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Topic: Afghanistan - 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment - 2007 (Read 13728 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Disguised as a Doctor. I hope those who are officially investigating the recent shootings understands the nature of the beast we are confronting... Doctor, beggar, whatever, if they do not obey the commands as per the rules of engagements, they must be engaged.
Bomber wounds six in Afghan hospital
February 21, 2007 - 6:04AM
An Afghan suicide bomber disguised as a doctor blew himself up at a hospital in southern Afghanistan, wounding six Americans.
Khost Governor Arsala Jamal told Reuters that US soldiers opened fire on the man who was acting suspiciously as he and US officers attended a function in the hospital.
The Taliban have warned they will dramatically step up suicide attacks this year after their heavy losses in conventional pitched battles in 2006.
The guerrillas claimed responsibility for the hospital attack and for the killing of a US soldier in fighting in the eastern province of Kunar, bordering Pakistan.
He was the 10th US soldier to die this month. Eight died in a helicopter crash on Sunday and so far 12 foreign soldiers have died this year.
NATO troops killed an Afghan civilian who drove through an Afghan army checkpoint and ignored warning shots at a NATO checkpoint near the site of the helicopter crash, the alliance said in a statement.
US forces also bombed Taliban fighters sheltering in a cave after a clash with foreign forces in southern Uruzgan province, the US-led coalition said in a statement.
A single 900 kg bomb was dropped, sealing the cave.
After several months of a lull in fighting due to the harsh Afghan winter, the Taliban have resumed attacks against government forces and Western troops in the south and east.
More than 4,000 people, a quarter of them civilians, were killed in violence in Afghanistan last year, the bloodiest period since a US-led coalition overthrew the Taliban in 2001.
The Taliban say they are gearing up for a spring offensive while the coalition and NATO troops are readying for their own offensive in what analysts say will be a crunch year in the war to quell a strengthening insurgency.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Polling.... Interesting perspective, fairly reliable, even if it was commissioned by the CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/afghanistan-survey2006.html
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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France defends its military contribution in Afghanistan
Mike Blanchfield
CanWest News Service
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
OTTAWA - France says it is not abandoning its Canadian ally in volatile southern Afghanistan and has chided Canada's Senate for publicly suggesting that.
The French embassy in Ottawa this week sent a letter to Liberal Senator Colin Kenny after the upper chamber's national security and defence committee, which he chairs, criticized France and Germany in a report for not sending troops to southern Afghanistan, where Canadian soldiers are battling the Taliban insurgency.
While Canadian politicians and military officials have complained in recent months some of their NATO allies are not pulling their weight in southern Afghanistan, they have refrained from singling out specific countries.
But French officials decided they could not stay silent after Kenny's committee crossed that line.
"The general message that we want to send is that France has not turned a blind eye to Canada's call for help," said a senior French diplomat.
The Senate report urged Canada to send more personnel to train Afghan army and police officers, and it questioned how some countries could contribute to this function because it could expose them to combat.
"Since NATO countries like Germany and France don't want to engage in battle, how will this training get done?" the report says. "Some of our allies are doing a lot of saluting, but not much marching. So what does this say about the future of NATO?"
In their rebuttal to Kenny, the French point out they are playing an important role in training the Afghan army, with 51 instructors committed to April to training efforts in the volatile southern and eastern regions, and further commitments beyond that to train special forces.
The letter also points out France's 1,100 ground troops are charged with securing the "fragile" capital of Kabul, which has also come under attack from suicide bombers and faces threats from Taliban infiltrators.
The letter notes Paris has foot the bill for some very expensive military hardware to support Canada's efforts, including air support and helicopters.
"Fighting in Afghanistan is not only about having more men on the ground but also air support which we can provide, but you know it represents a high cost," said the diplomat.
Canada has not deployed fighter jets to the Afghan mission, but has said it would buy large tactical lift helicopters later.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, with 2,000 troops, is being deployed to the Indian Ocean, to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan. French air support has already dropped at least one 250 kg bomb in support of Canada's efforts to fight the Taliban, and France has dispatched two EC 725 Caracal transport helicopters.
"We are so heavily committed elsewhere that we can hardly do more neither in Afghanistan, nor anywhere else by the way, although we would like to, of course," said the French official.
France has 16,000 troops deployed on foreign soil, making it the second largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping and third overall contributor to NATO. This includes 1,650 troops in Lebanon, 3,700 to the West African country of Cote D'Ivoire, 1,100 in Chad to prevent violence from spilling over from neighbouring Darfur, as well as 2,200 in Kosovo.
By comparison, Canada has slightly less than 3,000 troops deployed on foreign soil, with 2,500 of them in Afghanistan. Sudan is the recipient of the next largest contingent of Canadian troops with 44 military personnel attached to UN missions in the country's troubled south and western Darfur region.
"Of course, we end the letter by paying tribute to the courage of the Canadian forces in this country," the diplomat said.
Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan. France has suffered 10 military fatalities in Afghanistan since then, but its embassy pointed out the country has lost 200 soldiers in the Balkans and Lebanon as well as "dozens" in Africa in recent decades.
Last week, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor backed away from the tough talk that has been directed at some NATO countries, saying the alliance now has the resources it needs to do the job in the south and eastern sections of Afghanistan.
Ottawa Citizen
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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Taliban set to ramp up bomb attacks, NATO says
ALISA TANG
Associated Press
KABUL — NATO-led forces will face “hard fighting” this spring in Afghanistan's volatile south and west, where the Taliban is gearing up for increased suicide and roadside bomb attacks, an alliance spokesman said Wednesday.
The insurgents will focus their efforts on reducing Afghans' support for their government, said Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
“The enemy is making preparations to ramp up their activities in the spring,” Col. Collins told reporters, noting that such an increase in attacks has been a trend in recent years — as the harsh winter weather breaks and snows melt on mountain passes used by militants.
“We know that there are concentrations of Taliban forces in some areas of the south,” he said, listing Uruzgan, Kandahar and Helmand and the southwestern provinces of Farah and Ghor.
Military operations would take place where the Taliban were impeding efforts for reconstruction and development, Col. Collins said. He expected militants to launch attacks, mainly suicide and roadside bombs.
“We do expect some hard fighting in selected areas,” Col. Collins said.
Insurgency attacks occur almost daily in the lawless southern provinces, once a former stronghold of the Taliban where the government wields little power. Last year saw the bloodiest upsurge in violence since the hard-line regime was ousted in late 2001 for hosting al-Qaeda.
This month, the Afghan government has lost control of two district centres at Musa Qala in Helmand province and briefly at Bakwa in Farah province. Afghan police and soldiers, backed by NATO, retook Bakwa without resistance on Tuesday, but Musa Qala remains under militant control.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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All the best to 2nd Bn and all the augmentees. I am sure they are ready and will acquit themselves 110%, wish them safety and good results. ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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Taliban has deployed 6,000 fighters, leader warns
Updated Thu. Feb. 22 2007 12:57 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The Taliban has deployed 6,000 fighters in preparation for a bloody spring offensive against the Afghan government and its allies, the insurgency's military commander is threatening.
Mullah Dadullah told the Al-Jazeera network that the Taliban is preparing for the bloody offensive by means of training, surveillance, and reconnaissance
"There are 6,000 Taliban mujahideen (holy warriors) ready to fight in the spring campaign, and the number will rise to 10,000. The greater the number of Jewish and Christian forces fighting us, the more this will encourage the people to join us," said Dadullah, commander of Taliban operations in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan and a trusted associate of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
He said the fighters were hidden in tunnels and elsewhere in preparation for the assault.
The movement's leaders warned that the attack would include all of Afghanistan, but that it would focus in the southern region, where most of the troops are British and Canadian.
The Taliban also claimed to Al-Jazeera it has obtained a new anti-aircraft weapon but did not provide further details.
However, the insurgency provided footage showing the burning wreckage of a U.S. military helicopter they claimed to have shot down near Kandahar two months ago.
According to the network, the spring campaign will include the use of car bombs, motorcycle bombs, and explosive belts used by suicide bombers.
A Canadian commander observed that while there has been a decrease in local support for the Taliban over the winter, foreign fingers are now joining the insurgency.
"We are getting the sense support in traditional strongholds is waning," Col. Mike Cessford, the new deputy commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said Wednesday.
"We are seeing foreign fighters, people not familiar with this area, people not from this area, conducting Taliban operations -- which suggests to me that the baseline of support is eroding significantly," he told The Canadian Press.
Cessford wasn't prepared to speculate on their nationality.
"But we have seen (foreigners)," he insisted. "There are a number of nationalities that have been identified and have been seen in operations in the last few months. It's fairly common knowledge the Taliban will recruit hired guns wherever."
Cessford's statement comes amid reports al Qaeda has re-established itself in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan that border Afghanistan.
Questions have emerged about the role of the terrorist network after a tape was released last week by an al Qaeda production company that purportedly showed its fighters attacking a U.S. base in neighbouring Zabul province.
A NATO spokesman warned on Wednesday that coalition forces will face "hard fighting" this spring.
"The enemy is making preparations to ramp up their activities in the spring," Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, told reporters.
Collins noted that such an increase in attacks has been a trend in recent years as the harsh winter weather breaks.
With files from The Associated Press
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Wow, they are really massed ...who counted them? 1, 150 ,300 700, 1000, 2500,.....on and on......i wonder if Nato has any real ,at least " guess" at how many they may be up against? ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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I think we'll find out soon enough... contact, wait out....
February 23, 2007
Several Taliban killed in gun battle
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Canadian troops were involved in an extended firefight today along Highway 1, west of Kandahar.
A joint patrol involving members of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment battle group and the Afghan National Army fought the engagement in the village of Hawz-e Madad, 27 kilometres outside the city.
Roughly 10 to 15 Taliban fighters took on the patrol around 11 a.m. local time in an area that is a known hotbed for extremists.
Maj. Dale MacEachern, an army spokesman, says several militants were killed, but he doesn't have specific numbers.
There were no Canadian or Afghan army casualties.
MacEachern says the troops detained one extremist following the firefight.
"At this time, I can't speak to the status of this detainee, but our practice is, as quickly as possible, hand the detainee over to the Afghan authorities," he said.
Canadian troops have been dug in at fortified positions east of the Hawz-a Madad area for weeks, pretty much since the conclusion of NATO's last offensive.
The village in question has been the scene of a number of firefights since Canadians were deployed to the southern part of the country almost a year ago. The region was once the home of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.
Immediately to the west of the community is the district of Maiwand, which Canadians troops have described as a Taliban sanctuary, where attacks towards Kandahar and into neighbouring Helmand province can be launched.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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No F'nnn respect!
NATO chief rejects claim Canada bears Afghan burden
Last Updated: Friday, February 23, 2007 | 9:19 AM ET
CBC News
The secretary general of NATO had a message for Canadians on Friday: Contrary to what they may believe, Canadian troops are not facing more danger in Afghanistan than NATO soldiers from other nations.
On a short tour of Kandahar Airfield Friday, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer addressed the idea that Canada is taking on an unfair share of the burden to rebuild war-ravaged Afghanistan.
"I think [that's] the wrong impression. I don't share that assessment," he told reporters. "As we have seen, unfortunately, recently in other areas of the country, there is also danger."
He noted that a Spanish soldier was killed on Wednesday when a convoy of ambulances was attacked in western Afghanistan, and two British marines were killed in separate incidents Wednesday and Thursday.
"In the south, where the situation is tough, where there is fighting from time to time, I say again this is a collective effort."
De Hoop Scheffer dismissed claims that Canadian NATO troops were fighting and dying while many of their international counterparts continued to take on less dangerous duty in the north.
Continue Article
"It's not Canadians by themselves," he said, Canada does play an important role in the mission, and that he hoped to see other NATO members keep up multi-lateral efforts.
Scheffer said there is no reason for feelings of doom and gloom regarding the mission in Afghanistan, and he praised the construction of new roads and schools as an indication that progress is being made.
Britain to send 1,000 more troops: reports
There are challenges in the mission, but NATO is up to those challenges and are ready to fight insurgents in order to restore the country, he said.
Source: icasualties.org NATO fatalities in Afghanistan by country
United States 370
Britain 48
Canada 44
Spain 20
Germany 18
France 9
Italy 9
Netherlands 4
Romania 4
Denmark 3
Sweden 2
Norway 1
Portugal 1
Australia 1
Total 534
The call for NATO members Italy, France and Germany to boost their support for troops in the volatile southern Taliban heartland has been an ongoing issue.
Britain is one of the countries that has responded by having a major presence in the region.
U.K. newspapers reported on Friday that Britain plans to send in a wave of as many as 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan, where more than 5,000 are already stationed. Defence Secretary Des Browne is expected to brief Parliament on Monday with the details, reports said.
The anticipated increase comes less than a week after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that Britain would withdraw 1,600 soldiers from Iraq in the coming months. That has freed up soldiers to augment the British offensive for the Afghan mission and may be a move to put pressure on other NATO members to step up themselves.
A Canadian Senate report earlier in the month suggested that Canada reconsider its role in Afghanistan because its 2,000 soldiers had been tasked — along with U.S., British and Dutch forces — with most of the fighting in the volatile southern Taliban heartland.
In all, NATO has about 35,000 troops in the region. So far there have been 45 Canadians killed Afghanistan since 2002, including Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry. 2006 was particularly hard on the Canadians, as 36 soldiers were killed that year.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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Taliban promises `bloodiest' year yet
Senior Afghan insurgent makes threat as Britain decides to send more troops
Feb 24, 2007 04:30 AM
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan–Rearmed with new guns, the Taliban yesterday vowed this would be the deadliest year for foreign soldiers in Afghanistan since the Islamists were toppled in 2001.
"This year will prove to be the bloodiest for the foreign troops. It is not just a threat, we will prove it," senior commander Mullah Dadullah told Reuters by satellite phone.
"The Taliban's war preparations are going on in caves and in mountains. Our 6,000 fighters are ready for attacks on foreign troops after the change in weather and as it becomes warmer."
His comments came as Britain approved a plan to send a wave of extra troops to Afghanistan to repel an expected spring offensive by the Taliban. Media reports said 1,000 more soldiers would be sent to join the more than 5,000 British troops already in Afghanistan.
British Defence Minister Des Browne confirmed the deployment last night, but not the specific numbers. Browne said the British government made the decision to boost its forces after a meeting last week of NATO defence ministers in Spain at which the alliance urged countries to send more troops.
Britain's 5,000 soldiers in Afghanistan are concentrated in the southern part of the country – a former Taliban stronghold where the government wields little power. In all, NATO has about 35,000 troops – including 2,500 Canadians – in and around Afghanistan.
Taliban leaders say they expect to be able to field 10,000 soldiers, with a big increase in suicide fighters after conventional pitched battles brought heavy losses for the rebels last year.
With winter snows melting, fighting has already picked up dramatically in recent weeks.
Canadian troops were involved in a firefight yesterday morning west of Kandahar. A joint patrol involving members of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment battle group and the Afghan National Army fought 10 to 15 Taliban fighters in the village of Hawz-e Madad.
Several militants were killed, an army spokesperson said, but there were no Canadian or Afghan troop casualties.
Dadullah said the extra weapons the Taliban was being supplied – he did not say from where – included the ability to bring down NATO and U.S. helicopters crucial to operations in this mountainous country.
NATO and the United States are also promising spring offensives in what they and analysts regard as a pivotal year in a country still in crisis more than five years after the Taliban's fall. More than 4,000 people, a quarter of them civilians, died in fighting last year.
But several European nations have resisted pressure to send more units to Afghanistan, especially to the south and east. In particular, the reluctance of France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey to provide more combat troops has caused frustration among nations on the front lines, including Canada.
NATO's secretary general yesterday tried to assure Canadians they are not bearing the burden alone in Afghanistan.
"It is a collective effort," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters in Kandahar. "It is not the Canadians by themselves or the Dutch, the Danes or the Brits and the Americans."
Other countries patrolling outside the volatile southern region still face the threat of roadside bombs, and many contribute to support operations such as combat flights, he said.
In Kabul, more than 30,000 people rallied yesterday in a former Taliban execution ground to support an all-embracing amnesty for war criminals, including parliament members and government officials. The Afghan parliament insists amnesty for those guilty in almost 30 years of war is needed for peace and reconciliation. Rights groups say punishment is essential for peace and to allow the country to move on.
FROM THE STAR'S WIRE SERVICES
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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From what i understand from statements of people involved with fighting the Taliban, they do not lack courage, but are often reckeless, and ,by all accounts are not a true military unit ,with close disciplins and battle tactics. But, having said that ,they are the same group that spearheaded the ousting of the Russians, 20 odd yrs ago. They are a formidable group, but ,i believe Nato people understand them as the Russians DID NOT...Nato ,will ,is defeating them....i find it disheartening that they, Taliban, do not just go back to their homes.. they are going to soon.. at least those lucky enough to survive...ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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February 24, 2007
Canadians prove mettle in Kandahar
By MURRAY BREWSTER
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Canada officially planted its flag in Kandahar province a year ago Saturday and the event back then went largely unnoticed by Haji Salam.
Canadians, Americans; they all looked the same to the farmer, who tilled three fields in Zangabad, a village about 50 kilometres west of the provincial capital.
As Canadians back home have become uncomfortably accustomed to scenes of fighting and rows of flag-draped coffins on their television screens, Salam has been uncomfortably numb to the carnage that plays out in real time in front of him.
For the soldiers who have fought and seen 36 of their comrades die in the streets and fields of Kandahar, the last 12 months have been a brutal test and a fundamental forging of character.
"Our soldiers have proven themselves here," Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, reflected in a recent interview with reporters at Kandahar Airfield.
"I think at an individual level right up to an institutional level, we have learned what we are capable of in a moral sense."
But for Salam, 43, there has been no grand ideal or lesson learned, only survival.
For months, the tempest of war swirled around his farm, but left him and his family untouched.
Zangabad, with its fields of poppy, marijuana and wheat, was prime extremist country and the scene of the occasional gun battle throughout last summer and fall.
It wasn't until mid-December, with the Taliban routed in nearby Panjwaii, that things started to spiral out of control as beaten militants retreated south along the winding gravel road and through the wintered pastures where camels graze.
Salam awoke late one night to the rattle of nearby gunfire, the distant rumble of artillery and the roar of aircraft, but thought nothing of it.
What happened next must have been like a scene from Dante's Inferno.
Explosions, heat, smoke. Then silence and finally, screaming.
Wounded, Salam looked out through the smoke to where he kept sheep in his mud-walled compound. He learned later that nine of them had been killed, but at that moment he could see nothing. He then realized he'd lost something even more important.
"Some parts of the bomb killed my son while sleeping," he said through a translator in a recent interview in Kandahar.
"When I saw my son I forgot my injuries and became out of senses. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself on the bed at Mirwais Hospital (in Kandahar)."
When he asked relatives where his nine-year-old was, the answers he received were evasive.
"They made different pretences: your son is fine, he is at home, (but) my sixth sense told me they were lying," said Salam, whose wiry salt and pepper beard makes him look decades older.
Salam recovered from the shrapnel wounds to his leg and arm.
The farmer, or gardener as they are called here, his wife, and his two other children did not return to their shattered compound until early February along with thousands of other refugees displaced by the fighting.
Was it a Canadian artillery shell or an American bomb that forever changed his life? His friends and neighbours, who sat in on the interview, say it was bomb, but Salem said he's not certain and it doesn't really matter now.
The fact was NATO was trying to kill the Taliban, who used a nearby mosque as a command post, and his family was caught in the middle. He is waiting for compensation from the Afghan government and expects this year to be much the same as last in terms of fighting.
"The Taliban is gone, but I am afraid they will return," said Salam.
As he breezed through Kandahar Airfield on Friday, NATO's secretary general tried to dispel such pessimistic assessments.
"Let's first conclude there is no reason for gloom and doom here in Afghanistan," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told journalists who asked for his assessment of what's to come this spring.
He pointed to a long, generalized list of accomplishments.
"Let's start with the roads and the school and the parliament and the president and the infrastructure. I appreciate the fact that from time to time somebody in front of his television set and radio hears about the challenges. Of course there are challenges, but NATO is up to the challenges."
Are the coming battles and those that have already been fought really necessary? Many Canadians, galvanized by NDP Leader Jack Layton's opposition to the war, ask that question frequently.
Despite political rhetoric to the contrary, the alliance has tried experiments in so-called softer war.
In Oruzgan province, north of Kandahar, the Dutch and Australians do not patrol as aggressively as their other allies, refusing to go into contested villages without permission. A locally brokered ceasefire between village elders in Musa Qala and the governor of Helmand province offered British forces the opportunity to peacefully clear the town of extremists.
Both efforts are near collapse.
Even the British general who championed the lighter approach said that the heavy fighting, especially the region where Salam calls home, was unavoidable.
"During 2006 the Taliban's aims became much bolder," said Gen. David Richards, who commanded NATO troops in Afghanistan until earlier this month.
"I think a lot of people thought that 2002, '03, '04, they had just gone away; 2006 was inevitable no matter who was in charge."
Salam said he disagreed.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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February 24, 2007
Kandahar Airfield hit by two rockets; no casuaties or damage reported
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Two rebel rockets slammed into Kandahar Airfield late Saturday, causing no damage or casualties.
The attack happened shortly after 9 p.m. local time and sent the roughly 10,000 soldiers and support staff scurrying for shelters.
It marked the second time in almost 14 days that the airfield, NATO's principle base in southern Afghanistan, has been hit. The last attack injured a U.S. soldier.
Last spring, summer and fall, the base was hit regularly, forcing the Canadian army to dispatch a special anti-mortar team.
Lt. John Nethercott, a spokesman for the Canadian Forces, says 107-millimetre rockets, likely left over from the Soviet occupation, were used in the latest attack.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3812
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
We shall see......
New tanks no match for Taliban
Insurgents have weapons capable of crippling Leopards, report says
David Pugliese.
The Ottawa Citizen
Monday, February 26, 2007
Canada's Leopard tanks in Afghanistan, as well as the new armoured vehicles the military soon hopes to acquire for operations there, are potential sitting ducks for insurgents, according to a report to be released today.
The study, done for the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, warns that insurgents have the weaponry to knock out the Canadian Leopards in Kandahar and can obtain the materials to immobilize the upgraded tanks the Canadian Forces want to purchase.
The end result is that the Canadian Forces will be trapped in an arms race with insurgents as they try to outdo each other, according to the study's author.
The report comes on the heels of new efforts by the Canadian Forces to lease state-of-the-art Leopard 2 tanks for the Kandahar mission and claims by the Taliban that it has access to more technologically advanced weapons for its planned spring offensive.
A Canadian military team was in Germany two weeks ago to work out details of the purchase of surplus Leopard tanks. The officers were also working on arrangements to lease from Germany the most advanced Leopard 2 tank available and have that shipped to Afghanistan as soon as possible.
There is interest in further building up of the armoured protection on that tank, already designed to withstand landmines, in order to deal with whatever new weapons the Taliban might use, sources said.
Military officials, however, say no decision has been made on the proposed purchase or lease.
But in a report to be released today, University of British Columbia political science professor Michael Wallace questions the use of the Leopards in Kandahar and argues that the tanks send the wrong message to Afghans.
"How can Canada set its sights on human rights, reconstruction, and economic development if its view of the country is narrowed to the turret sight of a tank?" he writes.
He said the use of heavier weaponry such as the Leopards creates the potential for further civilian casualties, which in turn only drives Afghans to support the insurgents.
Mr. Wallace said in preparation for their spring offensive, Afghan insurgents w | | | |
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