hard At It Too - CAN Female Reporter Feels WAY Too Much Gaze in AFG
USA Moving More Hercs to K'Har
AFG Minister Survives Suicide Bomber Attack in Nimroz
"Les Etats-Unis tentent d'empêcher les taliban de se servir de la radio et d'nternet pour intimider les populations civiles et planifier leurs opérations" - More on USA Push to Block Taliban Radio, Web Presence
USA Asks NZ to Send SAS to AFG - Looking into British Shooting Incident in Helmand - More - more - USA Cool to IRN Training AFG Cops
Warlord Hekmatyar (Again) Calls for Foreign Troop Pullout - Meanwhile, AFG Human Rights Group Calls for Ban on Warlords Running in Coming Election
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Alleges to Have Destroyed Two "Tanks" in Maiwand - Whaddya Call a Suicide Bomber Who Doesn't Blow Himself Up?
“Quatre milliards d'euros pour le Pakistan, ce n'est pas suffisant”
18 Apr 09
More Troops Prepare to Head Downrange
"L’explosion qui a tué, la semaine dernière, la militaire Karine Blais et blessé quatre autres soldats, en Afghanistan, a semé la consternation dans la région. C’est que l’un des militaires qui prenaient part au convoi serait originaire du coin, et ferait partie des blessés."
"Neither Afghans nor coalition want to pay for Kandahar airport renovations"
US Engineers Headed to AFG (Two Weeks After Getting to IRQ)
"After years of alienating Afghans by being slow to acknowledge killing civilians, U.S. troops are trying a new tactic: say sorry fast."
Three Civvies Killed as Would-Be Homicide Bomber Runs Away & Blows Up in Nimruz
PAK Taliban Keen to Fight in AFG
Wall Street Journal: US Working on Jamming Taliban Radio, Blocking Web Pages (.pdf permalink to article)
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claim ISAF Forces Kill Civvies in Maywand, Deny Using Human Shields (links to non-jihadi web page) - The REST of the Story on Taliban Denying Using Human Shields
Opinion: "Why is the Taliban so afraid of women that it seeks to keep them prisoners in their own homes?" - "Je ne pouvais accepter que l'on envoie nos jeunes là-bas risquer leur vie, alors que nous avions tellement besoin de main-d'oeuvre chez nous."
17 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: La dépouille ramenée au pays - Plus - She's Home - More - "Mais, avant tout, pour toi, surnommée "Ninine", notre amie"
Soldiers on Plane Dropped Off at Uplands (But They Would Have Preferred Being in Trenton for Repatriation) - More - CF Apologizes - "Controverse autour du rapatriement de la dépouille"
OMLT'eer Reservist Returns Home
"L'aéroport de Kandahar est coincé: ni les Afghans ni les alliés ne veulent payer"
AFG Pres Says They're Taking Another Look at Controversial Family Law
Two Arrested in Connection with Assassination of Female K'Har Official - More
Brits Seize Taliban Weapon Cache in K'Har - Brits Building Trust in Helmand
AFG Cops Killed in K'Har IED Blast
Running Down Who Are the Bad Guys
Analysis: Taliban Blocking Polio Vaccine=Bio Warfare?
Talkin' to the Taliban: Taliban Cleric Calls for Safe Passage to Talibs to Wherever They Want to Go
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Blowing Up Comms Towers in Nimroz (links to non-jihadi web page)
"Insecurity, lack of cash threaten development projects"
Opinion: "If the fledgling democracy should ever see a period of peace and modest prosperity, perhaps foreign do-gooders could begin to make some serious headway on advancing human rights and individual liberties .... For now, what it's really all about is defeating the Taliban"
"Taliban Exploit Class Rifts to Gain Ground in Pakistan"
16 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: "La dépouille de notre soldate tuée au combat, la Cavalière Karine Blais, du 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, basé à la BFC Valcartier (Québec), sera rapatriée au Canada le jeudi 16 avril 2009." - Plus - Arriving Home Today
Mark Graham, 1973-2006, R.I.P.: Memorial Track and Field Meet Set for 7 May in Hamilton
CAN Trying "Ink Blot" Approach Starting in Town in Dand
"A top Taliban leader has said that fugitive Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and leading operations against foreign forces in Afghanistan."
Flash Floods Cause Worry in Daikundi
Some Women Protesting FOR Proposed New Family Law?
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Mortar Attack on K'Har Airfield (link to non-jihadi web page) - Taliban Spokesperson Denies Shooting Eloping Teenagers
Opinion: "If Canada and its allies did what many are suggesting and withdrew military support, the country would almost certainly fall back into Taliban hands, which would be a human rights and humanitarian disaster." - "Parmi la population afghane, les morts se comptent par milliers. Il devient évident qu'il est urgent de changer notre mode d'intervention et de dépenser pour l'humanitaire et non plus pour le militaire."
RUS Foreign Minister Says It's Contributing to AFG Stability - RUS Int Says Taliban, Other AFG Terrorists a Threat to RUS Security
15 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: Coming Home - More - Arriving in Trenton 16 Apr 09 - Déclaration de la famille du cavalier Karine Blais - Message de Son Excellence la très honorable Michaëlle Jean, gouverneure générale et commandante en chef du Canada - Déclaration du Premier ministre Stephen Harper - Déclaration du ministre de la Défense nationale - Le Premier Ministre Charest Offre Ses Condoleances - Google English Translation of Message from Family - GovGen/Commander in Chief's Message - Prime Minister's Message - Def Min's Message - "She just wanted to do this one mission" - "L'oncle de Karine Blais dénonce la mission" - Plus - More - "Fallen soldier's relatives feared for her safety, opposed idea of military career" - "Les drapeaux sont en berne à Valcartier" - "Karine Blais rêvait de s'acheter une maison" - Plus
Scott Vernelli, R.I.P.: Public Memorial Set for 18 Apr 09 in Sault Ste. Marie
More on CAN Officer Overseeing Road Work
UN Says "Ooopsie" on Money for Development Work - More - more
Nimroz Teens Killed by Taliban for Premarital Sex
UK Investigating DNA of Brit on Unexploded IED - More - Brits Getting Buggies
Survey Says More Afghans Blame Taliban/Foreign Jihadis for Civvy Deaths than ISAF (.pdf)
Talkin' to the Taliban: Carnegie Endowment Report Says "Negotiating with the Taliban—who are convinced military victory is within sight—is the worst possible approach to stabilizing Afghanistan, and one that would fail." - Taliban Boss in Helmand Claims “People want reconstruction of the area but the Taleban won’t allow it. The people ask us (the Taleban) to leave and they want to form their own government”
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Alleges "Violent clashes between the Americans and the puppet army in Garmsir" (link to non-jihadi web page)
Opinion: "Tout le courage - et il est grand - des hommes et des femmes qui portent l'uniforme peut-il vraiment y faire quelque chose?" - "What the Obama Administration must avoid is an aggressive military surge like the one in 2005 that will only further destabilize Afghanistan, as well as the dead-end tactic of refusing to talk with people you don’t agree with."
AFG Worries PAK's Swat Peace Deal Could Cause Problems
Columnist Discusses Potential for ""A Nuclear Talibanistan" in PAK
14 Apr 09
Karine Blais, R.I.P.: FC Communiqué - CF News Release - Presse Canadienne - Radio-Canada - Le Figaro - ISAF Statement - Canadian Press - CanWest News Service - Globe & Mail - Army.ca Condolences - Taliban Claim Responsibility for Remote-control IED Blast
PAK Media: "Combat operations will soon be ramped up in the hotly contested region of Afghanistan where Canadian troops play a major role."
"L'avenir de l'Afghanistan et l'issue de la guerre se joueront dans le sud du pays" - "NATO troop commander says battle in southern Afghanistan will be pivotal" - ISAF, AFG Forces Hold News Conference to Discuss Surge
Embed Blogger on Changes in K'Har with Surge - The Torch With the Corrections
AFG Regulation of Private Security Contractors Coming?
Analysis: "The new commander of al Qaeda's paramilitary forces that operate in Pakistan and Afghanistan laid out al Qaeda and the Taliban's strategy to defeat the Coalition and Afghan government." - .pdf of original in Arabic (on non-jihadi web page) - More
Provincial Official Says Up to 70K Addicts in Helmand - Problem Growing Everywhere - IRN Offers to Train AFG Drug Police - IRN prêt à aider les Afghans
NLD General Commanding RC-South Expects Spike of Violence with Surge - Former Brit Commander: "Military force alone won't bring peace to Afghanistan. The West must get the local economy into shape"
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Mortars Fired @ K'Har Airfield (non-jihadi web page)
Opinion: "Is it possible that Obama, Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel believe that things have changed so significantly for Afghan women since the Taliban was removed from official power in 2001 that the “rape law” is anything but a codification of normative behavior?"
13 Apr 09
"Qu'on se le tienne pour dit: les combats se multiplieront dans le sud de l'Afghanistan prochainement, là où est concentré le corps expéditionnaire canadien." - "Combat operations will soon be ramped up in the hotly contested region of Afghanistan where Canadian troops play a major role."
Getting Ready to Head Downrange.... - ....While Others are Coming Home
"Canadian bishop celebrates Easter mass on the Kandahar airbase"
Former CAN Deputy Commander Says We're Making a Difference
K'Har Female Legislator Shot Dead - More - more - Taliban Taking Credit (.pdf at non-jihadi web page) - CAN Pissed - UN in AFG Pissed
Outgoing UK Commander: Troops' Morale Good - NLD Special Forces Hunting Taliban (Original article in Dutch)
Getting Out to Give Polio Shots in Restive Areas, Including South
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "Destructon of a tank belonging to the Canadian forces in an explosion in Maiwand in the province of Kandahar 13/04/09" (GoogEng) - Arabic version - Taliban Claims Attacks in Dand, Panjwaii, and Sangin (link to non-jihadi web page)
Aussie COIN Expert: "If Pakistan collapses it will dwarf anything we have seen so far in whatever we're calling the war on terror now"
12 Apr 09
"Un militaire canadien célèbre une dernière fois la prière musulmane du vendredi" - "Il y a des rapprochements à faire entre la vie du Christ et celle des soldats"
K'Har Air Traffic Controllers Bracing for LOTS More Traffic
CAN Corrections Officer Highlights Progress He Sees (.pdf permalink) - "Un réserviste lavallois fait parler de lui à Kandahar"
ISAF, AFG Forces in Big Helmand Push 8-9 Apr 09
Would-be Homicide Bomber Nailed by AFG Cops in Helmand - +30 Bad Boys Nailed in Helmand, Oruzgan - More - Zabul, Too - "Combats dans le sud de l'Afghanistan: 22 talibans tués"
How the Heck do you Set Up and Run a Presidential Election in Five Months?
New Brit Team Takes Over in Helmand - ITA Photographer Shows the AFG Wounded of Helmand (English translation)
Nimroz Irrigation System Getting Better
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claiming Seven Killed in Rocket Attack on Convoy in Panjwai, Brit Tank Kill in Maiwand (link to non-jihadi web page)
Opinion: "Europe is bailing out on us. Afghanistan is to be America’s war." - "Is the US selling out to the Taliban?"
From the "Lessons Learned" Department: RUS Urges West to Avoid Disproportionate Use of Force
PAK Bad Boys (Again) Torch ISAF Supplies in Peshawar - "Des taliban attaquent un entrepôt de l'Isaf à Peshawar"
11 Apr 09
CAN General Reaching Out to Afghans via Talk Radio
CAN Officer Leads Muslim Prayers @ K'Har
Ottawa Cop Learns While Mentoring AFG Cops
"Nothing says Canada like coffee, doughnuts and hockey."
"How Talibs recruit supporters"
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Why the Pakistan intelligence agency's close ties with the Taliban should not be condemned"
Opinion: "While the fight to help Afghans help themselves rages on under extreme circumstances, it now appears the battle for Canadian hearts and minds supporting the mission has been lost."
10 Apr 09
CIDA Official: "Tangible Progress" on CAN's Signature Projects
American Troops Being Recognized by CAN
More from The Torch on CAN's Auroras in AFG
Top USA General in AFG to Explain Surge to Tribes
AUS Deciding How to Help More in the Fight - Brits Helping Rebuild Garmsir
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "6 killed and 3 injured from the Canadian forces in an explosion in Zhari in the province of Kandahar 09/04/09" (.html version at non-jihad web page) - More Taliban Claims of Attacks in Helmand, Zabul
Opinion: "Canadians have promises to keep and one of them is to allow Afghans the time and support they need to develop their own sort of democracy." - "Are Our Soldiers in Afghanistan Adequately Equipped?" - "Afghanistan law reveals Canadian involvement for flawed and immoral mission it truly is" - "Canadians an unreliable ally to the U.S." - "Six months spent on tour in Kandahar is never enough to get to know and understand the culture and society of the place in which NATO soldiers are operating. Ignorance is no excuse for rushing to half-baked solutions."
Taliban Deal in PAK Province Reportedly Dead - More - PAK Pres: You Disarm, We Talk
PAK Calls for $30B "Marshall Plan" to Stabilize Border Areas (.pdf permalink) - "US wants ‘serious response’ on ISI terror links" - Opinion: "Having considered Pakistan’s armed forces and the ISI as stumbling blocks in implementing its agenda, the CIA has started a vicious propaganda war, primarily targeting the ISI by maligning it to the extremes"
9 Apr 09
More Troops Coming Home
Survey Says AFG Family Law Sapping CAN Support for Mission - Une loi afghane menace l'appui des Canadiens à la mission militaire
"L'aérodrome de Kandahar, où sont basées les troupes canadiennes, s'attend à doubler le volume de son trafic aérien en 2009."
Suicide Bomber Targeting Helmand Anti-Drug Team Kills Child, Four Cops - More - Maybe Two Other Civvies As Well? - More
UN Team Studying Use of Private Military Contractors Wraps Up Visit to AFG
POL Sending More Troops - PAK Politician Suggests Deploying Muslim Troops in AFG
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims 33 AFG, Foreign Troops Killed in Fighting in Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul (link to non-jihadi web page)
Opinion: "The reason why our brave soldiers "believe" in the mission they're on and why families of the 116 Canadian soldiers who have given their lives in that brutal country say so too, is because our soldiers have all met people like Sabria and Tahmina -- millions of them -- who have suffered so much and deserve so much more." - "I want to share Gen. Thompson's hope that NATO can bring democracy and freedom to Afghanistan. Canadians are dying for a worthy cause, but I fear it may be a futile one." - "Pakistan: “The Taliban’s Godfather”?"
8 Apr 09
CAN's Former RoCK: "We have a lot of strengths that the Americans understand. They’re not going to completely overwhelm us from that perspective." (.pdf permalink)
Royal 22nd Regiment Historian in AFG
The Article on Tanks in AFG - The Torch with the REST of the Story
Stories of Some of the Returning Troops - More - more
American Company Gets Contract for Small UAVs for CAN - Original Tender Call
USA Happy to See AFG Family Law Reviewed - Review Could Take a Few Months
Afghans Often Happy to Be Safer (But Still Reluctant to Help USA Troops)
Civvies Injured in Kandaar IED Blast - Remembering One of the Fallen in K'Har
Uruzgan Political, Military Leaders Sign Deal Moving Closer to More Afghans Protecting Afghans
USA Special Envoy Wishes USA Knew More about Taliban - UK Troops Fighting the Info War in Helmand
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Ambush in K'Har, Killing of Italian Troops in Zabul (link to non-jihadi web page)
Opinion: "Canada sets example for wartime grieving"
7 Apr 09
CAN Air Force to Map AFG - Politically Correct "Nose Art" on CAN Chinooks - A Sample of the Art
One of the Injured Happy to Be Home in CAN
Is CBC Still Showing Body Bags of the Fallen on Video?
CAN War Artist Continues Work on Book
More on CAN Fixing Up K'Har Irrigation System
Another CAN Poochie Story
CAN Foreign Affairs Minister Says AFG "Reworking" Controversial Family Law
US Commander Says Handoff Years Away - USMC Commandant Says Bad Guys May Have Heavy MGs to Shoot at Helicopters
Bad Boys Killed, Nabbed During Four Days Fighting in Helmand, Zabul - More - Some Killed in Uruzgan, Too
NLD Soldier Killed, Five Injured in Rocket Attack on Uruzgan Base - More - ISAF Statement
"Dutch Success in Afghanistan May Hold Little Promise for Obama"
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims Foreign Convoy Attack in Zabul
6 Apr 09
2 RCR Troops Start Arriving Home
Un jeune soldat canadien contribue à l'arrestation d'un présumé insurgé
CAN Psychiatrist Helping Hearts, Souls of Troops
CAN PM on AFG Family Law: "The involvement in the international community, and particularly Canada and our NATO allies, is based on the pursuit of very fundamental values in opposition to the kinds of values the Taliban stood for .... If we drift from that, there will be a clear diminishment in allied support for this venture." - Une conférence canadienne pourrait mobiliser les forces contre une loi afghane - No Furor Among Afghans - "Women choose exile as Taliban laws return" - "By re-instating Shariah law, (President Karzai) may invoke the condemnation of the western powers, but he may also earn himself the necessary blessing of the mujahedeen warlords and their followers."
Meanwhile, CAN Female Officer Keeping a Grip in Charge of Road Crews in Panjwaii - Une capitaine canadienne impose les respect aux Afghans sur un chantier
Floods in Kandahar, Avalanches in Daykundi
USA Chair of Joint Chiefs Says Troop Surge Will "certainly start to allow us to turn the tide" - "Lukewarm Afghan commitment raises credibility issues for NATO" - More - "NATO nations fail to meet Obama's hopes for boost in troops to match his 'Afghan surge' of 21,000 new soldiers"
UK CDS Blames NATO for "Failing to Resource" Mission - More
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Claims to have Destroyed 2 British "Tanks"
5 Apr 09
Sharp CAN Reservist Helps Nab Bad Guy
CAN PM: “Canada’s principal objective at this (NATO) Summit was to emphasize the importance of the commitment of NATO and its Allies to securing and stabilizing Afghanistan .... This was Canada’s key priority going into the summit and it remains Canada’s key priority” (.pdf permalink) - New NATO Training Mission in AFG - NATO Summit Statement: "NATO expands its role in Afghanistan"
President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Speech (.pdf): "Our brave men and women deployed in Afghanistan are capable, willing and professional, but they are too few in number and too constrained by national caveats." - OK, Which is it: NATO Sending 5K More Troops or NATO Sending 3K More Troops? - US Military Media Say 5K - UK Media Says 5K Too
- Aid Groups Worry Mo' Troops=Mo' Civvy Casualties - Report Details
USA, NATO Twisting Arms on New AFG Family Law - CAN, Too - ITA Considering Wd Female Troops? - More on CAN's Doing for AFG Women & Girls (.pdf permalink) - AFG Pres Says Law Being Reviewed - Says Western Response "Inappropriate"
CAN PRT Rep Tells Her Story (Thanks again, IE!)
Clock is Ticking for CAN Web Page Developer Kidnapped by PAK Taliban - More
Anti-AFG War Protesters Now Slamming NATO, Not USA - Blog Commentary
ISAF Soldier Killed in South
"For the British soldiers stationed in Musa Qala in southern Afghanistan's insurgent-ridden Helmand province, success is not so much about building schools and wells but gaining the trust of the people."
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "Canadian invader patrol blew up, 4 soldiers killed in Maiwand, Kandahar 4/4/09" (GoogEng) - Arabic and Farsi version - Arabic and Farsi version on non-jihadi web page - More Taliban Claims in RC South - More
More on Graduating AFG Border Guards
US Army Strategic Studies Institute Paper: ".... Civilian development agencies - USAID, NGOs, the UN, the Afghan government’s National Solidarity Program - cannot do the same job as the PRTs. Each plays a role in reconstruction, but none match the PRTs’ capacity to complete projects in contested areas ...."
PAK Taliban Profits from "Blood Emeralds"
4 Apr 09
CAN PM Says He Worries Recession Could Mean More Unrest, More Casualties in AFG
CEFCOM Commander: News of More USA Troops "like music to my ears" - Former CAN TF Commander: "I think our reaction to the new U.S. strategy would be thunderous applause"
CAN Helping Rebuild K'Har Gov't Office After Homicide Bomber Attack
IEDs=3/4 Coalition Casualties in AFG
UK Sending 1K More Troops - UK's 1 RIFLES Returning Home - Update on Injured AUS Troops
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "Killing and wounding among the ranks of Enlgish (sic) troops in an attack and explosion in MusaQala in the province of Helmand 02/04/09" (GoogEng) - "Killing 4 and injuring 5 from the occupiers in 3 explosions in MusaQala in the province of Helmand 04/03/09 " (GoogEng) - "Destruction of a tank belonging to the Amercians (sic) in the province of Oruzgan 02/04/09" (GoogEng) - More Taliban Claims
UK's Times Shares Text of Controversial New Law (.pdf permalink) - "Afghan law throws wrench into U.S. bid for bigger NATO role in conflict" - "Don't abandon Afghanistan out of righteous indignation" - "How to give Taliban the finger" (.pdf permalink) - Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan web page
Opinion: "Which Way in Afghanistan? Ask Colombia For Directions."
USA Signs Cargo Transit Deal with UZB - More
3 Apr 09
CEFCOM Commander: Expect More Violence with More Troops on Ground - Says He'd Like Even More Troops
Gagetown Troops Returning
Letter Writer Calls CAN Tank Delay "Disgraceful"
CAN Troops Impressed with AFG Trainees/Mentees - Brits Train Up AFG Combat Support Troops
CAN Aid Worker: "It is impossible to count how many lives have been saved by our country's presence there"
NATO STILL Waiting for 4K More Troops Requested for the South - USA Says Some Willing to Give - May Even Twist Arms? - More
Flickr Pix: AFG Border Guards Graduate at Spin Boldak
More on Multi-Homicide-Bomber Attack on K'Har Gov't Building - Karzai's Brother Escapes Injury
K'Har Flour Merchants Sense Growing Hunger, Desperation - Moncton Day Care Collects Goods for K'Har School
UN Official: New Marriage Law Like the Old Taliban Days - AFG Envoy to CAN Gets Chastised, Too - Envoy Calls for Patience, Saying Mistakes Will be Made - More - Editorial: "Karzai needs to hear a strong, unified message: rescind this odious law before the world rescinds its goodwill and support." - "We have to accept that Afghanistan will never become a Sweden through its social justice policies, but the world must remain committed to improving the conditions of any country that legally allows husbands to rape wives."
NLD Troops Under Pressure - AUS Troops Nail Helmand Bad Boy IED Facilitator
More on Less-Than-Monolithic Taliban
Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Take Credit for Multiple Blasts at K'Har Gov't Complex
'Back From The Brink? A Strategy For Stabilizing Afghanistan-Pakistan', Asia Society Task Force, 1 April 2009
2 Apr 09
Returning CAN Convoy Driver Reminds Us It's Dangerous for Them, Too
CAN Army Door Gunners "protect helicopter crews, aircraft and cargo"
Little Girl, Helped by Now-Wounded Soldier, Wants to Help - How Many CAN Wounded?
CAN Leery About RUS, IRN Getting More Involved in AFG? - IRN Underwhelmed at Mo' USA Troops in AFG
Family of One of the Fallen Finds New AFG Law for Some Wives "Insulting" - CAN PM "Deeply Troubled" by New AFG Law - More - more
UN Sec-Gen "Appalled" at Homicide Bomb Attack on K'Har Gov't Building - Attack Death Toll Climbs - Including Director of Education Working with CAN on New Schools - Multi-pronged Attack=Smarter Taliban?
Human Rights Groups Call for Uniform System of Compensation for Families of Civvies Killed in Mil Ops - Open Letter to NATO (.pdf)
Remember This Girl? She's Been Attacked Again, and the Family Had to Run Away - Brits Helping Schools
20 Bad Guys Killed in Kajaki
USA General Wants Even MORE Troops in 2010 - UAE Keeping Its Troops in AFG For Now
Talkin' to the Taliban: Taliban Spokesperson Calls USA Reconciliation Offer "lunatic"
Opinion: "Canada has a duty to downtrodden nations"
USA Special Ops Command Boss Agrees with Focussing on al-Qaida
Red Cross Asia Boss: Not Looking Good for PAK, AFG - Brit MP on Aid Work in AFG: "Working in insecure environments results in extra costs, in particular, in providing staff and consultants with adequate security. (UK's Department for International Development) lacks adequate information, however, on these extra costs."
"Re-emerging Alliance between Pakistani Military and Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan"
1 Apr 09
CAN Brokers Deal to Calm AFG-PAK Border - More - more - CAN Foreign Affairs Minister: "What we want is a functional border between two countries"
Think Tank Author After Visit with CAN Troops: "the situation in Afghanistan was fairly bad, but the prospects for the future are reasonably good, at least relative to the standards and expectations of the Afghan people"
Injured Reservist Recovering in Kingston
Former CAN Commander to Families: "Your loved one's loss is not for naught, it's not a waste, it's not in vain because there's tangible progress being made on the ground"
CAN Pissed at New Marriage Law in AFG Making It Illegal for Wives to Refuse Sex with Husbands
Different National Tastes at K'Har's Tim Hortons
"NATO's Afghanistan Report 2009 now public"
NGO, Saying Aid's Not Getting Where It's Supposed To, Calls for De-linking Aid from Military - More - OXFAM Worker Blogs from Kandahar
UN Sec Gen Warns Election Has to be Done Right (Or Else It Could Be Worse than Now) - Speech
Contractor Killed in 20 Mar 09 K'Har Rocket Strike Identified as Filipino - Philippines Gov't Reminds Citizens About Ban Against Exporting Labour to AFG
Three Homicide Bombers Attack K'Har Int Centre (Only One Sets Self Off) - More - more
Bad Guys Killed in Derahwat district of Uruzgan - Some Nailed in Helmand, Too - More - AUS SF Kills IED Facilitator in Uruzgan
Flickr Pix: ISAF Boss Visits Tarin Kowt
Talkin' to the Taliban: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered an olive branch .... to Taliban fighters who reject al-Qaida"
Taliban Propaganda Watch: "Martyrdom attack Harvests 13, including 4 Canadian soldiers in Kandahar" (GoogEng, item 6) - Original in Arabic - "3 explosion killed 8 and wounded 5 puppet soldiers in Helmend 31/3/09" (GoogEng) - "10 terrorists killed in Helmand" - "9 American invader army terrorists killed in Helmand" - "(T)ank of American invader terrorists blew up in Garmser, Helmend 31/3/09" (GoogEng) - More Taliban Allegations
PAK Taliban Threatens Attack on USA
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