Print Page - Afghanistan 2009

God Bless America

Obama rolls out his own war on terror

4,000 troops headed for Afghanistan; president to ask NATO for more

By Sheldon Alberts, Matthew Fisher and Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service

Warning Americans that al-Qaeda is "actively planning" new terror attacks on the United States, President Barack Obama will deploy 4,000 additional troops to the war in Afghanistan and ask NATO members to increase their efforts in the country.

Unveiling a sweeping new strategy to confront the Taliban and al-Qaeda in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Obama described the security situation as "increasingly perilous," with the Taliban in effective control of some areas of Afghanistan and al-Qaeda enjoying a safe haven along Pakistan's lawless frontier.

"Let me be clear: al-Qaeda and its allies -- the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks -- are in Pakistan and Afghanistan," Obama said at the White House.

"Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al-Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the U.S. homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan. And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban -- or allows al-Qaeda to go unchallenged -- that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can."

The Americanization of the war in Afghanistan was inevitable once the conflict in Iraq began to wind down, because NATO countries in Europe -- with the exception of Britain, Denmark and the Dutch -- refused constant demands to send forces to the only places in Afghanistan that really matter: the east and south of the country.

The increase in activity is already breathtaking.

The most obvious evidence is the vast swath of real estate being claimed by American forces at the already overcrowded Kandahar Airfield, which is the logistical hub for the war in the south.

Every few minutes, giant transport aircraft disgorge troops, combat gear or supplies. There are new landing pads for more than 100 helicopters from the 82nd Aviation Combat Brigade. Seabees from the U.S. navy are frantically erecting scores of barracks and other buildings. Every road on the base is being torn up as plumbing and electricity systems are installed.

Outside the airfield, Canadian troops in Kandahar still outnumber Americans; but, by the end of the summer, four of every five soldiers outside the wire in Kandahar will wear a Stars and Stripes shoulder patch.

This dramatic move doesn't diminish Canada's key role in the volatile south. The Canadians will remain in the same numbers precisely where they are now: in one of the deadliest parts of the country, an area about the size of New Brunswick. In most places, it's less than 100 kilometres from Pakistan, where Taliban leader Mullah Omar is said to direct the insurgency from the city of Quetta.

What has changed is that the Americans are going to blanket much of the rest of Kandahar. They are to provide what a diplomat here has called "a protective crust" to the north and east of Kandahar City.

As a result, Canadian troops hope insurgents and their weapons will have a harder time getting through from safe havens in Pakistan.

After years of relative U.S. neglect, Obama said his administration's plan would see dramatic increases in personnel and funding for the war.

The 4,000 new U.S. troops will be embedded as trainers with soldiers in the Afghan army and bringing to 21,000 the number of new U.S. forces Obama has ordered deployed to Afghanistan ahead of upcoming presidential and provincial elections in August.

Obama said he will ask NATO members for more troops and civilian personnel when he travels next week to the military alliance's summit in France and Germany. Specifically, the U.S. wants NATO to provide more military trainers "to ensure that every Afghan unit has a coalition partner."

In addition, he wants NATO's help with "clearly defined capabilities" that include support for upcoming elections and civilian aid in helping build Afghan political institutions, which are now rife with corruption.

The United States' military goal is to "accelerate" efforts to build an Afghan army of 134,000 and increase the size of the national police force to 82,000 by 2011.

"For the first time, this will fully resource our effort to train and support the Afghan army and police," Obama said.

In advance of the NATO summit, the Times of London reported that Britain was prepared to send an additional 2,000 troops to Afghanistan.

Canada welcomed Obama's "clarion call."

The White House strategy offers a "compelling, comprehensive and realistic assessment" of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

"We look forward to working with the U.S. in order to reach our ultimate common goal of leaving Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful and more secure."

Cannon said there are "many elements" in Obama's plan that jibe with Canada's strategy of the past year. They include calls for an integrated military-civilian strategy, his emphasis on training Afghan army and police faster, and the president's decision to send more combat troops to "secure and hold areas, thereby facilitating development and reconstruction efforts."

Obama's strategy is expected to drive the cost of the Afghan mission -- now about $2 billion U.S. a month -- up by 60 per cent.

Obama cast the decision as nothing less than essential to U.S. domestic security. While the U.S. was consumed by the war in Iraq, al-Qaeda terrorists regrouped in lawless areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border, he said.

The al-Qaeda leaders there "almost certainly include Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri," Obama said.

"For the American people, this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world."

The strategy includes benchmarks for measuring progress by the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan -- including goals for the training of Afghan troops, economic growth and impact on the flourishing narcotics trade.

International aid will be linked to evidence the government is cracking down on corruption, Obama said.

U.S. military tactics will also change. While fighting the Taliban's "uncompromising core," Obama said the U.S. planned a "reconciliation process" with insurgents fighting for other reasons.

To help strengthen Pakistan's government, Obama will ask Congress to triple aid to $1.5 billion a year for the construction of roads, schools and hospitals.

"Make no mistake: al-Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within," he said.

But the U.S. also plans to impose tough conditions on Pakistan -- tying financial aid to fighting extremists.

"It is important for the American people to understand that Pakistan needs our help in going after al-Qaeda. This is no simple task," Obama said.

"After years of mixed results," he continued, "we will not provide a blank cheque. Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al-Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders. And we will insist that action be taken -- one way or another -- when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets."

Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari to brief them on the U.S. strategy. The initial response from both governments was positive.

"Pakistan is willing to play an active, constructive role in this because we feel our peace and security is linked to Afghanistan's," Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's foreign minister, told Reuters.

British troops also paying heavy price in Afghan war

By Matthew Fisher, Canwest News ServiceApril 19, 2009

Canwest News Mideast Correspondent

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan - Like most of his countrymen, Pte. Colin Walstow admitted that he "did not have a clue" that Canada was fighting only 60 kilometres to the east of where he was serving as a combat medic for the British army in Helmand Province.

Most Canadians suffer from a similar myopia.

They have been so focused on Canada's war in Kandahar that most don't know the British have been fighting and dying in almost similar numbers in neighbouring Helmand.

Since 9/11, 152 Britons and 117 Canadians have died in Afghanistan.

Britain has dispatched 8,300 troops and five infantry battalions to Helmand. Canada has about 3,000 soldiers and one infantry battalion in Kandahar.

The British have mostly fought from light-armoured Land Rovers. That is a path that Canada abandoned shortly after moving their forces from Kabul to Kandahar in 2006 because its jeep-like vehicles were considered vulnerable to improvised explosive devices.

Canadian soldiers mostly use armoured personnel carriers and heavily armoured RG-32 trucks to get around. They also have Leopard tanks.

"If you've got the enemy within, laying bombs and attacking with small pockets of men, there are not many scenarios in this small zone for armour," said Col. Greville Bibby, the British contingent's deputy commander, adding that the populated terrain in this province was not practical for heavy vehicles.

"Our experience in Northern Ireland is that you can't influence the people from behind 10 inches of armour. You can't do it whizzing past with armour, pushing them off the road."

Still, the similarities between how the Commonwealth allies are prosecuting this violent, opium-fuelled war in the Taliban heartland are more striking than the differences. After the Brits and Canadians won some very one-sided early battles against insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar, the enemy now mostly causes mayhem by planting IEDs.

Contact has been particularly light in recent weeks because so many of the insurgents have been out harvesting opium.

However, the fighting season is expected to begin again in earnest in a few weeks.

The British contingent in Afghanistan is the 19th Light Brigade - the last of the light brigades immortalized in Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem about the heroism of the troops carrying out a senseless cavalry charge against the Russians during the Crimean War.

And just as the Canadians are about to hand over the largely unpopulated northeastern and southeastern half of Kandahar to a U.S. Army Stryker Brigade, the British are transferring the largely unpopulated southern half of Helmand to a U.S. Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

The Brits and the Canadians have embraced the growing American presence and have adopted nearly identical strategies to try to win Afghans over. They are using provincial reconstruction teams comprised of civilians and soldiers that are "as joined at the hip as an organization can be," Bibby said.

The British and the Afghan government already have established five protected communities within a security bubble since they began the program early last year.

Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, Canada's commander in Kandahar, revealed a similar strategy last week, with work to begin soon to secure the town of Den-E-Bagh.

"We're not trying to turn Helmand into Hampshire," said Bibby, who is No. 2 at the Helmand PRT to a British foreign affairs official. But the security bubble strategy "works. It is absolutely fantastic to see. It is all about them doing it. I can tell you that if we pulled out, the locals would be very angry. They are really hungry for this."

Bibby and other soldiers at Lashkar Gah, which is the British headquarters, expressed frustration with their own journalists for seldom wanting to report on the non-military war.

"The British media focus on the kinetic stuff,'' said Sgt. Paul Crawford, a Royal Engineer who had served previously in Iraq and Afghanistan. ``They want to film firefights. But the majority of what we do is stability and construction.''

One of the ways the British army has tried to do that is to send six-member teams of experts to the most far-flung places.

"We are trying to map the human terrain to understand as much we can about the human environment," said Maj. James Bunyard of the The 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh. "It all boils down to developing capacity. We want to hand over to civilians, to other foreigners, or better yet, to Afghans. This is a very complex environment. Everything we do is about getting an Afghan to do something for himself."

As in Canada, there is also a war to be won at home. While hugely supportive of their troops, many Britons remain skeptical about the mission.

"My impression is that there is a lack of understanding as to why we are here," Bibby said. "Like so many things political, the media use this to discuss political implications, rather than what is actually happening on the ground."

There were hard facts to support the contention that "there are absolute signs of progress," said Lt.-Col. Nick Richardson, a Royal Engineer who runs media operations in Helmand.

"During the Taliban time, there were one million kids in school. There are six million now. Back then, eight per cent of the population had access to health care. It is now 80 per cent. And 35,000 kids are alive because of immunization programs."

Unlike Ottawa, which has announced its combat mission in Kandahar will end late in 2011, Britain has an open-ended combat commitment in Helmand.

"It has been challenging. We are almost working at capacity," Bibby said. "But we can do it and I am confident that we can keep going at this level as long as we keep doing it."

Walstow, the combat medic, said there was an "atmospheric change" every time he "crossed the bridge" and left the relative peace of Lashkar Gah.

The 20-year-old private said he had already been told that it was likely he will be back in Helmand again sometime in the winter of 2010/2011.

A snapshot in time: 72 hours in Afghanistan

Rocket attacks are way, way louder than in the movies

By Major John Cochrane, The Edmonton JournalApril 20, 2009 7:29 AM

Forward operating base Ma'Sum Gar, Afghanistan / It is hard to explain the level of activity that occurs in a Forward Operating Base (FOB) during a day here. While some days are busier than others, in general it is a consistent flow of events throughout the day; and a workday over here is 24 hours; we are always on call. In order to give you an idea of what goes on I have outlined a 72-hour block of time that occurred in the vicinity of FOB

Ma'sum Gar.

Day 1

Morning -- I was required to launch the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) for an improvised explosive device (IED) that was suspected to be on one of the routes where we are conducting a paving project to facilitate better, and safer, movement of the local Afghan people. This project also provides work for up to 400 of the locals and helps them to earn an honest living.

Fortunately, there was nothing there, but you can never be too careful over here.

Early Afternoon -- We experienced another rocket attack. It was the first time for some people, but old hat for others. For me, no matter how many times you hear them, they are loud!

It is not unlike what you see in the movies with the whistle and explosion. But multiply the speed and volume of the whistle and

explosion by 50 times and that will give you an idea as to what it's like.

Late Afternoon -- The camp had its first additions to its family.

Yesterday, one of our FOB cats gave birth to four healthy kittens which we have affectionately named Ginger, Bog, Barf, and Shock, after my troop leaders.

Mother and kittens are doing well.

Evening -- The first casualty for the tour for the new battle group, Trooper Karin Blais from the 12th Armoured Regiment of Canada serving with the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battle Group. May she rest in peace.

Day 2

Morning -- I travelled to Kandahar Airfield (KAF) on a Canadian Chinook helicopter to attend the ramp ceremony for Trooper Blais.

Afternoon -- As I was in KAF, I attended the transfer of authority ceremony between the outgoing battle group from 3 Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) under Lt.-Col. Roger Barrett and the incoming battle group from the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, under Lt.-Col. Jocelyn Paul.

Night -- I attended my first ramp ceremony. It was a rather surreal experience. There were thousands of soldiers present from all nations.

It was an honour to be part of the ceremony and see the respect that soldiers afford one another all over the world, regardless of nationality; but I really hope I never have to attend another.

Day 3

Afternoon -- Afghan police along with Canadian and U.S. advisers strike an IED about 1,800 metres from the forward operating base. Two Afghan police were instantly killed and three critically wounded, along with a pregnant mother and a four-year-old girl.

They were evacuated after life-saving treatment was provided by Petty Officer Martin Bedard and his medical team. Unfortunately, one additional Afghan officer passed away overnight and the pregnant mother lost the baby.

So there you have it -- 72 hours in the FOB. Unfortunately, it's just another day, or days, at the office for us.

Watch for stories from the front lines every Monday on A2 as members of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) write about their tank squadron's experience in Afghanistan during the spring and summer months.

Canadians urged to send fighter jets to Afghanistan

U.S., NATO want CF-18 Hornets supporting mission, general says

By Matthew Fisher, Canwest News ServiceApril 20, 2009

The United States and NATO have "expressed a desire" for Canada to deploy CF-18 Hornet fighter jets to Afghanistan, according to the Canadian general who leads the coalition's air war in Afghanistan.

"I can tell you from the senior Canadian in this headquarters that I have been asked on several occasions by AFCENT (United States Air Forces Central) and CENTCOM (Central Command), 'How can we get Canadian F-18s into the game over here?' " Maj.-Gen. Duff Sullivan said. "And I've told them that that is a political decision back in Canada."

Sullivan, 52, flew sorties in CF-18s over the Balkans and during the first U.S.-led war against Iraq in 1991.

"What has been highlighted to me as the director of the air element here, the commander of AFCENT has said that it would relieve the pressure on his American squadrons if we could have Canadian F-18s come in. I haven't commented one way or the other, but passed it back to Canada to the chief of defence and I know that issue is well known in his office."

But on Sunday evening, Defence Minister Peter Mac-Kay's director of communications, Dan Dugas, disputed the notion it was a "political decision."

"The general is somehow mistaken on this issue," he said. "This is something that has not gone through a chain of command and then to the minister's office ... so it can hardly be a political decision.

"If the chain of command believes this is worthwhile, they would make a recommendation to the minister. As far as I know, this has not happened."

Sullivan has been described by U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, as his "air czar." The Cornwall, Ont., native is a graduate of the U.S. air force's most prestigious combat school and flew NATO missions in Germany for Canada for seven years.

"Whenever our troops are in trouble and taking casualties, every single time they call for air support -- armed overwatch -- that is what the Canadian F-18s would do," Sullivan said, noting that Canada alone contributes combat ground forces in Afghanistan without also providing close air support.

"This is what I think that other allies are noticing and pointing out to me," Sullivan said. "Canada is the only nation that has not yet done a tour of duty with its fighter force. ... If we brought our F-18s, it would allow us to be fully involved in the air/land operation."

The questions being asked about Canada's CF-18s were "interesting in the NATO environment because before officially asking a country to fill a capability they will unofficially ask them to feel them out about where they are," said Sullivan, who is also deputy director of air and land operations for NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, who commands all Canadian troops overseas, said during a visit to Kandahar last month that the air force was already making a major contribution in Afghanistan and that Canada had no plans to deploy CF-18s to Kandahar.

"You have to recognize that Canada is contributing in a very, very significant manner with the more than 3,000 troops we have on the ground," Sullivan said, echoing some of Gauthier's comments. "We have (also) plussed up with our Chinooks and Griffons (helicopters) and Herons (unmanned surveillance drones), so there is no doubt Canada is shouldering quite an impressive contribution."
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Canadian and American brass prepare for Afghan changeover

Matthew Fisher, Canwest News Service

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- With thousands of U.S. troops descending on Kandahar, Canadian and American diplomats, development experts and soldiers are involved in scores of meetings to try to ensure that the marriage of American and Canadian military and civil operations in the war-plagued province is successful.

"There is a lot going on," confirmed Ken Lewis, Canada's top diplomat in southern Afghanistan. "A big part of the laydown is being co-ordinated through their [U.S.] very big embassy in Kabul. We are meeting with them and with their embassy with followup meetings at KAF (Kandahar Airfield) and the PRT (provincial reconstruction team)."

Other meetings have taken place in London and at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Mr. Lewis said.

The plan is for American forces, ordered to Afghanistan by U.S. President Barack Obama, to take over military responsibility from overstretched Canadian troops in an arc from northwestern Kandahar to southeastern Kandahar. Canadian forces will remain in charge of Kandahar City and its Taliban-infested western approaches and, as crucially, will retain the lead role for all governance issues and economic development activities for the entire province.

Similar plans are in place for neighbouring Helmand, where British forces are turning over the southern half of the province to U.S. Marines, while retaining primacy for governance and economic development everywhere.

"The mood is very collaborative," Mr. Lewis said. "So far, we are in the initial stages. We are still discussing back at headquarters [Ottawa] and with the [State] Department in Washington who is coming and what positions to fill."

The growing U.S. presence has already been felt at the Canadian army headquarters at Kandahar Airfield. A steady flow of U.S. army officers and senior NCOs have been discussing with their Canadian counterparts how they will work together. Among the recent visitors have been the top commanders of the Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, Wash., which is to be based in Kandahar, beginning this summer.

But the two armies are used to working together. A greater challenge may be to achieve the same level of co-ordination between the U.S. State Department and USAID officials and representatives of Canada's foreign affairs ministry and its CIDA branch.

"Having a province-wide representation with a U.S. influence, you really need close co-operation and synchronization of all activities," said Lieutenant-Colonel Carl Turenne, the Franco-Manitoban who leads the PRT, where 360 soldiers work alongside 60 men and women from other branches of the Canadian government.

"We welcome the American surge," said Rhonda Gossen, Canada's deputy director of development, and a former CIDA official in Africa and Asia.

Brigadier-General John Nicholson, the top American soldier in the south understands development and how critical it is to achieving the end state of peace and security, she said.

"It is important to engage with Afghans at all levels, especially the provincial level -- and that there is an Afghan face on everything. Brig-Gen. Nicholson understands the basis of that."

Canada spent nearly $350 million on aid and reconstruction in Afghanistan during the last fiscal year, according to figures supplied by Foreign Affairs. Much of that money was spent in Kandahar.

"To have that much money flowing into one province, for us, that is very big," Ms. Gossen said. "Such a figure might usually be for an entire country.

"We are certainly addressing the most difficult part of the country and, from the development perspective, the poorest. So, this is where we should be."

As well as working closely with the U.S. military and the State Department, Canada's military and civilian representatives are co-ordinating strategies with the United Nations, Afghan line ministries and local non-governmental organizations.

"How many organizations are involved in this? I wouldn't even guess. It's mind-boggling," said Lt.-Col. Turenne, the PRT head.

Winning over tribal leaders' fluid loyalties key to Afghan mission's success

'This is how you win insurgencies; you try to win hearts and minds'

SARAH DAVISON

Special to Globe and Mail Update

April 21, 2009 at 4:35 AM EDT

KABUL — The future of Afghanistan rests upon the shoulders of Ahmed, and men like him. A thirtysomething tribal leader with nearly 800 fighters in two provinces, Ahmed is a Taliban commander who regularly takes up arms against the coalition forces.

But that doesn't mean he won't switch sides if the Americans, Canadian and British give him what he wants: better security, and a better government.

"This is a misunderstanding, the criminals are not the Taliban," he said. "The Taliban are good people who brought security here. Al-Qaeda are the criminals. The criminals are here, in the centre [Kabul]."

Resolving such "misunderstandings" will be essential if U.S. President Barack Obama's comprehensive review of Afghanistan strategy is to yield results.

The review calls for an additional 4,000 police trainers in Afghanistan and comes as talks with the Taliban, once considered anathema in the United States, gain credibility as a route out of the current stalemate.

But the word Taliban can mean pretty much anything, from a young religious student to a terrifying warlord.

Recently, the Kabul government reached out to the most extreme Taliban elements such as the fundamentalist warlords Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani. Both are reported to have ties to al-Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

"Mullah Omar has given the green light to talks," Abdullah Anas, a former friend of Osama bin Laden told the Sunday Times recently. "For the first time, there is a language of ... peace on both sides."

Prof. Wesley Wark at the University of Toronto said that to use a language of "peace" is overstating the facts.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai does not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the international community. Instead, the effort is directed at dividing and conquering, Prof. Wark said.

"I think this is what it's always been. This is how you win insurgencies; you try to win hearts and minds," he said. "I think a lot of this is smoke and mirrors, and it's been misinterpreted."

In his new white paper on Afghan strategy, Mr. Obama recommends that regional offices persuade mid- to low-level insurgents to lay down arms, but rejects reconciliation with hard-line Taliban.

"While Mullah Omar and the Taliban's hard core that have aligned themselves with al-Qaeda are not reconcilable and we cannot make a deal that includes them, the war in Afghanistan cannot be won without convincing non-ideologically committed insurgents to lay down their arms, reject al-Qaeda, and accept the Afghan Constitution," the white paper says.

Ahmed made clear that better security and improved governance will win the hearts and minds of his tribes, and those like him.

"If anyone takes a bribe, they should go to prison for 30 years; anyone who robs something should have his hand cut off; if anyone kidnaps you, they should be hanged," Ahmed said. "In that case, not only me but the government shall get the support of my whole tribe as well."

He also pointed out that while U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden has referred to paying Taliban to keep them onside, it is the tribal leaders who dictate their tribe's allegiance. And after 30 years of war, anyone who provides security comes out a winner.

Recently, Ahmed reinforced his own tribal support by arresting six brothers who had been setting up roadblocks, stealing from local people and restricting their movements. Four of the brothers are in his "private prison," but two escaped and are now working for the intelligence services.

Even though he's now wanted by the intelligence services, which he dismisses as belonging to the Northern Alliance, Ahmed moves freely in and out of Kabul, and between his two spheres of influence in Helmand and Wardak.

His biggest problem is public recognition. That is one reason why he keeps a low profile in Kabul and refuses to allow his name to be published, but his clothes are of high quality, and he speaks with natural authority.

He is called "commander" by those around him, who ordered me to listen carefully to what he said, and were quick to inform me when he was tired and wanted some lunch.

"If the international community makes a stronger commitment to the welfare of the people of the nation, then, of course, we will support them, but the coalition forces in our regions always kill women and children, innocent people," he said.

"If I come to your country and at 2 o'clock at night, I fly a plane and bombard you in the place where you live and kill all innocent people, so how do you look at me, how do you see me?"

The coalition also supports a corrupt central government in Kabul, which Ahmed views as dominated by the Northern Alliance. "Fahim, Rabbani — we will not co-operate with these people. What crimes have they not done — raped, killed innocent people, everything we have not done — and yet the international community supports them."

The Taliban, by comparison, look clean as a whistle, which is why they get Ahmed's vote. So far.

Afghanistan analyst Ken Guest said one of the Taliban's great successes has been their portrayal of themselves as agents of law and order. That shrewd exploitation of Afghan war fatigue has allowed the Taliban to present their politicized version of sharia law as Islamic law.

"Under this religious cloak, they are able to impose themselves on the tribes and discredit the government," Mr. Guest wrote in a position paper on behalf of election candidate Prince Abdul Ali Seraj. "Taliban sharia is not Islamic sharia."

Mr. Guest argues that it is only by winning over tribal leaders such as Ahmed, partly by allowing them to control, police and defend their own areas, that the international mission in Afghanistan will succeed. Special to The Globe and Mail

In Canada, Afghanistan not 'forgotten'

By Manav Tanneeru
CNN

(CNN) -- Afghanistan has been called "the forgotten war" but for Canadians, it is the war.

As U.S. troops begin increased deployments to Afghanistan, the United States can look to its northern neighbor for insights on the frontlines and the home front.

Canada's involvement began in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "There was a feeling in Canada that it had to be done," said Alan Henrikson, a professor of diplomatic history at Tufts University.

Canadian forces increased their numbers in 2006. And last year, following a national debate, the Canadian government extended the mission -- which was to end this February -- until the end of 2011.

More than 2,800 Canadian troops and dozens of civilians are currently in Afghanistan. Most of them are based in the Kandahar province in the southern part of the country, home to some of the worst violence and instability. At least 117 Canadian troops have been killed in Afghanistan as of Wednesday. Canada has had no troops in Iraq. See a breakdown of some countries with troops in Afghanistan »

Afghanistan is the largest recipient of development aid from Canada. According to the government, Canada will have authorized $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan from 2002 through 2011.

"Relative to other involvements of Canada around the world, it's an enormous commitment," Henrikson said. "It is proportionally larger than the stake the United States has in Afghanistan."

But some recent polling suggests that the increasing violence and slow pace of progress are taking a toll on support for the war.

More than half -- 55 percent -- oppose having Canadian troops in Afghanistan, according to a Harris/Decima poll released in April. Forty percent support the policy.

"Afghanistan continues to be a lightning-rod for controversy among Canadians," said Jeff Walker of Harris/Decima in a statement.

In a March poll conducted by Angus Reid Strategies, 48 percent of those surveyed said they'd like the bulk of Canadian troops to be withdrawn before 2011. Another 35 percent said they should be withdrawn as scheduled.

Mario Blais, godfather of a female Canadian soldier recently killed in Afghanistan, told the Canadian Press it's time to pull the troops out.

"I think she did this for absolutely nothing," Blais told the news agency. "The Russians were in Afghanistan for many years and they couldn't push them back. I ask myself what Canada is doing."

Jonathon Narvey, a founding member of the Vancouver-based Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee, said this is precisely when the Canadian mission needs public support.

Arguing that the mission was consistent with Canadian foreign policy traditions, Narvey said pulling Canadian troops out of the conflict could lead to more violence and possibly a civil war.

"We're for a robust involvement, and if [Afghanistan] is going to get back on its feet after decades of war, it's only going to do so with huge international involvement. So, more, not less," he said.

The Canadian interest

Before the vote that extended the mission, the Canadian government commissioned an independent panel to study its future role in Afghanistan.

Though the report concluded that "our interests do not seem self-evident," it listed several reasons for a continuing role in Afghanistan: Global and Canadian security, preserving Canada's international reputation and the "well-being of some of the world's most impoverished and vulnerable people."

The policy's philosophical foundation lies in Canada's sense of responsibility to the international community, some observers say.

"Canadians tend to think more in terms of what might be called the 'international interest of Canada,'" Henrikson said. "They never really have focused, in any kind of narrow sense, on what the distinct national interest of Canada is."

That self-image dates back to the 1950s, said Patrick James, a professor of international studies at the University of Southern California.

Though Canada had no direct interest in the Suez crisis of 1956, Lester Pearson, a Canadian diplomat, won a Nobel Prize for helping pull together the world's first international peacekeeping force to mediate the conflict and avert a wider war.

"[The experience] entrenched in the Canadian mind that 'we are the peacekeepers and the peacemakers,'" James said. Hence, "due to its reputation and self-image, bailing on Afghanistan ... would strike people as being damn irresponsible," he said.

Observers say another compelling motive for Canada to continue its involvement is its relationship with the United States.

"In the background, there's always the sense of keeping the United States happy," James said.

Transformed mission

During the past year, the Canadian mission has increasingly focused on rebuilding Afghanistan.

Canadians military forces were partnered with civilian experts -- police, corrections officers, development experts -- said Elissa Golberg, who served as the Canadian Representative in Kandahar last year. She was the civilian counterpart to the brigadier general on the military side.

Some core priorities: Building up the capacity of the Afghan military and police, providing basic services like education and water, managing and securing the Afghan border with Pakistan and helping build institutions that forge political reconciliation.

The United States now seems to be taking a similar approach. In February, President Obama approved the increase in U.S. troops, in part to help bolster security, train the Afghan army and assist in rebuilding efforts.

Hundreds of nonmilitary specialists -- such as agricultural experts, educators and engineers -- also are headed to the region.

U.S. Brigadier Gen. John Nicholson, who is implementing the increase of American forces in southern Afghanistan, said they would take advantage of the Canadian experience.

"[They] are the ones who built the relationships, made the investments in the Kandahar provincial government and have the mechanisms in place. We will simply plug into the existing Canadian mechanisms," he said in an April 5 interview with the Canwest News Service.

Understanding tribal dynamics is key, Golberg said. For example, ethnic Pashtuns dominate southern Afghanistan, and there "are some districts in Kandahar that have 19 different tribes," she said.

When it comes to practical matters like allocating money and contracts, those dynamics and historical ties have an "impact on everything," she said.

Golberg also noted that a bottom-up approach of empowering local communities was important. "People see their district leaders, their cop at the end of the street as the first face of government, so those are things we need to strengthen," she said.

Meanwhile, she said, government ministries in Kabul and regional governors need to be held accountable. "This is new for a country that, in the past, has had very limited central government," she said.

"The whole objective of this is that you have an Afghan government that is viable and capable of providing basic services and basic security to its population," Golberg said. "That's the endgame."

The Canadian leadership, however, is modest about what it can accomplish in Afghanistan.

"We are not ever going to ever defeat the insurgency. Afghanistan has probably had -- [based on] my reading of history -- an insurgency forever of some kind," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in March.

"We have to have an Afghan government that is capable of managing that insurgency and improving its own governance."

Canadian soldier found dead at Afghan base

By Brian Hutchinson, Canwest News ServiceApril 24, 2009 5:30 AM

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Tragedy found its way inside this sprawling military base with the unexplained death of a female Canadian officer.

The body of Maj. Michelle Mendes was discovered inside a sleeping unit here late Thursday afternoon. She died from what military authorities would only call a non-battle injury that did not involve enemy action.

An investigation into the unusual death has been launched but few details are being given at this time.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of our lost comrade. Our primary focus at this time is to provide the best possible support to the family of our soldier and to her colleagues,” said Maj. Mario Couture.

Mendes, 30, was a member of Canada’s Task Force Kandahar headquarters.

She had served previously in Kandahar. According to previously published news reports, she was in the area of a September 2006 friendly-fire incident that came during Operation Medusa, a major Canadian-led battle against Taliban insurgents that took place in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar city.

Then a captain, Mendes was among 11 Canadian soldiers who were returned to Canada after the friendly fire incident, which saw an American aircraft mistake a group of Canadians for the enemy. It opened fire, killing Pte. Mark Graham and wounding approximately 36 others. The Canadian military has not identified what physical injuries if any that Mendes suffered then.

Canadian Forces personnel spent Thursday evening trying to reach the deceased soldier’s next of kin.

Mendes, who hailed from an area near Wicklow, Ont., was based in Ottawa before arriving here. Once members of her family were located and made aware of her death, information about the fatality was made public.

A 2006 story that appeared in the Colborne, Ont., Chronicle just days before the launch of Operation Medusa described her as a married officer with a master’s degree in international affairs from Carleton University in Ottawa.

The newspaper noted that she had opted for a career in military intelligence. “I was thrilled,” the newspaper quoted her mother, Dianne Knight, as saying. “It’s right up her alley. She spends the majority of her time reading and analyzing things, and she’s so good at it.”

Maj. Mendes is the third Canadian soldier in three years to die within this heavily fortified base, which houses and supports some 15,000 NATO-led troops from different countries.

In March 2008, the body of Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet, 22, of Matane, Que. was discovered inside his sleeping quarters at Kandahar Air Field. The Canadian military did not disclose the cause of his death.

Almost exactly a year earlier, 25-year-old Cpl. Kevin Megeney of New Glasgow, N.S., died in what authorities called at the time a “friendly fire” incident.

Another Nova Scotian, Cpl. Matthew Wilcox, 23, was later charged with manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of duty and now faces court martial. Pre-trial arguments were heard in the matter earlier this year.

Two other Canadian soldiers deployed in the region also died from non-battle injuries. In August, 2007, Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul, 41, died from a gunshot wound to the head sustained in his quarters in Kabul, the Afghan capital. His death was eventually declared a suicide.

And in July 2008, the body of Cpl. Brendon Downey, 36, was discovered in the living quarters at Camp Mirage, a military base in the Persian Gulf that Canadian troops use as a staging area before air deployment to Afghanistan.

The nature of his death was not disclosed.

A small number of deaths from accidental injury has occurred outside the confines of Kandahar Air Field since Canadian troops deployed here in 2006.

Fatalities inside the base are more unusual, and, in a sense, more disturbing, as they do not do not involve enemy participation, and they are not necessarily the result of an accident.

Whatever their cause, these casualties are subjected to intensive inquiry by Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, a unit that examines serious incidents involving Canadian Forces members either in Canada or abroad.

Death by suicide is now a concern. It is well known that many Canadian soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress related to their deployment to Afghanistan and other theatres of conflict. Figures released last year by Veterans Affairs Canada indicate that more than 25 per cent of 1,300 soldiers who had already served in this country described some symptoms of the disorder.

Other Western armies with men and women fighting overseas now ask their troops to confront stress-related issues and to look out for each other’s mental well-being.

Posters have appeared recently on a British military base near Basra, Iraq, urging members to recognize problems and to request help if necessary.

According to a British report, one poster reads “Never let your mate fight alone. Worried about someone in your team? Be willing to listen. Not all wounds are visible.”

The posters went up after three British soldiers on the base killed themselves, all within a ten-week span. Last week, an American soldier in Kabul took his own life.

As is tradition for all Canadian soldiers who die here, a ramp ceremony for Mendes will be performed at Kandahar Air Field and a memorial plaque in her honour will be placed at a shaded cenotaph. A Canadian flag flew at half-mast beside the cenotaph on Friday.

Mendes is the 118th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since Canadian troops were deployed here in 2002, and the second Canadian female soldier to die here this month. Trooper Karine Blais, 21, was killed and four other Canadian soldiers were wounded when an armoured vehicle in which they were travelling was struck by a roadside bomb north of Kandahar city.

The military funeral for Blais takes place at 10:30 a.m. Friday in St-Edouard Church in Les Mechins, Que.

Military probes death of major

Intelligence specialist found dead in her room at Kandahar Airfield within days of arrival

Apr 25, 2009 04:30 AM

Allan Woods
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, Maj. Michelle Mendes told friends she was just getting settled into her new life at Kandahar Airfield, the sprawling military base where she had arrived only days before as part of the most recent Canadian deployment to Afghanistan.

If it was tough to adjust, it may have been due to the rapid pace of change in the days leading up to her six-month mission, according to recent posts on her Facebook page.

Amid shuttling between her job in Ottawa and the home in Kingston she shared with husband, Victor, a soccer coach at the Royal Military College, heading to her family home near Cobourg for Easter, and packing for her second Afghan tour, the 30-year-old was promoted from captain to major. It was another step in what appeared to be a steady rise up the ranks of the Canadian Forces.

There was also a party thrown by 120 friends and family at the Portuguese Hall in Kingston that was partly to celebrate her promotion, partly to say goodbye.

No one anticipated it would be for the last time. Days after arriving in Kandahar, messages of good luck turned into streams of condolences. Mendes was discovered dead on the base about 72 hours after telling friends the adjustment was going well, in part because the Afghan heat hadn't yet flared.

One friend recalled "Mic," as her friends knew her, as "one of the fittest women at (Royal Military College). And, of course, her infectious smile and enthusiasm."

Unlike most of the 117 other Canadians who have died at war half a world away, Mendes's death came not in battle with insurgents or dodging hidden bombs, but in the confines of her sleeping quarters. The cause of death is now being investigated by the military, but it could be months before any more information is made public.

Only a small number of other Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan outside of combat. The gunshot death of Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet in 2008 was a suicide, while there has been no official reason given for the 2007 death of Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul, who was also killed by a bullet wound in his Kabul sleeping quarters.

The military will be looking to determine whether Mendes's death was an accident or suicide, said Alain Pellerin, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, who stressed he had no inside information on her death. "It's strange because she went to military college. She had a great career in front of her."

Mendes was an accomplished soldier. She was a scholar of war, earning a master's degree in conflict analysis and resolution at Ottawa's Carleton University in 2003 that she used in her work on counterterrorism as a military intelligence officer. But she was also a thoughtful, churchgoing girl from small-town Ontario.

"One of the things she used to do was she'd bake pies and bring them into the school for students and faculty and sports staff," said Fenn Hampson, director of Carleton's Norman Patterson School of International Affairs. "Everyone around here, I think, is both shocked and saddened by what we've heard. She was a very gifted student and also a very popular one."

Mendes's first tour in Afghanistan was also cut short. She was deployed as an intelligence officer in August 2006 ahead of Operation Medusa, a full-scale clash with the Taliban in Kandahar's Panjwaii district. Military officials said she was injured in an incident they would not disclose and was treated at Landstuhl military hospital in Germany before returning home.

Her mother, Dianne Knight, told the local newspaper shortly after Mendes's deployment that she worried about her daughter heading off to war but believed herself luckier than other military parents.

"I tell myself she's safe because her job is working on a computer," she said of her daughter's role as an intelligence specialist.

Dianne and husband Ron raised Mendes and sister, Melissa, in Grafton, a tiny town east of Cobourg. It is a dot on a map, nestled between the shores of Lake Ontario and the Highway of Heroes that the young soldier's body will travel along when her remains are returned to Canada in a few days time.

Comrades bid farewell to soldier found dead at Afghan base

Brian Hutchinson, Canwest News Service Published: Friday, April 24, 2009

Soldiers carry the casket for Maj. Michelle Mendes onto a waiting transport.Brian Hutchinson/Canwest News ServiceSoldiers carry the casket for Maj. Michelle Mendes onto a waiting transport.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Maj. Michelle Mendes had barely returned to Kandahar for a second tour of duty when she was found dead in her sleeping quarters Thursday afternoon.

Late Friday evening her comrades bid her farewell in an emotional ramp ceremony, with a padre referring to questions about her "unexpected demise and untimely death."

"Major Mendes left this world suddenly," said Canadian Forces padre Martine Belanger, in an address to hundreds of soldiers standing in tribute to the 30-year-old Ottawa-based soldier.

"Her tragic death has left many of us stunned. She left us with no goodbyes or signs . . . Our minds and hearts are full of questions as to why this happened to her."

Canadian Forces officials have not said Maj. Mendes took her own life offering only that she died from a non-battle injury that did not involve enemy action.

An investigation into the fatality is underway.

Maj. Mendes, who was married, had been assigned to Canada's Task Force Kandahar headquarters.

"She always strove to do her best and was respected for her professional knowledge and work ethic," said Mr. Belanger. "We would often see her with highlighter markings on her face after a late night of study because she had a tendency to fall asleep in her books.

"The world will be an emptier place without her presence."

Maj. Mendes served here before, in 2006. Then a captain, she was among 11 Canadian soldiers who were returned to Canada during early stages of Operation Medusa, a major Canadian-led battle against Taliban insurgents that took place in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar city.

It is not clear if she participated directly in that operation before she was flown home.

A story that appeared in the Colborne (Ont.) Chronicle just days before the launch of Operation Medusa described her as a married officer with a master's degree in international affairs from Carleton University in Ottawa.

The newspaper noted she had opted for a career in military intelligence.

"I was thrilled," the newspaper quoted her mother, Dianne Knight, as saying. "It's right up her alley. She spends the majority of her time reading and analyzing things, and she's so good at it."

Maj. Mendes is the third Canadian soldier in three years to die within this heavily fortified base, which houses and supports some 15,000 NATO-led troops.

In March, 2008, the body of Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet, 22, of Matane, Que. was discovered inside his sleeping quarters at Kandahar Air Field. The Canadian military did not disclose the cause of his death.

Almost exactly a year earlier, 25-year-old Cpl. Kevin Megeney of New Glasgow, N.S. died in what authorities called at the time a "friendly fire" incident. Another Nova Scotian, Cpl. Matthew Wilcox, 23, was later charged with manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and negligent performance of duty and now faces court martial.

Pre-trial arguments were heard in the matter earlier this year.

Two other Canadian soldiers deployed in the region died recently from non-battle injuries.

In August, 2007, Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul, 41, died from a gunshot wound to the head sustained in his quarters in Kabul. His death was eventually declared a suicide.

In July 2008, the body of Cpl. Brendan Downey, 36, was discovered in the living quarters at Camp Mirage, a military base in the Persian Gulf that Canadian troops use as a staging area before deployment to Afghanistan. The nature of his death was not disclosed.

These casualties are subject to intensive inquiry by Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, a unit that examines serious incidents involving Canadian Forces members either in Canada or abroad.

It is also well known many Canadian soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress related to their deployment to Afghanistan and other theatres of conflict.

Figures released last year by Veterans Affairs Canada indicate more than 25% of the 1,300 soldiers who had already served in this country described some symptoms of the disorder.

Other Western armies with men and women fighting overseas ask their troops to confront stress-related issues and to look out for each other's mental well-being.

Posters have appeared recently on a British military base near Basra, Iraq, urging members to recognize problems and to request help if necessary. According to a British report, one poster reads: "Never let your mate fight alone. Worried about someone in your team? Be willing to listen. Not all wounds are visible."

The posters went up after three British soldiers on the base killed themselves, all within a 10-week span.

Last week, an American soldier in Kabul took his own life.

Meanwhile, a memorial plaque in honour of Maj. Mendes will be placed at a shaded cenotaph at Kandahar Air Field.

A Canadian flag flew at half-mast beside the cenotaph on Friday.

Maj. Mendes is the 118th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since Canadian troops were deployed here in 2002.

Back from the war zone

'We had a couple of incidents and times when our truck almost got blown up'

Posted By COREY LAROCQUE REVIEW STAFF WRITER
Posted 3 hours ago

With his army kit sitting in the doorway of his Willmott Street home, Cpl. Justin Hamlyn was already talking about a second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He had set his camouflage backpack, olive-green duffel bag and travel trunk at the base of the stairs, just inside the front door.

"I wouldn't mind doing another one, but I probably wouldn't go again until it stabilizes a bit more," Hamlyn said Wednesday, about a half-hour after returning to Niagara Falls.

The 21-year-old Niagara Falls soldier was reunited with his family that afternoon, a few days after leaving Afghanistan. A piece of white Bristol board with a handwritten "welcome home" message and a yellow "support our troops" ribbon hung from the porch of their two-storey brick home.

He talked with pride about the satisfaction of having gone.

"You can't experience being a true Canadian until you've served Canada," he said.

Hamlyn is a member of the Lincoln and Welland regiment, Niagara's militia regiment. He started work as a reservist in 2006, as part of a co-op class while he was a Westlane secondary school student.

Unlike regular forces personnel who are assigned overseas rotations as part of their full-time job, members of Canada's reserve regiments are part-time soldiers who volunteer for these assignments. Hamlyn had to apply for a tour in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, he was physically far from Afghanistan, but he wasn't long removed from the danger he encountered in the eight-month mission.

"We had a couple incidents and times when our truck almost got blown up," Hamlyn said.

His mother, Debra Ferrone, and stepfather Pio Ferrone were hearing the details of the close calls for the first time, as Hamlyn described them to The Niagara Falls Review. Pio whispered, "this is surreal" as he listened to accounts of incidents that had been downplayed in the weekly phone calls home.

Hamlyn was stationed at Camp Nathan Smith, the Canadian base in Kandahar City, one of the country's largest cities.

He served in the escort team for the commanding officer of the camp.

"I was part of niner tack. It was the CO's escort. Wherever the colonel went, I was his close protection," Hamlyn explained.

One of the closest of the close calls happened in early April, near the end of his tour when five suicide bombers destroyed the provincial council building in Kandahar, killing 13 people.

"We were supposed to be there," Hamlyn said, adding the blast from a car bomb would have certainly killed anyone near the gates of the building - the spot where he would have been stationed. The meeting the Canadians were supposed to attend had been called off hours before.

There were nights when Debra woke up in the middle of the night, worried about her son, and considered those interruptions a cue.

"I just felt like I had to pray for him," she said.

Debra works at Zehrs and Winners in Niagara Falls. Her coworkers were constantly asking about her son, keeping him in their thoughts.

The framed baby pictures of Hamlyn she brought out for his going-away party last August were still sitting in the front window pane.

Hamlyn's family said they got a lot of support from the "prayer warriors," members of their church, the Joy of Life church in St. Catharines, who prayed for his safe return.

"It's great to hear the stories of the close calls now," said Pio.

Hamlyn's assignment meant a lot of driving around because his colonel had business off the base.

"When we drove around, I was the gunner for the vehicle. We drove around everywhere," he said.

For Canadian troops, driving has been by far the biggest threat. The vast majority of the 118 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan have died because their vehicles hit roadside bombs placed by Taliban fighters.

Hamlyn spent a lot of time on the road. In his nearly eight months in Afghanistan, he drove 250 patrols, sometimes as many as four a day.

Whenever Hamlyn and the soldiers he worked with had a close call, they would try to laugh it off, a coping mechanism to deal with the stressful situations.

"It's relieving to still be around and stuff. You would laugh at it when it happens. You just talk about what could happen and everything," Hamlyn said.

His colonel, whom he wouldn't identify for security reasons, regularly had meetings with Afghan officials, or would visit troops at forward operating bases or meet with Canadian government officials from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Canada's role in Afghanistan has shifted away from combat, toward reconstruction -helping Afghan people rebuild roads, schools and hospitals in a country ravaged by war for decades.

The Canadian reconstruction effort in Afghanistan is taking hold, Hamlyn said.

"During our rotation, a lot happened to make it a better place."

Hamlyn was in Afghanistan when Warrant Officer Dennis Brown, a member of the Lincoln and Welland regiment, was killed in March. The 38-year-old St. Catharines soldier was also the victim of a roadside bomb.

"It was pretty hard," said Hamlyn. They weren't working directly together, but they were on the same base.

"I worked with him overseas and he was in my unit. It was pretty upsetting, but we had a good memorial for him."

He attended Brown's ramp ceremony -the military parade in which the coffins of fallen soldiers are loaded onto a military plane for the return flight to Canada.

Two dozen of the 118 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan died since last August when Hamlyn went over. The most recent casualty was Maj. Michelle Mendes, an intelligence officer whose death Thursday was not combat-reated.

Hamlyn attended some of the ramp ceremonies.

"It's quite nice to see because of all the people who turn out. It's more honouring them. It's showing so much respect."

Hamlyn said he didn't know Cpl. Tyler Crooks, originally from Port Colborne who was a regular forces member of the Royal Canadian Regiment, Niagara's other casualty in 2009.

Now that he's home, he has about a month and a half leave time from his duties with the Lincoln and Welland regiment. Hamlyn talked about going back to school in the fall, possibly with the goal of becoming a police officer. He's also considering joining the air force.

Whatever path unfolds, he said he knows now he wants a career "doing stuff for the country, making it a better place and making other places better."

His family is throwing a welcome home party today, exactly eight months after he left. Hamlyn's mother said friends and family are welcome to stop by between noon and 9 p. m.

'Canada must stay': activist

Human rights advocate says NDP, antiwar groups wrong to abandon Afghanis to Taliban 'fascism'

By Dave Cooper, The Edmonton JournalApril 26, 2009

Lauryn Oates has seen the face of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and she calls it the face of fascism.

"They represent fascism -- even if the antiwar movement here fails to call them such," the human rights advocate told a military symposium Saturday.

"The Taliban now want a return to those times before 2001. They are not dissidents, their ideology is engaging in open revolt against humanity. And that's why Canada must stay in Afghanistan."

Canada will bring its combat troops home in 2011, but is expected to maintain a substantial assistance force to train more Afghan police and soldiers, and do development work.

Oates, founder of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan chapters in Vancouver and Montreal, has been an activist since 1996 when she learned of the plight of women under Taliban rule.

She said the progress so far has been amazing, considering the nation has endured 30 years of violence, but it could change dramatically if Canada pulls out.

Oates told the story of a woman co-operative store owner in Kandahar, who fears a return of the Taliban.

"She said, 'If Canada leaves, the Taliban will be back and I will be dead, so you had better get me a visa for Canada,' " said Oates.

She told of a crowd of schoolgirls blinded in acid attacks, who insisted on returning to school. And of how a library in one village has completely changed the attitude towards education.

"As women study to master literacy, they are finding there is nothing more powerful in the world than learning to read," she said. "It's an uphill battle in Afghanistan, but this is something worth defending. Abandonment is not the answer."

Oates is critical of groups in Canada that don't understand the reality in Afghanistan and plead for Canada to bring home its troops.

"It is a misinformed campaign that the NDP and stop-the-war groups are doing," she said. "It is astounding that they don't seem to understand this is a United Nations mission."

Oates says their campaign is "rooted in selfishness" and attracts people who "prefer a NIMBY (not in my backyard) approach for the whole world."

Gen. Walter Natynczyk, chief of the defence staff, said "the defence of Canada starts thousands of miles away," and recounted the efforts of the forces to defend Afghanistan and rebuild the nation.

"In 2006 there was bare ground, now things are green as farmers are back, markets open," he said. "In 2006 there was not one Afghan policeman or soldier working with us. Now we have thousands."

Natynczyk said the bravery of Afghans who continue with their lives in spite of Taliban threats is an inspiration to the Canadians.

"A fellow working on a road project was stopped by the Taliban, and he had new bills. They knew he had just been paid so they shot him. But he returned to work. These people know they have no hope, no future, with the Taliban."

Despite the constant flow of bad news, Natynczyk said Canadians are seeing a new professionalism among the Afghan security forces.

"They are taking a full role now and asking us to come along. On one main road where they provide all the security, there haven't been any IEDs (improvised explosive devices) since they started."

But a porous border with Pakistan, and recent Taliban advances there, threaten Afghanistan stability, he added.

"We know the Taliban rest and recover in those ungovernable areas," he explained.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay called Pakistan the "most dangerous nation in the world" today.

"Afghanistan was the incubator for terrorism, now it is Pakistan, and the Taliban and al-Qaeda are able to influence what is going on in Afghanistan today. Which is why Canada, the Americans and others are concentrating on a regional approach," he said.

He said it is critical that Armed Forces on the ground tighten control the border.

"Pakistan can do more, as can the international community," said MacKay. "Clearly in Afghanistan and the border regions of Pakistan, free travel allows for the transport of weapons and motivated terrorists to come in, and Kandahar province is the funnel for terrorists. That's where they are coming in.

"And that is why we have thrown down the gauntlet there. We need everybody at the front line," he said.

There are seven NATO nations engaged in fighting the Taliban and 60 others choosing to stay away from danger, he said.

MacKay praised the Edmonton contribution to the mission, the biggest for the military since the Korean War.

"The leadership and quality of our people has allowed us to deliver on our pledge to the international community to keep our promise to Afghanistan, and we have relied heavily on Edmonton," he said.

The local 408 helicopter squadron recently began flying new heavy Chinook helicopters and smaller Griffon escort helicopters to aid ground troops, and more than 1,000 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) are currently training for another deployment to Afghanistan in August.

dcooper@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Time to catch up.

Shot over!

Van Doos commander has a message for Canadians: the threat is real

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The commander of the Royal 22e Regiment in Afghanistan says Canadians need to be reminded of why their soldiers are fighting in the war-torn country.

"People shouldn't think that what's happening in Afghanistan can't affect them in some way," Lt.-Col. Jocelyn Paul recently told The Canadian Press.

A Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll in early April suggested that only 40 per cent of Canadians supported the presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Of the 1,000 people polled, 55 per cent opposed the mission. In Quebec, home to the Royal 22e Regiment, 71 per cent opposed the mission.

"It's a bit naive to think that we're safe," Paul said. "Thinking that North America is some kind of an island on the other side of the ocean and that whatever goes on in the rest of the world won't come to us is an excessively naive vision of the world.

"Somehow, I have the impression that we have very quickly forgotten that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened in New York state, which is a neighbour (of Quebec)," said Paul, who will lead the troops of the 2nd Battalion tactical group for the next six months.

"We've forgotten that Canadians lost their lives in these attacks. Canadians were among the victims in Mumbai (India) in December."

When asked how to better communicate the value of the Canadian mission, he referred to globalization, which he says affects not only goods and services but ideas as well.

He retraced the roots of the current fight against terrorism, depicting people who, influenced by particular ideas, "decided that societies should live under Shariah law" and who have "a very archaic vision of their religion.

"These people need to be stopped. They need to let people live in peace. We need to ensure that the people can choose to live how they want and the way that's done is through elections," like the ones that will be held in Afghanistan in August.

The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment have been deployed at an important time in the international military operation in Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama has promised 17, 000 American soldiers as reinforcements. Canadian troops will help the Afghan forces to ensure the presidential elections are carried out smoothly.

Lastly, NATO's high command in the southern region - which heads all of the national detachments, including Canada's - recently announced an increase in the intensity of fighting. Strengthened by the arrival of American reinforcements, Maj.-Gen. Mart De Kruif called for the systematic tracking of the insurgents. He said the mission is at a "turning point" and that confrontations in the south will determine the future of the country and the outcome of the war.

II

Returning soldiers deserve our thanks

April 27, 2009
THE RECORD

So what should the people of Waterloo Region say to 18 members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada who have either just returned from the war in Afghanistan or will soon be home?

What should we tell 18 soldiers who volunteered to put themselves in mortal danger in a strange, far-off land because they believed it would make Canada safer, Afghanistan better and that all this risk and sacrifice was nothing more than their duty as warriors and citizens of a democracy?

And what words should we speak, knowing that they have, unlike so many other of their brothers and sisters-in arms, survived and come back safe and sound to their families and loved ones in southern Ontario in springtime?

How about, "Thank you.''

And how about, "You have made us extremely proud.''

It's neither a long nor terribly complicated message. But those 18 soldiers deserve to hear it. And because of 1,000 people who went to a formal banquet at Bingemans in Kitchener on Friday, the soldiers most certainly will.

Everyone involved in this event deserves congratulations. From one perspective, it was a big deal, a ceremony coloured by splendid uniforms and dignified by royalty. Yet it was, despite all the pomp and ceremony and even the presence of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, the least this community could do for these soldiers.

Like all of the Canadian troops in Afghanistan, they had chosen to be part of the mission. They had gone willingly, giving up the comforts and securities of life in Canada while accepting the dangers and hardships of a war zone.

They went knowing the abundant risks, the ever-present possibility of being wounded -- or worse. They knew about snipers, roadside explosives and suicide bombers. They knew the Taliban is often a merciless foe. But still they went.

And having served and having seen firsthand what is happening in Afghanistan, they want Canadians to know they believe in their hearts that the mission is vital.

"We're making a difference,'' Cpl. Chris Drouin of Kitchener, who returned a few weeks ago, told a Record reporter, citing how the Armed Forces are building roads and schools in Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Mark Adam of Kitchener helped support the municipal government in Kandahar where the mayor survived a car bombing. Every one of the returning soldiers could tell a similar story. It is a perspective worth considering.

Since 2001, Canadian soldiers have been fighting in Afghanistan. And since 2002, they have been dying there. For the better part of a decade, Canadians have become painfully accustomed to watching the flag-draped coffins of their fallen warriors -- 117 in all -- reverently borne onto military transport planes for the final journey home.

Yet over all those years, thousands of other men and women in uniform -- including this region's Highland Fusiliers -- have come back from Afghanistan safe, sound and glad to have served Canada. No matter what you think of the war in Afghanistan, it is important and appropriate to mark their return for the proud and happy occasion it is. It is also crucial to hear what they say

How will army rebuild after war?
Posted By PETER WORTHINGTON
Posted 2 hours ago

Although there are two years to go before Canadian combat troops are scheduled to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, there are signs the government is cooling on its commitment to expand funding and improve the military.

In the National Post, military historian Jack Granatstein noted Department of National Defence budget projections for 2010 and 2011 show a slight decrease from the current $20.993 billion budget.

Last spring, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay were more gung-ho, promising to raise our regular forces to 75,000 from the present 55,000 effective, and to spend $30 billion on new aircraft, ships, combat vehicles.

DND's projected budget in 2030 was $30 billion to $35 billion. Some figure this would represent roughly 2% of our gross domestic product going to Defence -- up from the present 1% to 1.5% of GDP.

Granatstein, a military realist, is uneasy that DND's present budget "will likely seem to be ripe for the plucking" when the Treasury Board looks for ways to reduce government spending.

"There is little sympathy for the Canadian Forces in the Privy Council Office," Granatstein says. He's right. Never has been in that section of the government.

Traditionally, 40% of the DND budget goes to personnel, whose projected numbers keep getting downscaled (now down to 66,000 regulars).

Granatstein also notes that the capital equipment program is not aimed at acquiring new fighter aircraft or warships, but at modernizing and upgrading existing long-range patrol aircraft, Leopard II tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and such.

Sound familiar? It's what we've always done -- keeping equipment, vehicles, aircraft and ships long past their "use before" date. Our equipment is older than most soldiers.

There's also a fishhook embedded in pulling out of Afghanistan.

Put bluntly, it's likely every Canadian fighting vehicle isn't worth bringing home because of the wear and tear of what will be close to nine years in action. Afghanistan is hard on mechanized vehicles of any sort.

Continued After Advertisement Below

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One only has to think back to Canada's peacekeeping days when roughly 50% of our Leopard tanks were out of commission and being repaired at any one time. And they were only used for training in pretend war games.

Our APCs were originally used by the Americans in the Vietnam War -- and discarded as being too vulnerable. In the Balkans, we reinforced them with metal siding and sandbags on the floor. Still, their casualty rate soared.

The Iltus was to be a replacement for the jeep -- and was essentially useless. At the Canadian base in Kabul, there was a graveyard of Iltuses stacked in rows. Troops recall we offered them to the Afghan army, which refused unless they were guaranteed a year's supply of gasoline.

Citing security reasons, DND won't reveal the casualty rate in Leopard II tanks in Afghanistan, or the casualty rate in vehicles. The Canadian American Strategic Review (CASR) has assessed incidents where casualties have occurred in roadside bombs, on the assumption if someone is wounded or killed in a blast, the vehicle is likely irreparably damaged.

Up to February 2008, there were 22 LAV III incidents, resulting in 69 wounded or injured and 20 fatalities, 10 incidents with the G-wagon (22 casualties), eight with Bison armoured vehicles (22 casualties), seven involving Nyala armoured personnel vehicles (27 casualties), four Coyote incidents (10 casualties) and assorted other explosions and accidents, including three Leopard tanks down.

And these are mostly battle casualties -- not counting wear-and-tear casualties.

When our mission in Afghanistan is done, the army may need every vehicle replaced if, indeed, it is to maintain its hard-earned reputation as one of the world's small but most competent armies.

One hopes Prime Minister Harper is paying attention.

No sheet!

II

Good news.

April 28, 2009
Karzai backs down over ‘abhorrent’ marital rape law
Tom Coghlan in Kabul

President Karzai bowed to international pressure yesterday by promising to amend a new law condoning marital rape and child marriage that provoked violent clashes in the Afghan capital.

The Shia Family Law, signed by the Afghan President last month, appeared to reintroduce the draconian policies of the Taleban era, such as a ban on married women leaving their homes without their husbands’ permission. The law applies to the 15 per cent of Afghans who are Shia Muslims.

At a press conference in Kabul yesterday, Mr Karzai said: “The law is under review and amendments will take place. I assure you that the laws of Afghanistan will be in complete harmony with the constitution of Afghanistan, and the human rights that we have adhered to in international treaties.”

His statement appeared to rebut widespread speculation that by signing the law he was pandering to conservatives before this summer’s delayed presidential election. Mr Karzai confirmed that he would stand in the elections, where he will be the front-runner.

Afghanistan’s constitution guarantees equality of the sexes and the country is also a signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. However, hardline theologians argue that all other provisions are overridden by Article Three of the Constitution, which guarantees that nothing contrary to the “beliefs and provisions of Islam” is permissible in Afghan law.

Mr Karzai’s climbdown came a day after he said that he had been unaware of its content when he signed it. He made the claim when he met a group of women activists who organised a protest against the new law in Kabul last week. The protesters were attacked by a mob of male supporters of the law.

The controversial provisions were buried in the 239-page document, much of it written in dense theological jargon. Mr Karzai said that his aides had not briefed him properly about the details. Many opponents of the law have said that it did not pass through the normal channels, that would have included discussion of all the articles, because MPs were advised to let the Shia community determine the details of their own laws – a right granted by the constitution.

One article stipulates that the wife “is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires”. Another passage sanctions marital rape. “As long as the husband is not travelling he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night . . . Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.”

Article 133 reintroduces the Taleban restrictions on women’s movements outside their homes, stating: “A wife cannot leave the house without the permission of the husband” unless in a medical or other emergency.

Article 27 endorses child marriage, with girls legally able to marry once they begin to menstruate. The law also withholds from the woman the right to inherit her husband’s wealth.

When its contents were made public it was condemned widely by Western governments, with President Obama describing the new law as abhorrent.

The Afghan Government had insisted that criticism of the law was misplaced. “We understand the concerns of our allies,” Mr Karzai said on television earlier this month. “Those concerns may be out of inappropriate or not-so-good translation of the law or a misinterpretation of it.”

- A suspected poison attack on a girls’ school north of Kabul made 45 pupils and staff sick. Officials said that the teachers and pupils fell ill with severe headaches during a ceremony at the school in Sadiqi District of Parwan Province, north of the capital. “It seems to be airborne poisoning,” Dr Abdullah Fahim, a spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said.

Good news.

April 28, 2009
Karzai backs down over ‘abhorrent’ marital rape law
Tom Coghlan in Kabul

President Karzai bowed to international pressure yesterday by promising to amend a new law condoning marital rape and child marriage that provoked violent clashes in the Afghan capital.

The Shia Family Law, signed by the Afghan President last month, appeared to reintroduce the draconian policies of the Taleban era, such as a ban on married women leaving their homes without their husbands’ permission. The law applies to the 15 per cent of Afghans who are Shia Muslims.

At a press conference in Kabul yesterday, Mr Karzai said: “The law is under review and amendments will take place. I assure you that the laws of Afghanistan will be in complete harmony with the constitution of Afghanistan, and the human rights that we have adhered to in international treaties.”

His statement appeared to rebut widespread speculation that by signing the law he was pandering to conservatives before this summer’s delayed presidential election. Mr Karzai confirmed that he would stand in the elections, where he will be the front-runner.

Afghanistan’s constitution guarantees equality of the sexes and the country is also a signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. However, hardline theologians argue that all other provisions are overridden by Article Three of the Constitution, which guarantees that nothing contrary to the “beliefs and provisions of Islam” is permissible in Afghan law.

Mr Karzai’s climbdown came a day after he said that he had been unaware of its content when he signed it. He made the claim when he met a group of women activists who organised a protest against the new law in Kabul last week. The protesters were attacked by a mob of male supporters of the law.

The controversial provisions were buried in the 239-page document, much of it written in dense theological jargon. Mr Karzai said that his aides had not briefed him properly about the details. Many opponents of the law have said that it did not pass through the normal channels, that would have included discussion of all the articles, because MPs were advised to let the Shia community determine the details of their own laws – a right granted by the constitution.

One article stipulates that the wife “is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires”. Another passage sanctions marital rape. “As long as the husband is not travelling he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night . . . Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.”

Article 133 reintroduces the Taleban restrictions on women’s movements outside their homes, stating: “A wife cannot leave the house without the permission of the husband” unless in a medical or other emergency.

Article 27 endorses child marriage, with girls legally able to marry once they begin to menstruate. The law also withholds from the woman the right to inherit her husband’s wealth.

When its contents were made public it was condemned widely by Western governments, with President Obama describing the new law as abhorrent.

The Afghan Government had insisted that criticism of the law was misplaced. “We understand the concerns of our allies,” Mr Karzai said on television earlier this month. “Those concerns may be out of inappropriate or not-so-good translation of the law or a misinterpretation of it.”

- A suspected poison attack on a girls’ school north of Kabul made 45 pupils and staff sick. Officials said that the teachers and pupils fell ill with severe headaches during a ceremony at the school in Sadiqi District of Parwan Province, north of the capital. “It seems to be airborne poisoning,” Dr Abdullah Fahim, a spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said.

*****

Pakistan expands offensive against Taliban

Updated Tue. Apr. 28 2009 8:38 AM ET

The Associated Press

ISLAMABAD -- Fighter jets began bombing Taliban hide-outs in a district near the Pakistani capital Tuesday, a military spokesman said, signaling an expansion of an offensive against militants seemingly emboldened by a controversial peace deal.

Ground troops also are preparing to enter Buner district, said Maj. Nasir Khan, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Taliban from the neighboring Swat Valley alarmed the world this month when they entered Buner by the hundreds and began setting up checkpoints, patrolling streets and warning locals to abide by strict interpretations of Islam.

Buner lies about 100 kilometres from Islamabad, and the Taliban's foray prompted major concern from the U.S., which urged Pakistani officials to tackle the threat head-on.

Though they denied they were responding to outside pressure, Pakistani officials in recent days issued stern warnings against the Buner infiltrators, while launching a separate offensive against militants in Lower Dir, another district covered by the peace deal.

The deal imposes Islamic law in those areas in exchange for peace with militants who have waged a violent two-year campaign in the Swat Valley. It apparently emboldened the Swat militants to go beyond the valley's borders, at least under the guise of enforcing Islamic law.

Many of the Taliban were reported to have left Buner starting on Friday. But Interior Minister Rehman Malik said earlier Tuesday that around 450 militants remained there and he warned them to get out or the government would take action.

Canada to welcome hundreds of Afghan employees

Updated Thu. Apr. 30 2009 6:19 PM ET

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Canada is set to open its doors to hundreds of Afghans who face life-threatening risks after having worked with our military and diplomats, The Canadian Press has learned.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says he's putting the final touches on a policy to provide safe haven to Afghans endangered by their association with Canada.

Unlike other NATO countries, Canada has no policy on humanitarian immigration for local staff -- but that's about to change.

Afghans who have been severely injured working with the Canadian military, or who can prove they face threats, will be eligible for fast-track entry.

The first of those ex-employees and their immediate relatives could arrive within months.

The policy goes much further than the one initially considered by the Harper government, which last year said it would examine possible ways to bring over severely injured interpreters only.

The new program will be open to anyone with 12 months' service to the Canadian mission, medical and security checks, and a recommendation letter from a senior soldier or diplomat.

Kenney says his first preference is for them to resettle in safer parts of Afghanistan, because the last thing policy-makers want is an exodus of educated, liberal, English-speaking people from that country.

"Those kind of people are going to have to play a central role in the long-term construction of a stable and democratic Afghanistan," Kenney said in an interview.

"But in particular circumstances where we feel that a person's safety will be jeopardized by staying in the country, the door will be open to Canada. ...

"I think Canadians would be proud to help provide refuge to those who have helped our forces, aid personnel and diplomats."

Kenney said he expects hundreds of Afghan employees to benefit from the program, along with their immediate families.

Insurgents have gone to gruesome lengths to make an example of locals who work with NATO.

In one case, several interpreters' bodies were strung up in a public square and left to rot there for weeks as a lesson to anyone else thinking of helping the foreigners.

Government officials say the program is inspired by similar ones in the United States, Britain, Australia and Denmark.

Officials say they would receive many of the same services as refugees: income support for 12 months, health benefits and help preparing a CV and finding work.

The program is to be funded by the existing budget at Citizenship and Immigration.

They denied the Afghans would strain federal resources, saying they represent a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of refugee claimants Canada receives annually. And unlike many others who come here, they noted, the Afghan workers are all fluent in at least one of Canada's official languages.

An interpreter nicknamed Junior, who asked that his real name not be used for his and his family's safety, said he was overjoyed by the news.

He lost both legs in a rocket attack on Canadian troops three years ago and has continued working as a translator and cultural adviser on the provincial reconstruction base. For now, Junior earns $1,250 a month -- a lavish sum by Afghan standards.

But as a legless man in a town without sidewalks or wheelchair access, he says he has no future job prospects in Kandahar. He has also received numerous death threats by telephone.

Junior said he plans to move his family to Toronto or Ottawa, where he hopes to work as an adviser on Pashtun culture to the Canadian government, military and policy analysts.

"There are many different jobs that we could do because we are very educated people," said Junior, who learned English as a teenager at a private school.

He and his peers face a far different fate, he says, if Canada leaves them behind in Afghanistan.

"If the (security) situation stays the same, it's clear like sky: We will all be cut into parts," said Junior.

"That's what's going to happen to the people who worked for the coalition forces, who worked to make Afghanistan a better place to live in. If they catch us, that will happen."

A Canadian soldier expressed delight at Kenney's announcement.

Cpl. Tim Laidler helped draw awareness to the threats faced by local employees, raising concerns for their safety with superior officers last year when he was in Kandahar.

Laidler, a B.C. reservist who helped train Afghan soldiers, called local employees an integral part of Canada's mission.

"I felt (their situation) was an injustice. They face the same danger that we do and I felt they deserved to be taken care of just like we are," said Laidler, now back in university in B.C.

"We trust them with everything -- with sensitive information. They are essential to our task in Afghanistan."

The new policy does not require legislation.

The minister will use his power under Section 25 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to let the Afghans into the country, and seek cabinet approval for some of the settlement services.

So there will be no vote in the House of Commons on the new policy. But any vote would have been moot, because the opposition had already expressed its support months ago.

New Democrats said it was shameful that Canada lacked such a program, while its allies had one. The party applauded the move.

"It's the least we can do for people who have risked their lives working with the Canadian military," said immigration critic Olivia Chow.

"It's about time."

Taliban flaunt power in Pakistan's Swat Valley
'They have committed so many atrocities that they can't give up power, they would not be safe.'

SAEED SHAH

Special to Globe and Mail Update

April 30, 2009 at 7:17 PM EDT

MINGORA, PAKISTAN — On the back road to Buner from Mingora, fierce young Taliban operate an impromptu check post.

Half a dozen bearded militants, with AK-47s slung over their shoulders, ammunition vests and walkie-talkies, stop traffic and search cars. What they are looking for is unclear, but locals said they are mainly there to exert their presence, show people they have not gone away.

On the main road in and out of Mingora from the rest of Pakistan, passing through the suburbs of Balogram and Odigram, armed Taliban can be seen on the roadside, sitting, seemingly monitoring the situation.

According to residents, Taliban are present in much greater numbers on the side streets of Balogram or Odigram, occupying homes and public buildings with their armed comrades posted outside to keep watch.

“The Taliban have tasted power. They will not give that back,” said one Mingora teacher, who asked not be identified for fear of retaliation by the extremists. “They have committed so many atrocities that they can't give up power, they would not be safe. People are just waiting for the day they can take revenge [on the Taliban].”

Under the terms of a recent controversial accord, Pakistan is to impose Islamic law ( sharia) in return for peace in Swat, a scenic valley and former tourist haven only 160 kilometres from Islamabad. The Taliban are not supposed to “display weapons in public” and must “recognize the writ of the government.”

But even without leaving Mingora, the seat of district administration in Pakistan's Swat valley, flagrant breaches of the peace accord with the Taliban are visible. Conditions on the ground indicate the Taliban militia is tightening its grip, making it even less likely that they will be willing to give up power.

A ceasefire accompanied the announcement of the deal in February, ending a failed 16-month counterinsurgency operation by Pakistani security forces. With troops back in their barracks, the Taliban are unopposed and have no need to function surreptitiously.

The militants have used recent weeks to strike into new areas, residents say, and brazenly loot and rob, including private homes, cars and the offices and vehicles of non-governmental organizations. Armed patrols by the Taliban and their check posts are visible across Swat, a huge valley that covers 5,300 square kilometres.

“The peace deal has given them [the Taliban] a long life,” said Shaukat Saleem, a human-rights campaigner in Mingora. “Before, they could not roam freely in Mingora because there was a [military] operation on.”

During an 18-month rampage, the Taliban butchered and plundered their way through the valley, blowing up nearly 200 schools, banning girls from education and barring women from markets. The agreement with the militants has stopped the worst of the violence and schools have reopened.

Beyond Mingora, which lies at the bottom of the long Swat valley, the district is almost completely in Taliban hands. Residents living north of Mingora report that the Taliban are entrenching, not preparing to disband.

In Bahrain, a small town about 65 kilometres up the valley from Mingora, Taliban arrived for the first time in the beginning of April. More than 50 armed militants, wearing masks, are now stationed in and around the town, with two check posts, according to locals.

“Bahrain was better off before the [peace] deal,” said one resident, who requested anonymity because he lives among the Taliban. “They [the Taliban] will remain and now they will be more forceful because they have the legitimacy of law behind them.”

In Bahrain, most girls stopped going to school during the past week after threats from the local Taliban and most female teachers have given up work. Shops selling music CDs have been forced to close, while barbers can no longer offer customers a shave. All stores and restaurants are compelled to close during prayer times, residents said.

An official from the North West Frontier Province administration, which is supposed to govern Swat, admitted that state officials with executive powers are not functioning outside Mingora.

“If the government machinery is not even present [outside Mingora], how can there be any writ of the state?” said the official, who could not be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. “Another military operation would have been a big disaster. We had to stop the beheadings, we didn't have other options [than the peace deal].”

Under the peace agreement, negotiated by the NWFP government, Islamic courts are to be established in Swat. After that, the hope is that the Taliban will lay down their arms and some of them will be absorbed into the state security forces.

The militants suspect that the promised Islamic law will not materialize.

“They [Islamabad] can't implement the sharia regulation because they are the slaves of America,” Muslim Khan, a Taliban commander and spokesman, said in an interview at his Imamderi headquarters just across the Swat River from Mingora. “The generals and the politicians are grabbing money from America to fight the Taliban. They don't care about Islam. They don't care about their country.”

But, given the Pakistani military's clumsy campaign in Swat, where locals insist that more were killed by the army's long-distance shelling than by the Taliban, there is almost no appetite among residents for another military offensive, no matter how brutal life is under the effective rule of extremists.

“Those who sit in air-conditioned offices and want an operation here should come and see conditions for themselves. People in Peshawar, Islamabad and America don't know what it's like here,” said Fazlullah Khan, a lawyer and activist in Mingora.

“If the army shows its strength, the Taliban shows its strength; the ones who will die are ordinary people.”

3 American, 2 NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Updated Fri. May. 1 2009 5:03 PM ET

The Associated Press

KABUL -- Three Americans and two other international troops were killed Friday in an attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

Insurgents attacked Afghan and international forces Friday with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, NATO forces said in a statement. The troops called in air support, forcing the militants to withdraw. They are being pursued, the statement said.

Col. Greg Julian, a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, confirmed that three of the dead service members were Americans. The nationalities of the other two were not immediately known because NATO typically waits for countries to release such information.

The Taliban have vowed to increase ambushes and other attacks as an additional 21,000 U.S. troops flood into Afghanistan this summer in an attempt to stem the group's resurgence and bolster security for August presidential elections.

In a sign that electioneering itself is likely to be chaotic, Afghanistan's top vice president broke away from the president to join a competing ticket, a spokesman for the ticket said Friday.

Former warlord Gul Agha Sherzai has snagged First Vice President Ahmad Zia Masood as his top deputy in his run against President Hamid Karzai, said Gul Khalid Pushtoon, a lawmaker serving as spokesman for Sherzai.

Sherzai, now governor of eastern Nangarhar province, plans to file official papers on Saturday, Pushtoon said.

Sherzai, who met with President Barack Obama when he visited Afghanistan in July, has a mixed reputation. He helped the U.S. oust the Taliban from southern Kandahar province in the first push against the militants, but he has also been accused of heavy-handed rule and corruption in the aftermath.

A government spokesman, Waheed Omar, said he had not yet been informed of Masood's decision but that the government would not stand in his way.

"Masood is still the vice president of Afghanistan, but if he has decided that joining a different team will help, I don't think the president will have a problem because that is his constitutional right."

Spokesmen for Masood could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sherzai had in the past been a strong supporter of Karzai but Pushtoon said they are running against the president because they don't believe he's popular enough with the citizenry to hold onto the job.

A spike in violence and the accompanying civilian death toll has greatly eroded Karzai's popularity over the past year, along with conservatives arguing that he is puppet of Western powers.

"We think that President Karzai will not win the election, so therefore we want to keep the leadership in the region as well as improve the economy of the country," Pushtoon said.

Three Afghan army soldiers and 15 militants also died in clashes in the south and east Friday, U.S. military and Afghan officials said. No international casualties were reported in those incidents.

P.E.I. soldier wounded in Afghanistan

A 24-year-old soldier from Cardigan, P.E.I., was wounded earlier this week in Afghanistan.

Capt. Tyler Collings is based with Lord Strathcona's Horse in Edmonton, and was training Afghan soldiers. His mother Valerie Collings told CBC News Thursday she understands her son was on foot when a bomb went off nearby. Collings has a serious eye wound and has lost a few teeth.

Some of the Afghan soldiers Collings was with were killed and others were wounded, she said.

Collings's mother received word from the military on Tuesday morning about her son, and she has since spoken to him. She said it was a great relief to finally speak with him.

Collings is being transported to a hospital in Germany Thursday evening.

Alliston soldier returning from Afghanistan

BY Staff April 30, 2009 17:04

An Alliston man will soon be home from an eight-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Heather Nichol-Hogan is waiting anxiously for her 22-year-old son, James Hogan, to return. He has been serving with the Armed Forces in Afghanistan since September.

"Right now I'm just counting minutes and days. He's my baby, I'm pretty excited to see him coming home," Nichol-Hogan said.

Hogan is expected home within the next few days, but his mother wasn't told exactly when he'd be arriving.

Hogan is part of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in CFB Petawawa, Ont.

He attended Banting Memorial High School.

'Thank you for your service here on Earth'

Mourners pay tribute to major whose death in Afghanistan is being investigated by military
May 02, 2009 04:30 AM

Ian Elliot
THE CANADIAN PRESS

KINGSTON, Ont. – Both of Maj. Michelle Mendes's families – military and civilian – said goodbye to her yesterday.

Eight days after she was found dead in her living quarters at Kandahar Air Field, a death that is still under investigation by the military, Mendes's body was returned to this eastern Ontario city for a funeral service at Sydenham Street United Church.

Mendes, 30, is one of 118 Canadian Forces members to die in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of mourners, many military, packed the church to pay their respects, a number openly weeping as the flag-draped casket was carried into the church by an honour guard from her Ottawa unit, the chief of defence intelligence (CDI) organization.

Her parents, Ron and Dianne Knight, clung to each other as they watched the pallbearers remove the casket from the hearse.

It, along with a small floral wreath with the banner CDI Family and Mendes's Afghanistan service medal, were carried on a cushion into the church.

As per military protocol, the honour guard carrying her casket was from her home unit, each one wearing the North Star insignia that denotes military intelligence, and a comrade from Afghanistan accompanied her body the entire trip still wearing his desert camouflage uniform.

Her sister Melissa, often confused with her lookalike sister when the two were teenage athletes growing up near Cobourg, Ont., delivered a moving eulogy for the young officer to the packed church.

"It breaks my heart that my little girls will never get to know you," she said, her voice breaking with emotion as she remembered the pair growing up on an apple farm near Grafton, Ont.

Her sister remembered how Mendes, known as "Mich" to her friends, thrived in the intellectual and athletic pressure cooker of Royal Military College and how she fell in love there with soccer coach Victor Mendes, whom she married after graduation.

She was immediately accepted by his family and the Portuguese community in Kingston, her sister recalled.

"She was so beautiful, inside and outside," Melissa said. "Maj. Michelle Mendes, we salute you.

"Thank you for your service here on Earth. We will always love you, until we meet you again."

Two of Mendes's classmates from RMC, Rebecca Barton and Amber Comisso, remembered her as an athletic overachiever, noting that she was the first person in the 2001 graduating class to achieve the rank of major, an appointment she earned just months before being posted to Afghanistan.

Mendes served in Afghanistan in 2006, but was repatriated to Canada after she was one of a number of Canadian soldiers injured in a friendly fire attack by an American jet that mistook them for enemy forces.

"We were so proud to have known her," said Barton. "Her beautiful, brilliant smile would light up any room she was in."

Alan Okros, a friend and former military member, said memories of Mendes will be those of someone more than just a first-rate officer.

"She was more than just a soldier," he said in his own eulogy, noting that she was remembered widely for her empathy and friendship as well as a promising military career.

"You served your country with honour," he said.

Her family has not spoken publicly since her death, but released a written statement yesterday thanking the public for their gestures of condolence.

"She was all Canadian – proud, strong and free," her family said.

Canadians playing a role in new security unit at Kandahar Airfield

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A new NATO security unit aimed at making the busy Kandahar Airfield a safer place has a bit of a slight Canadian flavour.

Seven of the unit's 66 members are Canadian, including master sailor Peter Hughes, who was in charge of the squad's first shift on Friday.

Hughes, who works on HMCS Ottawa out of Esquimalt, B.C., said the security unit will "drastically improve the chances for our troops on the ground to get air support."

Aircraft are often called in to back up soldiers involved in ground operations in the vast, desert country and the unit will provide much-needed order at a sometimes chaotic air base where traffic is expected to double in 2009.

Kandahar Airfield, which opened in 2005, has seen an increase in traffic in recent months - a situation that will only intensify when thousands of other American soldiers arrive at the base.

Already in March, air traffic controllers oversaw more than 20,000 military operations; the average monthly rate is 16,000.

"As the air base gets busier and busier there are more and more aircraft and more and more vehicles and there's increasing risk of a vehicle and an aircraft ending up in the same place at the same time," said NATO Cmdr. Andy Fryer, who attended Friday's inauguration ceremony.

With vehicles and aircraft crossing the air strip helter skelter at times, the American 451st Air Expeditionary Group decided to look at the situation in mid-March.

The project was put in place in less than six weeks thanks to the co-operation of the international forces.

"It was done quickly," said Master Sgt. Joseph Ilsley of the U.S. Air Force.

Ilsley noted the contribution of Wilf Rellinger, a Canadian major with NATO and the man in charge of security at the airfield.

"Major Rellinger... was one of the key players in getting this off the ground and addressing a lot of the safety concerns," said Ilsley.

"If we didn't have him getting all the political buy-in from the operators on the flight line we never would have never been able to push forward."

Canadian Master Cpl. Roland Wightman is the co-ordinator and administrator of the new unit. Wightman, who is normally based in Halifax, said he was very pleased that the aircraft at the base would be protected.

"I think it's great because now we have proper security," he said. "The air assets to me on this camp are the most important thing because that's what protects the guys on the field."

The new unit should make his job a lot easier, he added, noting that the 12-and 13-hour workdays he was putting in will likely get a little shorter.

"I was trying to run and provide security for the airfield with between 15 and 17 guys on three shifts," Wightman said. "Today we went from that to 66 people on two shifts, so the manning has gone up I think 300 or 400 per cent just today."

The unit is made up of members of the American, French, British, Canadian, Belgian and Dutch military. But it is open to any other NATO members who want to get involved.

"We've still got room, so if they're interested, we'd be more than happy to accommodate them," Fryer said.

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

This is a bit outdated yet is a very good read none the less. Local newspaper...

On the front line

Corporal Mike Lawrence of Beamsville has seen the War on Terror first hand, serving as a combat medic with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Cpl. Lawrence is back in Canada and recently, he and his family shared their experience with This Week's Joanne McDonald

By Joanne McDonald

Kneeling in a vineyard, Canadian soldier and combat medic Corporal Mike Lawrence lifted his own water bottle to feed the wounded Taliban fighter who lay dying in the aftermath of a bloody insurgency that had been initiated against the corporal's small platoon somewhere outside Kandahar.

Earlier Cpl. Lawrence had been on patrol through a mud-walled maze of vineyards with 25 members from the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) India Company unit, serving under the NATO-led coalition.

It was dark and they were using night vision equipment. Taking shelter in a tiny grape hut, he couldn't sleep and dozed fitfully. Around 4 a.m. he put on his helmet. Ten minutes later a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) exploded the night air and launched one of many live fire attacks he would be involved in during his six-month tour of duty.

The platoon pushed forward, advancing and got caught up by machine gun fire. Securing the area, the first Taliban they found had died beside the RPG. They secured his body and continued to advance, continuing to search for more casualties or possible detainees. They found bodies dumped into a wadi (dry waterbed) system.

Cpl. Lawrence came upon the injured Taliban fighter. He was rail thin, weak, about 19 years old and he had been shot through the arm and leg.

"He was alone and he was praying and he wanted us to kill him."

Cpl. Lawrence applied a tourniquet to young man's arm and leg. "Our job isn't to kill." The last the medic saw of him, he was being flown away in an American helicopter, headed for further treatment.

He is careful with what he shares, details, locations.

In 35 patrols, 27 involved live fire. It was like fighting a sponge he said. They would never know from which direction the Taliban would attack. "They would close in all around you."

Later that morning they had air strike support from the Americans. When you're alone on the ground with a small platoon, the drone of the planes "sounds like angels coming in the sky, there's no sound like it". You feel safe instantaneously when you hear the bombs drop. "You don't feel alone anymore."

* * *

A Reuters photo that appeared on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen captured an unbelievably poignant moment with the heat of combat reflected deep in the eyes of the young medic. Cpl. Lawrence had just been shot at, dove down with the reporter in tow, pulling him by the sleeve and telling him, "stay with me, stay low".

Earlier he had calmly advised the same journalist that "when the shooting starts your heart rate will go up two or three times its normal rate".

Moving from open desert to the grape fields lined with mud walls, they marched directly into battle. "How's your heart rate now?" the medic asked the reporter as they ran for cover.

At the age of 26, Cpl. Lawrence has seen so much in his young life. But he has a strong mind and heart and sense of humour. That strength is fortified with the solid understanding and belief in what he is doing.

He also has a most amazing family. Through and through, the Lawrence family is a service family.

His tour wrapped up, he has since been posted to Cold Lake, Alta. But he was with his family during a recent weekend and they generously shared those precious hours for an interview in his hometown.

* * * *

The early morning kaboom of a bird banger from a nearby vineyard sends Mike running for cover behind his dad's truck in the driveway of their Beamsville home.

After months of duty and operating on high levels of adrenaline, being shot at by RPGs and 82 mm cannons, it's hard to make the adjustment.

Mike's fit and he's brawn and he's acutely aware of everything in his perimeter. What's he not prepared for is the juxtaposition back to Canada. "It's definitely different coming home. Over there we were always ready to react." The reflex reaction to the bird banger is a quick read of his state of mind.

Canada is in Afghanistan as part of a UN-sanctioned mission to help build a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society.

About 2,500 members of the Canadian Forces are currently serving as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF AFG). They play a key role in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission's goal to improve the security situation in Afghanistan and assist in rebuilding the country.

Mike is a character says his mother Sue Lawrence. "He has a zest for life. It's calm until he walks in and then there's an infusion of energy."

Sure-footed, self-resilient and proactive, says his mom are attributes he shares with his dad.

Sgt. Doug Lawrence CD was a vehicle technician with the Canadian Forces Decoration. He served on the Golan Heights in the Middle East and was a master corporal with 2 Service Battalion a regular force service battalion united based out of Petawawa. He is now a training sergeant with 23 Field Ambulance of Hamilton.

His mom, Sue, is a principal at Battlefield Public School in Niagara Falls. The closeness they share is immeasurable -- she's his best advocate and friend. "I can tell her almost anything."

When Mike left for Afghanistan he carried an angel coin from his mom.

Doug sent him a drop holster for his pistol so it was more accessible to him when he was tending to patients.

"I am a practical sort of guy," he says.

Marshmallow inside, bravado outside. "There's that sensitivity. Stoic on the outside, but so touched by human response. They both shine," says Sue.

Amanda Wintermute, who lives with the family, considers Mike as her big brother. And in his fianc? Nicole (Nikki) he also has a best friend.

* * * *

The family would see clips on TV news of Mike giving support to others. He doesn't wear the notoriety as a banner. Back at the Kandahar Airfield he was presented with a special RCR coin. Only 20 are presented each year and it is usually to honour longevity of service.

Service is a word that describes Mike. He wants to pay back as many as have helped him. "When he was growing up he had people who believed in him," says Sue. "This is a young man who walks in the door and he's ready."

Both Mike and Doug are very strong willed and very good at what they do. There's never been competition, only support for each other. "We're a military family," she says.

Every day Cpl. Lawrence pushed into the unknown, on patrols from a forward moving base, carrying close to his own weight in equipment and supplies -- a 30-pound Blackhawk medical bag, rifles, food, 12 litres of water -- the helmet alone weighed 11 pounds.

Throughout the entire tour, Mike spent only seven days behind the wire, in the relative safety of the military base at the Kandahar Airfield. During those six months, he operated from a forward operating base at locations unnamed in Afghanistan.

Sue recalls one phone call when Mike couldn't sleep. The desert air he told her was about 60 degrees. The moon was big and yellow over the vast terrain.

"Mom," he said, "it would be an awesome place to visit if you weren't going to get killed." The poetic observations he shared with his mom.

Worry was never been part of the equation. She knows her son was prepared physically. But she read the barometer in his mental well being. "Is he still able to see the beauty?" she would ask herself.

"In all this chaos there's beauty," he told his mom.

Some phone calls he needed to speak directly to his dad. "Doug was his grounding," says Sue.

During his first fire fight "I was shaken to the core" and the first time he picked up casualties and had a chance to use a phone, he said, "I need to talk to dad".

Heading out on patrol he told his father, "I'm not ready for this one." And another night he said, "this is my niche in life. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing".

Cpl. Lawrence's unit deployed Feb. 7 to Afghanistan. During the whole rotation they didn't lose one soldier. Two of his friends died on different rotations - one had been a roommate. "I feel guilty that I got home and my buddy didn't."

The terrain they patrolled was comparable to Vineland, hills covered with vineyards, only different with mud huts and walls. A real fear was the snakes, especially poisonous snakes and it was well founded as the soldiers learned to check their gear and roll their sleeping bags tightly to deter poisonous vipers from finding a hiding place.

Part of the time they would provide medical outreach within their mandate to residents in the local communities. They patrolled out of a forward moving base. Their mission was to find Taliban.

Sometimes it was disheartening as a human to provide medical outreach to people in a village only to be attacked by the Taliban in the same streets.

"It has changed my entire outlook on life," says Lawrence. "Every day is a sunny day."

People complain about insignificant things. Kids complain they don't want to go to school. "There kids pick up a gun and go to war. We have it so good in Canada."

By the time he could walk, it was in his father's footsteps. A snapshot taken when he was four shows Mike in his camouflague pants holding a fish he caught in Algonquin Park.

"He would match everything Doug did," says Sue. The Special Services Forces put on a family day. There was a competency course set up for kids, crawling under netting and through heating ducts. Mike excelled. The military was already his calling.

A former student at Senator Gibson, Jacob Beam and Grimsby Secondary schools, Mike came up through the ranks of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Cadet Corps and has been in the Forces since the age of 18.

When he joined, Doug took him to a recruiting centre, intent on a five-minute visit. Three hours of testing followed. Mike showed a high aptitude and was given his choice of studies. He chose paramedic.

Over five years he studied to be a paramedic at Camp Borden and at the Justice Institute in British Columbia.

He worked the G8 Summit at Alberta. His initial training to go to Afghanistan was with the Van Doos,the Royal 22e R?giment. Moving up in rotation, he deployed with the Royal Canadian Regiment. His home unit is 1 Canadian Field Hospital.

"I'm very proud of Mike. I'm very happy he was with the Royal Canadian Regiment. I know their competency, the level of training," says Doug.

"Dad trained me without realizing," says Mike. "If it wasn't for Dad, I wouldn't be who I am."

"Doug was there to support him through difficult emotions," says Sue. "I had total faith in his commanding officer."

* * *

Opinions may vary on Canada's involvement at the international level, but the importance of support for the troops, the individual soldiers who are serving on the country's behalf can't be overstated says Sue. "It means everything to hear from home, to receive something familiar and comforting."

"The support from the Niagara region was insane." Schools, businesses and individuals sent cards and letter and care packages.

Niagara Falls Mayor Ted Salci sent a 30-foot banner that had been created by students at Battlefield School. They gathered information about their own family history of service and copied it onto the banner. They sent care packages, food, magazines, bandannas.

"It was great to have the support for the troops and individuals. I can't overstate the importance of that support," Sue said.

Canada's veterans can be proud of the work being done - their memories are constantly alive with the current serving members.

"Veterans can be assured the young generation is moving forward with Canada's legacy in service,"says Sue. She watched the mutual exchange of respect and information between the old guard and current service members, united by pride and dedication, when Mike, who had just returned from Afghanistan was with his family for the 100 years history of service celebration at the 23 Hamilton Field Ambulance annual parade in Dundas.

Mike was on tour with the (RCR) India Company -- a battle group commissioned to secure the area -- which included about 200 members and four medics. He has already been honoured with accolades including an ISAF medal and the RCR coin.

* * * *

The war in Afghanistan began in 2001, launched in response to the 9/11 attacks in the United States. News reports say the war removed Taliban from power for a time, but there has been a resurgence in Taliban forces.

From January 2006, the NATO ISAF force started to replace U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Canada is in Afghanistan to help Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society as part of a NATO-led, UN-sanctioned mission.

Reports say 2007 has been one of the bloodiest years since the fall of the Taliban six years ago and there have been no breaks in fighting as Canadians have pushed into Taliban strongholds to reassert control and establish security.

"We do the best we can under the conditions we're given," says Cpl. Lawrence. He's limited as to what he can discuss.

"It is frustrating when people don't understand, but how could they?"

While Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan is scheduled to end in February, 2009, the government's Throne Speech delivered Tuesday said it will likely continue to 2011.

Cpl. Lawrence wraps up the interview.

"The work is undone," he says.

Back to the Present

Sweating bullets

Kandahar posting was war on heat, soldier says

By BILL SPURR Staff Reporter
Sat. May 2 - 10:05 AM

Shane Schofield's pants aren't baggy because that's the fashion - they're a souvenir of five months in Afghanistan.
The Canadian army private, who arrived at the Halifax airport on Friday night, lost 46 pounds while on duty with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry at the Kandahar airport.

Creature comforts weren't a priority in Kandahar, where Canada's soldiers slept two to a tent the size of a dining-room table and, for the first month, ate their meals standing up while holding a tray and wearing a helmet and full gear.

"You'd get a good gust of wind and it would blow the food off your tray," Pte. Schofield said Saturday, sitting on the front step of his parents' impressively landscaped home in Lower Sackville.

"The dust would blow into your food. Eventually they got us a tent where we could sit on the floor while we ate."

And eating preservative-filled American rations wasn't always the most delightful dining experience.

For example, the eggs were brown - not the shells, the eggs.

"People would get there and ask, 'What's this?' and you'd tell them, 'That's your eggs,' " he said.

"But just because of the Canadian way of putting a little extra effort into things, our guys were able to get us a few barbecues, which was really good."

Not that anyone was offering any beer, but he wouldn't have taken it, anyway.

"If someone put a beer in front of me, I wouldn't have drunk it.""You knew you had to drink 15 litres of water a day, and beer would severely dehydrate you," he said, recalling that temperatures of 58 C were common.

"Plus you just couldn't imagine waking up hung over — it would have been torture."

Exhaustion was a constant companion as the soldiers humped up and down mountains, carrying 45-kilogram packs filled with water and plastic explosives.Pte. Schofield took photos of caves the Canadians cleared, where they sometimes found rocket-propelled grenades and, occasionally, bones.

"There were a lot of guys in Afghanistan who did the job and did it well but saw that it might not be for them forever, so they're looking at other trades in the (Canadian Forces) and the odd one will be getting out. For the most part, the guys there were doing what they love," Pte. Schofield said.

"There were a lot of positive things about it, the whole patriotic aspect of working with other countries and proving we can do the job."

During their time off, soldiers tried to read or exercise, but in Afghanistan even those activities have their challenges.

Men had to wear gloves to lift weights because the bars were too hot to handle, and they found the weight loss and heat had made them weak.

"You'd put on (a weight) that you used to be able to handle easily and it would pin you to the bench," Pte. Schofield recalled.

"If someone sent you a book, you just had to accept the fact that it wasn't coming home with you. You'd turn the page and the whole book would fall apart because the spine had melted. It happened every time."

The dust gave CD players a lifespan of about 10 days and took a mental toll on the men.

"You could never get a comfortable feeling. You'd take a shower and 15 minutes later you'd be all grimy again," he said. "A lot of the time it was just so rotten there that guys couldn't even see the end."

Several men, including a medic in Pte. Schofield's camp, were stung by scorpions, and one soldier was awakened by a viper slithering over his nose.

Now 22, Pte. Schofield joined the army right out of high school. He had considered following his father into law enforcement but decided he needed some life experience.

Postings to Bosnia and Afghanistan, and witnessing the deaths of men he knew, have provided that.

Pte. Schofield was on roving security about four kilometres away from the site of the accident that killed four Canadian soldiers in April.

"The sky lit up and the ground shook," he said of the incident in which an American pilot mistakenly bombed Canadian soldiers involved in a live-fire exercise.

Pte. Schofield had only a nodding acquaintance with the four men who were killed and said the tragedy didn't change anybody's attitude about the mission itself.

"But I know for a lot of guys, particularly the company that was on the range, it made things difficult for a while in terms of working with the Americans," he said. "There was a surprising number of them who didn't know about what happened, and that was frustrating."

After a four-day "decompression period" in Guam, Pte. Schofield's company got back to Canada on July 31.

The first thing he did was hug his girlfriend, Rene Boughton, who accompanied him to Halifax from Winnipeg, where they both live.

"She's never been to Nova Scotia before, so I'm really looking forward to showing her the sights around here," he said.

Pte. Schofield now thinks a career in the military might be even more gratifying than the one he had originally planned as a police officer.

One thing's for sure — he won't voluntarily return to Afghanistan.

"Absolutely not," he said firmly. "Some guys in the company would say things like, 'When I retire I'm going to buy a boat because no matter how lost I get, I can never end up in Afghanistan.' "

'Drawback' New Tactic: Military

Afghan village not being abandoned: Canadian officer

Brian Hutchinson, National Post Published: Monday, May 04, 2009
Related Topics

Canada's military says it has not abandoned villagers in the Taliban-controlled western Panjwaii district, insisting that the "drawback" of troops last week and the dismantling of a Canadian-built police substation are tactical victories.

Tearing down the Mushan substation signals the start of a new strategy that will see Canadian Forces troops move closer to Kandahar city, where the majority of Kandaharis live and where a greater security presence is considered an urgent priority.

But Mushan village and surrounding communities are now left without a fixed Canadian presence for the first time in two years, after hard-won battles and casualties in the area.

The police substation, lately referred to as a strong point, was taken apart and troops were redeployed in a large-scale operation called Munkiredal, the Pashto word for deny.

The name might seem ironic. But Canadian officers say it reflects that the strong point was eliminated and all its equipment removed, thus denying the Taliban any opportunity to claim anything from the site.

In a briefing yesterday with reporters at Kandahar Air Field, officers explained that the 64 Afghan National Army soldiers who were stationed inside the tiny and primitive fortress, along with a rotation of eight Canadian military mentors, had not effectively disrupted insurgent activity in the area. The strongpoint was constantly under siege, according to the military.

Mushan is a hardscrabble agricultural community about 40 kilometres west of Kandahar Air Field. It is now under Taliban control, the officers conceded, as is much of the Panjwaii peninsula, an area of some 160 square kilometres where poppy is a lucrative cash crop for insurgents. The Taliban use profits from the opium trade to buy arms and hire local men to fight their insurgency.

Canadian officers say that after living beside coalition forces for two years, villagers may find themselves in harm's way. They could face reprisals from insurgents.

"There is a concern," said Major Stephane Briand, operations planning officer for the

Canadian Forces battle group in Kandahar. "[Reprisals] can happen in Mushan, but it [also] happens elsewhere."

The villagers have not been abandoned, he added. "I can see how it could be [interpreted that way]. But the main reason for the drawback was to reassign [troops]."

It was done at the request of the Afghan National Army, he said.

Canadian and Afghan soldiers stationed inside a larger, well-equipped forward operating base farther east will conduct sporadic patrols in and around Mushan, he said.

Operation Munkiredal involved 400 Canadian soldiers, 120 Afghan National Army troops and elements from the U. S. 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment. The Americans are stationed in neighbouring Maywand district and fall under Canadian command. The operation was launched on April 26 and ended on schedule on April 30.

Two Canadian companies from the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment had infrequent contact with insurgents over the course of the operation.

"Canadians took fire and fired back," Maj. Briand said. He did not say if any Taliban were killed or detained in the brief firefights.

Seven or eight improvised explosive devices were discovered along the route leading out of Mushan as dozens of coalition vehicles, some laden with strong point equipment, returned to base.

Two of the IEDs were detonated. There were no coalition casualties or injuries.

An unreported number of insurgents were killed after taking on the U. S. 2-2s early in the operation, about 10 kilometres east of Mushan near the village of Zangabad. After a brief firefight on the ground, a U. S. aircraft was dispatched and a bomb was dropped on the insurgents.

Long described as a Taliban hotbed, the Panjwaii peninsula has been a centre of intense activity since Canadian troops arrived in 2006. It is the scene of Operation Medusa, the bloodiest conflict to involve Canadian troops since the Korean War.

The September, 2006, battle cleared some area villages and farmland of Taliban, but the insurgents moved west, down the peninsula, to places such as Mushan.

The strongpoint was built there in 2007 to protect the local population from further Taliban attack, reprisal and recruitment. Two other Canadian-built strong points east of Mushan, in the villages of Talukan and in Zangabad, were dismantled last year. Talukan was the scene of a Taliban-led massacre of civilians in December, 2006.

The entire Panjwaii district area remains an area of Canadian responsibility. The number of Taliban operating there is difficult to determine. Their movements are seasonal, and they concentrate in certain areas. Canadian officers can't say if there are fewer insurgents now compared to three years ago.

Wave of Afghanistan attacks kills 32: Officials

By Bronwen Roberts, ReutersMay 4, 2009

KABUL - A wave of bomb blasts and shootings killed 32 people, including two children, in Afghanistan Monday as President Hamid Karzai jetted to Washington for a summit on defeating extremism.

In the bloodiest incident a bomb tore through a tractor and trailer transporting a group of Kuchi nomads in a remote district of southern Zabul province, a district governor said.

"A roadside bomb struck their vehicle and killed 12 people," said Wazir Mohammad, head of the Shamalzai district on the border with Pakistan.

The dead were six women, two children and four men, he said.

There was no claim of responsibility for the blast but there are regular bombings in Afghanistan, most of them blamed on Taliban fighters targeting Afghan and foreign security forces.

Mohammad also said two Taliban fighters were killed in the same district early Monday when mines they were planting in a road exploded.

Taliban fighters elsewhere attacked a construction site near the Zabul capital, Qalat, where labourers were rebuilding bridges destroyed in earlier militant action, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Jialani said.

Six security guards protecting the workers were killed in the shoot-out, along with two civilian passers-by, he said.

In the eastern province of Laghman, a suicide attacker walked up to a vehicle carrying the provincial mayor and blew himself up, killing the official and six other people, the interior ministry said in a statement.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said his group was responsible.

The mayor of Laghman, Mohammad Rahim Rahim, was one of the most senior officials in the province after the governor.

"The mayor, three of his bodyguards and three civilians were martyred," the ministry said.

In western Farah province meanwhile, three policemen were killed and three wounded in a firefight with Taliban, police said.

"A big number of militants have also been killed but we cannot give a figure now," provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar Watandar told AFP.

Authorities in the western province of Herat also reported that 13 Taliban and a policeman were killed in clashes in the area Sunday.

The Taliban, in government between 1996 and 2001, warned last week that they would step up attacks on government officials as well as Afghan soldiers and the nearly 70,000 foreign troops who support them.

The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and in neighbouring Pakistan has alarmed Western nations, which fear it could foment another major Islamist attack like the September 11, 2001 strikes on the United States.

Karzai headed to Washington Monday to meet U.S. President Barack Obama and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari amid concerns about efforts to fight the al-Qaida and Taliban-linked threat in the region.

Karzai flew to the United States with his foreign and defence ministers immediately after registering to run for re-election in August. Included on his ticket as one vice presidential candidate is controversial warlord Mohammad Qasim Fahim.

Obama has put the spotlight firmly on Taliban and al-Qaida extremists straddling the Afghan and Pakistan border, pledging more troops and resources to eliminate what he has called an international threat.

He has also pushed for more co-operation between the Muslim neighbours to deal with the militants, expressing concern about the fragility of Pakistan's eight-month-old civilian government, which has made concessions to the Taliban.
© Copyright (c) Reuters

Now, it's the Van Doos' turn to carry the load

May 12, 2007 04:30 AM
Bruce Campion-Smith
Ottawa Bureau

CFB WAINWRIGHT, ALTA.–"Ils sont motive et prêt pour l'Afghanistan. Les vingt-deux ont hâte, nous avons hâte, et c'est maintenant notre tour."

That's the message from Maj. François Caron, commander of A Company of the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment: His troops are ready and eager to take their place on the front lines in Kandahar.

To press his point, he repeats it in English.

"It's our turn," Caron says. "They are motivated and ready."

But it's the "mots de français," heard in the back of the armoured vehicles, in the mess tent, in the barked orders, that tell the real story of the upcoming mission.

More than 2,000 Quebec-based troops have come to this sprawling military base for final drills before their summer deployment to southern Afghanistan,

It will mark the first time Quebec soldiers have gone to the dangerous region as a battle group.

Like pro hockey players itching for their turns in a playoff game, it hasn't been easy for these professional warriors to sit on the sidelines while troops from Edmonton, Petawawa and Gagetown, N.B., served their tours – and took their casualties.

The troops are keen. But the bigger question is whether Ottawa is ready for the casualties and the political fallout that could come after the six-month deployment of the Quebec contingent.

"It's dicey," military historian Jack Granatstein says.

At the heart of the deployment are close to 1,000 soldiers from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Royal 22e Régiment, the famed "Van Doos." They'll be joined by a battery of artillery, engineers, an armoured reconnaissance unit, a service battalion, field ambulance – 2,500 troops in all. Of the total, 2,171 come from CFB Valcartier, just north of Quebec City.

It marks the biggest deployment yet of Quebec-based soldiers to Afghanistan, although some 200 of them are over there now, many of them Van Doos providing security for the provincial reconstruction team. As well, troops from the 5e Régiment Artillerie Légère du Canada, also based at CFB Valcartier, operate the unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles that serve as the eyes in the skies over Kandahar.

But the upcoming deployment promises to truly bring the front lines of Afghanistan home to Quebec, where support for the war is lower than in any other region of the country. Some say it could bring political consequences too, if casualties are steep, and Quebecers turn even further against Canada's presence in the troubled nation.

"It seems to me there are two possibilities: One is public opinion collapses; the other is that it might in effect rally around our brave (troops). I certainly hope it's the latter," Granatstein says.

That it is now CFB Valcartier's turn to deploy to Kandahar is just "luck of the draw," he says.

But it's not so lucky for the Conservatives who may be left coping with the fallout of an already divisive mission in a possible election over the coming year.

"I think there's political impact on all this. Heavy casualties in Afghanistan for Van Doos could have a major impact on an election, could have a major impact on deciding whether to have an election," Granatstein says.

He says a senior officer even confided to him that it would be folly for the government to consider going to the polls when the Van Doos and other Quebec troops are serving their tour. Still, he notes also that the upcoming deployment, with a contingent of Quebec media in tow, could put a spotlight on the mission within Quebec and boost approval of the mission.

"They will perform very well and, I dearly hope, stir some pride in the province in their soldiers and come through with colours flying," Granatstein says. "But we don't know how it will play."

Frank Graves, president of EKOS Research, agrees that the upcoming deployment is politically risky.

"Anything which focuses more attention on this in Quebec is problematic for the government because it's already the place that is leading opposition and consistently offside ... on issues about Afghanistan," Graves says.

However, he says public support for Canada's role in Afghanistan relies on more than just casualties.

"Casualties are not the main driver of the opposition to the mission. It hinges on the issue whether the mission can obtain the objectives that ... Quebecers support."

But Liberal MP Denis Coderre (Bourassa), the party's defence critic, downplays talk that the Quebec deployment is any different from the ones that have gone before.

"A human life, anglophone, francophone, from Gagetown or, I hope not, from Quebec City and from any other places ... is a tragedy – it doesn't matter where you come from," Coderre says.

Talk about the politics of the mission doesn't weigh on Caron or his soldiers, who are focused on their final preparations for a mission that for many will be the highlight of their career.

Standing on a windswept hill, only the bone-chilling wind belies the fantasy being played out here this month – that this patch of rolling Alberta turf is southern Afghanistan.

This elaborate exercise is no easy test, as troops endure daily mock bomb attacks and ambushes as they conduct patrols, do re-supply convoys and visit the mock "Afghan" villages built here like some movie set, complete with real Afghans playing the role of local citizens.

Their training for the mission started in earnest last October with refreshers on shooting, first aid, sessions on handling combat stress, lessons in the laws of war and rules of engagement.

The troops were drilled in mountain and cave operations, night manoeuvres and long-range patrols during a month of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, in February. After that, commanders had their decision-making skills put to the test in tabletop exercises.

Now, until the end of May, they're putting all pieces together in Exercise Maple Guardian.

For the troops of A Company, it means getting a taste of the hardships they're likely to experience stationed at a forward operating base – living in tents, eating rations and enduring harassing attacks from fellow Canadian soldiers who play the part of "insurgents."

"It's close to reality, not far from the reality that we're going to experience out there in theatre – except for the cold today," says Caron, who has done tours in Haiti and Bosnia.

Caron appreciates the chance to make mistakes here before his troops encounter insurgents who fire real bullets.

"It's very important. ... it's a matter of saving lives and bringing everyone back home. The better you get in training, the better you get when you're out there fighting and working for real," he says. "The guys are getting good at it."

Still, he does concede that last month's tragedies – when eight soldiers were killed in two separate bomb attacks – do spark sober reflections about the job they're about to take on.

"Families are scared and it's normal. It's not the kind of mission we used to have back in Haiti where we were patrolling and nothing was going on," Caron says.

"Guys are scared but the guys are well-trained and well-prepared for this mission. If something happens, we'll be able to deal with it."

That view is echoed by his troops, who chat during a break in their patrols.

"You won't be human if you don't stop and stress a bit and be scared," says Cpl. Maxime Richard, 23. "But we have a job to do."

"We take it as though it's bad luck, wrong place at the wrong time," says Cpl. William Comeau, 23, of Quebec City, of the deaths that have occurred so far.

Richard says that having Quebec soldiers in the media spotlight may already be boosting flagging support for the mission and the military in the province.

"They are opening up their minds that we're not just a bunch of killers," he says.

Pte. Martin Theriault, 23, adds the thought that the military hopes sticks with the Quebec population: "That we're actually helping people."

Still, Cpl. Jonathan Nolin's heavy medical bag is a sombre reminder of the dangers that lie ahead. It's loaded with tourniquets, emergency field dressings, plastic airways and other gear. And as a medic, Nolin, 32, has undergone hours of training in battlefield first aid.

He belongs to the 5e Ambulance du Campagne – the field ambulance unit at CFB Valcartier. It is deploying 83 personnel in all, from doctors to physician's assistants to medics, like Nolin, who will be with soldiers in the field.

"Some of them are scared, especially the older ones because they are more aware of the dangers," says Maj. Jocelyn Dodaro, of Montreal, a doctor leading the medical group.

"But they know it's also a chance to save a life, and not just a soldier's life but the life of an Afghan also," Dodaro says.

He dampens talk that his soldiers are carrying the weight of Quebec opinion.

"They have a pride to serve Canada but they also have a pride in their unit. But they're serving first as Canadians."

At CFB Valcartier, the reception so far from the local community for the deployment has been encouraging, even unprecedented, says base spokesperson Capt. Eric Chamberland. Radio stations have been calling to interview soldiers. Area businesses have been offering support.

"This is actually very different from what we're used to in Quebec. Quebec has never been, if you go back through history, very supportive of missions like this," Chamberland says.

But he knows the true test is yet to come.

"When the reality hits that we have casualties, we're going to see how people react. That's where it's going to be hard for everybody," he says.

Does he fear that casualties might cost public support in the mission?

"That's the beauty of our work. That's not our problem. Our problem is to make sure troops are ready, that our families have everything they need to live through this, that our soldiers have the best tools," Chamberland says.

"It's our work. It's like a firefighter. We don't pick the fires we go to. But we need people to support us."

THE AFGHAN MISSION
Mentoring pays off as Afghan forces hit insurgents

JESSICA LEEDER

May 7, 2009

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- On top of a bedsheet-covered table in a guarded compound in central Kandahar lies a city map.

Sheathed in plastic, it has been scribbled over with erasable markers to divide the city into boxes, coloured according to their ripeness for police raids.

Blue is for those that have already yielded rich caches of weapons - raw explosives, AK-47s, suicide vests, rocket launchers, grenades - as well as dozens of insurgents themselves. Areas outlined in red represent even more glowing prospects: known Taliban hideouts that soldiers and police officers have their eye on, biding their time before they attack.

For a high-level coalition of U.S. and Canadian troops given the task of rebuilding Afghanistan's security forces, the map represents something more than an impending blow to the urban insurgency. It is a long overdue sign that years of mentoring senior Afghan officers is starting to pay off.

The Globe and Mail

Afghan security forces - police and army - planned and executed the series of early-morning raids across the city over the past week on their own. By the time coalition soldiers found out about the raids, the Afghan forces were already in motion. Left waiting in the wings were their bewildered but pleased North American and British advisers.

"It's true mentoring," a grinning U.S. Army Colonel Bill Hix said.

For 19 months, Col. Hix has been at the helm of the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command in the southern quadrant of Afghanistan. His job is to use U.S. and Canadian police mentors to rebuild Afghanistan's police force, which he said was "destroyed by 30 years of war."

During his tour, he has fought constantly to extinguish perceptions - even his own, on occasion - that his Afghan counterparts are corrupt and incapable of self-sufficiency.

So it was with a mix of glee and disbelief that he attended a planning meeting in Kandahar yesterday for the next series of counterinsurgency raids, which Afghan forces unilaterally deemed necessary. Their goal is to flush the insurgents out of the city and destroy their weapons caches before the summer fighting season and the August election. Then they'll choke off entryways into Kandahar city to prevent the Taliban from re-entering, thus achieving - and, ideally, maintaining - some semblance of security.

"This was a surprise to the coalition, which I think was great," Col. Hicks said. "They are far more capable than we think or allow," he said, pausing to add a caveat: "That's not to say that they're ready to be off on their own."

Senior Afghan security officials admit as much. During a three-hour meeting designed to map out the next and most difficult phase of the raids, the dominant subject was the scarcity of police, which threatens to jeopardize not just the operation, but its aftermath.

"They don't have the numbers necessary to sustain security," Col. Hix explained, adding that he expects that toward the end of their operation, the Afghans will begin struggling to keep the insurgents from creeping back in and to achieve lasting results. "There will be a point where they'll run out of capacity."

Solving that problem is a dilemma facing both the Afghans and the coalition forces. The current police chief has already hired about 1,000 more officers than he is "allowed" under a cap put in place by a committee of international stakeholders who are financing the police. Some European nations believe that police should be kept at minimal levels.

But General Esmatullah Dawlatzai, a former police official who is now a high-level administrator for the Afghan Ministry of the Interior, said the size of the force has been limited by the amount of funding from donating nations.

"The enemy is equipped better than the Kandahar police," he told NATO soldiers listening in on yesterday's meeting. "They have better weapons. Police weapons, if it is not better than the enemy's, it has to be equal," he said.

If Col. Hix has his way, Kandahar city will soon have 3,000 police officers, about double the number it has now. And against the wishes of his European counterparts, they would all be trained in counterterrorism tactics and carry AK-47s, another bone of contention between U.S. forces and some NATO allies.

"They want them to be normal policemen," said Col. Hix, shaking his head and citing examples from a few years ago, when poorly armed police were routinely slaughtered by insurgents.

"Now when the Taliban come after these guys, they can give it back to 'em," he said, adding: "That's progress. It's ugly progress. But it's progress."

And he insists that if progress continues, the city will not always have a need for machine-gun-carrying police.

"It's not the end game," Col. Hix said. "But we're nowhere near the end."

Hundreds of thousands flee Pakistan's battle with Taliban

May 08, 2009 04:08 PM
RIAZ KHAN
Associated Press Writer

MARDAN, Pakistan – Pakistan's army vowed today to eliminate militants from a northwestern valley but warned that its under-equipped troops face thousands of Taliban extremists who have seized towns, planted bombs made from pressure cookers, and dragooned children to be suicide bombers.

As air force jets roared overhead and gunbattles raged, terrified civilians from the Swat Valley and neighboring districts accelerated their exodus, with U.N. and Pakistani officials predicting 1 million refugees will soon burden the turbulent Afghan border region.

The army formally announced today that an offensive was under way. It has drawn praise from U.S. officials alarmed at the Taliban's recent advance to within 60 miles of the capital, Islamabad.

Washington describes the militants as an existential threat to nuclear-armed Pakistan itself, as well as to U.S. chances of destroying al-Qaida or of winning the war against their insurgent allies in neighboring Afghanistan.

"The army is now engaged in a full-scale operation to eliminate the militants, miscreants and anti-state elements from Swat," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief army spokesman. "They are on the run and trying to block the exodus of civilians from the area.''

There are doubts about the ability and resolve of the army and the government to sustain the kind of grinding counterinsurgency warfare needed to defeat extremists whose rhetoric resonates widely in a Muslim nation deeply skeptical of U.S. goals in the region.

Abbas sought to counter portrayals of the military as ill-trained, saying that they had learned a lot in eight years of fighting along the border. But he said they need helicopters, surveillance drones and night-vision equipment, which the U.S. is scrambling to provide.

Pakistan's army is fighting to wrest Swat and two neighboring districts from militants who dominate the adjoining tribal belt along the Afghan frontier, where U.S. officials say al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is likely holed up.

The army announced its offensive after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the government would wipe out groups trying to ``take Pakistan hostage at gunpoint." Battles and bombing runs by helicopters and jets have been going on all week.

Abbas said today that more than 140 militants and two soldiers had been killed in Swat in the last 24 hours – roughly doubling the number of casualties reported so far.

The latest figure included 100 militants killed in bombardments of remote training camps and arms dumps. Abbas didn't explain how the body count was done. Fighting in neighboring Buner and Lower Dir killed another 31 militants and three soldiers, he said.

Officials say they are unable to confirm accounts from fleeing civilians of innocents killed and wounded by indiscriminate gunfire and shelling. Abbas said troops were advancing slowly to try to minimize such collateral damage.

But the stream of civilians seeking safety appeared to have intensified, leaving Pakistan facing a humanitarian emergency.

The mayor of Mardan, the main district to the south of the fighting, said an estimated 250,000 people had fled in recent days. Of those, 4,500 were staying in camps, while the rest were with relatives or rented accommodation, he said.

Today, the U.N. refugee agency said provincial officials had told them 500,000 had fled, were on the move, or were trying to flee. About a half-million have already been made homeless elsewhere in the border region since August 2008, when the army launched its last major anti-Taliban operation in the Bajur border region.

Tens of thousands of people are trapped in Mingora, Swat's main town. Some have accused the Taliban of not allowing them to leave, perhaps because they want to use them as human shields. Others came under attack even as they fled.

Siraj Muhammad, a 19-year-old mechanic among the exhausted multitude who made it to Mardan today, said a shell exploded near people trying to walk to safety, killing two and wounding him, his mother and two siblings.

After struggling on for several miles, they flagged down a truck, joining scores of others escaping over a mountain pass, he said.

"We had a home, we had a family, we had happiness, we had prosperity, and all we have now is tears, fear and a dark future,'' he said, lying on a plastic sheet in a refugee camp.

Taliban militants seized much of the area under a peace deal, even after the government agreed to their main demand to impose Islamic law in the region.

U.S. officials likened the deal to a surrender. Pakistani leaders said the agreement's collapse had opened the eyes of ordinary citizens to the extremist threat.

Abbas wouldn't say how long it would take to clear the valley of 4,000 or 5,000 militants, including small numbers of foreigners – Tajiks and Uzbeks – as well as Punjabi extremists and tough Waziri fighters.

He said the military was reinforcing the 12,000 to 15,000 troops already in Swat. He gave no details, but he predicted a tough fight against militants who exploited the peace deal to regroup, descend from mountain hideouts and seize most of Swat's towns.

The troops faced guerrilla tactics, including remotely detonated homemade bombs made of explosives, steel pellets and nails packed into pressure cookers, Abbas said. Mines have been laid in Mingora.

Insurgents had forcibly recruited young boys from poor families in Swat, and sent some of them to train as suicide bombers in the South Waziristan tribal region, he said.

"We have seen with the capture of Mingora that the initiative has been taken by the militants," said Nasim Zehra, a fellow of Harvard University's Asia Center and a prominent Pakistani security analyst. "It's obviously an operation that is going to take weeks, or more.''

She said strong support from Pakistan's fractious politicians and divided civil society will be vital to the army, whose previous operations have largely failed.

'Taliban hate our guts': Canada's top soldier

By Brian Hutchinson, Canwest News ServiceMay 8, 2009 4:02 PM

A Canadian-built strong point in Mushan was dismantled during a complex, well-executed coalition operation that ended April 30. The strong point's 64 Afghan National Army soldiers and eight Canadian military mentors were redeployed closer to Kandahar City.

A Canadian-built strong point in Mushan was dismantled during a complex, well-executed coalition operation that ended April 30. The strong point's 64 Afghan National Army soldiers and eight Canadian military mentors were redeployed closer to Kandahar City.
Photograph by: Brian Hutchinson, Canwest News Service

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Villagers in a Taliban-controlled area west of Kandahar City are applauding last week's drawback of Canadian and Afghan troops, saying the presence of coalition forces in their communities had only complicated their lives.

"Canadian and Afghan soldiers did not bring peace into the area where we are living," said a landowner in Mushan village, western Panjwaii district.

A Canadian-built strong point in Mushan was dismantled during a complex, well-executed coalition operation that ended April 30. The strong point's 64 Afghan National Army soldiers and eight Canadian military mentors were redeployed closer to Kandahar City.

Even though insurgents in western Panjwaii are now "walking around freely and with rifles, (residents) are more relaxed than when the fort was here," the man added.

It's not a flattering assessment, but one that Canada's top soldier accepts.

Chief of Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk told Canwest News Service in an interview this week the Mushan strong point did not have its intended effect, which was to help clear the area of Taliban.

Instead, the installation drew insurgents to Mushan like moths to a flame.

"The Taliban hate our guts," noted Natynczyk. "So if we're in there, the Taliban will come. You have the Taliban who can move into some areas and intimidate people, which makes it very hard on them.

The folks out there are really on the edge. I mean, I think they've been banged up a lot by the Taliban."

The landowner added: "We were living in fear when the fort was there. The Taliban would attack it, and of course the Canadian and Afghan army would react. Civilians suffered casualties."

Panjwaii is a key area of Canada's military responsibility, and officers acknowledge a large portion of it is now overrun with Taliban insurgents.

And fear still pervades the area.

The landowner says he and his family loathe the Taliban but they are afraid of retribution; he requested that neither his name nor a description of his farmland be used in this article.

The firefights and IED attacks that terrorized Mushan have stopped.

"With the presence of the fort, we were not in peace. We were in trouble because of the fort."

Natynczyk said he found it "interesting that (the farmer is) saying that, with regard to the reduced tension."

Made largely of sand bags and lumber, the Mushan strongpoint was built two years ago, in response to persistent Taliban activity in the region.

Two other Canadian-built strong points just to the east also were built in 2007, in the villages of Zangabad and Talukan. They were dismantled last year.

In a briefing Sunday, Canadian officers told reporters that all three substations were constantly under siege. The situation was "untenable," one said.

The Mushan installation was left in place longer than the others, said Natynczyk, because "we thought it would have a bit more of an effect. There seemed to be some (normal community life) in the area."

Another consideration was that the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (2-2) was deployed just to the east of Mushan, in the Maywand district of Kandahar last year.

The Mushan substation "was kind of a linkage," said Natynczyk, who visited Kandahar Air Field briefly on Thursday with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "But as 2-2 became much more mature in their area, Mushan lost its relevance."

It was the Afghan National Army's decision to dismantle the Mushan substation and to leave the area, he stressed.

Handing to the Afghans decisions such as the Mushan drawback "is about allowing them the flexibility to actually exercise their command and control, their plans, their initiatives," said Natynczyk.

Canada's military engagement in Afghanistan ultimately will be judged on whether it has left the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police prepared to properly do their jobs.

This may be lost on villagers in Mushan, at least for now. The village and surrounding communities are suffering, thanks to the insurgency.

"We have lost our relatives, we have lost our orchards, houses, the system of agriculture has been deeply damaged," said the landowner.

"If you could see the area you won't find happiness or signs of progress. You won't see many people."

Families with enough resources have fled to Kandahar City, or to more distant places.

"Those who remain are financially weak," said the landowner, who moves between Mushan and Kandahar City, where he was interviewed.

"Most are unable to afford renting (a home) and buying food in the city. They are compelled to live in the villages under any kind of circumstances."

The Taliban now control "not only Mushan but also Zangabad and Talukan," adding he did not know how many Taliban were in those areas.

"They are not staying in one place. They moving around, from one village to other."

Late this week, the Taliban disabled a number of cellphone transmission towers in western Panjwaii, apparently in an attempt to prevent villagers from reporting their movements to authorities.

Taliban command of Afghan terrain makes fighting conditions difficult

By Drew Brown, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, May 10, 2009

ZANGABAD, Afghanistan — Two companies of American soldiers accompanied Canadian forces on a recent four-day operation into Kandahar province’s Panjwayi district, where some of the sharpest fighting has occurred against the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan.

The American mission was to help secure a narrow dirt track that led to the village of Mushan, about 10 kilometers to the west, where the Canadians would tear down a small outpost that had been occupied since late 2006 by eight Canadian advisers and 60 Afghan soldiers.

According to U.S. and Canadian officers, the small force had not been able to do much to counter the Taliban in the area. The fort had been under frequent attack. So the troops would be pulled out as part of a new NATO strategy to reposition forces around Kandahar and other major population centers in southern Afghanistan.

By early afternoon on the third day, the mission was almost complete. The engineers had finished their work, and the armored column of more than 400 Canadians, 200 Americans and 100 Afghans was beginning to move out.

Then a Taliban bomb struck a Canadian tank, wounding two soldiers and putting the tank out of action.

There was no way for the rest of the convoy to move around the wreckage. The high-walled compounds and deeply trenched opium and wheat fields along the road gave almost no room to maneuver. With most of the column bottled up behind the disabled tank, the convoy was stalled for most of another day as recovery specialists worked to extract the vehicle.

"It’s amazing that 10 dudes with shovels can stop a whole battalion," said Capt. Chris Brawley, commander of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, commenting on how a single Taliban bomb had brought the convoy to a halt.

The column moved safely out of the area the next morning. Soldiers with Company A engaged in three firefights, but suffered no casualties. A soldier from Company D had been slightly injured in a blast, one of several bombs that had either exploded or been found along the route.

By any measure, the mission had been a success, but it bore out a fundamental challenge that U.S. and other NATO forces face in southern Afghanistan: While western troops have the technology, the Taliban own the terrain.

Although U.S. and NATO troops enjoy the edge over the Taliban in almost every respect — superior weapons, communications gear, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and air support by fighters, bombers, helicopters and unmanned drones — those tactical advantages are often offset by terrain that favors guerrilla tactics and a lightly armed, highly maneuverable enemy.

"The fighting conditions here are amazingly difficult," said Brawley, 28, of Ellington, Mo. "The enemy pretty much has free rein down here, and there’s just endless places to hide."

Another complicating factor in the Mushan operation was that "there’s only one way in, and there’s one way out," said Brawley, allowing the Taliban to detonate bombs along the route that were probably buried weeks and months ago.

Panjwayi district lies about 40 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital of Kandahar and has long been considered a Taliban stronghold. During Operation Medusa in 2006, Canadian and other NATO forces fought one of the bloodiest battles so far of the eight-year-old Afghan war in Panjwayi and nearby Zhari district.

The area is heavily cultivated with wheat, grapes, opium, marijuana and other crops. The fields are partitioned by thick mud walls, and irrigation ditches crisscross the landscape like a maze. A group of soldiers on patrol in a grape field can suddenly drop six to 10 feet into a series of trenches in which an enemy can move undetected.

Rows of open slats in the two-story structures the soldiers refer to as "grape huts" offer the Taliban ready-made firing ports that they use to fire on NATO forces from concealed positions. The thick mud walls of the buildings can withstand multiple hits from all but the heaviest ordnance.

"[The enemy] definitely has the advantage down here," said Company A 1st Sgt. Christopher Kowalewski, 36, of Chicago. "[Despite] all of the technology that we have — all of our helicopters — he still has the advantage down here."

Soldiers from Company A engaged in three gunbattles with Taliban fighters over a two-day period during the Mushan operation. An estimated 10 fighters ambushed about 30 soldiers on the first day, keeping them pinned down for about two hours. The firefight ended only after American troops called for mortar and artillery fire, support from Kiowa helicopter gunships and, finally, an airstrike.

At one point, the Taliban were firing on the Americans from three sides. First Lt. Ashton Ballesteros, of 3 Delta platoon, said Canadian troops familiar with Taliban tactics in the area had told him the fighters typically "cloverleaf" around NATO forces during a fight, probing for weak spots.

"That’s exactly what they were trying to do to us," said Ballesteros, 24, of Grayson, Ga.

U.S. mortar teams fired more than 30 rounds of 60 mm high explosives and nearly 30 rounds of white-phosphorous smoke, according to Staff Sgt. Jason Calman, 27, of Las Vegas. Fire batteries at a nearby Canadian camp fired nearly 30 rounds of high-explosive 155 mm artillery rounds and another 18 rounds of white-phosphorous smoke. A NATO jet dropped a 500-pound bomb.

The soldiers used the smoke to cover their retreat. They made their way back to their patrol base through fields of wheat, opium and grapes, the latter with trenches that were deeper than the soldiers were tall.

"You could sit out an artillery barrage in this stuff and probably survive everything but a direct hit," one soldier said during a short rest break.

A second gunbattle broke out a couple of kilometers to the south when 2nd Platoon of Company A was ambushed by another group of Taliban fighters. The platoon was hit for a second time the next day not more than 100 meters from its patrol base.

An Afghan man with a child was spotted several times at various points during the second day’s action. The soldiers believed the man was acting as spotter for the Taliban and using the child as a shield.

"They know we’re not going to shoot him when he’s with a kid," said 1st Lt. Jared Wagner, 25, of Hillsborough, N.J. "It’s frustrating."

With so much Taliban activity around Zangabad and Mushan, Brawley predicted that NATO forces would have to "retake this whole area" at some point.

With Canadian forces scaling back their presence in Panjwayi and with more American forces coming into the south, that job will very likely fall to U.S. troops.

Pakistani civilians flee Swat valley as major ground offensive draws closer

The Pakistani army ordered residents to flee the Swat Valley during a lull in fighting , triggering a further exodus of frightened people and raising expectations of a significant ground offensive against the Taliban.

Miles of traffic jams snaked out of the war-torn valley as tens of thousands of people fled using all available means, from donkey-drawn carts to rickshaws.

In the battlezone the army said it had killed another 200 militants, most of them in a strike on a training camp in Shangla district and 55 in Swat. The fight is being closely watched from the US.

General David Petraeus, head of the US central command, ,warned that the Taliban posed a threat "to the very existence of the Pakistani state".

Petraeus said al-Qaida's central leadership had moved to Pakistan but he denied that generous military aid was linked to a possible US deployment. "This is not about us putting combat boots on the ground," he told Fox News.

The exodus out of Swat added to a humanitarian crisis that is rapidly swelling beyond earlier fears. Officials in Mardan, on the lowland plains below Swat, said that 250,000 people had registered for help, more than double the total on Friday.

Including 550,000 people displaced by earlier fighting, officials said they feared as many as 1.3 million people could soon be homeless in North West Frontier province. The aid group World Vision said it had found "intolerable" conditions in some of the six hastily opened camps, pointing to high temperatures and a lack of toilets and electricity.

The army said that between 12,000 and 15,000 security forces – regular army and paramilitary frontier corps – are stationed in Swat, pitted against between 4,000 and 5,000 Taliban guerrillas, the bulk of whom are concentrated in Mingora.

The the militants used the nine-hour pause in fighting to deepen their defences against an expected army ground offensive. In Kanju, a strategically important village beside the river Swat, fighters surrounded a police checkpoint near the army-controlled city airfield.

Further along, fighters sheltered under overhangs and thickets of trees to avoid being detected by helicopter gunships buzzing overhead. They warned residents to leave the area immediately.

Absent was the militants' leader, the charismatic preacher Maulana Fazlullah, who villagers speculated was hiding in the Tharan Valley, 10 miles to the west bordering Upper Dir district. Fazlullah continues, however, to make use of the FM radio broadcasts that helped him rise from obscurity two years ago, employing them to issue coded instructions to battlefield commanders and threats to perceived enemies.

The army launched a full-scale operation on Thursday, following the collapse of a fragile peace deal that saw militants fanning out of their Swat stronghold into neighbouring districts such as Buner and Dir. It was a fight "for the survival of the country", the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, said on Saturday. The offensive came as President Asif Ali Zardari visited the United States to reassure a nervous Obama administration that Pakistan was committed to fighting militancy.

The operation has also enjoyed an unusual level of support at home, even from conservative forces previously reluctant to criticise the Taliban.

A conference of religious clerics in Rawalpindi endorsed the military campaign as a "jihad against the enemies of Islam".

Turning points in public opinion included the release of a video showing a Taliban fighter flogging a teenage woman, and a declaration by Sufi Muhammad, a senior pro-Taliban cleric, that democracy was an "infidel" concept.

The provincial government had released the 78-year-old jihadi cleric from prison last year in the hope he would persuade the Taliban to lay down arms.

One of the few voices publicly opposing the campaign is the former cricketer Imran Khan, who leads a small party and has aligned himself with rightwing forces in recent years.

Allegations of Talibanistan in Frontier province were "nonsense", he told the Guardian.

"This whole thing is very sinister," he said, accusing the government of "setting up this idea that Islamabad was being threatened and the Taliban were coming with their way of life and cutting of throats".

Khan's stance has antagonised left-leaning Pakistanis. "He is very foolish," said Talat Masood, a retired general and analyst. "He is just trying to build up his image by criticising a military operation. But he is doing a great disservice to himself."

Canada's commander in Afghanistan: no job like it.

By Matthew Fisher, Canwest News Service May 11, 2009

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Matieulla Qatey couldn't quite believe it.

The commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan was in the threadbare, heavily fortified headquarters of the beleaguered Kandahari police chief to discuss a joint operation against the Taliban that would involve a helicopter assault.

``I am so happy my body just got bigger and my uniform just got smaller,'' Qatey gushed as he shared raisins, nuts and a glass of tea with Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, clearly surprised and honoured that the Canadian task force commander had come to visit.

Vance gets his orders from Ottawa and from senior NATO commanders in Afghanistan, including a Dutch two star who is responsible for the country's four insurgent-plagued southern provinces.

A top priority is to improve the performance and reputation of the much maligned Afghan National Police, which has long suffered from corruption and insufficient funding and training and has fared badly in the national psyche compared with its much more highly regarded cousin, the Afghan National Army.

But encouraging Qatey, a brave and tenacious police officer confronting difficult odds, is only a small part of the duties of a commander of Task Force Kandahar.

On one morning Vance and Canada's senior diplomat in Kandahar, Ken Lewis, met at Gov. Tooryalai Wesa's palace with senior police and army officers to discuss security issues and better ways to engage local elders as well as funding for a new mosque in the city and the governor's plans to eradicate the coming poppy harvest.

The general and the RoCK - Representative of Canada in Kandahar, as Lewis is known in this insular world of acronyms - also inspected the site of a bloody suicide car bombing in the provincial capital along with Canadian explosives experts and the governor.

Later, Vance drove out to a Canadian forward operating base and choppered from there to a more distant outpost to co-ordinate battle plans with an American infantry light colonel under his command. As he does almost every day, back at his headquarters at the Kandahar Airfield, Vance received a daily briefing from about 40 staff officers and diplomats with high security clearances on diverse topics, such as:

* the availability of C-17 transport aircraft

* a small prison where Canada sometimes holds detainees

* The suicide bombing of a pregnant woman by the Taliban

* plans for ongoing or upcoming operations

* frictions between the Afghan army and police rank and file

``My job ranges from being chief cheerleader to chief mourner to coach to general manager,'' Vance said. ``But I don't do it all myself. The great thing about this job is the team. At my fingertips are the best people I know. Whether military or civilian, they are focused. It is a wonderful thing to work with highly motivated soldiers and civilians.''

Vance, whose headquarters is mostly drawn from Western Canada, although its current infantry battalion is the Van Doo from Quebec, is the fifth brigadier- general to hold the post since the Martin government shifted Ottawa's focus from Kabul to the Taliban homeland in Kandahar early in 2006.

Two more brigadiers will follow him, serving nine-month tours each before Canada concludes its current combat mission in Kandahar sometime late in 2011. In fact, the next rotation, which is to mostly have senior leadership from Quebec and is to begin with Alberta's Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, has already begun preparing to deploy in November.

There may be no tougher assignment in the Canadian Forces than running TFK, as the soldiers and civilians attached to Task Force Kandahar call it. One part of the job involves leading about 2,800 Canadian soldiers, airmen and sailors and 1,000 U.S. soldiers who are confronting a ``persistent, lethal enemy.''

Another involves maintaining very close relationships with major Afghan government officials and NATO allies.

A third aspect is to harmonize key priorities with a quickly expanding, Foreign Affairs-led civilian component which, like the military, is trying to help one of the impoverished parts of one of the poorest country's on Earth to get back on its feet after three decades of war.

There are frequent conversations with officials at Canadian Expeditionary Force Command in Ottawa, the organization that oversees all Canadian deployments overseas, and sometimes with force generators such as Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the army commander.

At the same time, Vance, who has served most of his career as an infantryman with the Ontario-based Royal Canadian Regiment, has consulted constantly with Lewis and Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, Ron Hoffman, on Ottawa's vision for Afghanistan. He also hears from and directs a small legion of colonels, light colonels and majors responsible for everything from tactics and strategy to delivering air power and artillery, and ensuring that vehicles have been repaired and that logistical convoys were ready to roll.

Several generals who preceded Vance have said that their troops had done better than those before them. But they have quickly added that they were certain that the rotation that followed them would do even better because of the experiences that were being passed on.

``We are a learning organization for practical reasons,'' Vance said. ``If we don't learn, we die, literally and figuratively. The commander and the team on the ground do the best to set the conditions for the next guys because this mission evolves. It does not remain static. There are many factors at play including some that you can't control - like the enemy.''

The 45-year-old general's tour has coincided with arrival of transport helicopters and unmanned surveillance drones demanded by John Manley's blue ribbon panel. It has also come as the insurgency has picked up momentum and as U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered 17,000 troops to southern Afghanistan to help overstretched Canadian, British and Dutch forces.

``New orders are coming down,'' Vance said. ``The American inflow, the growth of the ANA forces, the government of Canada priorities, CDS (chief of defence staff) direction, we put it all together in a mission analysis.''

One of the biggest changes over previous rotations has been a dramatic surge in the number of civilian experts from Canada who now work alongside the military in the Kandahar City-based Provincial Reconstruction Team, which has become the centrepiece for Ottawa's most well-funded foreign aid program - and is to continue to have primacy over all of Kandahar even as Canada's area of military responsibility shrinks with the arrival of a U.S. army brigade this summer.

``The people in the PRT, the civilian directors, are amazing,'' Vance said. ``They have a lot of experience and a lot of heart. They are great team of people and provide great advice. I had been expecting that, but I had not had any practice with this.''

The value of having a seriously beefed-up civilian component was echoed by Sgt.-Maj. Stan Stapleford, who is inseparable from his boss as they make their daily rounds at the various Canadian headquarters and on almost daily trips ``outside the wire.''

``I had thought that being a regimental sergeant major to a battle group was a great job, but this job has opened my eyes to so much more,'' the crusty, good-humoured 34-year army veteran said. ``To see the organization that they have, with DFAIT (Foreign Affairs), CIDA and the RoCK, to be honest, I did not know they existed. I had heard about them but I didn't know. The 'whole of government piece' is not just about going out and killing the enemy, but about getting the people to govern themselves and get on with their lives.''

NATO’s politicians ‘AWOL’ over Afghan war: U.S. commander

Peter O’Neil, Europe Correspondent, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, May 14, 2009

A U.S. Marine patrols a village in Golestan district of Farah province on May 11, 2009.Goran Tomasevic/ReutersA U.S. Marine patrols a village in Golestan district of Farah province on May 11, 2009.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's senior military leader has bluntly accused the alliance's politicians of going "AWOL" in the battle against Afghan insurgents.

AWOL, or "absent without leave," is a military term for someone who has abandoned their post.

General John Craddock, NATO's outgoing Supreme Allied Commander, was referring to the complaint that countries like the U.S., Great Britain, Canada and the Netherlands are doing almost all the fighting in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions.

"I'm probably being harsh here, but I also believe that much of this is due to the fact that political leadership in NATO is AWOL," the U.S. army general said in a speech earlier this week.

"I think that in many cases political leaders have to determine what is in the best interest of their nation," the American general told the Atlantic Council of the United States, a Washington-based think-tank.

"And if it's not popular with their citizens, then it's their role as a political leader to convince the citizenry to support the government position. And I think that far too often [with] many of our members and partners that is not the case, and that is why, to a great extent, this imbalance exists."

Gen. Craddock said that, without better leadership, NATO could be supplanted by the 27-nation European Union, which is taking on an increasing military role.

"I think what happens is we put NATO at risk," he said in response to a question about the implications of weak NATO political leadership.

"One, it will weaken. And then ultimately I think it's at risk to potentially a stronger regional organization, a rival -- the EU, if you will."

Gen. Craddock, who has been NATO's top military leader since December 2006, was believed to be speaking more frankly than usual because he's being replaced by Admiral James Stavridis as part of President Barack Obama's overhaul of American strategy in Afghanistan.

Gen. Craddock noted that the EU, which like NATO is involved in anti-piracy efforts off the Somali coast, quickly obtained clear "rules of engagement" that allowed military ships to not just stop vessels but arrest the pirates.

The NATO fleet, which includes Canada, has slowly followed suit but still, he said, can't arrest pirates until it signs agreements with governments in the region that are prepared to accept the pirates for trial, he said.

One of the reasons why the 28-member NATO alliance is often slow to take action is that it is weighed down by rules requiring consensus decision-making.

NATO also erred, he suggested, in letting member countries set caveats on where their soldiers could go in Afghanistan and under what conditions they could use lethal force.

He outlined as a gross example of systemic NATO problems his efforts to shrink the 80-week wait-time for commanders in Afghanistan seeking delivery of their "urgent requirements." He said he got it down to 60 weeks, with the goal of bringing the wait to 35 weeks -- which he said is still too long.

The experience is "one of those things that makes you go, ‘hmm, this is just simply, simply untenable. We cannot do this,'" he told his audience.

Afghan mission may extend past 2011, defence minister says

COLIN FREEZE

Globe and Mail Update

May 17, 2009 at 11:51 PM EDT

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD — Canada may well stay in Afghanistan beyond its 2011 military mandate, said Defence Minister Peter MacKay today, as he left a NATO base in Afghanistan where Ottawa is planning to buy up hundreds more beds for next year.

As U.S.-led forces and the Taliban brace for what may prove the deadliest summer yet, Mr. MacKay said Canada's role is changing to delivering aid to city dwellers “rather than simply focusing on holding swaths of land.”

“I believe there are a number of roles Canada can play well into the future,” the minister said, capping off a three-day visit, but added that's subject to the will of the people. “We've said time and time we're going to respect Parliament's voice on this,” he said. “We can't come to Afghanistan and help them develop their democracy and not respect our own.”

Public documents tendered this month on a government website indicates Defence Construction Canada wants to buy 400 more beds at the Kandahar Air Field by next year, at a cost of $5-million, with an option to build 400 more. The documents don't state who the beds are for.

Under their current military mandate, which expires in two years, nearly 3,000 Canadians soldiers bunk down at this sprawling air base, now growing by leaps and bounds to accommodate an American surge. Thousands of U.S. soldiers are flooding into Kandahar and its environs, after U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to quell a growing Taliban insurgency with more firepower – and more aid.

During the past three years, Canada has tried to hold a sprawling, restive province with a rotating contingency of soldiers that amount to the size of one U.S. combat brigade. Outposts set up in rural regions outside Kandahar City have lately been pulled down as Canadian soldiers redeploy to major bases and to be stationed inside the city.

“Rather than simply trying to take property and hold it, we're trying to work into areas and bring that ‘whole-of-government' concentration,” said Mr. MacKay.

“The focus is on the population centres,” he said.

During his visit, the minister announced programs meant to thwart improvised insurgent bombs in Kandahar, as well as Canadian programs aimed at giving help to veterans.

He said Canada will continue to mentor Afghan police and soldiers, and “we're going to build the schools, provide the immunization programs, and work with organizations to get microfinance credit available.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made similar remarks as he visited the base earlier this month.

Civilian casualties caused by U.S. air strikes are emerging a major irritant between Washington and Kabul, prompting local lawmakers to make noises about passing stricter rules-of-engagement for NATO forces.

Canada's Defence Minister says his officials can help cool down the tensions, before the issue boils over.

“First and foremost, Canada is not engaged in air strikes,” said Mr. MacKay. “We obviously take great pains not to have civilian casualties in any instance.”

“But,” he added, “can Canada be influential in these discussions at NATO? Absolutely.”

“Can we work close with our allies and with the Afghan government to play a positive role and ensure that everyone is engaged in these efforts to protect the public? Yes.”

Afghan authorities are claiming that more than 100 civilians were killed by U.S fighter planes this month in southwest Afghanistan, as the Taliban took refuge amongst villagers following a firefight.

This was not an isolated incident, and civilian casualties caused by both sides have been climbing.

Mr. MacKay did not criticize use of U.S. airpower and added that the Taliban “doesn't play by any rules of engagement.”

“This is a very insidious type of warfare the Taliban has engaged in” he said, adding they “deliberately try to place themselves in populations and use human shields.”

Pte. James Hogan spent eight months based out of a forward operating base in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.
BY Kurtis Elsner, Staff May 19, 2009 14:05

When Alliston resident Pte. James Hogan first got to Afghanistan he was greeted by 55 C heat, sandstorms and enemy mortar shelling. It was an eye-opening experience. It was the first of many during his eight-month tour of duty.

"It was hot, dusty, dry and a very different world, that's for sure," he said.

Hogan is one of many soldiers returning home from Canadian troops' latest tour in Afghanistan. Another local resident, Maj. Adam Barsby, returned to his Thornton home recently.

While both soldiers shared an ultimate goal - ousting the Taliban and bringing stability to Afghanistan - their individual missions and experiences in the country were vastly different.

Hogan was a front-line soldier. As a member of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, the battle group deployed to the region, his role was to help provide security to the country.

Stationed at a forward operating base in the Panjwaii district, 60 kilometres west of Kandahar City, Hogan spent his time running security for convoys and VIPs, and as part of a rapid-response team that would respond to enemy activity, vehicle accidents and roadside bomb incidents.

He also spent about half of his time on active patrol outside the camp, sweeping compounds and looking for Taliban fighters.

"Once we left the wire and we were on operations, things were very different and things could change very, very rapidly. Flexibility is the name of the game when you're outside the wire," he said.

Hogan came under rocket attack, was shelled by the enemy, and was involved in firefights. He watched as some friends were injured and others were killed.

He learned the challenges associated with losing a friend and then having to turn around and not let it affect the task at hand. He said it was difficult.

The reality of where he was and what he was doing really sunk in after the first time he watched a friend get seriously injured.

Hogan said life at a forward operating base is not like some images of Kandahar Airfield (Canada's main base in the country) people see on television. There is no Tim Hortons, no television feed to watch Hockey Night in Canada, and no celebrities flying in to meet the troops. There are only tents, beds, and showers - all of which he said is a comparative luxury to life patrolling outside the camp.

"When we were on operations, you're basically sleeping in the dirt. There are no tents or anything, you're basically sleeping under the stars and you hope it doesn't rain," he said.

Despite the hardships, Hogan doesn't complain. He said it is all part of his job.

Barsby knows Hogan's mission well, and he knows how important it is to his own. The 41-year-old officer has been in the Canadian Forces since he was 18. He has been on five tours of duty overseas, two in the Former Yugoslavia, one in Eritrea, and now two in Afghanistan.

His latest mission in Afghanistan was to impart the knowledge he has learned during his career. He was part of a team helping prepare the Afghan National Army (A.N.A.), with the hopes that one day they can fully take over security, so the role of Canadian soldiers like Hogan is no longer necessary in the country.

"The battle group is in there to provide security today, and we (A.N.A.) are working to provide a little security today, but more for tomorrow... it's the long-term solution," said Barsby.

The A.N.A. has been fighting alongside the coalition forces during the recent campaigns. They share patrols, and they work together, said Barsby. His job was to act as a mentor to the second-in-command officer of the portion of the ANA that was responsible for Kandahar district. It meant spending several hours each day working one-on-one with his counterpart. Sometimes work had to do with planning and logistics, while other times it meant work in the field. But as much as his job was to mentor his Afghan counterpart, Barsby said the learning was a two-way street.

"Some of these guys have been fighting for 25 years, so they have a lot to teach us," he said. "They have a lot of experience out in the field doing the hardcore stuff, and we bring education, a different sort of experience, more of a global perspective, but the combination works out very well."

The sharing didn't stop with military tactics. Barsby said he learned a lot about Afghan culture, politics, religion and family. He said it's that kind of sharing that makes both countries' armies stronger.

This was Barsby's second tour in Afghanistan, and he said it was one that complemented his first well. He first deployed to Kabul in August 2006. His mission then was to train the Afghan soldiers before they were deployed. He is now joining officers in the field to continue with their training. He said in the two-and-a-half years between tours he has seen a marked improvement in the local armed forces.

For Barsby, it's seeing that growth that makes his job rewarding. He said it's what makes the sacrifices Canadian soldiers and their families have made worthwhile.

Hogan agrees. For all its hardships, he said his tour was rewarding, and that he gained a lot of satisfaction knowing that he was helping people.

Now back in Canada, both men are trying to adjust to their lives back home. For Barsby, who came back to his wife and two children, returning home is something that never grows old, even after five tours of duty. He said family is by far the number-one thing he misses, but there are also the little nuances of life back home that people often take for granted.

"Sitting here watching a Blue Jays' game, taking a walk over to Tim Hortons, or teaching my daughter how to ride a bike, my son just turned 16 when I got back, so teaching him how to drive... it's the little things."

Both soldiers are now home and unwinding from over eight months in a war zone. But it won't be long before they're back on duty again. Hogan said he is planning on making the Armed Forces a career.

Barsby's next assignment will keep him a little closer to home, as he's been assigned to a position at Land Force Central Area headquarters in Toronto.

The RCR Association Photographic Database

General Category => The Royal Canadian Regiment => Topic started by: Mike Blais CD on April 18, 2009, 08:22:08 pm