The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread July 2008
News only - commentary elsewhere, please.
Thanks for helping this "news only" thread system work!
Articles found July 1, 2008
Grey Cup arrives in Afghanistan
Doug Schmidt, Canwest News Service Published: Monday, June 30, 2008
Article Link
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Canadian Forces Capt. Ryan Matthies stood back in disbelief, seemingly trying to comprehend what he had just done.
"Dude . . . I just touched the cup!" the soldier said, staring at his hands.
When it was the turn for fellow officer Capt. Kent Judiesch to approach the venerable Grey Cup, he balked and remained at a respectful distance.
"It's holy, I can't get any closer," said Judiesch.
The iconic Grey Cup is making its first visit to the troops in Kandahar for this year's Canada Day celebrations.
Matthies and Judiesch weren't the only football fanatics who got up close and personal with the holy grail of the CFL when it was unpacked Monday night local time at Canada House. But the pair had special reason to rejoice - both are Saskatchewan natives and lifelong fans of the Roughriders, the defending Grey Cup champs.
Both were children, but claim to remember, the most previous time the "green and white" brought home the trophy in 1989.
"This brings tears to my eyes," Roughrider legend and CFL hall of famer Roger Aldag, a beefy veteran offensive guard who owns a Grey Cup ring from that 1989 game, said of the manly display of affection.
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Why Gen. Hillier was so loved by his troops
George Petrolekas, Citizen Special Published: Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Article Link
He was our own JFK; a man who stirred our emotions and hopes like no other CDS before him.
While many pundits have sought to define the tenure of departing Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier, in the oblique forms of masterminding our Afghanistan role or the re-equipment of the Canadian Forces, such opinions miss the essence of the man. And while those are things he certainly had a hand in, his tenure is better marked by the words of soldiers who wistfully mark his passage with regret that their greatest champion has left.
I first became close to the general as he prepared to take over the NATO mission in Kabul. At the time, I was acting as his point man for the Canadian team of officers and soldiers that would dominate the NATO mission in 2004. The first day he met his international staff, he disdained the norms and, instead of lecturing, he launched into a two-way dialogue with every single person regardless of national provenance and linguistic ability. Quite something in a span of three hours with more than 300 people in the room. But magically, he was able to do so and thus made everyone feel important and a part of what they were about to embark on.
More on link
NATO, Pakistan troops eliminate several militants along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-01 12:54:43
Article Link
KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in coordination with the Pakistan military killed several insurgents along the Afghanistan border on Tuesday, said an ISAF statement.
An ISAF outpost based in the Spera district of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province was attacked by rebel's rockets, the statement said.
The ISAF, according to the statement, responded with mortar, artillery fire and close air support, killing several militants.
The fleeing militants crossed into Pakistan where ISAF forces thus coordinated with the Pakistan border force firing artillery on the retreating insurgents inside Pakistan, it said.
There were no non-combatant casualties on ISAF or Pakistan forces reported, it added.
Attacks on international troops are on the rise during past weeks spreading from the south to the east, while Taliban militants continue to demonstrate their strength through suicide and roadside bombings.
More on link
Pakistan: Negligent on Terror?
Monday, Jun. 30, 2008 By ARYN BAKER/ISLAMABAD
Article Link
It's almost like a bad joke. A bus driver, a ski lift operator and a gym rat have turned the Islamic world's only nuclear-armed nation upside down. On Saturday Pakistani forces chased militants led by former bus driver Mangal Bagh from the fringes of Peshawar, a provincial capital 30 miles from the border with Afghanistan and a key transit point for vital supplies destined for U.S. and NATO forces fighting the Afghan insurgency. In Swat, a one-time tourist haven 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad, militants set five schoolgirls on fire, torched a primary school and burned down the country's only ski resort. Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the local Taliban chapter, used to work the chairlift. Last year he nearly brought the Pakistani military to its knees in brutal fighting that turned "little Switzerland" into something resembling Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The government sued for peace. Fazlullah agreed, on the condition that he be able to implement Islamic law in the area. Meanwhile, in Waziristan, followers of Baitullah Mehsud, the physical trainer turned assassin have slaughtered at least 22 peace negotiators who arrived on behalf of the government seeking to cement a ceasefire accord. Both the CIA and Pakistan's intelligence agencies say he is behind the attack that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December. Three years ago no one had even heard of these men. What happened?
More on link
Officials: Hunt For Al Qaeda Ineffective
U.S. Lacks A Real Strategy To Battle Al Qaeda In Pakistan, Experts And Officials Say
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2008
Article Link
(CBS) Despite billions of dollars spent and more than 500 U.S. soldiers having been killed in Afghanistan in the hunt for al Qaeda, there's increasing evidence that the terror group is making a comeback just across the border in Pakistan's lawless tribal territories, where the Pakistani government has little or no control.
Pakistan's latest attempt to oust al Qaeda and the Taliban from their safe havens in the frontier area has been, according to U.S. officials, ineffective.
Pentagon consultant Seth Jones of Rand Corp. says it's not even close to what's needed, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
One militant leader was actually tipped off to the coming offensive by sympathizers within the Pakistani military.
“What's needed in the tribal area is a much longer approach, clearing territory and holding it,” Jones said.
This offensive is focused in the area of the Khyber Pass, where the Taliban publicly execute suspected American spies and mount cross-border raids into Afghanistan, Martin reports.
“The command-and-control structure of every major insurgent group is in the Pakistani side of the border,” Jones said. “So this is critical to success in Afghanistan.”
In June, more American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
“It's reasonable to argue that the situation is far worse today than it was four or five years ago,” said CBS News homeland security consultant Paul Kurtz.
That goes not only for Afghanistan, but also for the U.S. “The most likely area that's going to be linked to an attack in the United States is coming from this area,” Jones said.
More on link
Afghanistan troop deaths outnumber those in IraqAngela Balakrishnan and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday July 1, 2008
Article Link
Militants in Afghanistan killed more US and Nato troops than those in Iraq in June after a fresh spate of rebel attacks that highlighted the growing strength of the Taliban.
A count by Associated Press (AP) found that at least 45 international troops, including 27 from the US and 13 British, died in Afghanistan last month, compared with 31 international soldiers killed in Iraq, of whom 29 were from the US.
It was the second consecutive month that more troops were killed in Afghanistan, where international forces suffered their deadliest month since the 2001 US-led invasion.
The figures follow a report by the Pentagon last week that forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase the rate of attacks along the Pakistan border where US troops operate. Attacks are already up by 40% this year from 2007.
Fighting between militants and international troops is intensifying in the southern half of Afghanistan. AP's tally places the total death toll at 2,100 in the past six months.
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Deadly blast destroys Pakistan militant's house
Article Link
PAR QAMBARKHEL, Pakistan (AFP) — An explosion killed six people at a Pakistani militant's house Monday on the third day of a government offensive, as a US official arrived in Islamabad for counter-terrorism talks.
Militant chief Haji Namdar, who survived the blast in the northwestern Khyber tribal district, and a security official said the house was destroyed by military action but the government said troops were not involved.
Pakistan, which is under growing Western pressure over its efforts to negotiate with Taliban militants, launched an operation in Khyber on Saturday and says it has saved the northwestern city of Peshawar from rebel advances.
Richard Boucher, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, flew into in Islamabad on Monday for talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other senior officials.
Gilani told Boucher that Pakistan was following a policy of dialogue with hardline elements who have laid down their arms and joined mainstream politics.
"We will however never negotiate with militants nor allow foreigners to use our soil against another country," a government statement quoted Gilani as saying.
More on link
Mystery blast kills 8 at Pakistan militant base
By RIAZ KHAN – 20 hours ago
Article Link
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — An explosion wrecked a militant compound Monday, killing as many as eight people while Pakistani paramilitary forces pushed deeper into a border region where extremists threaten the city of Peshawar and a key supply line for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Pro-Taliban Militants targeted by the offensive in the Khyber tribal area claimed a missile was fired from nearby Afghanistan, but a Pentagon official said he knew of no cross-border attack and a Pakistani officer said stored explosives blew up.
The nighttime blast, which buried bodies in piles of shattered masonry and mud bricks, came at the start of the third day of an offensive by Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps.
Troops faced no resistance Monday and were able to occupy key hilltops and re-establish checkpoints that had been abandoned by tribal police, said a senior Frontier Corps officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to journalists.
He said troops in the Bara area, which starts on the outskirts of Peshawar, advanced in the direction of the remote Teerah valley. But it remained unclear if the Frontier Corps planned to push into the valley, where militants are thought to have fled.
So far, the Frontier Corps reported destroying several militant posts, including a radio station and alleged torture cells, but claimed to have killed just one insurgent.
The Interior Ministry said the operation was launched to protect Peshawar from "law breakers and militant groups" and would continue until "all the objectives are achieved." It has outlawed three armed Islamic groups operating in the region.
More on link
It's never as simple as a 3:31 piece on The National
Article Link
Brian Stewart did a piece a few nights ago on accountability for "night raids" in Afghanistan by Canadian and allied special forces, and I've been meaning to write something about it ever since.
Stewart and Mansbridge ask a lot of questions, but don't provide many good answers. But that certainly doesn't stop them from making insinuations and giving inaccurate impressions to their viewers.
For starters, look at Mansbridge's introduction to the segment:
Canadians are told their soldiers are rebuilding Afghanistan, fighting to defend the lives of the Afghan people. But elite Canadian soldiers are also carrying out secret military raids, raids which have resulted in the deaths of Afghan civilians. The United Nations is demanding answers. But the Canadian military is neither talking nor offering any accountability...
There's so much spin packed into so few words, it's going to take some effort to unpack it. Stay with me, here.
First off, Canadian soldiers are rebuilding Afghanistan, and they are defending the lives of ordinary Afghans. Yet the CBC questions it, by prefacing their statement with "Canadians are told..."
More on link
Crowd to send big thanks to the troops
By LAURA FRASER Cape Breton Bureau Tue. Jul 1 - 4:32 AM
Article Link
Long before the fireworks begin, a group of Cape Bretoners will look up at the sky together, dressed in the brightest of red and flashing the whitest of smiles.
Organizers of Canada Day events in Dominion are hoping people will come from across the island and fill Hawks Ball Field this evening as a plane flies over and a photo is snapped to send to troops overseas.
After the photo is taken, the rhythmic drone of a Forces helicopter will fill the air with the same noise heard by those serving in Afghanistan.
"Every 50 years, you get an idea, and this was mine," organizer Michael McNeil joked, then turned serious. "We’re looking to send a nice strong message, if nothing else, to the soldiers that are over there, so they know we’re thinking of them."
Mr. McNeil said that although the event is being held in Dominion, he’s asking people to come from all over Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
"We’re just trying to get people out and waving some flags. And if, by some chance, we knock on the door of the Guinness Book of World Records, great. But if not, we still get the message across to our troops."
Mr. McNeil said he doesn’t have a personal connection to anyone overseas but he thinks about the hardships met by the soldiers.
"The message I’d like to send to them is: ‘Come on home — all of you,’ " he said. "I know they’re fighting for a cause, but the sooner we get our boys back home — especially all in one piece — and this conflict’s over, the better it’s going to be."
Local photographer Jason Turnbull will be going up in a plane at about 6:30 p.m. to take the photo, which will be sent overseas in a package, along with more than 200 cards collected from MacDonald Elementary School students.
More on link
News only - commentary elsewhere, please.
Thanks for helping this "news only" thread system work!
Articles found July 1, 2008
Grey Cup arrives in Afghanistan
Doug Schmidt, Canwest News Service Published: Monday, June 30, 2008
Article Link
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Canadian Forces Capt. Ryan Matthies stood back in disbelief, seemingly trying to comprehend what he had just done.
"Dude . . . I just touched the cup!" the soldier said, staring at his hands.
When it was the turn for fellow officer Capt. Kent Judiesch to approach the venerable Grey Cup, he balked and remained at a respectful distance.
"It's holy, I can't get any closer," said Judiesch.
The iconic Grey Cup is making its first visit to the troops in Kandahar for this year's Canada Day celebrations.
Matthies and Judiesch weren't the only football fanatics who got up close and personal with the holy grail of the CFL when it was unpacked Monday night local time at Canada House. But the pair had special reason to rejoice - both are Saskatchewan natives and lifelong fans of the Roughriders, the defending Grey Cup champs.
Both were children, but claim to remember, the most previous time the "green and white" brought home the trophy in 1989.
"This brings tears to my eyes," Roughrider legend and CFL hall of famer Roger Aldag, a beefy veteran offensive guard who owns a Grey Cup ring from that 1989 game, said of the manly display of affection.
More on link
Why Gen. Hillier was so loved by his troops
George Petrolekas, Citizen Special Published: Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Article Link
He was our own JFK; a man who stirred our emotions and hopes like no other CDS before him.
While many pundits have sought to define the tenure of departing Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier, in the oblique forms of masterminding our Afghanistan role or the re-equipment of the Canadian Forces, such opinions miss the essence of the man. And while those are things he certainly had a hand in, his tenure is better marked by the words of soldiers who wistfully mark his passage with regret that their greatest champion has left.
I first became close to the general as he prepared to take over the NATO mission in Kabul. At the time, I was acting as his point man for the Canadian team of officers and soldiers that would dominate the NATO mission in 2004. The first day he met his international staff, he disdained the norms and, instead of lecturing, he launched into a two-way dialogue with every single person regardless of national provenance and linguistic ability. Quite something in a span of three hours with more than 300 people in the room. But magically, he was able to do so and thus made everyone feel important and a part of what they were about to embark on.
More on link
NATO, Pakistan troops eliminate several militants along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-01 12:54:43
Article Link
KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in coordination with the Pakistan military killed several insurgents along the Afghanistan border on Tuesday, said an ISAF statement.
An ISAF outpost based in the Spera district of eastern Afghanistan's Khost province was attacked by rebel's rockets, the statement said.
The ISAF, according to the statement, responded with mortar, artillery fire and close air support, killing several militants.
The fleeing militants crossed into Pakistan where ISAF forces thus coordinated with the Pakistan border force firing artillery on the retreating insurgents inside Pakistan, it said.
There were no non-combatant casualties on ISAF or Pakistan forces reported, it added.
Attacks on international troops are on the rise during past weeks spreading from the south to the east, while Taliban militants continue to demonstrate their strength through suicide and roadside bombings.
More on link
Pakistan: Negligent on Terror?
Monday, Jun. 30, 2008 By ARYN BAKER/ISLAMABAD
Article Link
It's almost like a bad joke. A bus driver, a ski lift operator and a gym rat have turned the Islamic world's only nuclear-armed nation upside down. On Saturday Pakistani forces chased militants led by former bus driver Mangal Bagh from the fringes of Peshawar, a provincial capital 30 miles from the border with Afghanistan and a key transit point for vital supplies destined for U.S. and NATO forces fighting the Afghan insurgency. In Swat, a one-time tourist haven 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad, militants set five schoolgirls on fire, torched a primary school and burned down the country's only ski resort. Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the local Taliban chapter, used to work the chairlift. Last year he nearly brought the Pakistani military to its knees in brutal fighting that turned "little Switzerland" into something resembling Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The government sued for peace. Fazlullah agreed, on the condition that he be able to implement Islamic law in the area. Meanwhile, in Waziristan, followers of Baitullah Mehsud, the physical trainer turned assassin have slaughtered at least 22 peace negotiators who arrived on behalf of the government seeking to cement a ceasefire accord. Both the CIA and Pakistan's intelligence agencies say he is behind the attack that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December. Three years ago no one had even heard of these men. What happened?
More on link
Officials: Hunt For Al Qaeda Ineffective
U.S. Lacks A Real Strategy To Battle Al Qaeda In Pakistan, Experts And Officials Say
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2008
Article Link
(CBS) Despite billions of dollars spent and more than 500 U.S. soldiers having been killed in Afghanistan in the hunt for al Qaeda, there's increasing evidence that the terror group is making a comeback just across the border in Pakistan's lawless tribal territories, where the Pakistani government has little or no control.
Pakistan's latest attempt to oust al Qaeda and the Taliban from their safe havens in the frontier area has been, according to U.S. officials, ineffective.
Pentagon consultant Seth Jones of Rand Corp. says it's not even close to what's needed, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
One militant leader was actually tipped off to the coming offensive by sympathizers within the Pakistani military.
“What's needed in the tribal area is a much longer approach, clearing territory and holding it,” Jones said.
This offensive is focused in the area of the Khyber Pass, where the Taliban publicly execute suspected American spies and mount cross-border raids into Afghanistan, Martin reports.
“The command-and-control structure of every major insurgent group is in the Pakistani side of the border,” Jones said. “So this is critical to success in Afghanistan.”
In June, more American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
“It's reasonable to argue that the situation is far worse today than it was four or five years ago,” said CBS News homeland security consultant Paul Kurtz.
That goes not only for Afghanistan, but also for the U.S. “The most likely area that's going to be linked to an attack in the United States is coming from this area,” Jones said.
More on link
Afghanistan troop deaths outnumber those in IraqAngela Balakrishnan and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday July 1, 2008
Article Link
Militants in Afghanistan killed more US and Nato troops than those in Iraq in June after a fresh spate of rebel attacks that highlighted the growing strength of the Taliban.
A count by Associated Press (AP) found that at least 45 international troops, including 27 from the US and 13 British, died in Afghanistan last month, compared with 31 international soldiers killed in Iraq, of whom 29 were from the US.
It was the second consecutive month that more troops were killed in Afghanistan, where international forces suffered their deadliest month since the 2001 US-led invasion.
The figures follow a report by the Pentagon last week that forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase the rate of attacks along the Pakistan border where US troops operate. Attacks are already up by 40% this year from 2007.
Fighting between militants and international troops is intensifying in the southern half of Afghanistan. AP's tally places the total death toll at 2,100 in the past six months.
More on link
Deadly blast destroys Pakistan militant's house
Article Link
PAR QAMBARKHEL, Pakistan (AFP) — An explosion killed six people at a Pakistani militant's house Monday on the third day of a government offensive, as a US official arrived in Islamabad for counter-terrorism talks.
Militant chief Haji Namdar, who survived the blast in the northwestern Khyber tribal district, and a security official said the house was destroyed by military action but the government said troops were not involved.
Pakistan, which is under growing Western pressure over its efforts to negotiate with Taliban militants, launched an operation in Khyber on Saturday and says it has saved the northwestern city of Peshawar from rebel advances.
Richard Boucher, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, flew into in Islamabad on Monday for talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other senior officials.
Gilani told Boucher that Pakistan was following a policy of dialogue with hardline elements who have laid down their arms and joined mainstream politics.
"We will however never negotiate with militants nor allow foreigners to use our soil against another country," a government statement quoted Gilani as saying.
More on link
Mystery blast kills 8 at Pakistan militant base
By RIAZ KHAN – 20 hours ago
Article Link
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — An explosion wrecked a militant compound Monday, killing as many as eight people while Pakistani paramilitary forces pushed deeper into a border region where extremists threaten the city of Peshawar and a key supply line for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Pro-Taliban Militants targeted by the offensive in the Khyber tribal area claimed a missile was fired from nearby Afghanistan, but a Pentagon official said he knew of no cross-border attack and a Pakistani officer said stored explosives blew up.
The nighttime blast, which buried bodies in piles of shattered masonry and mud bricks, came at the start of the third day of an offensive by Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps.
Troops faced no resistance Monday and were able to occupy key hilltops and re-establish checkpoints that had been abandoned by tribal police, said a senior Frontier Corps officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to journalists.
He said troops in the Bara area, which starts on the outskirts of Peshawar, advanced in the direction of the remote Teerah valley. But it remained unclear if the Frontier Corps planned to push into the valley, where militants are thought to have fled.
So far, the Frontier Corps reported destroying several militant posts, including a radio station and alleged torture cells, but claimed to have killed just one insurgent.
The Interior Ministry said the operation was launched to protect Peshawar from "law breakers and militant groups" and would continue until "all the objectives are achieved." It has outlawed three armed Islamic groups operating in the region.
More on link
It's never as simple as a 3:31 piece on The National
Article Link
Brian Stewart did a piece a few nights ago on accountability for "night raids" in Afghanistan by Canadian and allied special forces, and I've been meaning to write something about it ever since.
Stewart and Mansbridge ask a lot of questions, but don't provide many good answers. But that certainly doesn't stop them from making insinuations and giving inaccurate impressions to their viewers.
For starters, look at Mansbridge's introduction to the segment:
Canadians are told their soldiers are rebuilding Afghanistan, fighting to defend the lives of the Afghan people. But elite Canadian soldiers are also carrying out secret military raids, raids which have resulted in the deaths of Afghan civilians. The United Nations is demanding answers. But the Canadian military is neither talking nor offering any accountability...
There's so much spin packed into so few words, it's going to take some effort to unpack it. Stay with me, here.
First off, Canadian soldiers are rebuilding Afghanistan, and they are defending the lives of ordinary Afghans. Yet the CBC questions it, by prefacing their statement with "Canadians are told..."
More on link
Crowd to send big thanks to the troops
By LAURA FRASER Cape Breton Bureau Tue. Jul 1 - 4:32 AM
Article Link
Long before the fireworks begin, a group of Cape Bretoners will look up at the sky together, dressed in the brightest of red and flashing the whitest of smiles.
Organizers of Canada Day events in Dominion are hoping people will come from across the island and fill Hawks Ball Field this evening as a plane flies over and a photo is snapped to send to troops overseas.
After the photo is taken, the rhythmic drone of a Forces helicopter will fill the air with the same noise heard by those serving in Afghanistan.
"Every 50 years, you get an idea, and this was mine," organizer Michael McNeil joked, then turned serious. "We’re looking to send a nice strong message, if nothing else, to the soldiers that are over there, so they know we’re thinking of them."
Mr. McNeil said that although the event is being held in Dominion, he’s asking people to come from all over Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
"We’re just trying to get people out and waving some flags. And if, by some chance, we knock on the door of the Guinness Book of World Records, great. But if not, we still get the message across to our troops."
Mr. McNeil said he doesn’t have a personal connection to anyone overseas but he thinks about the hardships met by the soldiers.
"The message I’d like to send to them is: ‘Come on home — all of you,’ " he said. "I know they’re fighting for a cause, but the sooner we get our boys back home — especially all in one piece — and this conflict’s over, the better it’s going to be."
Local photographer Jason Turnbull will be going up in a plane at about 6:30 p.m. to take the photo, which will be sent overseas in a package, along with more than 200 cards collected from MacDonald Elementary School students.
More on link
