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Friday 03 July 2009 Thousands of U.S. Marines have launched an assault in the southern Afghan province of Helmand into a stronghold of the Taliban insurgency. The lower Helmand River valley is also the world's biggest poppy-producing region. The operation is aimed at achieving what overstretched NATO troops couldn't accomplish over several years and to clear the region of insurgents before Afghanistan's presidential election on Aug. 20. A senior Taliban commander told the Reuters news agency that thousands of fighters are prepared to confront the attacking Americans. In Pakistan, the military said it is deploying troops to prevent Afghan insurgents trying to flee over the 200-kilometre border between Helmand and Pakistan's Baluchistan province.
Thursday 18 June 2009 (02:01) Report
Election season in Afghanistan
Jun. 17 - The Presidential campaign has officially started in Afghanistan, as forces brace for an uptick in violence.
Sunday 14 June 2009 A suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 21 others in an attack on trucks parked at a fuel station in the Girishk district of southern Helmand province early Saturday. The trucks were carrying supplies for foreign troops in the province. Elsewhere, a roadside bomb killed three policemen in southern Kandahar city overnight. And a British soldier was killed by an explosion in the north of Helmand province on Friday.
OTTAWA: CANADA TO CONTRIBUTE MORE FOR AFGHAN POLICE
The government says it will contribute $12 million more to pay Afghan police salaries and to hire new recruits ahead of Afghanistan's elections in August. There are plans to hire 1,000 new police officers in Kandahar province, where Canada's 2,800 troops are deployed. Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon says the aid is intended to "promote the rule of law and ensure the safety of [Afghanistan's] citizens." Canada's total contribution to Afghan police salaries is now over $80 million.
Tuesday 09 June 2009 KANDAHAR: SOLDIER DIES IN AFGHANISTAN
A Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Monday. Pvt. Alexandre Péloquin of the Royal 22e Regiment was on foot patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province when a makeshift bomb exploded. No was else was hurt in the blast. The attack occurred about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City in an area where insurgents have stepped up attacks on Canadian forces in the region. It was Canada's first death in Afghanistan since April. It comes as Canada attempts to move away from a combat role to a more supportive mission ahead of its scheduled military departure in 2011. Pvt. Péloquin's death brings to 119 the number of Canadian soldiers who have died on the mission to Afghanistan since it began in 2002.
Monday 08 June 2009 OTTAWA: AFGHAN CHILDREN AT RISK
A report prepared by Canadian officials expresses concerns that the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in Afghanistan continue to rise. The Canadian Press news agency has obtained a copy of the confidential report, which states that the illegal marriage of underage girls and the sexual abuse of young boys remain commonplace. Figures indicated 57 percent of Afghan marriages involved girls under the legal age of 16. Many of those unions are arranged marriages, where the girls are sometimes used to pay off family debts. Those who disobey become the victims of so-called honour killings. A Foreign Affairs official said Canada, which has a military presence in the country, has invested a lot of time and money to improve the lives of Afghan children.
Saturday 06 June 2009 OTTAWA: AFGHANISTAN REMAINS DANGEROUS
The federal government's latest quarterly report on the situation in Afghanistan paints a grim picture. The report, which covers the period between January and March, says that the province of Kandahar, where 2,800 Canadian troops are deployed, remains a dangerous place. The document cites an assassination campaign by the Taliban of Afghan government officials and moderate clerics. The $50-million improvement of the Dahla Dam which is supposed to create 10,000 seasonal jobs remains in the planning phase. The insurgents draw much of their fighting strength in spring and summer from unemployed farm workers. Canada plans to build 50 schools by 2011 when the military will withdraw but only five have been completed. Stockwell Day, who heads a cabinet committee on Afghanistan, says that despite the obstacles, "We can't really afford not to continue." Mr. Day says that the cost of further terrorist attacks can easily surpass the money invested in Afghanistan's security, noting as well improvement in the Afghan army.
Wednesday 27 May 2009 OTTAWA: LAWMAKERS URGED TO HELP AFGHAN WOMEN
Canadian parliamentarians have been urged to do what they can to protect and to enhance women's rights in Afghanistan. The special parliamentary committee on the mission in Afghanistan heard a presentation by Soraya Sobharang, a leading human rights campaigner. Testifying from Kabul by video conference, Miss Sobharang said she fears draft legislation before the Afghan parliament will be modelled after a separate law for the country's Shia minority, which effectively legalizes rape within marriage. President Hamid Karzai signed a law in March that gave Shia men sweeping rights over their wives, including the right to demand sex, and restrictions on when women could leave their homes. Ms. Sobharang said she fears the male-dominated parliament will force through similar measures for Sunnis, and water down proposed legislation that cracks down on domestic violence.
Sunday 24 May 2009 AFGHANISTAN: DAM SLOW
A Canadian initiative in Afghanistan to rebuild a dam that irrigates crops in the vicinity of Kandahar City is making slow progress. The Globe and Mail newspaper says that nearly one year after the $50-million Dahla dam reconstruction plan was announced by the Conservative government in Ottawa, only the preliminary groundwork has been done. Lack of security is a big part of the problem. Canadian Forces engineers have lately been trying to smooth the project's progress with road work. According to the project manager, the key job is to repair the dam's machinery and sluice gates. Ismail Najjar hopes to have the first of what will perhaps eventually be a dozen specialists on the ground by July. When the job starts, he said, it may go well beyond engineering, though, to trying to persuade farmers to change their crops and their irrigation practices, and encouraging them to share water more effectively.
AFGHANISTAN: CANADIANS TO PROMOTE ELECTION AWARENESS
Canadian forces deployed in southern Afghanistan say many residents there appear to know nothing about the country's key upcoming national elections this Summer. An informal survey taken by Canadian Forces in Kandahar City on Saturday found local people more interested in basic services, such as paved roads and electricity. Members of a Canadian civilian-military co-operation unit agree that basic measures such as simple posters and advertising could help get the election message out. Canada wants to foster awareness of the August vote as part of its strategy to help legitimize the central government in Kabul. Some 2,500 Canadian forces are serving with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan which is trying to restore stability to that country.
Tuesday 19 May 2009 KANDAHAR: CANADA TO FOCUS ON AID, GOVERNANCE
Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay says Canada will have much to achieve in Afghanistan after its military role ends in 2011. The minister says the Canadian role will focus on aid and good government, that emphasis having already started. Mr. MacKay says the mission is no longer concentrated on holding "swaths of land." The minister spent two days a Canada's main military base in Kandahar and was accompanied by Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson.
Friday 15 May 2009 OTTAWA: GOVT. TO DOUBLE GIFTS FOR AFGHAN PROJECTS
The Canadian government will double the value of gifts which Canadians contribute to development projects in Afghanistan. The "Afghanistan Challenge" initiative was launched in the capital by the minister of international co-operation, Bev Oda, with the objective of changing the lives of Afghan for the better, even if the gifts are modest. Four Canadian NGOs are taking part in the project, including CARE Canada and Rotary International. Mrs. Oda points out that the originality of the plan is that Canadians themselves can decide on the projects to which they'll contribute, which contributions the federal government will double.
8 May America's New Air Force | 13:23
Increasingly, the U.S. military is relying on un-manned aircraft to track and destroy the enemy, sometimes controlled from bases thousands of miles away from the battlefront. Lara Logan reports.
Tuesday 12 May 2009 US sacks top Afghanistan general
The US defence secretary says he forced out the top American general in Afghanistan because "new thinking" was needed.
Robert Gates confirmed Gen David McKiernan would effectively be sacked less than a year after taking command.
Sunday 10 May 2009 video.nytimes
Sunday 10 May 2009 KANDAHAR: PM IN FLASH VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday, to which he flew after several days of trade meetings in Prague, the Czech capital. Unlike previous visits to Afghanistan during which he visited frontline soldiers, the prime minister emphasized the "transforming" Canadian mission more focussed on reconstruction and development, citing the Dahla dam project. Canada has committed $50 million over three years to rebuild the dam, its roads and waterways. During a tour of the site 37 kilometres northeast of Kandahar, he said the refurbished project will provide drinking water to much of the region, while improving agriculture and creating 10,000 seasonal jobs. The prime minister also says that the arrival of 17,000 U.S. reinforcements in Kandahar will allow the Canadian military to continue its present tasks but on a larger scale. Mr. Harper's chief of defence staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, added, however, that the military blocking of Taliban communications routes will lead to more violence.
May 6. 2009 The fog of Afghanistan
- Afghan villagers mourn after U.S.-led air strikes that the Red Cross says killed dozens: This is not the first time allegations have been raised that Afghan citizens have been killed by air strikes
4 May 2009 Video Archive Home Page
 Reports on the Canadian Forces, at home, in Afghanistan,
and beyond,
including Inside the Mission with Brian Stewart.Our extensive coverage of the Canadian Forces here at home and the NATO conflict in Afghanistan includes Brian Stewart’s Inside the Mission series, as well as numerous reports from our journalists on the ground in Kandahar and beyond.
Highlights also include I Witness with Nelofer Pazira, a Your Turn special with Defence Minister Peter MacKay, and our annual tribute to Canada’s Fallen Soldiers.
Friday 01 May 2009 OTTAWA: CANADA OFFERS SHELTER TO AFGHAN EMPLOYEES
Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has told the Canadian Press that his department is completing a new policy to bring to Canada Afghan employees of the military whose lives may be in danger because of that employment. The minister says that Afghans who can prove their safety is jeopardized or who have been severely injured while working with the Canadians are eligible for fast-track applications, and will be allowed to bring relatives with them. The U.S., Britain, Australia and Denmark have similar programs. A number of Afghans have been killed or maimed while working for NATO troops.
Sunday 26 April 2009 At least three suicide bombers attacked the governor's compound in Kandahar city in Afghanistan on Saturday. Five police officers were killed and nine people were wounded. The governor of Kandahar was not harmed. The bombers were able to get past the first security checkpoint, but were stopped at a second. One of the attackers detonated his bomb there. The other two moved deeper into the compound before detonating their bombs.
Saturday 3 April 2009 A New Afghan Family Law:
The Afghan government of Hamid Karzai has passed a law concerning the country's Shia Muslim minority. It would make it illegal for a Shia woman to refuse her husband sex, to leave the house without his consent, and to have custody of children after a marriage breakup.
Sunday April 19, 2009 ON THE BRINK
This week, we look at two neighbors, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which seem to be teetering on the brink of anarchy and violence, and how their instability impacts us all. It is discouraging for many Canadians, who have observed our country's mission in Afghanistan since its beginning in 2002; hoping that it would make a difference, but encountering, instead, setbacks and failed objectives. Weak government, corruption everywhere, drug trade making up 60 percent of the economy, and the Taliban resurgent. Last year saw a huge spike in violence. With two and a half years to go in Canada's mission, Afghanistan's future seems precarious Watch (runs 30:10)
Saturday 18 April 2009 Video: A Man’s World
After three decades of war, Afghanistan is one of the world’s widow capitals. Many are unable to rent their own homes.
Thursday 16 April 2009 Dozens of women in Kabul turned out to demonstrate against legislation which legalizes marital rape. Eight-hundred male and female counter-demonstrators turned out as well to express their scorn, denounced the women as "slaves of the Christians." President Hamid Karzai signed the legislation into law last month. The law applies only to Afghanistan's Shi'ite minority. It says a husband may demand sex from his wife every four days, unless she is ill or would be harmed. The legislation also stipulates the circumstances under which a wife could leave the home unescorted by a man. All four parties in Canada's House of Commons condemned the law, some asking why Canada should help Afghanistan become a free country when attempts are made to treat women as badly as did the ousted Taliban régime.
Wednesday 15 April 2009 Afghan women protest controversial law
Afghan women staged rival demonstrations on Wednesday...
Tuesday 14 April 2009 President Asif Ali Zardari has signed into a law a regulation which authorizes the application of Sharia law in the Valley of Swat. The law is aimed at achieving peace with the Taliban militants who have largely taken over the area northwest of Islamabad. The provincial government agreed in February to impose Islamic law in the Valley of Swat and surrounding areas in exchange for a ceasefire with the Taliban. Under the accord, the latter are supposed to co-operate with the security forces, denounce suicide attacks, close their training camps and turn in their weapons. After Western and Pakistani critics denounced the accord as a craven sellout to terrorists, Mr. Zardari delaying signed the deal into law. Meanwhile, the authorities say a fifth suspect has been arrested in the terrorist attack against the Indian city of Mumbai last year in which 164 people were killed and nine of the 10 terrorists.
Tuesday 14 April 2009 KANDAHAR: AFGHANISTAN WAR WOULD BE DECIDED IN SOUTH
The top NATO commander in Afghanistan, Maj.-Gen. Mart de Kruif, says that the future of Afghanistan will be decided in the south of the country, where Canada's 2,800 troops are deployed. He told the Canadian Press that the international community understands that the south around Kandahar is the key to success and that's why the bulk of NATO forces must be concentrated there. Maj.-Gen. de Kruif says the impending arrival of 17,000 American reinforcements will be a major boost to coalition forces, Canada's in particular, adding that in light of Afghanistan's history, Kandahar is an even more important city than Kabul. Maj.-Gen. de Kruif says the U.S. reinforcements will enable NATO to penetrate areas where coalition soldiers have never been before, holding positions instead of staging forays and then withdrawing because the troops are spread too thinly.
Sunday 12 April 2009 Afghan cleric defends 'rape' law
A key backer of an Afghan family law that critics say legalizes marital rape and rolls back women's rights rejected an international outcry as foreign meddling yesterday and insisted the legislation offers women many protections. [,, a man of God?]
Afghanistan: Women’s rights are human rights
By Beryl Wajsman on April 9, 2009
It was a mistake from the beginning to allow the recognition of state faith into Afghanistan’s constitution. It was an even greater error to allow the organization of faith-based political parties. Now the west’s encounter with Afghanistan will be put to an important test. And Canada has a profound role to play.
Fundamentalist Shia clerics in Afghanistan pushed for the primacy of Sharia law, and exclusivity of it in family law matters. Not satisfied with this, they recently demanded, and obtained passage of what has come to be pejoratively called Afghanistan’s “Rape Law”. more by By Jessica Murphy
Tuesday 07 April 2009 OTTAWA: FM MINISTER CLAIMS KABUL DROPS GENDER LAW
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Afghanistan is backing away from a controversial law on women's rights. Mr. Cannon spoke with Afghanistan's foreign minister and was told the process of putting the law into effect was stopped. Mr. Cannon says the proposed law is being sent back to the justice ministry to be reworked and that a new law would respect both Afghan law and the rights of women. The law would have forbidden women to refuse to have sex with their husbands or to leave the house without their husbands' permission. When the legislation was announced, it created anger in Canada and was seen as a license for marital rape. Canada's foreign affairs ministry had previously said that promoting and protecting human rights for all Afghans is a core element of Canada's engagement in Afghanistan. Canada currently has 2,800 troops in Afghanistan with the NATO-led force.
Sunday 05 April 2009 MONTREAL: DEMONSTRATORS CALL FOR END TO AFGHAN CONFLICT
About 200 protesters marched in downtown Montreal on Saturday to call for an end to the conflict in Afghanistan. The demonstrators criticized NATO, and asked that Canadian troops return at once from their NATO mission in Afghanistan. The protesters urged a political solution to the country's problems. They also expressed concern for Afghan women whose rights are threatened by proposed legislation.
Saturday 04 April 2009 STRASBOURG: CANADA'S WANTS AFGHAN GENDER LAW EXPLAINED
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon has demanded that Afghan President Hamid Karzai explain a proposed law that would restrict some women's rights. Mr. Cannon says the legislation is "extremely alarming and would be troublesome for a lot of the allies." The law would apply to Afghanistan's Shi'ite community. It would deny Shi'ite women the right to refuse to have sex with their husbands and deny them as well the right to leave their homes without the husbands' permission. Shi'ite women would likewise be denied custody of their children in the event of a divorce. Mr. Cannon says such strictures would be "injurious and offensive" for women. The news of the proposed law caused outrage in Canada's House of Commons earlier in the week, with legislators representing all four political parties asking why Canada has 2,800 troops in Afghanistan fighting to help that country make itself free while at the same time the government would perpetrate a human rights outrage. Afghanistan also is Canada's second-biggest aid recipient. The minister is in Strasbourg to attend the NATO summit.
STRASBOURG: NATO CHIEF WORRIED BY AFGHAN LAW
Mr. Cannon was not the only one worried by the Afghan gender law, which Mr. Karzai has signed, in the hours before the NATO alliance's summit begins. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, says the legislation will make it even harder to summon up scarce resources for the alliance's effort in Afghanistan. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer says it's hard to convince skeptical Europeans that more should be sacrificed in that country in defence of universal rights when a law is passed which "fundamentally violates human rights." The Afghanistan mission is expected to dominate the weekend discussions in Strasbourg. Earlier, Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay said that NATO is "at a transformative point," Afghanistan being its "litmus test." The minister said that while the alliance was originally conceived as a body to guard Europe, it now needs to become an expeditionary force. One of the items on the summit's agenda is the choice of a new secretary general. Mr. MacKay's cabinet colleague Mr. Cannon says Canada would be gratified if Mr. MacKay were chosen. NATO failed on Friday evening to agree on a new chief.
Friday 03 April 2009 Afghan rights law could dominate NATO talks
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a brief courtesy...
Friday 03 April 2009 U.S. to Pledge $40 Million for Afghanistan Elections
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States hoped the money would help ensure the credibility of this summer’s elections.
THE HAGUE — The United States will commit $40 million to underwrite the cost of holding elections in Afghanistan this summer, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday, as she began selling the Obama administration’s new Afghanistan policy to friends and foes.
OTTAWA: AFGHAN ENVOY SUMMONED OVER WOMEN'S LEGISLATION
The Afghan ambassador to Ottawa, Omar Samad, has defended his country's efforts to improve the lot of women, saying their lives are infinitely better than eight years ago when the Taliban government was ousted. Mr. Samad spoke after being summoned to the foreign affairs department to explain legislation that would oblige Shi'ite Muslim wives to have sex with their husbands whenever the latter wish it, and forbid the wives to leave the house without their spouses' permission. The news of the proposed law caused an uproar in the House of Commons, MPs of all parties wondering why Canada should contribute soldiers and aid for Afghanistan to make the country free when the authorities would impose such a law on its women. Mr. Samad responded that the government is still examining it. The ambassador asked for patience, adding that "...this young democracy is immature." Mr. Samad noted that Afghan women occupy 89 of the 335 seats in the national legislature, that millions of girls attend school and that many women own businesses. In Kandahar province, where the Canadian mission is centred, only 17 per cent of students are girls and only five per cent can read.
Thursday 02 April 2009 OTTAWA: AFGHAN LAW PROVOKES OUTRAGE IN COMMONS
Proposed legislation which President Hamid Karzai has approved caused an outcry in the House of Commons on Wednesday both on the Conservative government side and amongst the opposition. Under the terms of the bill, Shi'ite Muslim woman would not have the right to refuse sexual relations to their husbands, and would also be denied the right to leave their homes with the husbands' permission. Members of Parliament reacted angrily, saying Canada isn't sending its soldiers to Afghanistan to risk their lives and spending millions of dollars to help a country the husbands of which have the right to rape their wives. Defence Secretary Peter MacKay says he'll raise the matter at the NATO summit this week to put pressure on Afghan politicians to abandon the legislation, which he called unacceptable. Speaking from London where he's attending the G20 summit, the prime minister, Mr. Harper, said that the concept of women's equality is a central reason for the presence of the international coalition there, a sentiment with which International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda concurred. The minister said she was in "disbelief" when she heard about the legislation. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said he's outraged by it, adding that Canada must make it clear to Mr. Karzai that the law is unacceptable. Canada has had 116 soldiers killed and spent about $10 billion to support his government.
Three or four Taliban suicide bombers killed as many as 13 people in an attack against the provincial council's office in Kandahar. The attack began with a car bomb blast, which was followed by bombers wearing suicide vests. Elsewhere, Afghan officials says that Afghan police and coalition forces killed 31 Taliban militants in three villages in Helmand province, wounding 20 others. Helmand is the world's biggest poppy-growing region, and the UN says the Taliban and other warlords derive $500 billion a year from the poppy trade. Meanwhile in Ankara, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari at a summit sponsored by Turkey. Mr. Karzai has long accused his country's neighbour of failed to act to stop Pakistan-based insurgents who stage cross-border attacks. The two leaders agreed to improve relations after a day of talks attended by their senior military commanders and intelligence chiefs.
Wednesday 01 April 2009 Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, told an international conference in the Netherlands on Tuesday that his country needs regional cooperation to control terrorism. The one-day conference in The Hague was attended by representatives of more than 80 countries, including Canada's foreign minister, Lawrence Cannon. He told the conference that cooperation is the key to a long-term solution to the conflict. The focus of the meeting was to find ways to improve the situation in Afghanistan, where Canada has 2500 troops with the NATO force. Meanwhile, a provincial police chief says 30 Taliban fighters were killed and 17 others wounded in clashes with Afghan and foreign troops in southern Afghanistan on Monday and Tuesday. Southern Afghanistan is the centre of the Taliban-led insurgency and where Canadian troops are based.
Tuesday 31 March 2009 A suicide attack killed nine people on Monday at a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan. Eight others were wounded. The bomber was disguised in a police uniform. Five officers and four civilians died in the attack in Dund district, about 15 kilometres south of Kandahar city. Canadian soldiers from their nearby base in Kandahar were dispatched to stand guard at the attack site along with Afghan police. On the same day, a roadside bomb killed three police officers in the eastern province of Paktia.
Monday 30 March 2009 WASHINGTON: PRIME MINISTER PREDICTS CONTINUAL AFGHAN INSURGENCY
Canada's Prime Minister says that an increased number of U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan will not necessarily reduce casualties among Canadian troops in the region. Mr. Harper says that the new American deployments announced last week will take some pressure off Canadian forces, but the Canadian mission will remain a dangerous one. He predicts that an Afghan insurgency will always persist at some level. Speaking in an American television interview, Stephen Harper said that it's more important to be able to contain the insurgency so that it does not threaten the world. Mr. Harper was elaborating on remarks he made earlier this month when he said that the Afghan insurgency could not be defeated by military force. He repeated his intention to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan by 2011. The prime minister was doing media interviews in the United States this weekend to explain Canada's position in advance of a Group of Twenty summit in London later this week.
Saturday 28 March 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday confirmed an increase in American troop strength in Afghanistan. Four thousand more soldiers will be sent to southern and eastern regions along with a contingent of seventeen thousand soldiers announced earlier this year. In a televised news conference, President Obama described a change in direction for the U.S. Afghan mission. The emphasis would shift to training Afghan soldiers and police to provide security for their country, allowing American forces to return home eventually. The president said that al-Qaeda militants operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan pose a common danger to the region as well as to the United States and its allies. The president announced annual aid of one-and-a-half-billion American dollars to Pakistan over the next five years to help build democracy. But he called on Pakistan to demonstrate its own commitment to defeating al-Qaeda.
Saturday 28 March 2009 OTTAWA: DEFENCE MINISTER WELCOMES NEW AMERICAN INITIATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN
Defence Minister Peter MacKay says that the addition of American soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan will be good for Afghanistan's overall foreign aid mission. U.S. President Barack Obama outlined the new U.S. initiative on Friday in a televised news conference. Mr. MacKay also welcomed Mr. Obama's intention to involve regional countries such as Pakistan in the effort to bring stability to Afghanistan. But Mr. MacKay foresees that other countries such as China, Russia and Iran will be asked for their input into solving Afghanistan's conflicts as well.
Friday, March 27, 2009 5:47 with Bruce Riedel; Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Goodwin
Friday 27 March 2009 US to unveil new Afghan strategy
US President Barack Obama is to unveil his new Afghan strategy, with thousands more troops expected to be sent.
Friday 27 March 2009 OTTAWA: MILITARY POLICE PERSIST IN WANTING HEARINGS ON AFGHAN PRISONERS
The agency that oversees Canada's military police is rejecting Ottawa's call for a hold on public hearings into the transfer of Afghan detainees. In a decision Thursday, the Military Police Complaints Commission said it's in the public interest for the hearings to proceed quickly. At issue is whether Canadian soldiers were ordered to transfer prisoners to Afghan security, despite knowing the detainees would likely be tortured. Commission chairman Peter Tinsley ordered the hearings last spring, saying it was the only way to ensure a full investigation of the allegations. The government initially promised co-operation but then asked Federal Court to outlaw the hearings, and asked the commission to await a ruling. Mr. Tinsley says he doesn't want to wait.
Sunday 22 March 2009 US 'needs new Pakistan strategy'
US strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years has failed, Pakistan's foreign minister tells the BBC.
Saturday 21 March 2009 Afghan blasts kill Canada troops
Four Canadian soldiers are killed and eight injured in two separate bombs in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
Wednesday 18 March 2009 KANDAHAR: CANADA TO PAY AFGHAN POLICE OFFICERS
Canada will spend $21 million over the next two years to pay the salaries of Afghan police officers and prison guards. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and International Trade Minister Stockwell Day made the announcement at the end of a two-day visit to Kandahar. The $21 million will be paid to a UN trust fund to pay about 3,000 police officers. Local police have long been a problem in creating security in Kandahar because of their notorious corruption. The ministers visited a new police station in Kandahar as well as Sarpoza prison, where the Taliban used a huge truck bomb to break in and to free almost 900 prisoners last year, many of them suspected insurgents. Repairs are being financing by the Canadian government.
March 8, 2009 MP3 "Are you satisfied with Canada's role in Afghanistan?"
Saturday 14 March 2009 Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warns that the security situation in Afghanistan has worsened and may worsen even further in the course of the year. Mr. Ban says in his latest report to the Security Council on the world body's activities in Afghanistan that the results of Afghan government and international aid efforts have failed to meet Afghans' expectations, as the population continues to suffer from drought and high food prices. He also reports that violence is at its highest level since the Taliban régime was toppled in 2001, with civilian death rising to more than 2,100, 40 per cent having been killed by the insurgents and almost as many by international and Afghan forces. The secretary general's report offers some grounds for optimism, including an increase of international troops that will furnish the Afghan security forces with more trainers.
Tuesday 10 March 2009 OTTAWA: CONSERVATIVES CHANGE TUNE ON TALIBAN
Senior government ministers and officials have told the Canadian Press that the government shares the view of the U.S. Obama administration that negotiations are possible with moderate elements of Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents. During the weekend, President Barack Obama said that the U.S. military could reach out to members of the Taliban and try to bring them into the government. The president pointed out to success in Iraq in building bridges to the minority Sunni Muslims, while acknowledging that the situation in Afghanistan is more complex. Defence Minister Peter Mackay said on Monday that Canada wants to encourage Afghan to "...walk away from the diabolical ways of the Taliban and embrace stability, embrace human rights..." The government's position was different after the Conservatives were elected in January 2006, when they rejected any suggestion of negotiating with "terrorists." As recently as the debate on the length of the Afghanistan mission last spring, Conservative Members of Parliament were arguing that it was foolishness to talk of negotiation with the Taliban.
Monday 09 March 2009 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed US President Barack Obama's call to identify moderate elements of the Taliban and encourage them to reconcile with the government. Mr. Karzai says Mr. Obama's call is "good news" because this has been the stand of the Afghan government for a long time. He made the comments during a speech to women in Kabul, commemorating International Women's Day. Mr. Obama said in an interview with the New York Times that there may be opportunities to reach out to moderates in the Taliban.
Monday 09 March 2009 AFGHANISTAN: ANOTHER LOSS
Canada has lost another soldier in Afghanistan. 22-year-old Trooper Marc Diab was killed Sunday in roadside bomb attack. Four others were injured. Trooper Diab's death follows on the heels of three other Canadian casualties just this past week. The attack happened in the southern Shah Wali Kot district, a mountainous region and known transit point for Taliban fighters entering the province. The armoured vehicle was on patrol when it struck a large explosive. The death of Trooper Diab - a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons - brings to 112 the number of Canadian soldiers killed since the inception of the Afghan campaign. Canadian forces have been in Afghanistan as part of the NATO coalition since 2002.
AFGHANISTAN: CHOPPERS IN ACTION
Also in Afghanistan, Canadian troops have employed their own helicopters to strike at an insurgent command centre and supply base deep in the heart of Taliban territory. Saturday's airborne assault in the restive Zhari district was the first of its kind using the newly deployed Canadian choppers. More than 200 Canadian and American soldiers were part of the nearly 11-hour operation. The troops withdrew by helicopter after uncovering a large amount of explosive-making material, a few weapons and capturing two suspected Taliban fighters.
Saturday 07 March 2009 UK ex-commander: Afghan mission "worthless"
A former British commander in Afghanistan has described...
Tuesday 03 March 2009 OTTAWA: OPPOSITION ACCUSES PM OF TURNAROUND ON AFGHANISTAN
The three opposition parties represented in the House of Commons accused Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper of reversing his position regarding Afghanistan. On Sunday, the prime minister told the CNN cable television network that Western military forces cannot defeat the Taliban insurgency. The Liberal, Bloc Québécois and New Democratic parties accused him of reversing course from when he stated that Canada would never quit the battle with the insurgents. Mr. Harper told CNN that the Afghan government needs to be able to manage the insurgency. The opposition also raised the question of whether the government intends to extend the 2011 deadline approved by the House for the Afghanistan mission. The Conservatives responded that this won't be the case.
KANDAHAR: CANADA BLAMES BLAST THAT KILLED KIDS ON TALIBAN
Canada's overall military commander has attributed responsibility for an explosion last week that killed three children on the Taliban. Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance says the children from a village west of Kandahar likely picked up a improvised explosive device made by the insurgents from old explosive material. An elder in Panjwaii district claimed the children had found an unexploded Canadian mortar shell and villagers subsequently paraded two of the corpses in Kandahar demanding vengeance against Canada. Brig.-Gen. Vance acknowledges that the villagers' eagerness to blame Canada for the deaths is troubling.
Monday 02 March 2009 A suicide car bomber blew himself up near soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, wounding six civilians including two children. Similar attacks are claimed by extremist Taliban fighters
Monday 02 March 2009 KANDAHAR: MILITARY ISSUES GUERRILLA WARFARE MANUAL
One of Canada's top military leaders, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, says that a new army manual will change the way that Canadian troops conduct their ground operations in southern Afghanistan. General Leslie is the Chief of Land Staff. He commanded one of Canada's earliest missions in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Canadian Press, he said that the Counter-Insurgency Operations manual will re-shape the war in Afghanistan and in future Canadian unconventional campaigns. The 244-page guideline describes many of the hard lessons that Canadian forces learned during their Afghan mission. The new commander of Task Force Kandahar, Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, will implement the manual's recommendations on the battlefield. Canada has 2,500 soldiers with the NATO force in southern Afghanistan.
Sunday 01 March 2009 In a surprise move on Saturday, President Hamid Karzai demanded to move the country's presidential election date from August to the Spring. In a decree, he called for a vote from 30 to 60 days before May 22, when his five-year term expires. Afghan legislators have said that they will not recognize Mr. Karzai as president after the expiry of his term. The independent voting commission can either heed the president's call or keep the original voting date of August 20. International monitors say that a credible election in either March or April would be difficult, almost impossible. Canadian troops in Afghanistan are making security plans for the August 20 election date. Canada's government is considering delaying the scheduled departure of one group of its soldiers in August and sending another group earlier. If the plan goes through, the number of Canadian troops in Afghanistan would rise temporarily from 2,500 to almost 4,000.
Sunday 01 March 2009 TORONTO: PRIME MINISTER CALLS AFGHANISTAN A TEST FOR NATO
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is calling Afghanistan a major test for NATO. In an interview with the American newspaper, the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Harper warned that the failure of NATO's mission could have major ramifications for the military alliance. NATO's mission in Afghanistan is its first outside the borders of the alliance's members. Mr. Harper noted that in Afghanistan, NATO had undertaken what he called a United Nations mission. He said that the mission must succeed or the future of NATO would be in doubt. Canada has about 2,500 soldiers in southern Afghanistan on a mission that is due to end in 2011. In the same interview, Mr. Harper described the ideology of the Iranian government as evil, adding that his government was a strong supporter of Israel. He said that Iranian threats to Israel were unacceptable. Canada's relations with Iran became strained in 2003, when an Iranian-Canadian photographer, Zahra Kazemi, was arrested in Tehran and died in police custody under suspicious circumstances.
Friday 27 February 2009 PANJWAII DISTRICT: AFGHANISTAN MISSION TO COST BILLIONS
The Canadian government says Canada's ten-year involvement in Afghanistan will cost $11.3 billion. The announcement is the first complete fiscal accounting of the mission. The cost includes estimates for Canadian diplomacy, development, and training Afghan prison personnel and police. The estimate does not include the cost of disability and health care costs for soldiers wounded in battle or diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. Prime Minister Stephen Harper previously suggested the mission would cost about $8 billion. Eighty per cent of the estimate includes the cost of military deployment and equipment.
Friday 27 February 2009 Afghanistan tops agenda in key talks with U.S.
Washington's new focus on development and diplomacy in Afghanistan could point the direction for Ottawa's future role in the troubled nation after Canadian troops are withdrawn in 2011, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says.
Thursday 26 February 2009 KANDAHAR: CANADA'S MILITARY DECLINES COMMENT ON AFGHAN DEATHS
Canada's military is keeping silent as it investigates the cause of some civilian deaths outside Kandahar City on Monday. An explosion killed two children. A third child in hospital died of his injuries the following day. The head of the village council in Sulehan believes that the children were bringing home unexploded munitions from an area that Canadian troops had used as a firing range. But many residents angrily accuse the Canadians of killing the children with mortar fire. Canada has 2,500 soldiers serving with the NATO force in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's government has repeatedly urged foreign forces to take greater care to avoid injuring civilians.
Four British soldiers died in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday. Three were killed during a routine escort operation in the Gereshk district of Helmand province. A fourth died of injuries sustained in a firefight. The Taliban militia has been waging a bloody insurgency in the region. On the same day, Afghan government troops reported killing 18 Taliban rebels in the Nawa district of Helmand province. Two Afghan soldiers were also killed. The deaths occurred as Afghan and foreign soldiers were protecting police who were destroying poppy plants used to produce opium.
Wednesday 25 February 2009 WASHINGTON: CANADA GRATEFUL FOR MORE U.S. TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon expressed his country's gratitude for the reinforcements that the U.S. will send to Afghanistan at a meeting with his American counterpart. Mr. Cannon said afterwards that he told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Canada is looking forward to working with the Americans in the southern province of Kandahar, where the 2,500 Canadian troops are based and are lock in combat with Taliban insurgents. Mr. Cannon also says Canada expects to share with the Americans the lessons learned in border management, the training of Afghan police and development. Before leaving Ottawa, the minister suggested that the emphasis which the Obama administration has said it will place on development and diplomacy in Afghanistan could form a model for Canada after its military withdrawal in 2011. President Obama has pledged 30,000 more American soldiers for Afghanistan and has asked his country's European allies to contribute more as well.
Tuesday 24 February 2009 TORONTO: FOREIGN MINISTER IN WASHINGTON ON TUESDAY
The Toronto Star newspaper reports that Afghanistan will be the main topic of discussions in Washington between Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon and his U.S. counterpart, Hillary Clinton. Mr. Cannon told the newspaper that the new interest expressed by the Americans for diplomacy and development aid to Afghanistan could set the tone for Canada's role their after the country's military withdrawal in 2011. Meanwhile, there are reports that most of the 17,000 reinforcements ordered to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama will be deployed in the south of the country, where the Taliban insurrection is most violent. NATO second-highest officer in the south, Gen. Jim Dutton of the UK, says they're expected in the province of Kandahar, where 2,500 Canadians are deployed. The insurrection has grown over the past two years, despite the presence of 70,000 foreign troops.
KANDAHAR: VILLAGERS PROTEST AGAINST LETHAL EXPLOSION
In Afghanistan Monday, dozens of angry villagers staged an angry protest after two children were killed when an unexploded shell was set off. The villagers insist the shell was left behind by Canadian troops. The Canadian military confirms its troops were in the area southwest of Kandahar city on Sunday conducting firing exercises, but said they followed standard procedure and swept the fields before departing. He said the military's National Investigative Service has launched a probe.
Monday 23 February 2009 Public Policy Wiki Issue #2: Afghanistan
Come and contribute your thoughts and ideas about Canada's approach to Afghanistan through our Public Policy Wiki
Sunday 22 February 2009 Three foreign soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday after their patrol was hit by a bomb in the province of Uruzgan. The victims' nationality was not reported, but Australian and Dutch soldiers serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces are in the area. Thirty-nine international troops were killed in Afghanistan this year.
Saturday 21 February 2009 U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. expects "significant new commitments" from its allies for troops or civilian contributions in Afghanistan before a NATO summit in April. Mr. Gates revealed that expectation at the end of a two-day conference of NATO defence ministers in Krakow. Mr. Gates says the Obama administration expects members to make efforts to boost development in Afghanistan if they find themselves unable to send troops. This week, President Obama announced 17,000 more American reinforcements for Afghanistan, which will bring the U.S. contingent there to 55,000. About 30,000 soldiers from 40 other countries also are present. Canada has deployed 2,500 troops in Kandahar.
Saturday 21 February 2009 Afghanistan 'No US rights' for Bagram inmates
Detainees being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot use US courts to challenge their detention, the US says.
Friday 20 February 2009 Obama pledges Canada co-operation
Barack Obama, in his first foreign trip as US president, pledges to work with Canada on energy, economic recovery and Afghanistan.
Friday 20 February 2009 OTTAWA: U.S. DOESN'T WANT MORE CANADIANS FOR AFGHANISTAN
Mr. Obama says he didn't ask his host to prolong Canada's deployment but only thanked him for Canada's "extraordinary effort" there. The president recalled that 108 Canadians have died in Afghanistan and that that country is Canada's biggest foreign aid recipient. Mr. Obama's government has committed 17,000 reinforcements to Afghan and 4,000 of them are expected to join the 2,500 Canadian troops in Kandahar. Mr. Harper says Canada appreciates the heightened U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. The prime minister recalled that Parliament has set 2011 as the deadline for withdrawal, adding that Canada's chief military task now is to train Afghans eventually to be able to ensure their own security.
KANDAHAR: CANADIANS GET NEW COMMANDER
Canadian troops have a new commander in Afghanistan. Gen. Jon Vance has taken charge of the 2,500 soldiers, air crew and support staff at the military base in Kandahar. He replaces Gen. Denis Thompson, who earlier in the week reported that local Afghans are pessimistic about the security situation. Canada's military mission in Afghanistan began in 2002 and Canadian troops are currently part of the NATO-led force.
Thursday 19 February 2009 Stopping the Taliban Time to worry about Pakistan as well as Afghanistan 
IT IS widely understood that the West’s war with the Taliban in Afghanistan cannot be won inside that country’s borders alone. So long as the “semi-autonomous” badlands of Pakistan’s tribal areas provide refuge for terrorists, Afghanistan—and the West—will never know security. A lasting settlement must also meet the interests of other countries in the region, including Iran, India and Russia. So it is encouraging that Barack Obama’s administration is embracing a “regional” approach, with the appointment of Richard Holbrooke, a punchy senior diplomat, as envoy to “AfPak”. But other sources of encouragement have been scarce of late (see article). This week’s decision to send a further 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan is in part a sign of how badly the war is going.
Wednesday 18 February 2009 Obama's Afghan war (01:46) vidio Report
Feb. 18 - US President Barack Obama orders 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to tackle insurgency.
The White House released a statement saying: "This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires." Deborah
Wednesday 18 February 2009 An Afghan surge
Barack Obama will deploy an additional 17,000 American soldiers to Afghanistan
Wednesday 18 February 2009 TORONTO: U.S. LEADER THANKS CANADA FOR AFGHAN COMMITMENT
U.S. President Barack Obama has thanked Canada for the sacrifices made in the country's military deployment in Afghanistan. He told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that he wants to discuss a "comprehensive strategy" for NATO's mission there when he meets Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Thursday. Mr. Obama says that the situation in Afghanistan is worsening and that any future strategy needs political support in both Canada and the U.S. The president says that Canada's contribution in Afghanistan has been "extraordinary" and offered his thanks to the "...families that have borne the burden." Meanwhile, Mr. Obama has ordered 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan "to stabilize a deteriorating situation." The reinforcements will join the 38,000 soldiers and Marines now striving to contain Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.
Friday 06 February 2009 Canada and Afghanistan by Major General (ret'd) Lewis Mackenzie
Thursday 05 February 2009 BRUSSELS: BRITISH MINISTER DELIVERS WARNING ON AFGHANISTAN
The British secretary of defence on Wednesday warned NATO ambassadors, meeting in Brussels, that there could be no freeloaders in the fight against Taliban-led insurgents in Afghanistan, where NATO is embarked on its biggest and most-ambitious operation ever. Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States have troops on the front line of that fight, but other allies have proved reluctant to put their forces in harm's way. John Hutton told the ambassadors that failure in Afghanistan would be unthinkable--with far reaching consequences. Canada has 2500 troops with the NATO force in Afghanistan and has lost 108 soldiers since first joining the mission in 2002.
OTTAWA: RIGHTS GROUP SAYS CANADIANS WANT KHADR HOME
The human-rights group Amnesty International says Canadians want Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to insist that Omar Khadr be repatriated to Canada. The call on Wednesday in Ottawa came amid a growing campaign for Canada to take in other detainees still held at Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty Canada's Alex Neve says the group has letters, petitions and postcards signed by more than 50,000 Canadians calling for action in the case of Mr. Khadr. The 22-year-old Mr. Khadr is accused of killing a US soldier in Afghanistan when he was 15. He is the only Canadian being held at Guantanamo. Mr. Neve said the government has insisted justice must be allowed to run its course in Guantanamo. But he said now that the new Obama administration has issued orders for the prison to close, there's only one position left for Canada to advance -- that Mr. Khadr come back to Canada.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Afghanistan for meetings with Afghan and foreign officials. The visit coincides with renewed focus on the fight in Afghanistan with the United States indicating it will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan this year. Canada currently has 2500 troops with a NATO-led force trying to restore stability to the country.
Wednesday 04 February 2009 The US Defence Department says that rebel violence is increasing across Afghanistan. It also warns that international forces lack troops and resources needed to control the rising insurgency. US officials mention a sharp increase in insurgent attacks in the spring and summer of 2008, saying the period marked the worst violence since the Taliban's ouster in 2001 by a US led military coalition. The report came as US President Barack Obama considers urgent military requests for up to 30,000 more US troops in Afghanistan. Canada has 2500 troops with the NATO led force in Afghanistan.
Wednesday 28 January 2009 The Public Policy Wiki — an end and a beginning
The first issue we tackled with the Policy Wiki — the budget — is coming to an end, and now we move on to another serious topic: Afghanistan As some of you may know, the Globe & Mail and the Dominion Institute recently launched an online "social media" project known as the Public Policy Wiki, as a way of encouraging Canadians who are concerned about major public policy issues to share their thoughts and ideas. The first issue we launched with was the federal budget, and we got a tremendous number of thoughtful contributions and comments, both in the form of briefing notes -- specific policy proposals -- as well as forum posts and votes in polls on the various notes. We sent the top two proposals to the Finance Minister, as a way of alerting him to what Canadians are concerned about.
The second issue we are tackling is Canada's approach to Afghanistan. We have been involved in that country from a military standpoint since 2002, and have about 2,500 troops stationed there now as part of the international defence force. More than a hundred Canadian soldiers have been killed during the conflict so far, and Canada has committed to keep its troops in the country until 2011. In an Angus Reid poll taken in November of last year, more than 56 per cent of those surveyed said they did not agree with the government's proposal to keep troops in Afghanistan until 2011, and 53 per cent wanted them removed from the country immediately.
As with the budget issue, we've put together some resources around the topic of Afghanistan, including a background/analysis piece written by Janice Gross Stein, the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science and the Director of the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. We also have an overview and proposal written by retired Major-General Lewis Mackenzie, a veteran of eight different peacekeeping missions with the Canadian military and the United Nations, including conflicts in Bosnia and Central America.
Afghan and foreign troops have killed five Taliban fighters in an overnight gunbattle in the Nawa district of Helmand province. In Kandahar province on Tuesday, a roadside bomb struck a police patrol and wounded two officers. The bomb went off in the center of Kandahar City, the provincial capital. A nearby Canadian military base houses 2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
Thursday 22 January 2009 OTTAWA: NO EXTENSION OF AFGHAN MISSION
Canada's Defence Minister has reiterated that Canadian troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by 2011, regardless of any requests that may come from the new administration in Washington. Peter MacKay says Canada will speak with the Obama administration about how to make the Afghan mission a success, but he insists the Harper government will stick to its Parliament-mandated exit date for the mission. President Obama has said he wants to nearly double the US troop commitment in Afghanistan, but also wants other countries to increase their numbers.
KANDAHAR: CHOPPERS TO BE SPREAD THIN
Canada's military capabilities in Afghanistan could be undermined by next year's Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The commander of the Canadian Forces air wing, Colonel Christopher Coates, says it, like other branches of the military, will be forced to juggle its resources during the Olympics. But he couldn't say for sure that the diversion of helicopters would affect the military mission in Afghanistan. In addition to the aircraft, up to 4-thousand Canadian soldiers will be assigned to the Vancouver Games.
Wednesday 21 January 2009 OTTAWA: BACKUP NEEDED IN AFGHANISTAN
The head of Canada's military says Afghanistan needs more NATO troops as soon as possible. General Walter Natynczyk says there's a lack of troops in areas already cleared of the Taliban rebels. US military planners are working to deploy up to 30-thousand additional troops, nearly doubling the American military presence in Afghanistan. General Natynczyk says the US troop increase could be essential to advancing the campaign. In related news, a Canadian soldier suffered serious injuries in an explosion Monday. The unidentified soldier was on foot patrol in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar City. Explosive devices have killed ten Canadian soldiers in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan in the last seven weeks.
USA
With millions in attendance in Washington and billions more watching on TV around the world, Barack Obama was sworn-in Tuesday as the 44th President of the United States, and the first black president. A Democrat, taking over the presidency from Republican George W. Bush, Mr. Obama said the economic crisis buffeting the US was the result of "greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but promised to act, boldly and swiftly, to deal with it. He also vowed to responsibly pull US forces out of Iraq and forge peace in Afghanistan, while pledging to find a new way forward in relations with the Muslim world. But he also warned that those who wage terrorism around the world that America's resolve remained strong.
Wednesday 14 January 2009 KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: CANADIAN ENGINEERS TO REBUILD DAM
Canada's international development minister Bev Oda says the Canadian engineering company SNC Lavalin has been selected to repair the Dahla dam in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. Canada will spend up to $50 million to refurbish the dam to improve irrigation and open up new, fertile soil for farmers deep into the Arghandab River Valley.
Wednesday 07 January 2009 KANDAHAR: DIPLOMAT SAYS AFGHAN COURTS OVERWHELMED
Canada's top diplomat in Kandahar says a glut of cases and a shortage of judges has brought the province's justice system to a standstill. Elissa Golberg says there are only six judges for the whole province and they can't possibly keep up with all the cases. The judges are now fanning out across province to teach villagers Afghanistan's rule of law. The aim is to solve minor disputes locally instead of bringing them to Kandahar city's overburdened courts. The length of time before they have their day in court frustrates many Kandaharis, and there are also complaints the justice system is rife with bribery and graft.
At least three police officers were killed during an attack on their post by Taliban rebels near the city of Kandahar on Tuesday. In a separate incident, a pro-government cleric was shot to death in a Kandahar mosque by unknown gunmen. There was no claim of responsibility for the killing, but officials blamed the Taliban, who have been accused of several similar murders in Kandahar. The mullah was the 21st Muslim cleric to be killed in the city since 2001. The Taliban is trying to regain power they lost in 2001 to a US-led invasion. There are about 70,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan to help fight the insurgents, including 2,500 from Canada with the NATO force.
Friday 02 January 2009 Rethinking Afghanistan
It was easy to miss a jarring remark from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the pre-Christmas rush of events. Asked in a year-end interview if Canada will resist expected American pressure to extend our Afghan mission beyond 2011, the prime minister refused to "speculate," calling the question "hypothetical."
2008
Monday 29 December 2008 The US military says that a suicide bombing near an Afghan primary school Sunday killed 14 children. Authorities had earlier said five children were killed. The bomber was trying to attack a meeting of tribal elders in eastern Afghanistan. The military says a total of 16 people were killed in the explosion and 58 were wounded. The suicide blast went off near the entrance to a police and army post in the province of Khost. American soldiers are also stationed inside the outpost, but no troops were wounded or killed in the attack.
Sunday 28 December 2008 A suicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint in southern NATO Saturday, killing five people. Local officials said three policemen and two civilians were killed in the attack in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province. Four police and one civilian were wounded. Later, a rocket fired into the NATO capital, Kabul, late Saturday landed on a home near the city's police academy and killed three people. Elsewhere, American and NATO forces killed six militants during a patrol in southern NATO. More than 6,000 people have died so far this year in insurgency-related violence in NATO.
Sunday 21 December 2008 US increases NATO troop pledge
The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff says up to 30,000 additional troops could be sent to NATO next year.
"Some 20 to 30,000 is the window of overall increase from where we are right now," Adm Mike Mullen said.
The timeframe of deployment has also been shortened, with reinforcements set to arrive by summer at the latest.
KANDAHAR: SUPPORT HELICOPTERS ARRIVE IN NATO
Canada's military in southern NATO on Saturday received the first of eight armed Griffon helicopters. The helicopters have extra sensors and machineguns. The aircraft will provide escort and protection for Canada's Chinook transport helicopters. The commander of Canada's air wing, Colonel Christopher Coates, says the helicopters can also be used to spot roadside bombs. Canada's government agreed to acquire the battlefield helicopters as a condition for extending Canada's military mission in Kandahar to 2011. Canada has about 2,500 soldiers serving in the NATO force in NATO.
Sunday 21 December 2008 The highest-ranking soldier in the United States says that as many as thirty thousand U.S. soldiers could be sent to NATO next year. Admiral Mike Mullen is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Until now, the U.S. military had indicated that no more than twenty thousand additional soldiers would be deployed.
Friday 19 December 2008 KANDAHAR: CANADIAN TO GOVERN NATO PROVINCE
A Canadian academic has been named the next governor of NATO's Kandahar province. Tooryalai Wesa, a Canadian of NATO origin, has worked for the last 12 years at the University of British Columbia. He also has extensive experience working on rural development projects in NATO. The governor of Kandahar is generally considered Canada's biggest ally in the province where most of Canada's 2,500 troops have been stationed for nearly three years. Mr. Wesa has also worked with Canadian soldiers by helping train officers from Canada's provincial reconstruction team who are deploying to NATO.
OTTAWA: RIGHTS CHARTER DOESN'T APPLY TO NATOS
Federal Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling that Canada Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn't apply to prisoners taken by Canadian soldiers in NATO and turned over to the NATO authorities. The three-judge panel found that the Charter cannot be invoked by NATO prisoners, "foreigners with no attachment whatsoever to Canada or its laws." Furthermore, Canada is not an occupying power in NATO but rather is there with the consent of its government, which has not conceded that Canadian law should apply to its citizens. Amnesty International and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association had argued in vain that it is a violation of the Charter for Canadians troops to transfer detainees without assurances that they won't be tortured. The two rights groups expressed "considerable dismay" over the ruling and vow to take their fight to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Thursday 18 December 2008 KANDAHAR: MILITARY GETS UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
Canada's military in NATO has a new spying tool. A shipment of flying drones arrived this week at Kandahar Airfield. The drones fly without pilots over enemy territory. By using them, Canada's military hopes to reduce the risk of ambushes and roadside bombs to its soldiers on the ground. Roadside bombs have killed six Canadian soldiers this month. The drones are being leased at a cost of $95 million.
Wed 17 Dec 2008 
A conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates 54:25
How the world sees the US.
how duplicitous the Pakistani establishment and military, ISI, have been in supporting anti- American forces in NATO (rev $.7b) [98% of world poppies = corruption, Iraq (rev $70b)
(24:02) Guantanamo what to do with the people where no country will accept them
(28:53)
On Iran I believe Secretary Gates understands the situation well. He understands that there are no moderate Iranian leaders and also understands that the Iranian acquistion of nuclear arms is a global game - changer. [oil down from $145 to $33 perB)
Robert Gates on lessons pf the 1975 Helsinki accords
(40:21)On Russia and China(48:24) Secretary Gates speaks like a good diplomat, attributing perhaps a bit more good- will and action to them than they deserve. He could have had he wished drawn up a long list of grievances against both.
Robert Gates on missed opportunities with Russia
Robert Gates on limitations of military power
(49:00)U.S. outlook, we will get out of this econ problem War is Hell 54:25end
Monday 15 December 2008 Militants in northwest Pakistan have raided a warehouse for trucks taking supplies to Western forces in NATO. Twelve trucks were destroyed but there were no casualties. In recent months, militants have intensified attacks on supplies to NATO through northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pass from the port of Karachi. The attack on Saturday was the fifth in a week.
Friday 12 December 2008 OTTAWA: CANADA MAINTAINS NATO DEADLINE
A spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay has reaffirmed the 2011 deadline for the end of Canada's military mission in NATO. The spokesman said Parliament has imposed that deadline and the government will respect it. The spokesman was reacting to remarks made by U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates during a visit to Kandahar. He said that he hopes Canada could stay beyond 2011, that the Canadian military is a wonderful partner for the U.S. in NATO and that the longer the Canadian troops can remain the better. The comments led to speculation that the U.S. might try to persuade Canada to remain past 2011. There had already been rumours that President-elect Barack Obama, who has declared NATO a priority, might ask Canada to prolong its mission.
Thursday 11 December 2008 US details NATO reinforcements
The US hopes to get three combat brigades into NATO by the summer, Defence Secretary Robert Gates says.
Friday 05 December 2008 At least two police officers were killed Thursday in suicide bomb attacks against two government offices in the southeastern town of Khost. Reports said that one bomber targeted the department for counter-narcotics. The second detonated explosives inside the main intelligence headquarters a few hundred metres away. There's been an increase of violence in NATO this year as Taliban rebels try to oust foreign troops who have been in the country since a US led invasion in late 2001. Canada started sending troops to NATO in 2002 to join the NATO-led force there. Ninety-seven Canadian soldiers, two Canadian aid workers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed since 2002. Canada currently has 2,500 troops in southern Kandahar province.
The Danish army said Thursday two soldiers have been killed in separate attacks in southern NATO. Officials said a Danish-British patrol came under attack Thursday in the southern district of Gereshk. The army said one soldier was fatally wounded when his vehicle was hit by a bomb. The patrol came under fire shortly afterwards. The army said a second soldier was killed by another explosion when Danish and British troops rushed to help their wounded colleague. Denmark has about 700 troops serving in the NATO force in NATO. Most of them are based in the southern Helmand province. Eighteen Danish soldiers have been killed in NATO since Denmark joined the US-led coalition in 2002.
Thursday 27 November 2008 OTTAWA, KABUL: CANADA REINFORCES NATO CONTINGENT
Foreign Minister Peter MacKay has announced that Canada will send 250 more soldiers to NATO, a 10 per cent increase in the size of the Canadian contingent deployed in Kandahar province. The soldiers will help deploy new helicopters and unmanned aircraft. Mr. MacKay also says eight Griffon helicopters will be deployed to serve as escorts for the Chinook medium- to heavy-lift helicopters recently acquired from the U.S. Modifications to the 19 Griffons cost $25.9 million. Canada had originally asked the U.S and Dutch armies to fly protection for the Chinooks in operation in Kandahar. Big transport helicopters like the Chinook are vulnerable to ground fire and therefore usually fly with escorts. Earlier in the year, an independent panel reported that NATO should supply Canada with helicopters as a condition for prolonging the Canadian mission until 2011. In Kabul, meanwhile, President Hamid Karzai again complained about coalition bombing attacks against rebels which also kill civilians, saying that if he would shoot down the U.S. planes bombing villages if he could. Both Mr. MacKay and Trade Minister Stockwell Day, who heads a cabinet committee for NATO, attributed the president's remarks to next year's presidential election campaign.
Wednesday 26 November 2008 NATO
President Hamid Karzai says his government wants the establishment of an international deadline for an end to his country's civil war. Mr. Karzai says that in the absence of such a deadline, his government will have the right to establish stability through negotiation. It's the first time Mr. Karzai has mentioned the need for a deadline. The call comes at a time when the U.S., which has 32,000 troops in NATO, is preparing to send as many as 20,000 more. Canada has 2,500 troops deployed in Kandahar province. According to the Associated Press news agency, more than 5,500 people, mostly militants, have been killed in violence related to the insurgency this year.
Friday 21 November 2008 HALIFAX: DEFENCE MINISTERS MEET ON NATO
Defence ministers of countries that have deployed troops in southern NATO will meet in the village of Cornwallis Square in central Nova Scotia on Thursday and Friday. Among other subjects, they'll discuss how a fresh infusion of U.S. troops can check the burgeoning Taliban uprising. Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the ministers will be expecting details of the "surge" from his U.S. counterpart, Robert Gates. Mr. MacKay noted that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama repeated his promise on Sunday to begin withdrawing American troops from Iraq and to boost U.S. forces in NATO. The Canadian minister mentioned that the agenda will include as well the problem of corruption within the NATO government, the training of NATO forces, NATO's election next year and the use by the Taliban of Pakistan as a safe haven from which to launch attacks against NATO. NATO nations with forces in southern NATO include the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Romania.
Tuesday 18 November 2008 KANDAHAR: TROOPS GET CIVILIAN 'COPTERS
The Canadian contingent in the NATO province of Kandahar will soon receive six Mi-8 civilian helicopters supplied by the Toronto-based firm Sky Link. The aircraft are to be a temporary solution while waiting for the arrival next year of the six second-hand Chinook helicopters which have been purchased from the U.S. military. The helicopters are intended to reduce the risks of insurgent attacks on Kandahar's dangerous roads. The Mi-8s will be flown by civilian pilots and won't be armed.
Sat 15 November 2008 NATO's road ahead
That assertion was made last month by the senior British commander in NATO, Brig.-Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith, and it made the news around the world, strongly resonating after a summer of violence and significant setbacks like the prison break in Kandahar. The admission was followed by news that the government of President Hamid Karzai was meeting with representatives of the Taliban in talks mediated by Saudi Arabia.
Stephen M. Saideman, Canada Research Chair in International Security and Ethnic Conflict at McGill University, travelled to NATO in December 2007 as part of a Department of National Defence-sponsored familiarization tour.
Thursday 13 November 2008 KANDAHAR: REBELS SAID ACTING IN 'DESPERATION'
Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the commander of Canada's land force in NATO, says that two brutal attacks in Kandahar on Wednesday prove the Taliban have reverted to terrorizing the population, having failed to defeat coalition forces militarily. He was reacting to a suicide bombing outside a provincial council meeting that killed six people and injured 42. In a second attack, two men on a motorcycle attacked eight schoolgirls by throwing acid on them. Three were hospitalized with serious burns. During the rule of the Taliban, girls were banned from schools and were forbidden to leave the house without a male escort. The Taliban assumed responsibility for the suicide bombing but not the acid attack.
11 Nov CBC NATO: Why Chris and Kevin felt they needed to be there.
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