News

Updated at least twice daily

Background Information & Research Information


CAN in Kandahar News Archive (Apr-Dec 2006)


4 Jul 08

Tough Anniversary for Six CF Fallen

 

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

 

Analyst Says NATO On the Right Track Against Taliban

 

Tech Briefing Today from Senior CAN Cop on the Ground

 

More Troops Preparing to Head Over

 

More Wells in Spin Boldak

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

All Sides Looking Into PAK-AFG Border Incident

 

 

3 Jul 08

Two CF Convoys Hit with No Casualties - More

 

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

 

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

 

One CF Sapper's Story

 

New CAN CDS Says AFG Army Making "Huge Progress"

 

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

 

CAN Aid Workers in K'Har PRT Get Awards

 

Latest on AFG-CAN School Project

 

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

 

NATO Talks Transport Choppers at Conference - Conference web page

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

Bad Boys, Weapon Caches Nabbed in Helmand - More

 

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

 

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

 

Warlord Key to Sorting Out AFG?

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

2 Jul 08

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

 

CF PsyOps On the Job (.pdf permalink)

 

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

 

K'Har Authorities Pissed at CAN Over Prison Break?

 

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

 

Bad Boys Nabbed, Nailed in Nimruz

 

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

How One (Former) Talib Joined the Fold

 

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

 

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

 

 

AFG Looking for NGO Help on Governance

 

 

1 Jul 08

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

 

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

 

CAN Reporter Bums Another Ride into Town

 

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

 

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

 

Former Taliban Says Mullah Omar Has Had Makeover

 

Grey Cup Visits K'Har - Cartoon:  Canada Day Fireworks in K'Har

Bad Boys Nailed in Zabul

Supreme Allied Commander, Europe: "NATO is making a difference in Afghanistan. However, we can and must do more. I believe the level of ambition in NATO has exceeded its political will."

"Turning Afghan Heroin into Kalashnikovs"

 

Three Americans Killed in Vehicle Roll-Over in Arghandab - More - US ID's Fallen as SF Troops - More - Scots Remembering Their Latest Fallen - MoD ID's Latest Fallen - Photo Essay "The Challenge of Helmand" - CZE Sending Mo' Choppers... - ....But Moving MPs from South - More on Brit Missile Strike on Taliban Boss - DEU Takes Over QRF

 

UN Security Council Extends Mandate of Taliban/AQ Sanctions Team - More - The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee home page

 

 

30 Jun 08

Families of CF Overseas Helping Each Other Together

 

More on CAN Study:  Families of Injured Having Hard Time, Too (.pdf permalink) - U of Alberta "Hidden Costs/Invisible Contributions" Study Site

 

NATO on Taliban: "They would like to expand (but) that doesn't mean they would succeed.” - More

 

Taliban Pushes, Gets Shoved Back - Taliban Plan Sucks?

 

Warlords Share Their Answers to the Conflict

 

Viols d'enfants en Afghanistan?

 

ISAF Soldier Dies on Patrol in Helmand - UK MoD statement - Brit Aid Minister Drops By, Says He Sees Progress - Royal Marines Nail Drug Lab - More on Taliban Bad Boy Nailed in UK Strike - More - Work Begins on Helmand Dam - Aid, Medical Help Visit in Oruzgan - Bad Boys Nailed There Last Week, Too - UK Replacing Land Rovers with Ridgback Armoured Vehicles - More - AUS Cops Trying to Help Stem Drugs in AFG - No Timeline for Withdrawal of AUS Troops

 

Opinion:  "The best way to measure whether Afghanistan and NATO are progressing or regressing in this effort is how (Afghans) are placing their bets."

 

UN Relief Boss:  Food Costs, Civvy Deaths Climbing; Time to Rejig Aid - News conference transcript (.pdf permalink) - More - more - more

 

G8: "more needed to be done to secure Afghanistan's borders and protect the nation against Taliban-led militants"

 

USA Plan to Have SF Hunt AQ in PAK on Hold? - More - NATO:  No Peace in AFG with PAK Sanctuary - PAK Doing Something - All Peace Deals Off

 

 

29 Jun 08

More on New Sheriff in the South

 

Reporter Gets a Ride Into Kandahar - 46 minutes vers Arghandab

 

One of the CF Wounded Shares

 

Bad Boys Nailed in Uruzgan - Started with Ambush - 32 taliban tués jeudi dans le sud

 

Truckers Protest Police Corruption, Kidnapping along K'Har-Herat Highway

 

Opinion:  "Getting Back to Afghanistan, the Forgotten War Fiercely Debated!"

 

Another British Soldier Killed in Landmine Incident - Fallen in Brit Vehicle Accident Named - More - Taliban Boss Responsible for Other Brit Deaths Nailed - DEU Takes Over QRF

 

PAK, ISAF to "reactivate tripartite commission"

 

More on Latest PAK Push Against Miscreants Taliban - More - more - more - more - more - more

 

 

28 Jun 08

CAN Backs New Sherrif in K'Har

 

One CF Soldier's View of Convoy Duty - Some Photos Showing CAN Troops on Patrol in AFG

 

Kabul Int Official:  "We conduct very intense conversations to get information from people."

 

Newsweek "Special Correspondent" Says Taliban Now Working in Groups No Bigger than Eight?

 

War in Afghanistan Brought Home in Canada

 

Army.ca Discussion of OP "Snack Cake for the Troops"

 

 

Brit Killed in Vehicle Rollover While on Patrol - Tribal Elder Gunned Down in Helmand - USMC "Disrupt(s) Taliban's Freedom of Movement" in Helmand, Farah - More from Blogger Round Table - UK Trying New Airbridge to Rotate ROTOs Quicker - Brit Journalist Starts Embed

 

US Reports on AFG Show Progress - MSM Says Report Shows Taliban May Get Crankier - More - more - more - more - "Report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan" (.pdf) - "United States Plan for Sustaining the Afghanistan National Security Forces" (.pdf)

 

Opinion:  "Everyone is correct in this blame game"

 

PAK Takes on Own Taliban with Mortars - Trying to Keep Peshawar Safe

 

USA Bill Introduced to Encourage "Reconstruction Opportunity Zones" in PAK, AFG - H.R. 6387 Info Page

 

 

27 Jun 08

CAN Confirms Funding to Help Fix K'Har Jail:  DFAIT News Release - "Ministre Emerson annonce une aide supplémentaire pour la reconstruction de la prison de Sarpoza" - National Post - CanWest - Globe & Mail - Agence France Presse

 

Meanwhile, K'Har's Top Cop, Others Now Looking for Work - More - more - more - more - more - Trois dirigeants des services de sécurité de l'Afghanistan sont limogés

 

Next General in Charge of CAN Troops in AFG Sees "Tremendous" Progress - More

“The slower we are at doing this – and we are pretty slow – the longer it is going to take”

 

Former Taliban Tells of Pay, Training from PAK Military - More - USA SecDef "Welcomes Pakistan’s Pledge to Reassert Pressure at Afghan Border" - More on PAK Taliban Threats to Nail Truckers Bringing NATO Supplies - Fears over Afghan border - PAK Taliban Slits Throats of Alleged AFG "Spies"G8 Pledges $ to Help AFG, PAK Play Nice Together -

 

CAN CIMIC Teams Tell Elders Rooting Out Insurgents "Like Pulling Weeds" - Columnist Asks, "Why No CF Human Terrain Teams?" - Wikipedia on HTT

 

UN Special Rapporteur Says CAN Not Forthcoming with Info on Civvy Deaths (No Word on How Forthcoming Taliban Were) - May 2008 News Conference in AFG - About the Special Rapporteur

 

OP JoeLouis:  The Hunt for Snack Cakes for the Troops - The Map - Vachon Products Page - La définition du «Jos. Louis!»

 

Legion Branch "Adopts" CF Medic in AFG

 

Calm Slowly Returing to Arghandab - How the AFG Air Force Helped in the Fight

 

Kabul-K'Har Highway Also Still Risky

 

ISAF Soldier Killed in Helmand - ID of USA Helmand Death Released - Troops Nab, Nail Bad Boys in K'Har - DNK Helping Rebuild Mosques in South - ROM Troops Building Trust in Zabul - Bad Boys Getting Nailed There, Too - Story of One of the USMC Interpreters, Returning After Post-Soviet Exile - Mothers of Fallen Brits Prepare for 100 Mile Memorial Walk - Brits to Get Viking, Jackal Armoured Vehicles for AFG - Brit Father-Son Team in Helmand Blog:  Life of RM Commando in Helmand - ITA, NATO Discuss Loosening Caveats - Medvedev: "Kaboul peut compter sur l'assistance de Moscou" -

 

Latest Senlis Report Says IRQ, SOM Have Lessons for AFG:  "Iraq - Angry Hearts and Angry Minds" - Full report (.pdf) - Executive Summary - CTV.ca  - The Guardian (UK) - Telegraph (UK) - ADIKronos (ITA)

 

Latest UN Drug Agency Report Says Insurgents Making Big $, Make it Harder to Fight Drugs:  UNODC News Release - Report web page - Full Report (.pdf) - Reuters - Inner City Press - Financial Times - Quqnoos.com - Washington Post

 

 

26 Jun 08

CAN Troops Poking Around in PAK? (.pdf permalink)

 

CAN Plan Set to Help Rebuild K'Har's Civic Infrastructure - Work Begins on Dam in Nawa District of Helmand (.pdf permalink)

 

Returning Gunner Spends Time with Family in NW Ontario - Family of the Fallen, Almost a Year Later

 

Return to Arghandab Slow

 

Cell Phone Call from Inside K'Har Prison Reportedly Led to Breakout

 

NATO to Provide High-tech Defences for AFG Airport in South

 

CAN General, Head of NATO Military Committee, Calls for Bureaucratic Streamlining - More

New USA Mil Cdr in AFG "determined to defeat Taliban, al Qaeda"

 

Four Americans Killed in IED Blast 21 Jun 08 Identified - Pentagon Bars Journalists from Ramp Ceremonies - Slide Show of USA Marines in Helmand - 4 Para Killed in IED Blast in Sangin - Brit Mom Collects Dead Son's Military Cross - “When times get tough, the tough get going — and 2 Para are very tough.” - Brit General Says Life Getting Safer for Afghans in Helmand - Another Brit General Says 15 Years Needed for AFG to Reach Bangladesh's Level of Development - VERY Close Call for CO of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - "Farewell bully beef, now a Tracker bar will help troops hunting the Taleban" - More - more - More on DEU Sending More Troops

 

USA Contractor Selling (Crappy) 40-year-old Ammunition to AFG Security Forces - More - more - Older Coverage - USA Congressional Report on Issue (.pdf)

 

G8 Ministers to Prod AFG to Help Itself

RUS Envoy to AFG Says Taliban Influence Growing

 

USA NATO Diplomat:  “NATO recognises Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity (but) NATO soldiers do have the right to defend themselves.” - USA General Says Taliban Trying to Provoke USA to Fire on PAK Forces - Analyst:  "I think the military in Pakistan has had a strategic policy since 2001, to give sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban leadership." -  On PAK Paramilitary Forces:  “Although the Frontier Corps, NWFP, and the law enforcement agencies would be the instruments of the governor and the chief minister in their respective jurisdictions for law and order, they would fall under (the Army's) command for military operations” - Hekmatyar Calls on PAK Taliban to Attack Americans in PAK, Not AFG - PAK Taliban Nails Peace Committee Members - Analysis of PAK-Taliban Conflict

Worries About Peshawar Being Overrun by Taliban? - More - more

Opinion:  "Pakistan cannot afford to lose control of its gateway to Afghanistan"

 

Bad Boys Stocking Up on Opium

 

 

25 Jun 08

"Arghandab’s Two-Day War" - AFG Forces Coming Home from Latest Fight

 

Ex Maple Ready Prepares CAN HQ for Deployment (video)

 

NATO Soldier Killed in Blast in Helmand - Probably Another Brit Para

 

Rocket Hits K'Har Air Field; No Injuries Reported

 

USA General Sees Progress in AFG - Transcript

 

 

2 Para Brit Killed in Sangin Firefight - More - USA Marines "trying to win the confidence of the locals" in Garmsir - Civil-Military Operations Center Opens in Helmand - Assessment:  Helmand Residents Happy to See Americans, Taliban Splintering? - Brit Mil Boss Says Can't Fight Two Wars Indefinitely - Latvian Troops Get Their Beer

 

 

Opinion:  "Canada in Afghanistan: Peacekeeper or warmonger?" - "History’s Muse Prepares to Ring the Closing Bell on the West’s War in Afghanistan" - "Europe needs to do much more to pull its weight in Afghanistan" - "U.S., Britain and others need an exit strategy"

 

NATO Cranking Up Attacks in Area of PAK Border

 

 

24 Jun 08

Refugees Get UN Help After Latest Punch-Up with Taliban - Latest Push Back Not Affecting Coalition Medical Ops

 

Gotta Be Brave to Teach in K'Har

 

2 RCR Troops Get Ready for Future ROTO - IED Training in Western CAN

 

Urban Legend of Van Doos Being Naughty in Camp Mirage?

 

CAN Def Min Calls Corruption in AFG "Cancer"

 

CAN Parliamentary Library Report: "Afghanistan: Canada and the intra-NATO Dialogue" - .pdf version

 

USA Officer:  CAN has to “play not to lose” in AFG (audio)

 

USA Sec of Joint Chiefs "hopes that if Iraq continues to improve, he will be able to free some U.S. forces by the fall to send to Afghanistan" - Says Three More Brigades Needed in AFG - DEU Sending 1K More Troops (But Not to South) - More

AFG, Coalition Forces Kill Bad Boys in Helmand

 

 

CAN High Commissioner Leaving PAK (.pdf permalink) - PAK Thanks Outgoing HC for Help with Border Fence (.pdf permalink) - Call for Gulf Nations to Help Keep Peace in PAK Tribal Areas - Some PAK Taliban Undecided About Fate of Peace Deal

 

Opinion:  PAK Wars in PAK Tribal Areas - Understanding AFG Rage

 

More on GAO Reports on AFG Army, Cop Training

Rehash of Allegations of Sexual Impropriety Among AFG Security Forces

Taliban Rakes in Big Bucks from Drug Trade

 

 

23 Jun 08

Three Canadians Injured in RG-31 Roll Over - More - Trois Canadiens blessés à Kandahar

 

The Big Push (Back):  "Anxious Calm" in K'Har Following Battle - AFG Commanders Say Folks Can ReturnLandmines Block Return of Civvies to  Arghandab

 

Manley:  K'Har Prison Break "Speaks To .... a Breakdown in our Intelligence" (.pdf permalink)

 

Lucky Driver Stopped by Bullet in K'Har City

 

Opinion:  "Something good is gestating. While it may not look like much from the comfort of a Canadian suburb, it is hope to a courageous people."

 

Journalist/Blogger on AFG Cop, Army Training Not Going So Well? - Reports:  "Further Congressional Action May Be Needed to Ensure Completion of a Detailed Plan to Develop and Sustain Capable Afghan National Security Forces" - "U.S. Efforts to Develop Capable Afghan Police Forces Face Challenges and Need a Coordinated, Detailed Plan to Help Ensure Accountability"

 

Latest Brit Fallen Going Home - Brit EOD Specialist Uses Finger to Keep Mine from Going Off - Ramp Ceremony @ Bastion

 

AFG Commission Chair Says AFG Could Fail Without More Troops - DEU General Says Up to 6K More Troops Needed All Over AFG - UK Editorial:  "Our allies must fight"

 

PAK Columnist Says Taliban Wouldn't Be Successful without AQ Help

 

AUS Considering Anti-Terr Help for PAK

NATO Arty Fires Back at Insurgents in PAK - PAK Politician Says This is Happening with PAK Consent - AFG Traders, PAK Opposition Trying to Improve AFG-PAK Relations

Still MORE on the Proposed Gas Pipeline (.pdf permalink)

 

 

22 Jun 08

The Big Push (Back):  RC South Boss: "ANA response to Arghandab is an excellent example of its increasing capability"Lotsa Bad Guys Nailed - Journalist/Blogger's Eye View of (A Tiny) Part of the Show - More on People Returning to the Aftermath - Une victoire «qui ne sert à rien» - CAN DefMin Confident Dam Work Can Still Go Ahead

 

CAN to Help Rebuild K'Har Prison - Ottawa Contribue à Réparer Prison de Kandahar

More CF Reservists Prepare to Head Over

 

"The obstacles facing NATO in Afghanistan"

 

 

Arty from PAK Hits ISAF Forces - More - more - more - PAK Media Version - Kills AFG Civvies - More - more - PAK Frontier Corps Riddled with Taliban? - Overview of PAK's Paramilitary Forces

 

USA Officials "Despair" at NATO Problems in AFG

 

 

UK SF Reportedly Find Proof IRN Supplying Taliban - Four Troops Killed in K'Har Blast - USMC Progressing in Helmand - More - UK Land Rovers 'unsafe in danger zone'? - A Bit About One of the Bad Guy Facing the Brits - Meanwhile, A Bit About some Brit Nastiness for the Bad Guys - Hellfire AGM-114N

 

Opinion:  UK's General Sir Mike Says "We must maintain our will in Afghanistan""Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Denying the Durand Line" - "Stop killing the Taliban – they offer the best hope of beating Al-Qaeda" - "NATO has to win in Afghanistan, the Taliban only needs not to lose"

 

More on the Proposed Gas Pipeline - Foil Hat Commentary - Fueling "War for Oil" Commentary

 

 

PAK Promises Action Against Taliban in Frontier Provinces - Seeks Patience from USA - PAK Provincial Gov't Trying to Save Peace Deal with Taliban - Can Deal Hold? - Survey Says PAK Residents Want to Talk to Taliban, AQ - Results of 2003 Online Poll Show Split in NATO Hot Pursuit into PAK (.pdf permalink) - BTW, Osama's Not in PAK

 

 

21 Jun 08

The Big Push (Back):  Aftermath of the Battle - More - more (.pdf permalink) - more - Counting the Dead - CAN to Repair Any Damage Caused in Offensive - "Easily Staged, Quickly Quelled"

 

USA, RUS Agree to Deal to Supply RUS Wpns to AFG Forces (.pdf permalink) - More

 

 

NATO SecGen:  "No single measure can resolve the burden-sharing problem. But the range of initiatives now underway within NATO should help..." (.pdf permalink)

 

 

Five Coalition Troops Killed in Roadside Blast in K'Har Province - More - more - Brit Morale "Never Higher" - More - Taliban hand suspected in latest Helmand suicide attack - More - more

 

PAK Taliban Warn Truckers to Stop NATO Oil Runs

 

Opinion:  "We can win in Afghanistan, but to do so we will have to find the courage and resourcefulness shown by the enemy – not to mention a few of those long-prayed-for Chinooks.""An unstable Afghanistan in which extremists and narco-traffickers have a safe haven may well be another Bush legacy. His would-be successors need to explain how they would deal with it."

 

Patterns of Conflict in IRQ, AFG and North Africa creating "new phase in the global 'war on terror' "

 

Insecurity, Uncertainty Stop Return of AFG Refugees

 

 

20 Jun 08

The Big Push (Back):  AFG, NATO Troops Kick Butt - RC South Boss:  "Operations in Kandahar city and Arghandab district continue to progress well" - TF Kandahar D/Cdr Briefing - ISAF Says Folks Can Return to Arghandab - NATO Video of AFG Troops Good to Go - Taliban Breaking International Law Laying Mines? - Gouverneur rapporte des centaines de morts et de blessés à Kandahar - Offensive près de Kandahar : entre triomphalisme et prudenceInt'l Herald Tribune - Gulf Daily News - CanWest/National Post - Associated Press - BBC - Washington Post - Globe & Mail - More - Quqnoos.com (AFG) - Dawn (PAK) - Pak Tribune - CAN General:  We're Winning, But They'll Be Back - CAN PM:  Setback, Yes, But Everyone Responded Quickly - AFG Governor: 'This will give them a good lesson'  - AFG-CAN Centre Still Running Classes During Fracas - What the Area was Like BEFORE the Big Push Back (.pdf permalink) - Quick Push Back Still a Problem - Concerns about Comms Gaps between AFG, Western Allies? -

USA Envoy:  Taliban Weakening, Therefore Turning to Terror

 

Homicide Bomber in Helmand Kills American Soldier, Afghans - More - more

 

 

UK IDs Latest Fallen - "It's time for a proper cost-benefit analysis of Britain's military presence in Afghanistan" - ISAF Medical Team Helps Car Accident Victim in Oruzgan

 

USA Gov't Watchdog Report:  "U.S. Efforts to Develop Capable Afghan Police Forces Face Challenges and Need a Coordinated, Detailed Plan to Help Ensure Accountability" - US House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs Looking at AFG Cop Trg, Too - USA Mil Academic Study:  "Twelve Urgent Steps for the Advisor Mission in AFG" (.pdf)

 

AFG Media Poll Shows Worries About Aid Effectiveness, Accountability

No Quick Fix to Opium Woes (.pdf permalink)

Petraeus Tries Helping Sort Out PAK-AFG Fracas - US Official on Air Strike:  "I can certainly say that there was no targeting of Pakistani military"

Threat to (Proposed) Pipeline? - More - "A Pipeline Through A Troubled Land: Afghanistan, Canada, and the New Great Energy Game"

 

 

19 Jun 08

The Big Push (Back):  AFG Pouring More Troops Into the Fray - CAN, AFG Troops Nail Bad Guys - City of K'har as "Key that Unlocks" AFG - Why the Arghandab Valley's Important - More - Pentagon: Claims of Taliban Gains ‘Way Overblown’ - USA Envoy Says Arghandab Won't Fall to Taliban - "Residents of Kandahar and people who fled when the Taleban occupied their villages spoke to the BBC about their concerns" - Canadian Press - Canadian Press Video - Globe & Mail - CBC.caNational Public Radio - Financial Times - Reuters - Voice of America - Agence France Presse - International Herald Tribune - Quqnoos (AFG) - Times Online (UK) - Xinhua (CHN) - Daily Times (PAK) - Press Association (UK) - ABC News (USA) Photos - Where the Fighting Is

 

Update on the Natural Gas Pipeline & How CF May Be Helping Protect It

 

How Extra Gadgets Help CF Troops (And The Cost of Carrying Them)

 

Taliban IED's Getting More Sophisticated - New Networks Giving Insurgents Broader Pool of Recruits? - Taliban Tell Red Cross "We Don't Get Our Dead Back?  Then Neither do the Afghans...." - Meanwhile, Domestic Vs. Imported Taliban Fight Breaks Out in Farah

 

More on CAN CDS Saying CAN Troops "Not Going to Stand By" if They See AFGs Abused

 

UK Conservative MP Calls for Talks with Taliban - Latest Brit Fallen Members of Reserve SAS - Welsh Nurse Tells Story of Working @ Camp Bastion - "After Battle, US Marines Open Complaint Shop"

 

Agricultural Story Cluster:  Teaching in Zabul - Helmand Chicken Farmers Get Boost with Arrival of 5K Chicks - Corn, Peanut Seed Distributed, Too

 

Opinion:  USA, NATO "will soon have to choose between massively reinforcing their Afghan garrison .... or withdraw ignominiously" - FRA seeking "a more coherent course for a six-and-a-half year conflict that has no end in sight" - "The Taliban flex their muscles in Afghanistan"

 

USA Watchdog Report:  "Without a detailed plan, it is difficult to assess progress and conduct oversight of the cost of developing the (AFG security forces)" - More

 

PAK Military Refuses to Fight Taliban on Border (Defying Orders of Elected Gov't?) - PAK Keeping an Eye on NATO Activities in AFG - Taliban Warns PAK about Welching on Peace Deal - AFG Backs Off Threat to Head into PAK - PAK May Put US Training Program on Hold Over Missile Strike - Meanwhile, US Mil Chopper Engines Go Missing in Border Zones - More - more

 

 

18 Jun 08

Push on Kandahar?:  CF, AFG Army Pushing Back - Statement from CF Battle Group Commaner (.pdf permalink) - ISAF "Bolstering" AFG Security Forces in K'Har (.pdf permalink) - Patrols Also Under Way to Clear Out Bad Guys (.pdf permalink) Reuters - More - UK Sky News - US Fox News - Voice of America - BBC - Agence France Presse - More - One of the Characteristics of the COIN Fight - Opinion - "The Taliban would be wise to melt into the countryside once they have made their propaganda point in southern Afghanistan"

 

CF Warned in 2006 of Bad Prison Walls @ K'Har - CDS "regrets" Int Missing Prison Break - Ottawa aurait été averti - L'opposition accuse - Aurait-elle été montée de l'intérieur?

 

CAN CDS on Reports of Sex Abuse by AFG Security Forces:  'If somebody is being seriously abused, we are not going to stand by and see that continue." - Title Says it All - Army.ca Discussion

 

AUS Journalist on CAN in AFG

 

CAN Member of Parliament Collects Books for the Troops

 

Opinion:  "Canadians should continue to give the Afghan mission a lot of sober second thought - and never be afraid to bring it up for debate or ask questions, if and when the opportunity presents itself."

 

Four Brits Killed in IED Strike - UK MoD Statement - May Be UK's First Female Cas in AFG - Brit Parliamentarian/Author:  Equipment Shortages Killing Brit Troops - Report (.pdf) -  JPN:  No Plans to Send Troops

 

 

17 Jun 08

Jonathan Sutherland Snyder, R.I.P.:  Buried in National Military Cemetery - More - more

(CORRECTION:  Previous version stated funeral set for 23 Jun 08, but funeral actually held 16 Jun 08.)

 

Fallen RSM's Widow Passes Recruit Training - One of the CF Wounded in Physio (video)

 

Taliban Zeroing in on K'Har - Bridges Being Blown - More - Residents GTFO - This, After NATO Leaflet Drop - More - more - Worries Taliban to Target City of K'Har Next - More - more - more - Al Jazz Says They're Coming - More - more

 

Worries About Impact of Jail Break on Mission - Prison Break Graphic - Évasion à K'har : une affaire «grave» pour Ottawa - Chasse aux évadés en AFG - Looking for Answers (.pdf permalink) - Second Guesser Shares Opinion - More Opinion:  "Mr. Karzai's government, which once seemed to represent such promise for the war-ravaged country, has increasingly seemed unworthy. What must be remembered is that the alternative is much worse." - "Jailbreak shows need for Afghan solution"

In Other News, PAK Releases 170 Prisoners to K'Har Authorities

 

CAN ForMin on Alleged AFG Army Sex Abuse:  "Anybody who says this is about cultural differences should have their head examined" (.pdf version) - NDP Wants CF to Look Into Possible Abuse (.pdf permalink)

 

B Sqn, 12 RBC Getting Ready to Go - Part-Timers from the Soo Heading Over

 

UK MoD Officially Announces More Troops Headed to AFG - More - "Britain must be prepared to match the 'strategic endurance' of the Taliban in Afghanistan"

Bad Boys Nailed in Zabul, Sangin

 

Think Tank Report: "The situation is not hopeless, but Afghanistan needs more attention from national and international actors to reverse current trends." - .pdf version of report

 

Growing Support for Taliban Talks

UN Security Council Applauds Latest Aid Offers to AFG - Statement

 

 

16 Jun 08

CF, NATO Beefing Up Presence in K'Har Post-Jail Break - Not Many Escapees Nabbed Yet - More - Escapees Disappearing into Rural Areas (.pdf version) - CAN DefMin Rejects Idea of Building CAN Prison in AFG - CAN Knew About Problems @ Prison? (.pdf version)

 

CF Troops Told to Ignore Sexual Assault by AFG Troops?!? - Part of Dealing with PTSD  - Human Rights Groups Hearing Similar Accusations Elsewhere in AFG

 

Former Reporter Running Co-Op in K'Har"I was very happy to see NATO come (to Kandahar) but disappointed that NATO hasn’t altered their policy of using corrupt Afghan officials"

 

Bad Boys Nailed in Helmand on Hunt for Boss

 

(What Appears to Be) Successful Op in Uruzgan - Taliban Says They're Running Four Districts in Helmand

 

Not ALL Brit Dead Officially Listed? - Brits Secure Gains after Taliban Supply Route Seized - More on Brits Sending More Troops to South - More - CO of Royal Irish Regiment Writes About Working with AFG Army

 

Opinion:  "If Canada has to have a realistic chance of exiting Afghanistan in 2011  ....  security in Kandahar province will be a key factor."  - "US plan to widen the war in Afghanistan" - "Are the Taliban really in trouble, as a British commander now asserts? Don't look to journalism for an answer because, for all our gizmos, we have no way of telling" - "A government's pleasant predictions may offer short-term benefits, but they do nothing to boost the government's credibility when they are not based on evidence."

 

CAN Def Min Calls on PAK, AFG to Play Nice - Karzai Talking Tougher (But Some Worry Taliban's Winning)- More - CAN Envoy to AFG: "Canadian army's battlefield performance and this country's self-evident lack of conflicting interests means it is now perceived as an honourable and acceptable mediator between Afghanistan and Pakistan"

 

 

15 Jun 08

Etched Granite Reminders of the Fallen (.pdf permalink) - Québec honore ses morts en AFG - «Vous êtes des héros» - Plus - plus

 

CAN Troops Helping Hunt Down Escapees in K'Har Jail Break - Some Bad Boys Nailed in Manhunt - CAN CDS Hopes Escapees Don't Come Back to Haunt Troops - General on the Ground Says They Might - More - more - Was It an Inside Job? - More on How it Went Down - Latest Count:  ~870 Out & About - More - A Bit o' Global TV Video

 

Flickr Gallery of Photos from K'Har, PRT

 

AFG Threatens to Send Tps into PAK - More

 

Taliban Tactics:  "bottle up hundreds of the newly arrived American troops trying to secure Garmser, while they concentrate on attacking occupation forces further north." (.pdf version)

 

Recent Huge Drug Bust Opens Eyes - "High Times" Mourns

 

Warlord Denies Peace Talks with AFG Gov't - Taliban Bad Boy:  "If Islamic troops were brought in, the war in Afghanistan might finish soon."

More on Less-Than-Fully-Optimistic Assessment of AFG by Outgoing USA Mil Boss There

Bayollais Bernard Houle revient d'AFG

 

District Police Chief Killed, Governor Injured in Helmand - More - more - Squadron Commander of King's Royal Hussars Shares His Day - A Look @ UK's Camp Bastion - Fighting "Shoot & Scoot" Taliban - Latest Brit Fallen Killed During Face-to-Face Time with Locals - How Brit Aid Staff are Living (It Up?) on AFG Rotations

 

Opinion:  "Widening the Afghan War into Pakistan is military stupidity on a grand scale, and political madness" (.pdf version) - Socialist Workers Seek End to CAN Mission in AFG

 

 

14 Jun 08

Jonathan Sutherland Snyder, R.I.P.:  Cousin Remembers

 

Taliban attack K'Har jail, hundreds escape - More - more -