Awaiting the massed protests

140 teachers and school girls poisoned, not the first time either.

Taliban issues death threats to teachers because of a ban on motorcycles.

The silence from the left and  the moderate Muslims is deafening. Unless of course you are talking about dead bodies and the US.

Meanwhile attempts to engage the Taliban in peace talks are not going so well.

I await the massed protests

So the Muslim world protests loudly about cartoons allegedly showing the Prophet (the fact that no one knows what the Prophet looks like is not important), they protest at the slightest hint of insult by the West. So I await their massed protest where the Taliban kill people by bombing a mosque, seems a holy place is not so holy when you need to kill someone.

 A suicide bomber killed six Afghans, including a district police chief, in an attack at a mosque in the eastern province of Kunar, a known haven for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosive-packed vest as worshippers were leaving the mosque in the district of Ghaziabad.

"The attacker detonated his explosives in the mosque, killing the district police chief, an intelligence officer, two police and two civilians," Kunar's governor told AFP.

The attack is the second suicide bombing at a mosque in Afghanistan this week. On Dec. 6, a suicide bomber killed 54 Afghans at a mosque in Kabul. The Afghans were Shia who were celebrating Ashura. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi, a Pakistan-based terror group allied with the Taliban and al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban have carried out numerous attacks at mosques in the past, including the assassination of Kunduz's governor in the province of Takhar on Oct. 8, 2010, and more recently, a suicide bombing that killed seven people, including a local police commander, in an attack at a mosque in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan on Nov. 6.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/12/suicide_bomber_kills_62.php#ixzz1hIDjDWwg

Remembrance

Many of us have our own reasons to remember Nov 11th. Most Canadians have a parent, Uncle or other relative that died in WWI, II and Korea. Now a new generation knows all to well what the term "sacrifice" really means and have to remember the recent loss of a son, daughter, father, uncle or other in Afghanistan. A thank you to the survivors of those who fell in our recent conflicts and to those that may reluctantly join their ranks.

Now a memorial thought to 2 different soldiers, from two different generation, linked by a common thread. Both survived, one just and the other almost unscathed.

Smokey Smith

   

Ernest Alvia 'Smokey' Smith, was born in New Westminster, B.C. in 1914 and educated in elementary and technical schools there. He left his work with a contracting firm to enlist in the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in March 1940, joining the regiment overseas a few months later. He was a private when he won the Victoria Cross at the Savio River in Italy on Oct. 21-22, 1944.

The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada were the spearhead of the attack across the river, which torrential rain had caused to rise six feet in five hours, making it impossible to get tanks and anti-tank guns across to support the rifle companies.

The right forward company was suddenly counter-attacked by three Panzer tanks, supported by self-propelled guns and some 30 infantry. Private Smith led his PIAT(projector, infantry, anti-tank) group of two men across an open field and left one man on the weapon. Crossing the road, Private Smith obtained another PIAT. An enemy tank attacked and wounded the man on the first PIAT. Smith fired his own and put the tank out of action. German infantry jumped from the tank and attacked him but Smith drove them back with his tommy gun. Obtaining more tommy magazines which had been abandoned in a ditch, Private Smith steadfastly held his position, and later gave aid to his wounded comrade.


"No further immediate attack developed and as a result, the battalion was able to consolidate the bridgehead position so vital to the success of the whole operation, which led to the eventual capture of San Giorgio Di Cesena and a further advance to the Ronco River," reads the citation in part.


'Smokey' Smith left the army for a short time after the war, but rejoined and served until August 1964, when he was released with the rank of sergeant. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/smokysmith

I was fortunate enough to meet Smokey a couple of times while visiting the Seaforth mess, He was a soldiers soldier. He certainly was not perfect, apparently he had to be "arrested" and escorted to London by two Military Policemen to ensure he showed up sober in front of the Queen! He was remembered as a bit gruff, but kind to the common soldier. He certainly was not the "perfect hero" but he was heroic when it counted and for that he will be honoured for many generations to come.

Captain Charles Trevor Greene

Greene deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 as a Civilian-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) officer, volunteering from his home unit of the Seaforth Highlanders.

On March 6, 2006, his platoon, composed of members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, 1st Battalion, Alpha Company, visited the village of Shinkay in the Shinkay District, to talk with the village elders about access to clean water and other basic needs under Canada's area of responsibility. After the soldiers removed their helmets, a common practice and show of respect, Abdul Kareem (or Abdullah Karim), a sixteen-year old boy, almost split Greene's brain in half by hitting him with an axe. Kareem tried to hit again but was instantly shot and killed by other members of the platoon. The platoon then came under heavy fire while waiting for a US Army medical evacuation helicopter.Greene received care on the helicopter, and medic Gary Adams was able to unblock his airway. Greene was transported to the then Canadian-led hospital at Kandahar Air Field where he was stabilized.

He was later evacuated to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany from which he was transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest US Army medical facility outside the continental United States.There, he underwent further surgery to allow his brain to swell without causing further damages. 

Shortly after being stabilized, Trevor Greene was transferred from Landstuhl to the Vancouver General Hospital, where doctors initially thought he would never come out of his coma.Greene underwent two bilateral cranioplasties, with the second one successfully repairing his skull. He was also subject to physiotherapy sessions, which were lacking results at first. Greene was then released from the hospital and was transferred to a private-care rehabilitation center in Langley, BC. On April 30, Trevor Greene started speech therapy sessions.^[16]

In July 2007, Greene was admitted to the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alberta, for long-term care and rehabilitation. At that stage, he had made slow but significant progress, and was able to open and close his hands, among other things.

In December 2007, Canadian Forces engineers installed a lift at Lepore's residence in Alberta, which allowed Trevor to come home for Christmas and on week-ends.Around the same time, they also received a wheelchair accessible van from the then-new Military Casualty Support Foundation.

In September 2008, Greene moved to Nanaimo, BC, with his wife and daughter, after spending 14 months at the Alberta facility. As of 2010, Trevor Greene is now able to stand, but still cannot walk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Greene

I never had the pleasure of meeting Capt Greene, he is a different kind of hero than Smokey, Greene like the other Canadians that volunteered to go to Afghanistan had a pretty good idea of the risks they would be taking, but they went anyways. I can't speak for his time there before he was hit by an axe, but his heroism started then, the slow painful climb back to self sufficiency requires a different kind of courage, His struggle reminds us of all those who did not come back whole and must suffer the disability and the accompanying demon war leaves on the soul.

These are just two examples of what we will be remembering tomorrow, go, mourn, remember and then celebrate those who will not return, those that have returned, those that still suffer and finally those that still face the risks in a combat zone far away.  

Afghanistan, Helmet Cam

Some serious and little not so serious footage from Afghanistan. There is some soldier language, so mind the volume around kids and the office.

Saffron or opium?

I have been following this for awhile, saffron is a viable alternative because it competes with the profit margin of opium, it's also labour intensive and does not require a large robust transportation system. According to one source I know, most of the top quality Saffron comes from Spain, the rest is a blend of different crops. I certainly hope this works out for the Afghans.

Farmers’ fields outside the western Afghanistan city of Herat are about to blossom into a purple form of gold.
Once rife with poppy, the lucrative spring crop used to produce heroin, these plots are now seeded with saffron flowers. They yield the burnt orange granules that trade as the most expensive spice in the world. At its highest quality, saffron sells for between $2,000 and $4,000 per kilogram in global markets, enticing farmers to switch their allegiance from opium, which sells as little as a tenth as much.

read the rest at "Globe and mail"

How I wish it was true

Some reports are floating around that Mullah Omar is dead, as I mentioned in my post "No Remorse" I would like to see him dead, mainly as I think it will open the door to more negotiations and hopefully a political end to the fighting in Afghanistan. Mullah Omar and his senior advisers are the reason why any negotiations have not moved ahead, he knows the current government will never relent to his demands or negotiate with him, so why allow others to do so. I have no doubt that many of the Taliban foot soldiers and their low level commanders would like to settle on some agreement that would allow them enough face to put away their weapons, but they dare not express those views or take part lest the senior leadership gets wind of it.
An alternative possibility is that Omar was being moved in secret so he would not suffer from any backlash caused by the recent attack on the naval base. The attack will not help relations between the Pakistani military and the Taliban. after OBL getting whacked, you can bet senior leaders in the Taliban are nervous about who they can trust.
I like the fact that the Taliban are nervous, sowing mistrust in your enemy ranks is a good thing and another benefit of the attack on OBL.

Silent walls

The city of Farah in Western Afghanistan has seen it's fair share of invaders and cultures, in the centre of the city resides a massive citadel. some believe it was made by Alexander the Great, other think it's newer than that. Likely both are right, I suspect a proper dig will find build upon build as it was common for a new culture/invader/ruler to build on the fortifications of the previous occupant and often terrain dictates the logical defense positions. Regardless of who built it, it's truly impressive. The picture used here is from Robert Lankenau photo album and is worth a visit.

Another astounding view can be seen at Micheal Yons Gigapan account, well worth the visit. gigapan

Here is the citadel on Google maps

View Larger Map

The real enemy in Afghanistan is illiteracy

Via Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee

It has always been clear to me that Afghanistan is a generational war, to win we must educate a new generation. Normal education is the biggest threat to the Taliban, hence their destruction of schools, murders of teachers, threats to parents and throwing acid onto schoolgirls. Regardless of what you think of the war, the increased number of people that have been able to go to school and the increase in the number of infants that survive their first year is impressive. We have done far more good there than bad. The question is; "Will we setup the conditions for the Afghans to succeed before we leave?" for that I don't have the answer.


Please visit http://www.cw4wafghan.ca/

Defiance

Although this picture was taken in Pakistan, it truly sums up what the war in Afghanistan is all about. The Taliban and their allies understand what school and education represents to their vision of the region and to their power. Which is why they blow up schools, kill teachers, beat parents and throw acid on to the faces of school children.

These girls have a courage most of us can not fathom. Every step forward is another step away from the darkness, no matter how small that step. If these girls learn to read and write, thier lives will improve and the chances of their children getting and education increases as well.

Afghan air guitar

Some good air guitar in this video, along with great editing. Soliders haming it up has been a great way to burn off the stress and build good memories.

Road work Afghan style

Never a dull day being a Combat Engineer in Afghanistan. It’s tedious and demanding work. The Engineers have to be right every time, the Taliban only have to be right once to succeed.

via Castle Arrggh

From UBC to Kabul

I have always said the real war in Afghanistan will be fought in and for the classroom. Education is toxic to the Taliban beliefs. A interesting series of articles on a visit to Kabual and Kandahar to visit schools partly funded by Canadians.


An Afghan girl must be strong to reach for a book instead of a broom.

She will suffer for wanting to learn.

Dare to walk to school here in the Taliban heartland and a girl must endure the cruel taunts of neighbours. Not wild-eyed terrorists, just ordinary folk who think a young lady’s proper place is hidden in the home.

They question her morals, call her venomous names, do all they can to make life difficult for the whole family.

When the Talibs punish aspiring females, the pain is much worse. Sometimes insurgents throw acid to burn schoolgirls’ faces. They poison classes with noxious gas. Gunmen shoot students and their teachers in cold blood.

In one of their latest attacks on education, insurgents murdered Kandahar province’s deputy director for literacy, Ustad Abdullah, with a burst of AK-47 fire as he walked to the mosque for morning prayers on Nov. 4.

The whole series here, worth the read.

The Kopp-Etchells Effect by Michael Yon

17 August 2009
Sangin, Afghanistan

The roads are so littered with enemy bombs that nearly all transport and resupply to this base occurs by helicopter. The pilots roar through the darkness, swoop into small bases nestled in the saddle of enemy territory, and quickly rumble off into the night.

A witness must spend only a short time in the darkness to know we are at war. Flares arc into the night, or mortar illumination rounds drift and swing under parachutes, orange and eerily in the distance, casting long, flickering but sharply defined shadows. The worst that can happen is that you will be caught in an open field, covered by nothing and concealed only by darkness, when the illumination suddenly bathes you in light. Best is to stay low and freeze and prepare to fire, or in the case of a writer, to stay low and freeze and prepare to watch the firing.

Explosions from unknown causes rumble through the cool nights while above drifts the Milky Way, punctuated by more shooting stars than one can remember. The Afghanistan nights will grant a wish to wish upon a shooting star. And while waiting for the next meteor, the eyes are likely to catch tracer bullets.

Read more here, really it's worth it.

“Light Infantry”

If someone tells you light Infantry is the way to go, just look at this picture.


Via Castle Arrgghh!!!

Another day, another firefight

Us armchair types can talk all we want, but the end of the day it is the job of the Infantry to take ground. It’s up to the politicians in Afghanistan and the West to hold it for the long term. It’s called “will to win”. the soldiers have it, do the politicians?

lest we forget

Lest we forget, those who have gone before and do not neglect those that came back in who or in part.

WWI


WWII


Korea
Medak Pocket

Afghanistan

Snake tunnels in Taliban Territory

I certainly don’t agree with everything this person writes, their glee at the Taliban success against the “Imperial US” is rather sickening, when you realize what that “Success” means to the people of Afghanistan and particularly the woman and children and their future. However the subject matter of tunnelling and caves in Afghanistan is fascinating enough to tunnel past the author’s bias.

Nevertheless, as a military fossil, Afghanistan is an epic imprint of human history’s ongoing engagement with the densest contours of the terrestrial, where ancient culture has been embedded in the geologic timescales of conflict space for centuries. The country’s story could probably be entirely retold in the evolutionary compressions and picture carvings of its vast mineral deposits alone. If Afghanistan were a book, its pages would be composed of ancient lithic space, there would be chapters on mythological caves, karezi canals and the more egregious military archeology of centuries worth of warfare. Dust-bound stories captured in the petrified pages of Asian history, cultural memories scrawled in open a closed fissures; a complete archive of Afghanistan’s struggles with itself and its neighbors stacked upon one another in alternating layers of sediment violence and mineralized calm.

Pictures and more here

I await the riots from the Muslim world as another mosque is desecrated……

Governor Muhammad Omar was killed while worshiping during Friday prayers at the Spinghar mosque in Taluqan, the provincial capital of Takhar province, Pajwhok Afghan News reported. Omar regularly attended Friday prayers at the Spinghar mosque. The Taliban are thought to have planted the bomb in the mosque prior to the service, and detonated it during prayers. Among those also killed in the blast was the prayer leader of the mosque.

Read more: www.longwarjournal.org

Afghanistan in Pictures

U.S. Marines help as a young girl is carried by her father to a Medevac helicopter September 18, 2010 near Marja, Afghanistan. The girl suffered wounds to her face and legs after being struck by shrapnel from an RPG that was fired at Marines patrolling in her village.


Singer and activist Farhad Darya reaches out to women as he performs at a concert during a peace day event on September 21, 2010 in Mazar-e-Sharif,


A French soldier from the 1st Regiment Marines Infantry (RIMA) fires an anti-tank grenade from an assault rifle FAMAS


Maliha Ahmadzia, a 25 year-old law and political science student at Mawlana University in Balkh province, who is running for parliament poses for a photo.


Excellent photographs of the ISAF in action and of the people of Afghanistan.
Courtesy of Boston.com

Afghan Polls Close

Cautiously optimistic news, the more chances the Afghans have of influencing their future and getting an education, the less they will tolerate radical nutbars like the Taliban. If you are feeling war weary, get used to it, fighting groups like the Taliban requires a lot of time, because you need to change the conditions on the ground which these groups flourish in. The Taliban have long recognized that education and any form of democracy is poison for them, hence their targeting of schools, Tribal elders and government officials.


Afghans cast their ballots for a new parliament Saturday, despite rocket and bomb attacks during elections seen as a key test of the government's fight against the Taliban and corruption. As the polls officially closed, the Interior Ministry said at least 11 civilians and three policeman were killed and dozens more injured.

Afghans across much of the country voted Saturday in the face of Taliban threats and scattered acts of violence that marred - but did not seriously disrupt - the parliamentary election.

Read more at VANews.com, link courtesy of Michael Yon