Back to Afghanistan: Canadian troops heading to Kabul In April
Soldiers attend the welcoming ceremonies for the last Canadian troops to leave Afghanistan in Ottawa on Tuesday. Photo: Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images
David Pugliese
Published: March 20, 2014, 4:33 pm
Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan isn’t over yet.
A new group of soldiers is being trained and will head over to the war-torn country sometime in April, military officers say.
The team, made up of fewer than 20 soldiers, will provide protection for the Canadian Embassy in Kabul.
“Right now, Canadian Forces are being asked to support the Kabul embassy,” military spokesman Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay said Thursday. “The conditions are that security is required, that support is required.”
It is unclear whether the troops heading to Afghanistan will stay for six months or a one year. The soldiers are members drawn from regular units, not special forces.
Earlier this week, the final contingent of Canadian troops deployed to Afghanistan under the NATO mission returned to Canada. Their arrival marked the end of major military operations for Canada in Afghanistan, according to the government.
But a small group of troops was left behind to protect the embassy and Lemay said the team heading to Afghanistan in April would allow those soldiers to come home.
Embassies in Kabul are either protected by a country’s own soldiers or by private security contractors.
It will be up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to determine when it can hire its own private security force to replace the Canadian soldiers, Lemay noted.
Other Canadian military personnel, assigned to NATO nations still in Afghanistan, can also be expected to be sent to that country but the numbers would be small.
Lemay said a similar situation occurred during the Iraq war and its aftermath: Canada was not involved in the conflict but Canadian military personnel assigned to various units, particularly those of the U.S. and United Kingdom, did take part in the fighting.
Afghanistan was Canada’s largest military deployment since the Second World War, as well as its longest deployment. Some estimates put the cost to Canadian taxpayers at more than $20 billion.
But Canada will continue to send money to Afghanistan. It will contribute $330 million over three years between 2015 and 2017 to help support Afghan security forces. In addition, the Canadian government has pledged $227 million over three years on post-2014 development assistance.
The mission, which began in late 2001, cost the lives of 158 Canadian soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors.
Canadian troops were sent to Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
The mission provoked intense debate in Canada about both its purpose and success. Government and military officials have hailed the mission as a success, saying that it helped the Afghan people and set the stage for stability in that country.
Critics have argued that the mission was a waste of money and has changed little in that nation.
A new group of soldiers is being trained and will head over to the war-torn country sometime in April, military officers say.
The team, made up of fewer than 20 soldiers, will provide protection for the Canadian Embassy in Kabul.
“Right now, Canadian Forces are being asked to support the Kabul embassy,” military spokesman Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay said Thursday. “The conditions are that security is required, that support is required.”
It is unclear whether the troops heading to Afghanistan will stay for six months or a one year. The soldiers are members drawn from regular units, not special forces.
Earlier this week, the final contingent of Canadian troops deployed to Afghanistan under the NATO mission returned to Canada. Their arrival marked the end of major military operations for Canada in Afghanistan, according to the government.
But a small group of troops was left behind to protect the embassy and Lemay said the team heading to Afghanistan in April would allow those soldiers to come home.
Embassies in Kabul are either protected by a country’s own soldiers or by private security contractors.
It will be up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to determine when it can hire its own private security force to replace the Canadian soldiers, Lemay noted.
Other Canadian military personnel, assigned to NATO nations still in Afghanistan, can also be expected to be sent to that country but the numbers would be small.
Lemay said a similar situation occurred during the Iraq war and its aftermath: Canada was not involved in the conflict but Canadian military personnel assigned to various units, particularly those of the U.S. and United Kingdom, did take part in the fighting.
Afghanistan was Canada’s largest military deployment since the Second World War, as well as its longest deployment. Some estimates put the cost to Canadian taxpayers at more than $20 billion.
The flag at Archbishop Joseph MacNeil is raised during a ceremony to honour the end of Canada’s military service in Afghanistan,on March 12, 2014 in Edmonton. Greg Southam/Edmonton Journal
The mission, which began in late 2001, cost the lives of 158 Canadian soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors.
Canadian troops were sent to Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
The mission provoked intense debate in Canada about both its purpose and success. Government and military officials have hailed the mission as a success, saying that it helped the Afghan people and set the stage for stability in that country.
Critics have argued that the mission was a waste of money and has changed little in that nation.
---------------------------------- At one point there were over 3 million parents, family, friends, communities around the world who stepped up and shared any and all news we could dig on our sons and daughters wearing the flags of our nations in Iraq and Afghanistan.... September 11, 2001 changed our world.... and we promised no more... Spain, London have suffered - but by God... we are watching..
Over the years we accumulated some of the best news bites around the world and as the $$$ROADKILL MEDIA did not give a sheeeeet.... we excelled and became experts... and damm well still are...
We circled our sons and daughters wearing our flag (Canada) of our Military, Militia, Reservists and Rangers.... and we never let go.... and 2day... am going 2 start posting some of the original highlights and incredible feats of our boots on the ground men and women of our Nato nations and their triumphs....
Imagine the incredible victories... imagine the political hacks of all stripes as useless as titties on a bull.. except in Canada 4 Peter MacKay our Defence Minister... our Rick Hillier and our Walt...and a former Ambassador 2 Afghanistan WHO RIGHTFULLY SAYS... NOW IT'S TIME 4 SURROUNDING NATIONS OF AFGHANISTAN 2 CLEAN UP THEIR ACT- SPECIFICALLY PAKISTAN - BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN HARBOURING THE HERETIC MUSLIM TALIBAN 4 THE LAST 5 YEARS.... come on!!!-
U Want the real thoughts of the everyday Afghanistan people- check out the surveys.... that have been done since 2006- the survey of 2010 is steller and speaks of the respect 4 our troops and boots 2 the ground and the dreams of Afghan's youth...
IDLE NO MORE CANADA YOUTH.... THAT IS THE AFGHAN YOUTH OF 2DA... NO MORE SITTING IN TENTS.... BRAINS, COURAGE AND ACTION.... A WHOLE NEW WORLD 4 AFGHANISTAN...
And CBC... u have journalists weeping on Afghanistan... why not get former soldiers... LIKE SCOTT TAYLOR OR RICK HILLIER.... and CTV... SAME 4 YOU.... u want 2 know about Afghanistan... get the good stuff... there is so much out there... imho.... PAGE 1- MARCH 13 2014
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PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
Today, the Canadian Flag was lowered at NATO’s International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul for the last time. Since 2001, Canada has deployed its largest military contingent in generations to the region, and now our mission in Afghanistan draws to a close.
The end of the military mission and the lowering of the flag is a significant milestone in the fight against global terror. Over 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members have fought to defeat the threat of terrorism and to ensure the freedom of others, to build a stronger, safer world. In the course of this fight, many have paid the ultimate price.
Their courage and dedication has brought much pride to our country. I look forward to personally welcoming home the last contingent of Canada’s brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces when they return home on the final flight from Afghanistan on March 18. I also look forward at that time to announcing details of Canada’s plans to formally commemorate the mission in Afghanistan. Canada will continue to play an important role in supporting efforts that contribute to building a better future for all Afghans.
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BLOGGED: (THERE ARE OVER 100 BLOGS HERE ON MY http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/ ON AFGHANISTAN AND OUR TROOPS OF NATO AND AFGHANISTAN)
Now Justice Minister 4 Canada - was Defence Minister- Honourable Peter Mackay- WE DID NOT SEND OUR TROOPS 2 AFGHANISTAN 2 HELP AND FREE WOMEN AND CHILDREN 4 THEM 2 COME HOME AND SEE THOSE SAME RIGHTS ERODED HERE!!!!!
WE HAVE DECIDED… that with our Canada Warrior Angels coming home… Afghan women will decide the fate of the Heretic Muslim Taliban who have murdered their sisters, mothers and children- ONE BILLION RISING- no more excuses
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/we-have-decided-that-with-our-canada.html
.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNZowtNPwQE
Published on Jul 12, 2012
Correspondent Courtney Body takes an in-depth look at the massive women's rights protests in Kabul sparked by a shocking video of an Afghan women being executed for adultery while a group of men watch and cheer.
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Epic funeral in Afghanistan: Amazing images as thousands gather on a mountain top near Kabul for Vice-President's burial
Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim died at age 57, with Local media reported he died of a heart attack
The funeral procession and burial of the influential Vice President was attended by President Hamid Karzai
President Karzai praised the Vice President's service to the country, and called his death a 'great loss to the nation'.
After the funeral service at the Presidential palace, a military helicopter transported the coffin to the burial site
Several thousand people went to the procession and burial, and laid Fahim's body at a graveyard just outside Kabul
By Luke Garratt
PUBLISHED: 16:44 GMT, 11 March 2014 | UPDATED: 19:22 GMT, 11 March 2014
These stunning images show the thousands who turned out for the burial of Afghanistan's powerful Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who died at the age of 57 of natural causes.
Thousands crammed onto the hilltops and streets to observe the funeral procession and burial of the influential Vice President, which was attended by many senior dignitaries, as well as President Hamid Karzai.
President Karzai praised the Vice President's service to the country, and called his death a 'great loss to the nation'.
After the funeral service at the Presidential palace under tight security, an Afghan military helicopter transported the coffin containing Fahim's body to the burial site atop a hill near Kabul, and soon after his burial, mortars were fired in salute.
Scroll down for video
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578458/Amazing-images-epic-turnout-biblical-proportions-thousands-gather-Afghanistan-burial-Vice-President-near-Kabul.html#ixzz2vooz9QNc
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JUST LIKE IDLE NO MORE CANADA- AFGHAN YOUTH ARE STEPPING UP 4 THEIR RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY... AND IN THEIR WORLD WOMEN EQUAL MEN...
Afghanistan Youth and Elections
The April 2014 presidential election is of critical importance for Afghanistan. President Hamed Karzai will step down after more than a decade in office, and his successor will take charge at a time when the NATO-led military contingent is withdrawing from the country.
The last presidential election, held in 2009, was marred by security problems, low turnout, and allegations of manipulation and fraud. Many young people, in particular, believe the political process is controlled by powerful interests that rule out the possibility of a real expression of popular will. If democracy is to work, these new voters need to be enthused enough to take part. They should be in a position to weigh up the choices they are offered, and to distinguish fact from propaganda.
Afghan Youth Debates: Media Watchdog's Election Role Outlined
Fazil Nagar
13 Mar 14
Afghan Youth Debates: Why a New Media Watchdog?
Enayatullah Omari
12 Mar 14
Afghan Youth Debates: Broadcast Media Count for Most in Helmand
Mohammad Wali Zirak
11 Mar 14
Afghan Youth Debates: NGOs Say Poll Monitors Ready in Kunduz
Yalda Yusufzai
11 Mar 14
http://iwpr.net/focus/afghanistan-youth-and-elections
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The most honest man in Afghanistan... youth, women and elders love the good Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.... he's called the Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan... and has an exemplary record...
AP Interview: Afghan candidate Abdullah Abdullah vows to sign US pact in a month if he wins
By The Associated Press March 13, 2014 11:30 AM
KABUL - One of the main front-runners in the race to succeed Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells The Associated Press that he will sign a security agreement with the United States within a month if he wins the race.
Abdullah Abdullah criticized Karzai for refusing sign the deal, which would pave the way for international forces to keep a residual force in Afghanistan after withdrawing combat troops by the end of 2014.
He said Thursday that at the "maximum it has to be signed within a month" if he becomes president.
Abdullah, who was the runner-up to Karzai in disputed 2009 elections, also expressed concern about fraud in the April 5 election.
Observers say none of the 11 candidates is expected to get a majority. A runoff vote is widely expected.
http://www.canada.com/news/world/Interview+Afghan+candidate+Abdullah+Abdullah+vows+sign+pact+month/9613334/story.html
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Canadian General reviews Afghan legacy
By Ghanizada - Wed Mar 12 2014, 9:44 am
William Bonnett – NATO Channel
As Canadian troops leave Afghanistan, the last commander of Canada’s combat mission says Canadians should be proud of their accomplishments. Major General Dean Milner oversaw many operations that were key to improving security in the province of Kandahar.
Canada’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan began in 2001. Canadian armed forces searched for terrorists in Afghanistan’s mountains and caves alongside US forces.
In 2006, Canadian troops, then part of ISAF, were deployed to Kandahar Province, the birthplace of the Taliban. Operation Medusa was their first big fight.
“The Canadians were a small unit that we were really just getting used to the terrain and working with the people. And, you know, we were trying to figure out how big the Taliban were and how capable they were. And obviously, that was right in the midst of a big operation,” Major General Dean Milner said.
Canadian troops spent the next few years taking on the Taliban to try and secure the province. Major General Dean Milner was the commander of 3,000 Canadian troops in Kandahar from September 2010 to July 2011.
Major Gen. Milner said. “There was a Taliban force that was building up and Kandahar city was a significant critical area for the Afghans. They were starting to build governance. They were connecting themselves to Kabul, they were trying to connect to the people, they were trying to work with the districts and the Taliban were gathering and gaining more force and capabilities and they’d been out burning schools and disrupting the people, and so this was an operation to push back against the Taliban, to find out where the Taliban were operating and we actually found a fairly large force of Taliban and fought and cleared them out of the area. We worked with the Afghans but as you know, back then, it was predominantly us, so it was really to protect Kandahar.”
General Milner’s deployment coincided with the surge that saw 4,000 extra American troops deployed to Kandahar.
“We were operating, you had to be very aggressive with operations. The Taliban were trying to move into different areas and so we worked with the Afghan for0ces and we were operating constantly. It was a good situation to be in with the surge. The US had brought a lot of forces in, so we had really moved from about a brigade-size force to close to five brigades. So it was an excellent ratio for a counter-insurgency fight. For locals to have that number of soldiers teamed up, working with the locals, working with the police, we were able to manoeuvre into all of the villages, but we had to be very aggressive against the Taliban,” the major said.
Canadian armed forces left Kandahar in 2011. ISAF troops, mostly American, stayed on in the province to continue clearing areas of Taliban.
He said, “I think that governance has taken hold. I think that you’re seeing the economy improve. Roads have been built that connect into the reaches of each of the districts. Schools are a dominant feature throughout Kandahar. You’ve seen a significant decrease in violence and attacks by the Taliban. So I think that we held the fort well and I think we’ve enabled that part of the country to improve and take off. The progress is night and day. The differences from 2006 where nobody was out in the districts, no schools operating and now, again, all of that significant activity on the roads, significant activities in Kandahar city and again more confidence in the government. So just very, very good positive changes and progress.”
In late 2011, Canada had nearly 1,000 troops to the NATO Training Mission- Afghanistan, to help train and mentor Afghan security forces.
General Milner leads the mission, but will soon be heading home as Canada withdraws its last soldiers from the country.
“I think we’ve accomplished a great deal. I think we’ve worked very closely with the team over here, ISAF, NATO. I think that we can feel proud about our accomplishments and what we’ve done down in Kandahar. The last three years up here and plus here in Kabul where we were the second-largest training mission to help generate this force. We’ve accomplished a lot and I think we can you know, feel good because look how far this country’s come. It’s got the opportunity now. It’s got a chance for the future so Canada’s been a huge part of that. We’ve had a large number of soldiers over here, there have been sacrifices, like other countries. But again you see that progress, you see that development, you see that strong security force that can now continue to fight. We’ve got elections that are set to happen here shortly, so as part of the team, we’re very, very proud of our accomplishments,” Major Gen. Milner added.
http://www.khaama.com/canadian-general-reviews-afghan-legacy-4035?fb_ref=recommendations-bar
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FACEBOOK/TWITTER
BEST SONG EV-A
We Are Canadian Soldiers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eml-5L8Qs6w
Published on Dec 1, 2012
Supporting Our Canadian Troops !!!
Lyrics:
It's time to strap out boots on,
This is a perfect day to die,
Wipe the blood out of our eyes.
In this life there's no surrender,
There's nothing left for us to do,
Find the strength to see this through.
We are the ones who will never be broken
With our final breath, we'll fight to the death
We Are Soldiers! We Are Soldiers!
Whoa, Who-oh-oh-oa, Who-oh-ohhhhhhh-oh-oa
WE ARE SOLDIERS!
I stand here right beside you,
Tonight we're fighting for ours lives,
Let me hear your battlecry. Your Battlecry!
We are the ones who will never be broken
With our final breath, we'll fight to the death
We Are Soldiers! We Are Soldiers!
We are the ones who will not go unspoken(unspoken)
No we will not sleep, we are not sheep
We Are Soldiers! We Are Soldiers! Yeah!
We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
We stand shoulder to shoulder
You can't erase us, you'll just have to face us!
We stand shoulder to shoulder!
We stand shoulder to shoulder!
We stand shoulder to shoulder!
You can't erase us, you'll just have to face us!
We are the ones who will never be broken
With our final breath, we'll fight to the death
We Are Soldiers! We Are Soldiers!
We are the ones who will not go unspoken(unspoken)
No we will not sleep, we are not sheep
We Are Soldiers! We Are Soldiers! Yeah!
Whoa! Who-oh-oh-oa! Who-oh-ohhhhhhh-oh-oa!
We Are Soldiers!
Whoa! Who-oh-oh-oa! Who-oh-ohhhhhhh-oh-oa!
We Are Soldiers!
Whoa! Who-oh-oh-oa! Who-oh-ohhhhhhh-oh-oa!
We Are Soldiers!
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Suicide attack on Indian consulate foiled in Kandahar province
By Ghanizada - Thu Mar 13 2014, 7:12 pm
Afghan police-Afghan security forces foiled a suicide attack on Indian consulate in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Thursday.
According to local government officials, the suicide bomber who was looking to target the Indian consulate was shot dead by Afghan security forces on Thursday afternoon.
Zia Durani, spokesman for the provincial police department, confirming the report said the suicide bomber was looking attack the security guards of the Indian consulate in Kandahar city.
Mr. Durani further added that a bomb disposal unit was deployed to defuse the suicide bombing vest after the suicide bomber was shot dead by Afghan security forces.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
Kandahar is among the restive provinces in southern Afghanistan where Taliban militants are actively operating in a number of its districts.
This comes as a group of suicide bombers attacked a compound belonging to the Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Kandahar city on Wednesday.
Afghan security forces managed to kill two suicide bombers however the third bomber continued to exchange fire with the Afghan security forces for several hours before he was shot dead.
http://www.khaama.com/suicide-attack-on-indian-consulate-foiled-in-kandahar-province-2866
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Taliban kill 3 election activists of Dr. Abdullah in Faryab
By Ghanizada - Wed Mar 12 2014, 8:34 pm
Taliban militants killed at least three election activists of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan on Wednesday.
According to local government officials, the incident took place between Pashtun Kot and Almar districts of northern Faryab province.
Provincial governor spokesman for northern Faryab province said the individuals were shot dead by Taliban militants while they were returning to their homes after attending the funeral ceremony of late Afghan vice president Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim.
Dr. Abdullah’s election campaign office confirmed that three election activists of Dr. Abdullah were shot dead by Taliban militants in Faryab province on Wednesday.
The election campaign office of Dr. Abdullah strongly condemned the target killing of Dr. Abdullah’s election activists and urged the security institutions of Afghanistan to take necessary steps to ensure security of the election workers across the country.
Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the assassination of Dr. Abdullah’s election activists so far.
This comes as Taliban militants group earlier this week warned to disrupt the upcoming president elections and threatened to target election sites and officials across the country.
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Joseph F. Dunford: Canadians can be proud of their efforts in Afghanistan
Joseph F. Dunford, National Post | March 13, 2014 11:54 AM ET
More from National Post
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While Afghanistan still faces many challenges, it is headed toward a peaceful, stable and unified outcome – in large part thanks to Canadian contributions and sacrifices.
MCpl Patrick Blanchard, Canadian Forces Combat CameraWhile Afghanistan still faces many challenges, it is headed toward a peaceful, stable and unified outcome – in large part thanks to Canadian contributions and sacrifices..
After more than 12 years of military engagement, Canadians can be proud of their contribution to the progress made in Afghanistan.
Lowering the maple leaf for the final time: Canada pulls last troops from Afghanistan after 12 years
As the Canadian flag inched its way down the pole Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Kabul, Master Cpl. Jordan Taylor didn’t necessarily see the red and white Maple Leaf.
The faces of friends who didn’t come home were before his eyes.
Taylor is a fresh-faced kid from Regina, and anyone looking at him would hardly be able to guess he’s a veteran of a unit that saw some of the fiercest fighting during the five-year combat mission in Kandahar.
Continue reading…
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Canada responded swiftly when the North Atlantic Council invoked Article 5 of the Treaty of Washington only 24 hours after the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001. Canadians were among the thousands killed as a result of these horrific attacks that were planned by Al Qaeda from its sanctuary in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. The coalition military objective in Afghanistan was to prevent the use of the country as a terrorist base of operations from which attacks could be launched on Canada, the U.S. and other allies. In 2001, Canada put its forces in harm’s way because it was in your national interest to do so. This month, your forces return home having contributed immensely to achieving our coalition military objective. Over the course of the Afghan mission, more than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their whole-of-government partners served with distinction, compassion and bravery, most notably in Kandahar province, one of the most difficult areas of the country. Your men and women in uniform steadfastly fought the insurgency and built the capacity of the Afghans to stabilize and secure their own country.
Extraordinary pressure was put on Al Qaeda and its associated insurgent networks to disrupt their ability to plan and conduct operations, which prevented subsequent attacks on our homelands. While Canadian and coalition forces were necessary to pressure extremist networks over the past decade, Afghan forces are increasingly becoming the mechanism to secure Afghanistan into the future. Afghanistan’s security forces are now capable, confident, and credible. In June 2013, they achieved a major milestone assuming the lead for security nation-wide. The Afghan National Army is the most respected national institution in the country, followed closely by the Afghan National Police. For the first time since 2001, coalition forces are in a supporting role, serving as trainers and advisors to the Afghans. Demonstrated courage on the battlefield and willingness to share risk earned the respect of Afghan counterparts and made the Canadian Armed Forces an excellent choice to command the NATO training mission. As the second-largest troop contributor to this training mission, Canadians were instrumental in training and fielding confident and capable security forces that are critical in securing the upcoming election and setting the conditions for a durable political solution to this conflict.
Related
Canada’s last mission commander in Afghanistan urges Ottawa to ‘stay the course’ as final troops prepare to leave
The Long Road: Read the Post's comprehensive coverage of Canada's mission in Afghanistan
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Afghan forces have shown that they can hold their own against the Taliban and other insurgent networks. They are planning, coordinating and conducting combat operations every day and demonstrated their vastly improved capabilities when they provided security for the November 2013 Loya Jirga. Afghan security forces are confident they will be able to secure thousands of polling sites for the upcoming Presidential election in April 2014.
This tremendous legacy of fighting the insurgency and building Afghan institutions came at a painful cost: 158 Canadian Armed Forces personnel and one diplomat were killed, many more were injured. The majority of these casualties occurred in Kandahar province, a region that has benefited tremendously from the security and leadership provided by Canada between 2006 and 2011. The extensive network of roads constructed by Canada in several key areas of the province linked the people with their government and the economy. These roads make a difference in the lives of Kandahar residents every day.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Murray Brewster
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Murray BrewsterMaster Cpl. Daniel Choong (left), Cpl. Harry Smiley (centre) and Cpl . Gavin Early (right) take down the Canadian flag for the last time in Afghanistan on Wednesday March 12, 2014, bringing an end to 12 years of military involvement in a campaign that cost the lives of 158 soldiers. .
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Today, there are 13,000 schools across the country with some eight million children receiving an education, one-third of them girls. Afghanistan’s vibrant media industry is challenging presidential candidates during televised debates and nearly 60% of the population now lives within an hour’s walk of a public health facility. While Afghanistan still faces many challenges, it is headed toward a peaceful, stable and unified outcome – in large part thanks to Canadian contributions and sacrifices.
Importantly, Canada has committed, along with coalition and international community partners, to continue to provide financial support to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This will ensure that the progress made by Canadians and their coalition partners will continue to take root as the Afghans build a more stable, secure and better governed country that is never again a safe haven for terrorists.
A political solution will be needed to end decades of war in Afghanistan. We can best support an outcome that protects Canadian and international interests by remaining engaged in the region, supporting the Afghan people and their security forces and holding the Afghan government accountable for needed reforms.
As your troops return home, know that the NATO-led coalition is deeply appreciative of Canada’s remarkable effort and sacrifice towards providing the Afghan people with an opportunity for a brighter future.
National Post
General Joseph F. Dunford is commander of the International Security Assistance Force
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/03/13/joseph-f-dunford-canadians-can-be-proud-of-their-efforts-in-afghanistan/
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The Guardians of our Flag- of Our Canada- THIS SONG WRITTEN AND RECORDED BY STUDENTS
Proud Canadian Soldier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtRE1gXUfRA
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Afghanistan. By the numbers.AFGANISTAN
2e Division du Canada / 2nd Canadian Division
Liked · March 8
À lire : L’Afghanistan en chiffres / To read: Afghanistan by the Numbers
Vous pouvez aussi voir l’article dans le journal la Feuille d’érable.
http://defenceteam-equipedeladefense.mil.ca/tml/mapleleaf/_pdf/2014/2-fra.pdf //
You can also see the article in the Maple Leaf newspaper.
http://defenceteam-equipedeladefense.mil.ca/tml/mapleleaf/_pdf/2014/2-eng.pdf
See Translation
To read: the Afghanistan in figures / To read: Afghanistan by the Numbers you can also see the article in the newspaper the maple leaf.
http://defenceteam-equipedeladefense.mil.ca/TML/mapleleaf/_pdf/2014/2-FRA.PDF / / You can also see the article in the Maple Leaf newspaper.
http://defenceteam-equipedeladefense.mil.ca/TML/mapleleaf/_pdf/2014/2-Eng.PDF (Translated by Bing)
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Canada Pride- God bless our Canadians served/serving- Thank u
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJqU5vNX440
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The source did not identify the "regional factions" but Saudi Arabia has previously accused its regional arch-rival Iran of stoking sectarian tensions in Iraq and elsewhere.
Maliki has long had chilly ties with the Gulf states, which view him as too close to Shi'ite Iran, suspecting them of funding Sunni militants fighting his Shi'ite-led government.
Saudi Arabia rejects Maliki's charges on funding Iraqi militants
Reuters – 26 minutes ago
http://in.news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-rejects-malikis-charges-funding-iraqi-militants-173404756.html
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The Incredible talent and competitiveness of our Paralympic Athletes of Sochi Winter Paralympics... u are inspiring the world and lifting humanity up.... God bless sports Baby!
SOCHI WINTER PARALYMPICS 2014-MOTHER RUSSIA-U HONOUR OUR WORLD-Brilliant Incredible Talent- u rattle my heart with ur talent among world's best athletes -SOCHI! SOCHI! SOCHI! / CBC/AMI will telecast opening etc- Go Canada Go- DAILY UPDATES
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canada-military-news-sochi-winter.html
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News - Afghanistan
Youth Constitute 70 Percent of Provincial Council Candidates
Wednesday, 12 March 2014 18:12 Written by Aazem Arash
alt
Seventy percent of the provincial council candidates come from the country's youth, signifying youth's interest in the political process, the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) said on Tuesday. IEC has not given an exact statistic about the number of candidates yet.
Some young candidates have said that the youths could contribute effectively in the country's development process because of their dynamism, energy and capacities.
"This time, majority of the provincial councils candidates are youths, we have 2717 candidates for provincial councils, only 380 of whom are women," IEC Spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said.
"Youths have achieved major developments," provincial council candidate Rahimullah Mujahid said. "The elders must support the youth, because future of the country depends on them."
"I have nominated myself to raise the voice of youths and bring their issues to light," another candidate Fatima Ahmadi said.
The young candidates claim to be more driven and better-suited to serve the country. Meanwhile, IEC has eliminated a number of candidates due to lack of eligibility, based on the requirements of the election law.
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/14165-youth-constitute-70-percent-of-provincial-council-candidates
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Canada Ends Military Operations in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan March 12, 2014 (AP)
Associated Press -ABC NEWS
Canada ended military operations in Afghanistan on Wednesday, ending a 12-year mission as the international community winds down its role in the country ahead of an end-of-year deadline for foreign combat operations to end.
The Canadians formally ended their combat role in southern Afghanistan in July 2011 but maintained a small training operation in Kabul.
"Canada played a critical role in securing Kandahar Province and had a strategic impact across the country with their contribution to the NATO training mission," the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph Dunford, said during a flag-lowering ceremony at the headquarters for international forces in Kabul.
At its peak Canada was the sixth largest troop-contributing nation, behind the U.S., Britain, Germany, France and Italy. It deployed more than 40,000 service members to Afghanistan since the mission began in 2001. Like Americans and Europeans, Canadians have grown weary of the war.
According to the Canadian government, 158 soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors were killed in Afghanistan.
A statement by the NATO-led international Security Assistance Force said Canada also was instrumental in developing a network of roads as well as improving economic conditions and governance in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban and one of the hardest areas to tame in Afghanistan.
Canada will continue to play a role in Afghanistan with the provision of $330 million to help sustain the Afghan security forces, it said.
--------------
Afghanistan
VoA - News Wednesday 12th March, 2014
CAPITOL HILL The commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan says maintaining a residual military presence in the country is desirable and feasible even if Kabul continues to delay signing a bilateral security agreement with the United States.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Joseph Dunford revealed sharp differences among lawmakers on the wisdom of continued U.S. military investment in the country.
"If we leave at the end of 2014, the Afghan security forces will begin to deteriorate, the security environments will begin to deteriorate, and I think the only debate is the pace of that deterioration,rdquo; Dunford said, adding that Afghan militants and terrorists would be strengthened by a complete withdrawal and might once again threaten the United States
Less than a month after President Barack Obama ordered the Pentagon to prepare for total withdrawal of U.S. forces by year's end, the man tasked with carrying out the order said a complete departure would be costly, essentially surrendering more than a decade of hard-fought coalition gains.
The Obama administration has long maintained that a continued residual force will only be possible if Afghanistan signs a bilateral security agreement, or BSA, with the United States. President Hamid Karzai has refused to do so, but many presidential candidates vying to succeed Karzai later this year say they would sign it.
General Dunford says America can wait.
"If we have a new [Afghan] president by August, I am comfortable that we will be able to maintain [U.S. military] options through that period of time without any difficulty,rdquo; he said.
Opinions about what has been gained from America's longest war vary widely on the committee. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said the effort in Afghanistan "makes no sense to anyone at allrdquo; in his home state.
"Are we to tell the American people that we have to maintain a constant presence [in Afghanistan] from now to perpetuity?" he said. "If you cannot do the job in 10, 12 [or] 13 years, you are not going to get the job done.rdquo;
Committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), said Americans are largely unaware of the coalition accomplishments in Afghanistan that would be squandered by a hasty withdrawal.
"During last summer's fighting season, Afghan forces prevented the Taliban from seizing control of any urban center or district center," he said. "More than 8 million Afghan children are now in school, eight times as many as in 2001; maternal and infant mortality have declined dramatically; the average Afghan has a life expectancy now of 62 years compared to 45 under the Taliban.rdquo;
Levin also noted a recent poll showing only a tiny fraction of Afghans favor a return to power by the Taliban.
------------
Afghan forces kill 3 attackers in battle in south
Denver Post - Wednesday 12th March, 2014
Afghan National Security Forces members jump onto a vehicle after an attack by a suicide squad on the former Afghan intelligence headquarters in the center of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March ...
----------------
Six Afghan army soldiers freed from Taliban captivity in Kunar
By Ghanizada - Thu Mar 13 2014, 8:39 pm
Six Afghan national army soldiers were released from the Taliban captivity nearly three weeks after they were abducted by Taliban militants in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.
Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief, Rahmatullah Nabil said Thursday that the Afghan army soldiers were released due to the efforts of Kunar intelligence department.
At least 21 Afghan national army soldiers were killed and 6 others were abducted after a group of Taliban militants attacked the army outposts in Ghaziabad district on 23 February.
The Taliban militants group in Afghanistan claimed responsibility behind the attack.
Afghan defense officials said foreign fighters had taken part in the attack which had also left a number of the Afghan national army soldiers injured.
The attack on Afghan army check posts in Kunar was the worst since last September, when the Taliban attacked a convoy of Afghan forces in relatively peaceful northern Badakhshan province, killing at least 18.
http://www.khaama.com/six-afghan-army-soldiers-freed-from-taliban-captivity-in-kunar-2868
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SURVEYS- INCREDIBLE SURVEYS - SINCE 2004-AFGHANISTAN
STATE BUILDING, POLITICAL PROGRESS,
AND HUMAN SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN
Reflections on a Survey of the Afghan People-2007
State Building, Political Progress, and Human Security in Afghanistan: Reflections
on a Survey of the
Afghan People
is the companion volume to The Asia Foundation's recently
released public-opinion sur
vey titled
Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People.
The papers
in this volume analyze survey data on the opinions and perceptions of Afghans towards
government, public policy, democracy, and political and social change as interpreted by social
scientists familiar with the region. The contributors comment on trends, patterns, and variations
owing to Afghan geography, ethnicity, and other factors, and assess comparatively Afghanistan's
situation vis-à-vis other countries in the region. By combining analysis of quantitative survey data
with broader contextual interpretations, the papers together anchor a holistic appraisal of change
in the underlying sociopolitical realities and history of Afghanistan
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the
development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation
supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women's
empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more
than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners
to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.
With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters
in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both country and regional levels. In
2006, the Foundation provided more than $53 million in program support and distributed 920,000
books and educational materials valued at $30 million throughout Asia.
For more information, visit The Asia Foundation's website at
www.asiafoundation.org
Project Design, Direction, and Editorial Management
George Varughese
The Asia Foundation
Kabul, Afghanistan
Report Design and Printing
Nancy Kelly
The Asia Foundation
San Francisco, USA
AINA
Kabul, Afghanistan
This publication was made possible by support provided by the U.S. Agency for International
Development (Award No.306-A-00-03-00504-00).The opinions expressed herein are those of the
authors and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or of The
Asia Foundation.
Contents
Acknowledgements 1
Contributors 3
Chapter 1 Reflections on a Survey of the Afghan People: An Introduction 5
George Varughese
Chapter 2 Afghans and Democracy 13
Russell J.Dalton
Chapter 3 Local Perceptions of the State of Afghanistan 29
Sanjay Ruparelia
Chapter 4 Elections in Afghanistan: Progress Towards Democracy 47
Sanjay Kumar
Chapter 5 Human Security in Afghanistan through the Eyes of Afghans 63
Center for Conflict and Peace Studies
Chapter 6 Changes in the Status of Women in Afghanistan 77
Sanjay Kumar & Praveen Rai
Appendix 1 Target Demographics 99
Appendix 2 Survey Methodology 103
Appendix 3 Survey Questionnaire 107
http://www.asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/AG2006companion.pdf
-----------------
AFGHANISTAN
Will you vote in the 2014 elections?
Yes
1815 68.6%
No
588 22.2%
Maybe
241 9.1%
----------
Explosion targets gathering near Dr. Abdullah’s election office in Herat
Khaama Press / March 10, 2014
At least two security guards of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s campaign office were killed and four election campaign workers were injured following an explosion in western Herat province of Afghanistan on Monday.
-----------
Questions swirl as Canada winds down military effort in Afghanistan
As Canada’s searing Afghanistan experience officially concludes this month with the withdrawal of the final 100 soldiers, questions regarding the history of our involvement remain.
Murray Brewster The Canadian Press, Mon Mar 10 2014
KABUL—The meeting had barely gotten underway at the U.S.-led Kandahar provincial reconstruction team’s base when one of the Canadian diplomats excused himself to take a phone call.
-----------------------
INTERESTING...ELDERS STEPPING UP
Official says 4 election workers kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan; elders seek their release
By The Associated Press March 13, 2014 10:31 AM
KABUL - An Afghan election commission official says four election co-ordinators were kidnapped in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province, which borders neighbouring Pakistan.
Sareer Ahmed Barmal, a commissioner with the Independent Election Commission, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the four men were taken a day earlier and no one has taken responsibility for their abduction or demanded a ransom. Barmal says area elders have been meeting in an attempt to discover the identities of the kidnappers in order to negotiate the release of the men.
On Monday, the Taliban threatened violence ahead of Afghanistan's April 5 presidential elections, warning Afghans to stay away from the polls and promising attacks against election workers and Afghan security forces protecting them.
http://www.canada.com/news/Official+says+election+workers+kidnapped+eastern+Afghanistan+elders/9612903/story.html
-----------------
Women's Day Speech by Afghan President Falls Flat
“Since Karzai has done nothing for women, he had nothing to say,” argues one critic.
By Mina Habib - Afghanistan ARR Issue 479, 13 Mar 14
Women’s rights activists in Afghanistan have expressed anger at President Hamed Karzai’s apparently flippant remarks at a March 8 event. They say his administration has little right to claim the credit for the limited progress made on Afghan women’s rights since 2001.
In a speech made to mark International Women’s Day, President Hamed Karzai acknowledged the continuing problem of gender violence, and said more needed to be done to help women in the areas of education, the law, and economics.
In somewhat elliptical remarks, he said, “The men in Afghanistan should not test their power on women. If they have power, they should go and test it against America. Trying their power on women indicates men’s weakness.”
The main focus of Karzai’s speech was the forthcoming presidential election – in which he is not a candidate – and the importance of female voters.
“If women hadn’t been present in the 2009 elections, the Americans would have finished me,” he said, explaining that it was the female vote that helped him win.
Rights activists received Karzai’s words with little warmth, arguing that despite some improvements in women’s lives – better access to education, improved maternal mortality rates and increased employment – Kabul had failed to address many serious issues. (See for example Afghan Women Face Growing Threats.)
Fatana Gailani, chairwoman of the Afghanistan Women Association, said the expectation had been that Karzai would use the March 8 speech to lay out his government's plans and proposed bills for his final period in office.
“Since Karzai has done nothing for women, he had nothing to say,” she said. “He came out with a few slogans and funny remarks, some of his supporters applauded him, and he left. But women’s problems cannot be solved with such remarks.”
Gailani said Karzai’s comments ill-befitted the president of a country struggling with security, economic and political troubles.
“I see no achievements for women in the past 12 years,” she said. “If a few women are ministers, deputy ministers and [government department] directors, if women work in government institutions, and if girls go to school – these are things we’ve had for the last 50 years, with the exception of the Taleban era. Where are the achievements?”
Gailani said the international community needed to bear some of the responsibility for continuing to support the Kabul administration.
“Why does the international community provide huge amounts of money to a government mired in corruption, as well as to NGOs that do business in the name of women? Why hasn’t the international community monitored the expenditure of this money? In fact, they too have paved the way for corruption, and they have deceived women with slogans that they chant from far away.”
One of those who attended the Women’s Day event agreed that it was a massive disappointment.
“Women were hoping that since the end of Mr Karzai's term was near, he would speak about ensuring and protecting women’s rights in the future, as well as endorsing laws and practical plans,” said the participant, who asked not to be named. “But he continued to make jokes as he’s done in the past, and then left the gathering.”
Afghanistan remains a harsh place for women, with gender-based violence on the increase. Figures from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) indicate that 5,700 cases of violence against women were recorded last year, 17 per cent more than in 2012. The real figures are much higher, since most incidents go unreported.
Last year, Afghanistan’s parliament failed to ratify key legislation on the elimination of violence against women. Although the law was passed by presidential decree in 2009, activists hoped it would gain greater legitimacy if it were ratified by parliament.
The bill was rejected in May 2013 after a short 15-minute debate, and has been shelved indefinitely.
Among the dignitaries addressing the Women’s Day event was the current minister for women's affairs, Husn Banu Ghazanfar, who called on the country’s next president to support the achievements made in gender equality since the fall of the Taleban in 2001.
But Shahla Farid, a law lecturer at Kabul University and a member of the Afghanistan Women's Network, argued that the Karzai government has made insignificant progress in this sphere, while the women’s affair ministry had achieved nothing.
“We visited Karzai several times to demand basic rights for Afghan women until we convinced him [to address them],” she said, adding, “If Karzai had a strong will to ensure women’s rights, he would have appointed the kind of person to the ministry of women’s affairs who would have been committed to do it.”
In reality, she said, “We have seen no achievements from the ministry to date.”
Farid said that whatever gains had been made were the result of pressure from the international community and from Afghan women themselves.
“The achievement of this [presidential] term was Karzai’s endorsement of the law on violence against women, which was rejected by the parliament but is still enforceable legislation,” she said. “The presence of women in parliament is an achievement owing to international pressure. There have been no other achievements one could count in this current term.”
Latifa Sultani, head of women's rights section at the AIHRC, agreed that legislative changes had been positive. The government had signed international conventions on women's rights, and gender sections had been created in government bodies.
But in practice, Sultani said, little had been done to stem the rising tide of violence against women.
“The perpetrators haven’t been not prosecuted. Dozens of cases of murder and abuse have taken place, but the perpetrators have escaped, or else no one arrested them,” she said. “Furthermore, we have witnessed a decrease in the representation of women in [public] institutions recently. There are no women in district-level government institutions.”
In Sultani’s view, “What achievements do exist are so flimsy that they could be wiped out entirely by one small negative shift.”
As for the 11 male candidates now standing for president, Sultani said the AIHRC had told them about its programmes for women. “We asked them to review their own commitments on human rights and the involvement of women in power, and to ensure the promises they made to women were not just about securing their votes,” she said.
Farida of the Afghanistan Women's Network said the candidates appeared ill-prepared to advance women’s rights.
“When we talked to them about their plans to work on women’s issues, they had no practical plans. We provided them with some strategies to consider in the future,” she said.
The withdrawal of NATO-led forces from Afghanistan, expected to be complete by the end of this year, is a source of concern for many women.
Sultani said the US-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement needed to be signed as soon as possible. Karzai has delayed signing off on the deal, which will allow limited numbers of American troops to stay on after 2014.
“We are asking the international community to train, equip and support the Afghan armed forces – whether the government wants this or not – so that the tenuous Afghans have made in the last 13 years, particularly in the field of women’s rights, will not be lost.”
These concerns are shared by many in the international community. Afghan activists noted a recent petition signed by stars including Hollywood actors Keira Knightley and Salma Hayek, calling on British prime minister David Cameron to continue protecting women’s rights after the troop withdrawal
Many ordinary women feel abandoned by both the world and their own government.
Narges, who works for a foreign organisation, said that the plight of women in Afghanistan had served as a convenient tool to elicit international funding.
“Everything achieved for women in the past 13 years was just on paper,” she said. “Afghan women are exhibited in the marketplace as a commodity for fundraising. That is the only value of women.”
Despite a number of requests, the Afghan ministry of women’s affairs declined to speak to IWPR for this article.
Mina Habib is an IWPR reporter in Kabul.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/womens-day-speech-afghan-president-falls-flat
-------------
The Purpose (Get Up Weary Soldier)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaRI0VSyjps
A song to encourage and inspire the Canadian and American soldiers who are serving in areas of conflict and peacekeeping overseas, and their families who remain here at home. Our hearts and prayers are with you.
HISTORY- 2004 2005 and on- MORE 2 COME AFGHANISTAN from over 50,000 posted blogs and such since 2001- our beloved troops-Afghanistan the new... the good stuff
A STRONG AFGHANISTAN IS GOOD FOR THE WORLD
The Toronto Sun - Guest Column, Dec. 7, 2004 BY OMAR SAMAD
THE ONCE unimaginable is happening in Afghanistan. The country's first-ever elected president will be sworn into office today, and the democratic process, started three years ago after the fall of the Taliban and ouster of al-Qaida, reaches yet another milestone. Nonetheless, it is accompanied by new challenges.
The decisive defeat of international terrorism and the narcotics networks that threaten the region will be made easier when Afghanistan and its neighbours benefit from the dividends that political stability and economic growth produce.
Canada has played an important role in that regard, and should continue to contribute towards mutually beneficial results.
While the Afghans and a large number of international dignitaries celebrate President Hamid Karzai's inauguration in Kabul, it is apparent to all that the country is only now starting to show tangible signs of reconstruction and permanent post-conflict change. The challenges associated with rebuilding and reforming a failed state that underwent almost 25 years of decline as a result of a foreign invasion, followed by internal turmoil and a terrorist takeover, are, to say the least, daunting.
Afghans are dismantling the wartime structures and replacing them with modern-day institutions, including a new national army and police, but the reform and rehabilitation of dysfunctional pre-war security, justice, education, health, energy, agriculture and administrative sectors, among others, is costly and more demanding.
The possible deployment of a Canadian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in western or southern Afghanistan next year, in addition to the existing Kabul-based peacekeeping contingent, will be welcomed by Afghans. The decision will help security and boost reconstruction efforts.
But Canada can do more and is showing willingness to do so. It would be of tremendous benefit to set up a training institute to teach a new generation of Afghans modern-day administrative and management skills.
Agriculture, reforestation, water management and energy generation are other areas of great Canadian competence and high Afghan need. Each sector is open not only for Canadian international development aid, but also for business ventures.
Evidently, there are also risks and challenges involved by entering the emerging Afghan market. Despite having put in place a stable currency, a nascent banking sector, business-friendly laws and reformed tariff, customs and tax systems, the government and the growing private sector are collaborating to remove remaining investment barriers, strengthen financial services and fight corruption.
The next challenge facing the political process is to hold local and parliamentary elections in a secure environment next year. NATO contributions will once again be of help. Furthermore, to complete the disarmament and re-integration of armed militias (half of whom have already gone through the formalized demobilization program) to prevent the remnants of terrorism from regrouping is at the top of the governmentis security reform agenda, along with a credible anti-drug strategy.
The new Afghan government is also responsible for upholding the new Constitution adopted earlier this year, promoting the rule of law and human rights, including women's rights, as part of a dynamic civil and democratic society.
The continued constructive engagement of our neighbours and countries beyond Afghan borders will be crucial to ensure success in the global war on terrorism, the dismantling of the extremist agenda that fuels it, and the defeat of the drug mafia that is attempting to take the country down again.
The economic windfall in terms of trade, transit and investment is already apparent to all countries in the region, and needs to be promoted further by accelerating the buildup of Afghan roads, railway, energy complexes, oil and gas pipelines, and other infrastructure.
As recent history has demonstrated, helping Afghanistan succeed will benefit world peace and promote regional stability and prosperity. It is a win-win proposition that could backfire if we take our eyes off the ball.
Omar Samad is Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada
--------------
history:
One killed, six injured in southern Afghanistan prison riot
March 22, 2005
KABUL (AFP) - One prisoner has been killed and six people including three policemen injured during a clash at a jail in southern Afghanistan, officials said.
The incident took place Monday night in the city of Kandahar, the former stronghold of the ultra-Islamic Taliban regime.
"One prisoner was killed and six others including three police were injured in Kandahar prison," city police director General Salim Khan told AFP Tuesday, declining to give more details.
The trouble started when an inmate attacked a prison police guard and opened fire, injuring him and two other policemen, a police source said.
In a subsequent exchange of fire the attacker was killed and three prisoners were wounded, the source said.
Interior ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal was not available for comment.
On December 17 four guards and two prisoners were killed in Kabul's main jail as clashes erupted after an escape attempt.
In the Kabul riot, a Pakistani and an Iraqi detainee were killed after attacking a guard at Pul-e-Charki jail with a razor blade and stealing his gun.
They were killed after intervention by the national army.
-------------
HISTORY 2005
All quiet on Afghanistan's western front
By Andrew North BBC News, at Shindand airbase, Western Afghanistan Wednesday, 23 March, 2005, 11:22 GMT
'Mig tipping' 'is a favourite pastime of bored troops
Shattered Soviet war-planes, desert scrub, a battered runway and a cluster of shell-scarred buildings patched up with wooden boards.
When you fly into Shindand airfield you have to look hard to spot any sign of activity, let alone that it is the US military's main base in western Afghanistan.
This huge Soviet-built base has been the focus of speculation over possible US operations against Iran - about 50 miles away to the west.
But it is the debris of past wars, rather than preparations for future ones, that dominate the scene right now.
Nuclear installations
The war junk sometimes serves as entertainment for bored troops. Some while away off-duty hours by what they call "Mig-tipping" - standing on the back end of those Soviet warplanes until they lift up.
What sparked greater interest in the American presence here was a New Yorker magazine article claiming US special forces teams had been crossing into Iran from Afghanistan for some time, allegedly seeking out nuclear installations and other potential targets.
Shindand - which has been under US control since only August last year - was seen as the most likely starting point.
But the American commander for the region denies Iran is the focus for the US troops he controls.
Rumours fuelled
"The US presence in western Afghanistan is for reconstruction and economic development. We have done no operations along the Iranian border, and I have no knowledge of operations along the Iranian border," says Col Phil Bookert at his headquarters in Herat city, two hours drive to the north.
"That is not why we are here," he continues. "We're here to do reconstruction and economic development activities in Herat and Farah provinces, and they happen to border Iran.
"We do reconstruction activities between here and Iran, but we certainly don't cross the border."
He was careful though when pressed further: "I have no knowledge of coalition operations into Iran looking for anything."
Of course, if such operations were taking place from here, it is unlikely most of the soldiers at Shindand - the bulk of them military police - would be told.
Speculation continues
Comments by the influential Republican Senator John McCain, calling for permanent US bases in Afghanistan have also helped fuel rumours about plans for Shindand - one of the largest airfields in the country.
Relics of the previous occupying power are everywhere
Although troops have repaired key parts of the base including holes in the runway - some caused by US bombing in 2001 - there is little sign Shindand is being prepared for a larger role just yet.
There are only a few hundred US troops here. And none of the constant clatter and roar of helicopters that you find at other US bases like Kandahar or Bagram.
And the plan is for the US to hand over the base later this year to an Italian-led contingent serving with the Nato peacekeeping troops.
But this would still allow the US to use the base, defence experts point out. As long as there is tension between Washington and Tehran, speculation will continue as to America's plans for Shindand.
--------------------
HISTORY - march 31 2005
Laura Bush hails women's education on Afghanistan visit
KABUL (AFP) - US First Lady Laura Bush flew to Afghanistan to praise the country's women, who are struggling for the right to education more than three years after the fall of the repressive Taliban.
The former schoolteacher and librarian unveiled a series of multi-million dollar US-funded projects to promote women's learning, saying they would help secure the war-scarred nation's path to democracy.
Bush's lightning visit to the capital Kabul came hours after a suicide bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan, underlining the continuing threat posed by the hardline Islamic Taliban which was overthrown by US-led forces in late 2001.
"It's an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the incredible progress made by the Afghan people over the last few years, with women now being teachers, doctors, businesswomen and ministers," she told a gathering of Afghan women at Kabul University.
"The terror when they were denied their rights by tyranny has been replaced by a young democracy with equal rights." The Taliban, who ruled most of Afghanistan with an iron fundamentalist hand from 1996 to late 2001, outlawed education for women and forced them to wear all-covering burqas.
The first lady, whose husband has never visited Afghanistan, was warmly welcomed by around 400 women including teachers and officials as she opened an all-female dormitory project.
Young girls in green, gold and red traditional dress clutched bouquets of flowers for the first lady while she spoke to members of the crowd.
Laura Bush announced a 17.7 million dollar grant for a new American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, 3.5 million dollars for the international elementary school of Afghanistan and five million dollars for a women's teacher training institute.
"These are more than just development projects, they celebrate the bond between the US and Afghan people. They are symbols of our shared hopes and dreams for the future," she said. "That dream is a prosperous, peaceful and fair Afghanistan."
In many traditional Afghan families, parents or husbands still refuse to allow their daughters or spouses to go to school unless they have all-female teaching staff and are equipped with separate dormitories.
Arzoo Anghistani, a female student from the southern city of Kandahar which was the birthplace of the Taliban, said Bush's visit was "beneficial." "Things have to change in Afghanistan and education is the biggest problem because here they do not let Afghan women study," said the 16-year-old, adding that she was due to spend a year studying in the United States.
Eighteen-year-old Anosha Noori, a computer operator for a Kabul company, said conditions were improving for women. "Before, Afghan women could not work or even drive, especially under the Taliban," she said.
Bush's visit was only announced only hours before she arrived at Bagram Air Base, the US headquarters in Afghanistan. She flew by US military helicopter to the university under tight security.
Her visit coincided with a trip by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky to convene the sixth formal meeting of the US-Afghan Women's Council.
Bush was also meeting President Hamid Karzai. Before returning to Washington she was to dine with US troops, who are leading a 18,000-strong coalition hunting down Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
Her visit comes less than two weeks after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited to hail Afghanistan's progress towards democracy. But the country remains racked by violence. Four hours before Bush's arrival a suspected suicide bomb exploded outside the governor's office in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
Four US soldiers died in a landmine blast in the southeastern province of Logar on Saturday, although it was not known if the device was an old one or recently planted by militants.
On Tuesday four Afghan border police died in a Taliban ambush in western Farah province, while two US soldiers and six Afghan troops were wounded in separate incidents. A bomb in eastern Kabul on Monday injured a Canadian travelling in a diplomatic car along with three other people.
-----------
HISTORY
Japanese researchers find Buddhist stone caves in Afghanistan
Wednesday November 9, 3:09 PM
(Kyodo) _ A team of Japanese researchers has found Buddhist stone caves believed to date back to the eighth century about 120 kilometers west of the Bamiyan ruins in central Afghanistan, the team said Wednesday.
The team, headed by Ryukoku University professor Takashi Irisawa, confirmed in late October the discovery of a group of caves built on cliffs located 1 km west of the Keligan ruins in the upper Band-e-Amir River area.
The discovery indicates the possibility that the influence of Buddhism may have extended to the area of the upper waters of the river centering around the Keligan ruins around the eighth century, and that the religion's sphere of influence in the region may have been greater than previously thought, team members said. Islam was beginning to gather momentum around that time.
"It will provide an invaluable clue in researching the sphere of Buddhism stretching westward," said Irisawa, an expert on Buddhist culture at the Kyoto-based university.
The group of caves is made up of four layers with seven rooms. The bottom layer, which is the largest, is 4 meters high, 5 meters wide and 15 meters long.
Three rooms in the bottom layer have spaces where Buddhist statues are believed to have been placed, indicating that the rooms may have been used for praying, team members said.
Irisawa said, there is "little doubt that the caves are Buddhist caves as they closely resemble the structure and architectural style of the Bamiyan stone caves."
Xuanzang, a Chinese monk known as Genjo Sanzo in Japan who visited Bamiyan in the seventh century, wrote in his book on his travels called "The Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty" that he had passed more than a dozen temples and some 300 monks on his way to Bamiyan.
The area of the Keligan ruins may have been where Xuanzang passed through, team members said.
A group of stone caves were also found in a village 2 km east of the Keligan ruins.
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley, which was destroyed by the country's former Taliban rulers in 2001, were registered on the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage list in 2003.
----------
Official HIV/AIDS figures may be an underestimate
(Hewad) To date, 46 cases of HIV/AIDS have been registered in Afghanistan so far, but there may in reality be 400 to 800 cases across the country. Dr Abdullah Fahim, an adviser to the public health ministry, said the official figure of 46 cases is the precise number of those registered by the ministry, while the higher statistic is an estimate. Fahim said the spread of infection was caused in part by people returning from neighbouring countries, and also by shared needle use inside Afghanistan.
(Hewad is a state run daily mostly in Pashto.)
via Afghan Press Monitor (No 188, 07 Nov 05) - published by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting
-------------
Open for business, in Afghanistan
By Michael T. Luongo The New York Times TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2005
KABUL On the first day of her first business trip to Kabul, in January 2003, Virginia Sheffield found her car surrounded by "three very excited Afghans with guns."
It was the sort of incident that plays on Afghanistan's reputation as a lawless, violent place, best to be avoided by foreign capitalists.
But contrary to that popular perception, Sheffield and other corporate executives say, Afghanistan is the place to be these days.
Its economy is booming, providing opportunities for foreign businesses small and large, and the risk of falling prey to thugs or terrorists is not only exaggerated, they say, it is diminishing. "This mentality that it's very risky is not the reality," Sheffield said.
Her encounter with the three men with guns took place as she and her husband were entering the grounds of the presidential palace, to meet with President Hamid Karzai. Just as they drove past a sign warning that no photography was allowed, her husband fumbled with his camera, setting off the flash and prompting a rush of guards to their car. "I almost got arrested," she said, but when she showed the guards the photo her husband had inadvertently taken - of his feet - they were allowed in.
Since then, she says, she has spent more time in Afghanistan than in the United States, usually in three-month stints. She runs Sheffield Advisors, a consulting firm for companies doing business in Afghanistan, and also helps manage International Business Services-Afghanistan, which provides temporary office space and other support to newly arrived companies.
Shaun Brogan, a manager at the $25 million, 177-room, Kabul Serena Hotel, downplays the risk of terrorist attack in Kabul and says that misplaced trepidation has hurt business.
In mid-2004, Brogan said, he saw rockets exploding over the city and "heard the bangs, but it wasn't really scary." Foreigners tend to think that rockets go off every day, he said, while they are in fact quite rare. But he also said that the perception alone makes it hard to recruit employees from abroad.
In addition, Brogan said, it is difficult to get international corporations to send people in to sell their products or to help train local employees. "It's very frustrating when you're here trying to set up your business," he said.
The "psychological barrier," Brogan said, is "making them not invest."
On the other hand, said Christopher Newbery, general manager of the hotel, once foreign workers come to Kabul, "then they are great."
To be sure, the threat of violence remains, but foreign executives face up to it stoically, if not casually. "We have had plenty of close calls, rocket attacks in Kandahar which are very close to home," said Ben Preston, 27, manager of the Kabul office of DHL Worldwide Express, the delivery service company.
Preston said he was doing some business inside the offices of Standard Chartered, the first postwar international bank in Kabul, the day before Afghan authorities removed a bomb known as a VBIED, or vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, from a car that was parked in front.
By at least one measure - air travel - Afghanistan has become a safer place. Sheffield said that her first flight on Ariana, the national carrier, "looked like something from a Keystone Cops movie."
"You had people carrying bundles; one guy was actually carrying a tire," Sheffield said. Once on board, her seat belt did not work, so she tied it "in a knot and called it good."
Today, by contrast, flying the airline is "an experience as good as flying in the U.S.," she said.
Karim Khoja, chief executive of Roshan, an Afghan cellphone company, says he, too, witnessed the transformation of air transport from scary to reliable. He recalled the time some of his employees were on an Ariana plane that overshot the Kabul airport runway and barreled into an open field riddled with mines. "We were very lucky that no one got killed that day," he said.
But such incidents pretty much ended after "Ariana brought the Germans in" to train its employees, Khoja said, with happy results for business travelers. "When you think of investment in a country, what does a businessman want to do?" he asked. "He wants to get on a plane. Kabul has progressed in that respect."
In fact, the chaos of everyday life - the pace of construction everywhere, the erratic traffic, the worsening pollution, the unreliability of the work force - usually bothers foreign executives more than the perceived security threats do.
Khoja tries to see the bright side of the endless traffic jams, calling them a "sign of prosperity," but he laments the worsening air pollution they produce. And Preston, the DHL manager, said the broader problem was the absence of enforceable regulations that enabled anyone who could get behind the wheel of a vehicle to get a driver's license.
"It's desperate," Preston said. "What is there in terms of contract law, or any kind of law?"
Even so, he said, he takes the setbacks in stride. "I quite like working in places that are not too glitzy," he said. "It would be boring if it was easy."
Noor Delawari, director of the central bank of Afghanistan, acknowledged the regulatory confusion but said the economy was booming in spite of it, expanding at a projected 14 percent this year, up from 10.6 percent in 2004.
Much of the expansion is being fueled by construction, as the country rebuilds after nearly three decades of war. Housing and commercial centers are sprouting all over Kabul; an industrial park for 40 companies is going up outside the city; and other office parks are planned at sites near Kabul International Airport.
According to Sheffield, it was once possible to show visitors devastation from war.
"Not anymore," she said. "It's disappearing fast."
KABUL On the first day of her first business trip to Kabul, in January 2003, Virginia Sheffield found her car surrounded by "three very excited Afghans with guns."
It was the sort of incident that plays on Afghanistan's reputation as a lawless, violent place, best to be avoided by foreign capitalists.
But contrary to that popular perception, Sheffield and other corporate executives say, Afghanistan is the place to be these days.
Its economy is booming, providing opportunities for foreign businesses small and large, and the risk of falling prey to thugs or terrorists is not only exaggerated, they say, it is diminishing. "This mentality that it's very risky is not the reality," Sheffield said.
Her encounter with the three men with guns took place as she and her husband were entering the grounds of the presidential palace, to meet with President Hamid Karzai. Just as they drove past a sign warning that no photography was allowed, her husband fumbled with his camera, setting off the flash and prompting a rush of guards to their car. "I almost got arrested," she said, but when she showed the guards the photo her husband had inadvertently taken - of his feet - they were allowed in.
Since then, she says, she has spent more time in Afghanistan than in the United States, usually in three-month stints. She runs Sheffield Advisors, a consulting firm for companies doing business in Afghanistan, and also helps manage International Business Services-Afghanistan, which provides temporary office space and other support to newly arrived companies.
Shaun Brogan, a manager at the $25 million, 177-room, Kabul Serena Hotel, downplays the risk of terrorist attack in Kabul and says that misplaced trepidation has hurt business.
In mid-2004, Brogan said, he saw rockets exploding over the city and "heard the bangs, but it wasn't really scary." Foreigners tend to think that rockets go off every day, he said, while they are in fact quite rare. But he also said that the perception alone makes it hard to recruit employees from abroad.
In addition, Brogan said, it is difficult to get international corporations to send people in to sell their products or to help train local employees. "It's very frustrating when you're here trying to set up your business," he said.
The "psychological barrier," Brogan said, is "making them not invest."
On the other hand, said Christopher Newbery, general manager of the hotel, once foreign workers come to Kabul, "then they are great."
To be sure, the threat of violence remains, but foreign executives face up to it stoically, if not casually. "We have had plenty of close calls, rocket attacks in Kandahar which are very close to home," said Ben Preston, 27, manager of the Kabul office of DHL Worldwide Express, the delivery service company.
Preston said he was doing some business inside the offices of Standard Chartered, the first postwar international bank in Kabul, the day before Afghan authorities removed a bomb known as a VBIED, or vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, from a car that was parked in front.
By at least one measure - air travel - Afghanistan has become a safer place. Sheffield said that her first flight on Ariana, the national carrier, "looked like something from a Keystone Cops movie."
"You had people carrying bundles; one guy was actually carrying a tire," Sheffield said. Once on board, her seat belt did not work, so she tied it "in a knot and called it good."
Today, by contrast, flying the airline is "an experience as good as flying in the U.S.," she said.
Karim Khoja, chief executive of Roshan, an Afghan cellphone company, says he, too, witnessed the transformation of air transport from scary to reliable. He recalled the time some of his employees were on an Ariana plane that overshot the Kabul airport runway and barreled into an open field riddled with mines. "We were very lucky that no one got killed that day," he said.
But such incidents pretty much ended after "Ariana brought the Germans in" to train its employees, Khoja said, with happy results for business travelers. "When you think of investment in a country, what does a businessman want to do?" he asked. "He wants to get on a plane. Kabul has progressed in that respect."
In fact, the chaos of everyday life - the pace of construction everywhere, the erratic traffic, the worsening pollution, the unreliability of the work force - usually bothers foreign executives more than the perceived security threats do.
Khoja tries to see the bright side of the endless traffic jams, calling them a "sign of prosperity," but he laments the worsening air pollution they produce. And Preston, the DHL manager, said the broader problem was the absence of enforceable regulations that enabled anyone who could get behind the wheel of a vehicle to get a driver's license.
"It's desperate," Preston said. "What is there in terms of contract law, or any kind of law?"
Even so, he said, he takes the setbacks in stride. "I quite like working in places that are not too glitzy," he said. "It would be boring if it was easy."
Noor Delawari, director of the central bank of Afghanistan, acknowledged the regulatory confusion but said the economy was booming in spite of it, expanding at a projected 14 percent this year, up from 10.6 percent in 2004.
Much of the expansion is being fueled by construction, as the country rebuilds after nearly three decades of war. Housing and commercial centers are sprouting all over Kabul; an industrial park for 40 companies is going up outside the city; and other office parks are planned at sites near Kabul International Airport.
According to Sheffield, it was once possible to show visitors devastation from war.
"Not anymore," she said. "It's disappearing fast."
--------------------
Rumsfeld orders 3,000 troops cut from Afghanistan next year: report
12/20/05
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signed an order to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan from 19,000 to 16,000 by next spring.
The troop cut is the result of NATO's decision to expand its peacekeeping force in southern Afghanistan next year, said the New York Times, quoting a senior military officer.
The order Rumsfeld signed on Monday will reduce from 4,000 to 1,300 troops the portion of the Army's Fourth Brigade that was scheduled to replace the 173rd Airborne Brigade in southern Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The reduction will bring down the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 16,000 by the end of March, said the senior military officer, who requested anonymity because the order had not been made public.
The decision, Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said, was based on recommendations from the senior US commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, and General John Abizaid, the overall US commander in the Middle East and Central Asia.
"The overall level of security forces in the country, NATO's role and the political developments are all moving in the right direction," Di Rita said in an interview.
A formal announcement on the troop cuts was expected later Tuesday, the daily said.
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Afghan Daily Report
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty [ 20 December 2005 ]
Interim Afghan Parliamentary Leaders Appointed...
The director of Afghanistan's National Assembly secretariat, Azizullah Ludin, announced the interim leaders of the National Assembly on 19 December, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Qazi Habibullah Ramin was named the interim speaker of the People's Council (Wolesi Jirga) and Gharghashta Katawazi was chosen as his deputy. Wali Jan Saberi was selected as the provisional secretary of the People's Council. In the Council of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), Mohammad Isa Shinwari was nominated as the interim speaker. The interim appointments will be terminated once both houses elect their own officials. The National Assembly convened in Kabul for the first time on 19 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 December 2005). AT
...As Outspoken Delegate Attacks 'Warlords' In Parliament
Speaking at a news conference after the National Assembly was inaugurated in Kabul on 19 December, Malalai Joya, a female representative from Farah Province in western Afghanistan, offered her "condolences to the people...for the presence of warlords, drug lords, and criminals," in the parliament, "The New York Times," reported on 19 December. Afghanistan's people "are like broken-winged pigeons caught in the claws of blood-sucking bats after being released from the Taliban cage," Joya said, adding that "most of these bats are in the parliament," AFP reported on 19 December. As a delegate to the Constitutional Loya Jirga in 2003, Joya objected to the presence of former mujahedin leaders in the assembly, calling them "criminals." That comment led to her expulsion from the meeting (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 December 2003). AT
Afghan Journalists Not Allowed To Parliament Convening
More than 100 Afghan and foreign journalists protested in Kabul on 19 December after being barred from covering the inaugural session of the National Assembly, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Journalists were put in a separate room and not allowed to cover the ceremonies. "Security officials were not courteous when democracy took its first steps in a country that witnessed its first parliamentary meeting in more than three decades," journalist Mostafa Basharat said. Only a handful of foreign reporters were allowed to cover the inaugural ceremonies. AT
U.S. Vice President Says U.S. Committed To Afghanistan
Speaking to U.S. troops based at Bagram air base north of Kabul on 19 December, Vice President Dick Cheney said that Washington remains "firmly committed to the safety of the Afghan people, to the success of its democracy, and to lasting peace and stability in the region," the American Forces Press Service reported. Calling the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan part of the "battle for the future of civilization," Cheney said that the United States and its allies are going to win this battle. Cheney was in Kabul to participate in the inaugural ceremonies of the Afghan National Assembly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 December 2005). AT
Spanish Prime Minister Makes Surprise Visit To Western Afghanistan
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero visited Herat Province on 19 December to pay tribute to 17 Spanish servicemen who died there in August when their helicopter crashed, Madrid's RNE Radio 1 reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August 2005). Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos accompanied Zapatero in the surprise trip to Herat, EFE news agency reported on 19 December. As part of his visit, Zapatero met with Spanish troops deployed in neighboring Badghis Province, Sada-ye Jawan Radio reported on 19 December. Spain currently has around 500 troops serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. AT
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Afghanistan: Female Lawmakers Taking Their Rightful Place In Politics
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 20.12.2005 - 12:36
During their campaigns, they endured intimidation, threats of physical violence, and restrictions tied to Afghanistan's conservative traditions. But they persevered. And now dozens of female deputies have taken their seats in the upper and lower houses of Afghanistan's new parliament.
Kabul, 20 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Shukria Barkzai called it a "momentous day."
Barkzai is one of 68 women elected to seats in the lower house of Afghanistan's new parliament, where she is also a candidate for speaker. The parliament is also the first in Afghanistan since 1973.
Barkzai described her feelings during the opening session of parliament yesterday, in an interview with RFE/RL's Afghan Service.
"The atmosphere was beautiful, very calm, full of emotions and love," she said. "I think if our previous leaders once again attempt to divide people under the names of languages, regions, and clans, I am 100 percent sure that the current atmosphere in parliament will continue forever."
Twenty-five percent of the seats in the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga, or National Assembly, were reserved for women. Seventeen women will also sit in the upper house.
Barkzai said she hopes the new parliament will set an example for the whole country: "We should make good laws for Afghanistan, and we should be strong observers of the law for this country. We should respect new ideas. We should catch some people who don't believe in democracy, but now they've joined this new process. We should teach them [what] democracy is, and I hope this parliament will be a successful parliament for the future of this country."
Malalai Joya represents the western province of Farah in the lower house. Joya is one of the most outspoken critics of the makeup of the new parliament, whose members include warlords, militia commanders, and former Taliban officials. Many of the new legislators also lack political experience.
"I'll try to introduce legislation that will protect the rights of the oppressed people and safeguard women's rights," Joya said. "Those who came here under the name of democracy shouldn't be given the chance to continue their crimes under the slogan of democracy. Which means first, I represent my people here, and secondly, I will also continue my struggle against warlords, no matter what party or sex they belong to. I'll continue my struggle, especially against those parties who destroyed our country. As I am representing my people, I have big hopes."
Joya says she won't discriminate between male and female members of parliament, but says that those who committed human rights abuses and other crimes in Afghanistan's violent past should not be treated equally.
During September's parliamentary vote, Afghans also elected provincial councils, which then appointed two-thirds of the members of the 102-seat upper house. Afghan President Hamid Karzai selected who would fill the remaining seats.
Joya believes Karzai compromised too much in his choices. "Unfortunately, we see there are some selected members of the upper house with blood on their hands," she said. "That is useless, and they present a threat to the people of Afghanistan. The government should not trust those who have failed the people once. Instead, the government should have selected people with qualifications in legislation and those who have not committed any crimes. Many people are worried and concerned of Karzai's decision to take such action."
Reuters quotes Mohammad Yunos Qanooni, a former factional official whose forces have been accused of abuses, as saying the term "warlord" is outdated. Abd al-Rab al-Rasul Sayyaf, a powerful former commander who has been accused of war crimes by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, says the new parliament "represents the reality of Afghanistan."
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Afghan mission needs support: Labor
The Weekend Australian by John Kerin December 31, 2005
AN Australian military reconstruction team should not be sent to Afghanistan without adequate protection and air support, according to the Labor Party.
Defence Minister Robert Hill confirmed yesterday that Australia's plans were awaiting a decision by the Dutch parliament on sending a 1400-strong assault force to Afghanistan.
But Labor defence spokesman Robert McClelland said the team would need helicopter support for medical evacuation and supplies. "There is no way Australians should be sent to any hostile sphere without adequate troop and air support," he said.
Defence sources have told The Weekend Australian that the Government is relying on the Dutch contingent to provide air and other support to a 200-strong provincial reconstruction team it is preparing to send to the troubled country.
Though the Dutch cabinet has given its approval to sending 1400 troops, including Apache helicopters and F-16s, to the southern Uruzgan province, it has made the deployment contingent on parliamentary approval.
But the Dutch parliament is divided over the proposal because of concerns that a resurgence by Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters could result in heavy casualties.
The Dutch move is part of a wider plan by NATO to expand its forces in the country to 16,000, freeing up US forces to take on the fighters in the mountainous regions bordering Pakistan, where they are mostly hiding out.
Australia has already deployed a 190-strong special forces taskforce to Afghanistan to help NATO and US troops put down a resurgent Taliban and provide security for elections.
Australian special forces have been involved in a series of clashes with gangs of Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters. The Dutch parliament is expected to make its decision within weeks.
The Australian Government is expected to then make a decision on the composition and size of the reconstruction team. A spokeswoman for Senator Hill said yesterday that he would await the decision of the Dutch parliament before any announcement was made.
The developments came as Finance Minister Nick Minchin defended the Defence Department over another damning audit report that showed it could not account for more than $4.4 billion in assets.
Senator Minchin said enormous pressure had been brought on the department to improve its accounting practices. But Labor treasury spokesman Wayne Swan said Defence was "completely out of control".
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Yearender: Post-war Afghanistan on way of reconstruction, reconciliation despite militancy
Xinhua 12/30/2005
While a series of upheaval and challenges, particularly in the fields of security and economic recovery, have slowed down the reconstruction process in war- battered Afghanistan, the year 2005 still saw the central Asian state achieve a host of vital projects, including the landmark legislative polls.
As a stride toward durable stability in the country, the parliamentary elections, held for the first time in three decades amid tight security on Sept. 18, facilitated the war-weary Afghans to move toward national unity and begin their political fight inside the parliament house rather than on the battleground.
President Hamid Karzai selected one third or 34 members of the 102-member Mushrano Jirga or the Upper House of the two-chamber parliament, in the post-Taliban country just days ahead of inaugural session of the legislation on Dec. 19.
The majority of the parliamentarians were former anti-Soviet resistance leaders, remnants of erstwhile USSR-backed regimes and ex-officials of fundamentalist Taliban regime, who had fought each other and been involved in the past 25 years of war and civil strife.
In another stride toward stability and national unity, the Afghan government launched a national reconciliation program and so far over 300 opposition elements with the majority of them Taliban fighters, according officials, have laid down their arms and joined the peace process throughout the outgoing year.
Though no prominent military figure of the hardliner militants has been seen among the Taliban defectors, the head of the Reconciliation Program Sibghatullah Mujadadi and newly elected president of the Mushrano Jirga predicted more desertion of Taliban fighters to government in the coming year.
True, the process of reconciliation is slow, but it has paved the way for the armed opponents to contact government. That is why several former Taliban officials contested the legislative polls and even a few of them, including ex-notorious commander Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi and Mawlawi Mohammad Islam Mohammadi, who governed Bamyan during the destruction of giant Buddha's statues in March 2001, have secured seats in the parliament.
To further boost its popularity, the Karzai-led administration launched a one-week Accountability Program late last month, during which all ministers and head of independent bodies briefed the nation on their performance over 2005.
In addition to hosting two regional conferences to boost economic activities with countries in the region, Afghanistan also received over a dozen of world leaders and foreign dignitaries in the outgoing year.
Prime Ministers of Pakistan, India, Norway, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and dignitaries from other countries toured Afghanistan in 2005 to side with the post-Taliban nation to rebuild itself.
Afghanistan under President Karzai in 2005 was able to sign a joint declaration with the White House and paved the way for long- term presence of the U.S. troops in the war-shattered country.
The leadership also succeeded in convincing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to expand its mission in Afghanistan and the western military pact has announced its deployment to the militancy-plagued southern region from next year. Meanwhile, economy in the post-war country also recorded a 14 percent growth in 2005, as against 8 percent in the previous year.
More than 2,480 national and international firms have registered to invest over 600 million U.S. dollars in the country, of which half has been realized during the outgoing year, mostly in the construction sector.
According to the Commerce Ministry, Afghanistan exported 120 tons of fresh and dried fruits in 2005 from 42 tons in the previous year, while the export of hand-woven carpets rose to 2 million square meters in the year from 1.5 million square meters in 2004.
In value, the country's total export also jumped to 500 U.S. dollars in the outgoing year from 300 million U.S. dollars in 2004. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's request for joining the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was also accepted in 2005.
The strength of the under training Afghanistan National Army ( ANA) also reached 31,000 while the number of national police as per schedule reached 55,000 in the outgoing year.
Nevertheless, despite the country's myriad of achievements, curbing militants and strengthening central government's control in the vast rural areas, particularly in the militancy-hit southern and southeastern region, remained a daunting challenge as the Taliban-led militants and its al-Qaida allies still frequently struck the government and US military interests.
In the outgoing year, the anti-government militants, contrary to people's expectations and predictions, further intensified their activities, during which over 1,500 people, including 80 U.S. soldiers, were killed.
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KARZAI GOALS FOR AFGHANISTAN
Voice of America (VOA News) / November 8, 2004
The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government:
Newly-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he hopes to establish a multi-ethnic government to deal with the problems caused by three decades of Soviet occupation, civil war, and Taleban oppression. Mr. Karzai says his goals include improving Afghanistan's economy, ending corruption, and reducing illegal drug trafficking:
"The greatest achievement of Afghanistan, of the Afghan people, has been the remarkable smoothness with which the political process went forward, that the political process delivered everything on time, and that the Afghan people participated fully in the political process."
The United Nations-Afghan joint electoral commission recently declared Mr. Karzai the winner of the October 9th presidential election in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai won more than fifty-five percent of an estimated eight-million votes. More than forty percent of the voters were women. Remnants of the Islamic extremist Taleban regime had threatened to disrupt the election. They did not succeed.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher says the U.S. congratulates Mr. Karzai "on his election as Afghanistan's first democratically elected leader":
"The election is the latest milestone on the Afghan people's road to democratic government and a vibrant civil society."
One voter, a Kabul widow named Nuzko, said, "I am so old, so this vote is not just for me. It is for my grandchildren." Nuzko stressed that she wants "Afghanistan to be secure and peaceful."
Next year, the people of Afghanistan will take another major step when they return to the polls to select members of a national parliament and local government officials. State Department spokesman Boucher says the U.S. "will continue to support them as they work towards this bright future."
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Osama Has Been in Pakistan For Three Years
By Arnaud de Borchgrave South Asia Tribune 11/6/04
WASHINGTON, November 5: With his latest video sally, Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist, has repositioned himself as the only leader willing to confront the world's sole superpower. Bin Laden has been hiding in Pakistan for almost three years, evidently with high-ranking protection.
Standing at a desk in a white turban and gold-colored ceremonial cloak, his message was clear: Not on the run but sharing the limelight with President Bush and his challenger John Kerry and hard at work as leader of disenfranchised Arabs and other Muslims seeking Palestine's liberation and the downfall of the authoritarian regimes of the Middle East and absolute monarchies and emirates of the Gulf.
Yasser Arafat's passing from the world stage also leaves a revolutionary vacancy. Thus, bin Laden's latest peroration is designed to outflank Muslim moderates who failed to obtain a change in Washington's pro-Israeli, benign neglect of the Palestinian crisis for the duration of the Iraqi crisis.
Bin Laden now knows that certain countless millions of Muslims, surveyed by the Pew Foundation two years in a row, trust him more than George W. Bush. In Muslim countries with a combined population of 450 million, bin Laden was a clear winner as a "freedom fighter" over the US president. In Morocco and Jordan, two traditionally pro-Western countries, at least at the regime-to-regime level, Mr. Bush was trusted by fewer than 10 percent in either country.
Bin Laden also scored majorities among the 6 million, mostly poverty-stricken, North Africans living in slums on the outskirts of France's major cities. Similar paeans echoed among 1 million South Asians in the greater London region.
Pakistani denials notwithstanding, Osama bin Laden has been in Pakistan since Dec. 9, 2001, when he escaped from the Tora Bora mountain range. Countrywide, bin Laden feels secure with 66 percent of Pakistanis, which moves up to plus 80 percent in the Northwest Frontier Province and Baluchistan, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan and governed by bin Laden admirers who consider Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar a personal friend.
This reporter and a multilingual UPI team, tipped by a major tribal leader about bin Laden's progress as he exited the Tora Bora mountain range through the Tirah Valley, arrived at the location Dec. 11, 2001. Local villagers confirmed that bin Laden, on horseback, accompanied by some 50 fighters, had come out of the Tirah Valley two days before. They were close to a main road that led from Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) to Peshawar, capital of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). Bin Laden left in the direction of Peshawar in an SUV with darkened windows.
On either side of the road from Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, to the Afghan border, there are large adobe-walled compounds of landowners and important tribal leaders. Osama bin Laden would be safe in any one of scores of such compounds.
Taliban's top leaders own similar estates where they live with impunity. Chaman, the Pakistani border town, is also home to a new crop of Taliban leaders. Some Pakistani journalists have the satellite phone numbers of Taliban's intelligence chief and other officials who feed them exaggerated or imagined tidbits about exploits against US forces on the other side of the mountains.
Bin Laden could be sheltered in any of Pakistan's major cities. The sprawling port of Karachi on the Arabian Sea, surrounded by miles of slums, has some 15 million people. In Peshawar, a city of 3.5 million, many Pathans, like bin Laden, are over six feet tall. In FATA, rickety local buses display posters of bin Laden captioned "Freedom Fighter." Bin Laden also enjoys the protection of renegade members of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).
Before Operation Enduring Freedom crushed the Taliban regime in November 2001, some 1,500 ISI operatives ensured the security of Mullah Omar's rule. They maintained permanent liaison with bin Laden and his top lieutenants as he moved around a score of terrorist training camps and safe houses in Kandahar and Jalalabad.
Conventional wisdom among the Al-Qaeda watchers in Pakistan says President Pervez Musharraf's regime is reluctant to launch a countrywide crackdown to find bin Laden. If bin Laden were captured, dead or alive, Mr. Musharraf would feel obligated to turn him over to the United States. And Pakistan might then face a disinterested US administration and lose billions in aid.
Mr. Musharraf has said at different times he knew bin Laden was dead, then that he was alive but ill. Today, he concedes bin Laden may be in a mountain hideout where fiercely loyal local tribesmen would not betray him for the $25 million offered by the US.
Three months before the release of the September 11 Commission report, commission chief of staff Phil Zelikow asked a prominent Pakistani if he could "fill in the gaps about what was happening behind the scenes in Pakistan in the period immediately preceding the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington." He traveled the length and breadth of Pakistan working his sources, which included many former ranking government officials, retired senior officers and former ISI personnel.
The requested report arrived in Washington too late to be included in the commission's 567-page report, which mentioned Pakistan 311 times. Even if it had arrived in time, it probably would have been left out. The material turned over to Mr. Zelikow, a former member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (2001-2003), could prove even more embarrassing to Mr. Musharraf than the information supplied by US intelligence about the international nuclear black market arms bazaar that was run for the benefit of America's enemies (North Korea, Iran and Libya).
The godfather of Operation Proliferation was Dr. AQ Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, and a charter member of the country's pantheon of national heroes.
The unpublished addendum to the September 11 report said: (1) Former senior ISI officers knew about the September 11 plot before the attacks occurred. (2) Osama bin Laden has not left Pakistan since he escaped from Tora Bora. (3) Bin Laden was treated for renal problems at a military hospital near Peshawar.
Mr. Musharraf will, of course, deny all this. Though he was army chief before his military coup in October 1999 gave him absolute power, Mr. Musharraf told the United States he knew nothing about AQ Khan's activities. This stretched credulity to the breaking point. He pardoned Mr. Khan and allowed him to keep his ill-gotten nuclear fortune. Future denials about bin Laden will ring as hollow. The writer is Editor at Large for United Press International and for The Washington Times.
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Iran says will retaliate if nuclear plants hit
2004-11-09 09:06 China Daily
Iran threatened on Monday to strike back at Israel or any other country that attacked its nuclear facilities.
U.S. and Israeli officials accuse Iran of seeking to develop atomic bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran denies the charges saying it only intends to produce electricity from nuclear power plants.
"If Israel or any other country attacks any site in Iran, we know no limits to threaten their interests," Deputy Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadr said.
"That means anywhere in the world, within their borders or outside it," he told reporters on Monday on the sidelines of an anti-U.S. conference in Tehran.
Israeli warplanes successfully destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981. Iran has stationed anti-aircraft batteries around its nuclear plants and built many of its facilities underground.
Iranian officials have also warned they can strike back at Israel with its medium-range Shahab-3 missile, which can also hit U.S. military bases in the Gulf.
Zolqadr denied Iran was developing nuclear weapons, saying the Islamic state preferred to rely on a volunteer militia force, which he said numbered 10 million, to defend the country.
Earlier the commander addressed high-school students at a conference entitled "The World Without America."
"The world without America is a world without oppression, without terror, without invasion, without massacre," he said in a speech that catalogd U.S. "crimes" ranging from the massacre of native Americans to the atom bomb on Hiroshima.
A video clip played for the audience showed gruesome pictures of injured children lying in hospital beds in Iraq, which U.S.-led forces invaded last year.
Zolqadr said an Iraq-style invasion of Iran was out of the question thanks to Iran's growing military might.
"We have assessed the American armed forces in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan ... they are not unknown or mystical to us any more," he told reporters after his speech.
Iranian and EU officials said on Sunday a deal had been struck between Iran, Britain, Germany and France after two days of talks in Paris that could see Tehran avert U.N. Security Council sanctions over its disputed nuclear program.
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JANUARY 8 2004
Pakistan approves 100 millon dollars to reform religious schools
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan has approved a 100-million-dollar programme to reform some 8,000 religious schools, or madrassas, by introducing subjects taught at normal schools across the country, a minister said.
"The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved ... 100 million dollars for the Madrassa Reforms Programme," finance minister Shuakat Aziz told a news conference on Wednesday.
"It would bridge the gap between formal and Madrassa education." Aziz said formal education would be introduced in 8,000 private seminaries and that the government would provide them with grants, salaries for teachers, the cost of text books, teacher training and equipment.
Under the madrassas programme, formal subjects including English, mathematics, social studies and general science would be introduced from primary to secondary levels, while English, economics, Pakistani studies and computer science would be introduced at high school level, Aziz said.
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, the army chief who came to power in a bloodless 1999 coup and has made himself president until 2007, has been campaigning since early last year for the reform of Pakistan's religious schools.
But the campaign largely failed after madrassa leaders and Islamist organisations rejected government legislation requiring the schools to register and broaden their curricula beyond rote Koranic learning.
Musharraf has stepped up his campaign for moderate Islam in recent months, taking it to the world stage in his many addresses to international forums including the United Nations General Assembly and US-based think-tanks.
Addressing a gathering of children in Islamabad on Universal Children's Day (November 20) last year, Musharraf said: "700,000 poor children in these madrassas are getting free board and lodge, but only concentrating on religious education, which means they can only become khateebs (prayer leaders) in a mosque when they grow up."
Many madrassas with orthodox systems of education are seen as hotbeds of religious militancy. Taliban forces allegedly regrouping in Pakistan's conservative western border areas to stage attacks in Afghanistan are believed to recruit fighters from the more radical schools.
Afghan leaders including President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah have demanded tougher action against the schools, accusing them of supplying the Taliban with fighters.
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january 8 2004
Taliban Sorry for 'Mistake' That Killed 16 Afghans
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ousted Taliban apologized Wednesday for a bomb attack in the southern city of Kandahar that killed 16 people, including many children, and called it a botched attempt to target U.S. troops.
The ousted Islamic militia initially denied involvement in Tuesday's explosion near a military compound as children were passing on their way home from school. The blast came just two days after a new constitution was adopted in Kabul, which Afghans hope will usher in a period of peace and stability after a quarter of a century of bloodshed.
"It was a mistake by our mujahideen (holy warriors)," senior Taliban commander Mullah Sabir Momin said by satellite telephone. "We wanted to target the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) office in the city, but because of a small mistake, this plan failed," he told Reuters.
PRTs are civilian-military groups, mostly under the umbrella of U.S.-led forces in the country, deployed across Afghanistan to improve security and support reconstruction efforts. The PRT in Kandahar is under U.S. command.
Vital assistance missions have been suspended across as much as a third of the country due to deteriorating security, with much of the violence blamed on the Taliban and its allies. Momin said U.S. and allied forces regularly passed along the route where the explosion occurred.
One person was arrested by Afghan authorities shortly after the blast, but Momin said he did not know the individual and that Taliban guerrillas had got away on motorcycles.
He urged residents of the dusty, bleak former Taliban stronghold to stay away from buildings belonging to U.S. or Afghan forces, adding that they would soon be attacked.
A statement from the U.S. military released late Tuesday pinned the blame for the atrocity firmly on the Taliban. "This criminal attack reminds us that there are still elements of the former brutal and repressive regime committed to reversing the successes of the Afghan people," it said.
The Taliban and its allies, including members of al Qaeda, have declared a "jihad" (holy war) on foreign forces, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, Afghan troops and aid workers. Officials in Kandahar said Wednesday that the death toll had risen to 16, and at least eight children were among those killed. Another 50 people were wounded.
In a separate development, U.S. and Afghan forces launched an operation in the border town of Spin Boldak to arrest "important Taliban commanders," an Afghan commander said. Helicopters flew over the town but there were no reports of fighting, and it was not immediately clear whether the operation was linked to the Kandahar bombing.
There are 12,000 U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan hunting Islamic militants from the Taliban and al Qaeda. They have failed to prevent a wave of attacks and fighting that has claimed over 400 lives since early August, mainly in the south and east.
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JANUARY 8 2004
US, Afghan troops launch joint operation against Taliban remnants
(Xinhua) - US forces and Afghan government troops launched a joint mop-up operation on Wednesday against Taliban remnants in a mountainous area near the southern city of Kandahar, local sources said.
The operation in Spin Boldak district, about 60 kilometers south of Kandahar, was aimed at killing or capturing fugitive Taliban commander Mullah Akhter Mohammad, believed to be behind a series of recent attacks in the city, according to an Afghan official in Kandahar.
The move was carried out just one day after 17 civilians, mostly school children, were killed in a bomb attack on Tuesday by suspected Taliban fighters in Kandahar, a former stronghold of theousted regime. Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman on Wednesday claimed the responsibility for the midday bomb explosion on a Kandahar street,saying the attack was originally targeted at US soldiers deployed
Spin Boldak, a volatile border town between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is believed to be a safe haven for many holdout Taliban fighters, who have been hiding in nearby mountain caves since the regime's collapse two years ago.
However, Bryan Hilferty, US military spokesman in Afghanistan, refused to comment on the reported operation near the southern Afghan border. "I can not comment on the issue," he told Xinhua through an interpreter, but adding that the US-led coalition forces were ready to conduct necessary operations against terrorists and rebels in any part of Afghanistan.
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JANUARY 8, 2004
Good News, Bad News on New Afghan Charter
Jim Lobe, OneWorld US
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 8 (OneWorld) -- While praising the inclusion of women's rights in the Afghanistan's new constitution, a major U.S. human rights group warned Thursday that the three-week process that led to the constitution's ratification raised serious question about whether the country can hold free and fair elections later this year.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said political intimidation, vote-buying and the lack of transparency characterized key parts of the Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, that put the finishing touches and approved the country's charter. In addition, a number of provisions included in the document were sufficiently vague to raise concerns about how they would be enforced in practice.
"Human rights protections were put on paper," said John Sifton, HRW's researcher on Afghanistan. "But there were a lot of missed opportunities, and complaints and corruption during the convention."
Some of the same critiques were leveled by Anatol Lieven, a Central Asian specialist with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In an article published by the London Financial Times earlier this week, Lieven stressed that the final document was "not so much a constitution as an aspiration."
While the assembly was "fairly representative" of Afghanistan's diverse peoples and interests, he noted, it was "by no means fully democratic, in either its selection or its procedures." He described the meeting as a "'top-down' process" and stressed that the constitution would not have been ratified in the end "without arm-twisting by the U.S., the United Nations and the international community."
All of this is worrisome both for the implementation of the constitution and for national elections planned for June, but which international analysts are already suggesting may have to be put off until September, if not longer.
HRW noted that the just-concluded meeting made "significant achievements," the most important of which was a constitutional guarantee that women will hold a substantial number of seats in the country's bicameral National Assembly. Approximately 25 percent of the seats in the lower house are reserved for women, and the charter requires the president to appoint additional women to the upper body, called the House of Elders.
In addition, one provision provides that men and women should be treated equally under the law, including the specifically enumerated political, civil, economic and social rights that are recognized by the constitution.
But, according to HRW, the constitution lacks strong language ensuring that institutions created to uphold those rights are empowered to do so, while its failure to address the role of Islamic law and its relationship to human rights protections could be used by a conservative judiciary to implement interpretations of Islam that may run contrary to international human rights standards. The constitution provided that no laws should contravene basic Islamic principles.
HRW is also concerned about the constitution's failure to address accountability for serious human rights abuses, including atrocities, that have taken place in the past. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)--created by the December 2001 Bonn Agreement after the U.S. led military campaign ousted the Taliban regime--may be able to delve into the question, but the new constitution gives it no mandate to do so.
HRW said it was especially concerned about the machinations by various factions before and during the meeting to influence the outcome. It said the use of intimidation and bribery underlined fears that warlords and local factions continue to dominate Afghanistan's political evolution.
"A constitution cannot itself reduce the power of the warlords," said Sifton. "But an open political process in drafting it could have weakened their influence. Instead, the warlords flexed their muscles and proved they still hold a lot of power." London-based Amnesty International, which also observed the process, released a statement two days before the January 4 ratification that echoed HRW's concerns.
"Dominance by strong political and armed factional leaders and the absence of the rule of law in many parts of the country contributes to an atmosphere of insecurity for delegates who wish to act independently of powerful political groups," it said. "Some delegates fear for the safety of their families and for their own lives, especially after they return home at the end of the (Loya Jirga)."
Both HRW and Amnesty had documented numerous cases of death threats and corruption during the process that selected the delegates to the meeting, and UN officials told HRW that many of the delegates were proxies of local factional leaders. Much of the substantive discussion took place between allies and ministers of President Hamid Karzai and various factional representatives behind closed doors. As a result, key provisions in the constitution were never the subject of serious debate.
Karzai emerged from the meeting having achieved his major goal--securing a strong presidential system. But what promises the government was forced to make to prevail is not yet clear. The central government has relied virtually entirely on security and military support from the United States, its allies in Afghanistan, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Except in a few locations around the country where U.S. forces have deployed to provide security and some reconstruction assistance, Karzai's authority has not extended far beyond Kabul's municipal boundaries.
As a result, much of the country is in the hands of warlords and factional leaders, most of whom identify with specific clans or ethnic minorities. The new constitution that provides for a strong presidency is therefore "almost surreal in its distance from the real distribution of power in Afghanistan," according to Carnegie's Lieven.
HRW called on the international community to provide better security for the country. It said expanding and extending ISAF into the countryside, as long called for by both the UN and relief groups, would signify the international community's commitment to the new constitution.
"The United States and its allies in Afghanistan, especially NATO, need to keep expanding international security forces outside of Kabul, and have them focus on improving security," said Sifton.
This will be critical in the upcoming months if elections are to be held successfully. Taliban and allied forces have renewed their presence in the Pashtun-dominated eastern and southern parts of the country in a direct challenge to the central government's control.
Last week, the UN's former top Afghanistan expert and currently the European Union's representative in Kabul, Francesc Vendrell, warned that a free and fair election could not be carried out if the current security situation persists. "The danger is this," he told the Christian Science Monitor: "Elections that are not credible among the Afghan people would be a setback for the process."
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JANUARY 8, 2004
Afghan Envoy Defends New Constitution on Rights
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
PARIS (Reuters) - The central role of Islam in the new Afghan constitution does not mean it is undemocratic or lacking in guarantees of human rights and religious freedom, Kabul's ambassador to France said Thursday.
Zalmai Haquani, who taught law in France before taking up his diplomatic post, said the text agreed Sunday contained multiple guarantees of democracy and equality after decades of excesses by communists and the radical Islamic Taliban.
He rejected suggestions from a senior U.S. official that a key reference in the text to sharia law meant the country might drift toward a "Taliban-lite" regime that violated rights Western countries want Kabul to protect.
"There are always ways to abuse Islam," he told journalists, arguing Afghanistan's turbulent history showed no laws or rules could completely exclude violence or excesses. "If, by some great misfortune, Afghanistan were again under the Taliban, they wouldn't look at the constitution," he said.
The new constitution confirms Islam as the state religion, says no laws can violate Islamic principles and stipulates that one of the main versions of sharia law will prevail in cases where there are no provisions in the constitution or civil laws.
John Hanford, U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, expressed concern at a State Department briefing last month about how these laws would be interpreted.
"We want to be sure that we don't wind up with Taliban-lite or something that could ever resort back to what we were dealing with in Afghanistan before," he said on Dec. 18. The United States led Western forces that overthrew the Taliban in 2001.
Haquani said the constitution, whose text was not yet available in Western languages, clearly stated that men and women were equal under Afghan law and that Kabul would respect all the international rights conventions it has signed.
He said non-Muslims were free to practice their religion within the law, without saying which legal provisions would apply. Islamic law usually bans conversion, a point that U.S. evangelical churches have regularly criticized.
Haquani rejected Hanford's questioning of the use of Hanafi sharia law whenever no civil law existed. The text does not use the word "sharia" but its reference to the Hanafi school of sharia legal scholarship makes clear it will be used. "Hanafi is the most liberal jurisprudence in Islam," he said. "It allows a very wide range of interpretation according to where the law is applied."
Haquani suggested critics placed too much emphasis on legal guarantees, which could be flouted by a strongman in a country as underdeveloped as Afghanistan, and placed too much blame on Islam for shortcomings in Afghan society.
"In Afghan history, many of the setbacks for human rights did not come from the application of Islam," he said. "They came from traditions, from cultural problems, from tribal problems. That's where we have to evolve."
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Time to talk to the Taliban
Supporters of the old regime can help end violence in Afghanistan Jonathan Steele
Wednesday January 7, 2004 The Guardian
The latest atrocity in Afghanistan - a dozen children killed by a "bicycle bomb" in Kandahar yesterday - is a reminder that Iraq is not the only place where US-sponsored regime change has not produced peace. Along with the news that the UN may appoint a politically savvy British general to run its Afghan operations, it reinforces the view that postwar stabilisation requires a more sensitive linking of civilian and military initiatives than has yet been achieved in either country. Defeating insurgencies cannot be done by the iron fist alone.
In Afghanistan the problem has taken longer to surface than in Iraq. After the fall of the Taliban, the new government of Hamid Karzai initially faced minimal armed opposition. The warlords of the Northern Alliance, who had captured Kabul as the ground troops of the US air force, posed a political challenge to Karzai's efforts to restore strong central rule over the north and west. But they largely kept their guns holstered. In the Pashtun south and east, where the Taliban had been strongest, the post-war situation was broadly, even surprisingly, calm.
Only in the past six months has insecurity in the Pashtun areas begun to worsen. Just how far is a matter of debate. The outward signs are certainly not good. The UN has pulled its international officials out of the region, as have most foreign aid agencies, because of murders and abductions. Voter registration for the presidential elections, which are due in June, has ground to a halt in Kandahar after the mullahs of two mosques where it was being held were threatened. The World Food Programme is supplying less than half its promised amount of grain to the needy because lorry drivers and others fear for their lives. The UN refugee agency has stopped helping Afghans return from Pakistan.
Some Afghan officials believe the international agencies are over-reacting to a relatively small number of incidents over a vast geographical area. They claim the trouble is caused by only a hundred or so people, infiltrating in tiny groups across the border from Pakistan, but determined to create chaos and terror. Southern Afghanistan's problem, they say, is not widespread Pashtun alienation but a result of geography. Pakistan's border provinces are under the control of hardline Islamists who work with elements of Pakistan's secret agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, to keep Afghanistan weak.
Two facts seem incontrovertible. One is that the violence has increased in almost direct proportion to the efforts of the 11,000 American troops who are in southern and eastern Afghanistan, trying to "eliminate al-Qaida". Careless bombing and heavy-handed US tactics by ground troops when they search villages are making more enemies than friends.
The other is that, fairly or not, a large number of Pashtun still feel they lost out when the Taliban regime collapsed. This does not mean they all supported the Taliban's extreme religious ideology but rather that they see the balance tipping against the Pashtun throughout Afghanistan since Mullah Omar and his cronies were driven from power. The tens of thousands of Pashtun who have been ethnically cleansed from the north are the most obvious human sign of that.
It is true that Karzai is a Pashtun, as are his finance and interior ministers (though the latter are overseas Afghans with US passports). But there is a sense that, both locally and centrally, the Pashtun are not benefiting properly. Neither development money for local projects nor officer positions in the new national army are going to them in fair doses.
Reversing this sense of discrimination can be done, especially after the recent constitutional convention endorsed Karzai's powers as president. But he should also consider a more radical move. The time has come to bite the political bullet and open talks with the Taliban.
It is not a matter of sitting down with Mullah Omar or anyone else who claims to represent the Taliban as though it still exists as a single movement (if it ever did). But it does mean responding to overtures from individual former Taliban officials who fear arrest if they return openly from hiding or from abroad, or who are in US custody but have no proven records as torturers, such as the former foreign minister, Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil.
Paradoxically, this ought to be easier for Karzai and the Americans than it is for the warlords of the north. Before the Taliban came to power and when they first conquered Kabul, Washington had links with them. Karzai himself helped them and was trusted enough to be invited in 1996 to be their UN representative (he refused). The northern warlords will try to veto this, but unless the message is put across, in deed as much as word, that not all who joined the Taliban are unwelcome, violence in the south will go on and on.
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Not yet
The Baltimore Sun 01/07/2004
LONG, LONG ago, there was a newsroom putdown for editorials about hopelessly obscure topics: Afghanistanism. But the Soviet Union spiked that particular usage with its invasion of 1979 -- after all, what was more important in those days than the steely question of America's response to Soviet imperialism, even in the wildest tracts of Asia? The decades went by, the Soviets left and then watched their own country hit the delete key, but Afghanistan managed to stay significant and interesting enough all the while to avoid that dismissive suffix.
Now the country has entered a new period, with its first real constitution in decades, one that features checks and balances and only came about through significant compromises on all sides. It is, of course, a document and not yet a solution to Afghanistan's immediate and profound problems. The Afghans will require the serious engagement of the United States and the rest of the world to bring this constitution to life. It is as important now as it was two years ago, when the Taliban fell, to provide support and encouragement to the Afghan people and their new government -- to pay attention, and to keep that "ism" at bay.
Two roadside bombs in Kandahar killed more than 15 people yesterday. That was a direct challenge to the spirit of negotiation and compromise that finally prevailed as the constitution was being hammered out. It should also serve as a reminder to Washington that the task undertaken in Afghanistan following 9/11 remains very much unfinished. The Taliban, regrouped, are at war with the forces loyal to President Hamid Karzai, and with U.S. troops. Behind the Taliban lurks al-Qaida. In league with Mr. Karzai are various regional warlords whose long-term loyalty is not exactly a part of the bedrock.
The new constitution has protections for women and ethnic minorities, respect for Islam, and political trade-offs designed to keep contending factions at the table. American and U.N. diplomats helped to push the delegates at the loya jirga toward a deal, but all sides recognize that this constitution is, in the end, an Afghan creation. That is crucial to its chances for success.
Failure, on the other hand, invites catastrophe. An Afghanistan spinning out of control -- or into the hands of the Taliban -- would be a signal defeat in the war on terror. It would wipe out all that the United States has accomplished there since 2001, and if anything leave the country even more hostile toward the West than it was then.
So the burden on all Mr. Karzai's friends -- in the White House and throughout the world -- is to find ways to help extend and deepen the reach of the new constitution. All that's needed are creativity, goodwill and perseverance. Maybe, then, in a generation, a nation will have developed that will be so tranquil and unexciting that newspapers that dare to write about it will again stand justifiably accused of Afghanistanism.
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With Future Charted, U.N. Envoy Departs
NY Times By CARLOTTA GALL
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 5 — As Afghanistan's constitutional loya jirga, or grand council, concluded over the weekend, one of its main architects, the United Nations special representative to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, was preparing to bow out after two years in the job.
Mr. Brahimi, 70, an Algerian diplomat and former foreign minister, has been a loyal ally to the Afghans since brokering the Bonn accords in December 2001 for a new Afghan order after the Taliban. A personal friend of President Hamid Karzai — who granted him Afghan citizenship — Mr. Brahimi has served here twice. He was the United Nations special envoy from 1997 to 1999, during the Taliban years, and in his current role is in charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, to help steer the transition to a peaceful and democratic state.
With a new Constitution in place — one of the major steps laid out in Bonn — he took his leave in a speech to the loya jirga on Sunday. "If I don't, then I will be called a warlord for refusing the instructions of the central government," he joked, referring to United Nations headquarters. "I leave, but my heart will stay here."
It was time to go, he said in a recent interview. "This is not a job for a 70-year-old man."Yet he proved his usefulness to the last. He had delayed his departure several times as the loya jirga faltered, and then almost fell apart. Nearly half the delegates boycotted a vote on amendments on Thursday, and tensions were rising as the assembly split along ethnic lines.
That put the rest of the transition in jeopardy, from the United Nations-run disarmament and demobilization program to elections that, under the Bonn accords, would take place in six months.
Mr. Brahimi spoke to the delegates boycotting a vote, entering the tent from the side door, slightly hunched in his overcoat. They had shouted down every other official, including their own faction leaders, but had asked for him to mediate. After a day of meetings Friday, delegates were saying that Mr. Brahimi had succeeded in breaking the logjam.
He seems almost more Afghan than the Afghans, receiving guests for breakfast recently at his Kabul residence wearing a long-sleeved, green silk Afghan coat of the type President Karzai favors. He was mulling over a selection of carpets in the hall. "Can I sell you a carpet?" he asked.
Mr. Brahimi's signature has been a "light footprint" — allowing the proud Afghans maximum sovereignty. He said in the interview that his main goal had been to build the institutions of democracy that would help Afghanistan move forward, rather than forcing rapid change.
But as his departure approaches, he has been more outspoken, calling for more aid and greater efforts from both the government and outside groups to prevent the country from slipping back into turmoil. He sternly warned Afghan leaders to stop corrupt commanders and police officers who prey on ordinary people.
In a memorandum to the government and foreign diplomats, he called for a second Bonn conference to consider outstanding issues — a program of national reconciliation, a more inclusive government and a revision of financing and political priorities.
He addressed security issues, saying that parliamentary elections, scheduled for next year, would be "well nigh impossible" as the threat from Taliban insurgents made large parts of the Pashtun areas inaccessible. But he remains unhurried about the general pace of progress. With a chuckle he recalled a meeting with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell at the United Nations Security Council. "Colin Powell said to me, `The message is speed, speed, speed,' and I said, `It has to be slow, slow, slow.'
"There is now a very well-meaning and welcome Western interest in supporting democracy everywhere, but they want to do it like instant coffee," he said. "It doesn't happen that way."
Mr. Brahimi said his short-term objectives were to "give the country a state that is fairly well organized, and give the people a sense that they can have justice, and you have done a lot for all the other things you talk about, in particular democracy." Elections, he said, should come at the end of the process, not the beginning.
"Two years is a very, very short time," Mr. Brahimi said when asked why so many of the warlords and armed factions remained in power. Afghanistan is still absorbed by the culture of the war of liberation against the Soviet occupation, he said. That so many former resistance fighters became delegates at the constitutional loya jirga was to be expected, he said.
"These people carry real power for a variety of reasons," he said, and the loya jirga would have looked unrepresentative if at least some of them had not taken part.
Many aspects of Afghanistan's situation are beyond Mr Brahimi's control. President Karzai has adopted a policy of working with the warlords rather than forcing a confrontation. The American military, the strongest influence in Afghanistan, is still working with many of them against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Mr. Brahimi has had to carve out his own space. "I think we have found a reasonable modus operandi," he said of relations with the American military. "There is a reasonably large space where the role of the U.N. — perhaps even the leading role — is recognized."
Another obstacle is that the Taliban were not at Bonn, and never accepted defeat, he likes to point out. On many issues, though, Mr. Brahimi argued, time is the healer. Women would gain a better position here only through education, he said. "Instead of demonstrating against the burka," he said of advocates of women's rights, "why not give tables and chairs to schools for girls."
"The burka will disappear in its own time," he added. "No matter how long and how many demonstrations you have, it will not take one burka off of the face of women."
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Quota for Women in Afghanistan Cheers Indian Counterparts
Rahul Verma, OneWorld South Asia
NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (OneWorld) - Women's groups in India are applauding the special quota for women in neighboring Afghanistan's just-announced Constitution, hoping that it strengthens their own campaign for 33 percent reservation in elected bodies.
After three weeks of intense and often acrimonious debates, Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, or national council, announced that at least two women would be elected from each of the country's 32 provinces to the Wolesi Jirga, or the Lower House.
This would mean that women would occupy at least 64 of the 250 seats in the Lower House. Under the new Constitution, men and women would also have equal rights as citizens. "Afghanistan is like a garden that has many kinds of trees, flowers and thorns," Constitutional Commission chairman Nematullah Shahrani said, adding, "the flowers are women."
Indian women activists stress that the reservation of more than 25 percent seats in the Wolesi Jirga will give a boost to the movement in India, where a Bill reserving 33 percent of all seats in elected bodies for women has been hanging fire for several years.
"It is an extremely good move for a new nation which is having to begin from scratch," says Jyotsna Chatterji, the head of the rights group, Joint Women's Program, based in India's capital, New Delhi.
"By giving equal rights to women, it is acknowledging the fact that they have a right to political decision-making," she says. Activists point out that while Afghanistan is opening up its elected bodies to women, in India, women continue to get sidelined in politics.
"It should be an eye-opener for an old state like India where, even after several years of development, women are yet to get the recognition they deserve," says Chatterji. The Loya Jirga's decision to elect women has also been lauded by Indian women's groups which have been resisting efforts at nominating women to elected bodies back home.
"A nomination only increases the politics of patronage and does not help in the democratic process," says Brinda Karat, the general secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), a leading national women's body.
Karat holds that it will be a "great signal" if women in Afghanistan are elected to the lower house. "But let's not forget that Afghanistan has a history -- rudely broken by the Taliban and other fundamentalist forces -- of women holding progressive positions," she says.
Till the 80s, large sections of women in Afghanistan had access to higher education and worked as teachers, doctors and other professionals. But since the 90s, Afghanistan has witnessed years of violence as opposing warlords fought one another, leading to the advent of the Taliban and the subsequent US-led war on the nation.
Women and children in Afghanistan were the worst victims of the protracted war, which has crippled the health system. Afghanistan's maternal mortality rate is the second highest in the world after Sierra Leone. The Asian nation records 1,700 deaths per 100,000 live births, whereas the maternal mortality rate in a country like the US is 12 per 100,000 live births. Life expectancy is 44 years for Afghan women. As against 75 percent men, about 90 percent of women are illiterate.
Karat points out that there can be no advancement for women unless they play a meaningful role in policy matters. "Cultural and social progress has to be backed by policy decisions and for that, women must be a part of the decision-making process, which, in most cases, is Parliament," says Karat.
AIDWA plans to take up the issue of reserving seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies during the coming general elections in India, which are expected to take place in April. "Elections are not the only, or single path for women's advancement. But without that assertion of democratic right, they will continue to be marginalized," says Karat.
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GOD BLESS OUR CANADA
BLOGGED:
BLOGGED: why we are/were in Afghanistan- all women and children matter globally.
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Sept 1- AFGHANISTAN news- Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan and hopefully next President 2014/ Pls note the no. countries Girls DON'T get education equality/ Repatriation and Remembering Canada's finest who gave all in Afghanistan 158 photos- God bless Afghanistan and Nato troops/September 11, 2001- photos and list of Canadians -World Trade Center
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HUMOUR.... MIND U A FEW YEARS BACK... MILLIONS WATCHING THE BACKS OF OUR TROOPS WERE VERY ANGRY....
A Canadian female libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the Canadian government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. She demanded a response to her letter. She received back the following reply:
National Defense Headquarters
M Gen George R. Pearkes Bldg.,
15 NT 101 Colonel By Drive Ottawa , ON
K1A 0K2
Canada Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces, who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here in Ottawa . You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Department of National Defense, to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short.
In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided, on a trial basis, to divert several terrorists and place them in homes of concerned citizens such as yourself, around the country, under those citizen's personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in Toronto next Monday.
Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is your detainee, and is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint. You will be pleased to know that we will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with your recommendations.
Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome those character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling, however, we strongly recommend that you hire some assistant caretakers.
Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless in your opinion, this might offend him. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills either in your home or wherever you choose to take him while helping him adjust to life in our country.
Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters except sexually, since he views females as a form of property, thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him.
You also should know that he has shown violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of 'respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter.
You take good care of Ahmed and remember that we will try to have a counselor available to help you over any difficulties you encounter while Ahmed is adjusting to Canadian culture.
Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. Good luck and God bless you.
Cordially,
Gordon O'Connor
Minister of National Defense
------------------------------------
Hackers tackle foreign aid data in Canada’s first international development hackathon
The Canadian International Development Agency started publishing aid data in IATI format in 2012 and government has said the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to publish quarterly spending in this format.http://o.canada.com/2013/08/25/hackers-tackle-foreign-aid-data-in-canadas-first-international-development-hackathon/
===============
One Pissed off Canadian Housewife
This is very good PLEASE read....
Thought you might like to read this letter
to the editor.
Ever notice how some people
just seem to know how to write a letter?
This one surely does!
This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how
it also applies to the U.S.A., U.K. and Australia .
THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH
Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to
her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady...
"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was
it or was it not, started by Islamic people who
brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001
and have continually threatened to do so since?
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered
that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from
the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines urinating on some dead Taliban insurgents?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle
East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief
of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are
sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg
screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called insurgents
in Afghanistan , come out and fight like men,
instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow
themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the
innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.
I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that
their freedom of Speech on stories, is more important than
the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting
at home, to hear about them when something happens.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a
CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent
terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the
head when he is told not to move because he
might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don't care. Shoot him again.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:
I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes
it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.'
Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it.
I don't care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to
all your E-mail Friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to
the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if
during their life on earth, they made a difference in
the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.
I have another quote that I would like to
share AND...I hope you forward All this.
One last thought for the day:
Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The British Soldier.
3. The Canadian Soldier.
4. The US Soldier, and
5. The Australian Soldier
One died for your soul,
the other four, for you and your children's Freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,
AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET!
----------------------
SERIOUSLY AUSTRALIA???? .... these NewAgeNazi Muslim killing Muslim monsters- in a hard assed war zone in Afghanistan- WHY DO THE MONSTERS HAVE NO RULES??? Why does Islamic nations continue 2 generate this cesspool of hate against the planet and Nato must toe the Rules of Engagement whilst thousands and thousands of our Nations children die and over a million innocent Muslims ???
The world's 7 billion people are so sick of this deliberate hate being catered 2 in a world where these NewAgeNazi Muslim Monsters HAVE NO RULES.... it's like Rwanda all over again....
THE IDEA IS 2 GET FINGERPRINTS- IN A ZONE WHERE FREAKSHOWS ARE KILLING INNOCENT MUSLIMS AND OUR PRECIOUS NATO TROOPS- Please stop putting rules where Muslim Monsters don't play by them
Australian Troops In Afghanistan Investigated Over 'Misconduct' Report
Troops from Australian special forces are being probed over an incident involving severed hands. (file photo)
August 30, 2013
Soldiers from Australia's special forces are under investigation amid allegations that they cut off the hands of at least one dead insurgent in Afghanistan.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the incident allegedly took place after a fierce battle in April in the southern province of Zabul. Four insurgents were killed in the fighting.
The Australian broadcaster said severed hands were brought to an Australian base in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province after the soldiers were instructed to collect fingerprints and eye scans from dead insurgents whenever possible.
The military confirmed it was investigating "an incident of potential misconduct" alleged to have occurred during an April 28 operation.
It did not provide further details, saying the investigation was ongoing.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has expressed confidence the military will carry out a proper investigation.
-------------------
Canada Reveille
Canada's First Memorial Repatriation Monument
----------------------
What is the sound of a repatriation???
by Brian Muntz
A Canadian female libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the Canadian government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. She demanded a response to her letter. She received back the following reply:
National Defense Headquarters
M Gen George R. Pearkes Bldg.,
15 NT 101 Colonel By Drive Ottawa , ON
K1A 0K2
Canada Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces, who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here in Ottawa . You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Department of National Defense, to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short.
In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided, on a trial basis, to divert several terrorists and place them in homes of concerned citizens such as yourself, around the country, under those citizen's personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in Toronto next Monday.
Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is your detainee, and is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint. You will be pleased to know that we will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with your recommendations.
Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome those character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling, however, we strongly recommend that you hire some assistant caretakers.
Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless in your opinion, this might offend him. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills either in your home or wherever you choose to take him while helping him adjust to life in our country.
Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters except sexually, since he views females as a form of property, thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him.
You also should know that he has shown violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of 'respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter.
You take good care of Ahmed and remember that we will try to have a counselor available to help you over any difficulties you encounter while Ahmed is adjusting to Canadian culture.
Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. Good luck and God bless you.
Cordially,
Gordon O'Connor
Minister of National Defense
------------------------------------
Hackers tackle foreign aid data in Canada’s first international development hackathon
The Canadian International Development Agency started publishing aid data in IATI format in 2012 and government has said the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to publish quarterly spending in this format.http://o.canada.com/2013/08/25/hackers-tackle-foreign-aid-data-in-canadas-first-international-development-hackathon/
===============
One Pissed off Canadian Housewife
This is very good PLEASE read....
Thought you might like to read this letter
to the editor.
Ever notice how some people
just seem to know how to write a letter?
This one surely does!
This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how
it also applies to the U.S.A., U.K. and Australia .
THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH
Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to
her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady...
"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was
it or was it not, started by Islamic people who
brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001
and have continually threatened to do so since?
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered
that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from
the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines urinating on some dead Taliban insurgents?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle
East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief
of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are
sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg
screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called insurgents
in Afghanistan , come out and fight like men,
instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow
themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the
innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.
I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that
their freedom of Speech on stories, is more important than
the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting
at home, to hear about them when something happens.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a
CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent
terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the
head when he is told not to move because he
might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don't care. Shoot him again.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:
I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes
it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.'
Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it.
I don't care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to
all your E-mail Friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to
the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if
during their life on earth, they made a difference in
the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.
I have another quote that I would like to
share AND...I hope you forward All this.
One last thought for the day:
Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The British Soldier.
3. The Canadian Soldier.
4. The US Soldier, and
5. The Australian Soldier
One died for your soul,
the other four, for you and your children's Freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,
AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET!
----------------------
SERIOUSLY AUSTRALIA???? .... these NewAgeNazi Muslim killing Muslim monsters- in a hard assed war zone in Afghanistan- WHY DO THE MONSTERS HAVE NO RULES??? Why does Islamic nations continue 2 generate this cesspool of hate against the planet and Nato must toe the Rules of Engagement whilst thousands and thousands of our Nations children die and over a million innocent Muslims ???
The world's 7 billion people are so sick of this deliberate hate being catered 2 in a world where these NewAgeNazi Muslim Monsters HAVE NO RULES.... it's like Rwanda all over again....
THE IDEA IS 2 GET FINGERPRINTS- IN A ZONE WHERE FREAKSHOWS ARE KILLING INNOCENT MUSLIMS AND OUR PRECIOUS NATO TROOPS- Please stop putting rules where Muslim Monsters don't play by them
Australian Troops In Afghanistan Investigated Over 'Misconduct' Report
Troops from Australian special forces are being probed over an incident involving severed hands. (file photo)
August 30, 2013
Soldiers from Australia's special forces are under investigation amid allegations that they cut off the hands of at least one dead insurgent in Afghanistan.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the incident allegedly took place after a fierce battle in April in the southern province of Zabul. Four insurgents were killed in the fighting.
The Australian broadcaster said severed hands were brought to an Australian base in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province after the soldiers were instructed to collect fingerprints and eye scans from dead insurgents whenever possible.
The military confirmed it was investigating "an incident of potential misconduct" alleged to have occurred during an April 28 operation.
It did not provide further details, saying the investigation was ongoing.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has expressed confidence the military will carry out a proper investigation.
-------------------
Canada Reveille
Canada's First Memorial Repatriation Monument
----------------------
What is the sound of a repatriation???
by Brian Muntz
Is it the sound of the chatter on TV announcing the name of the fallen serving our country? Perhaps the sound from the roar of the large military jet landing in Trenton? Is it the sound of the doors opening on the air craft or the sound of the boots of the soldiers carrying the coffin? Is it the sound of the pipers playing a song of sorrow, or the sound of the commanding officer calling his orders. Was it the sound of the Hearse doors opening or the sound of the people and family near by. Repatriation may be the sound of the cars moving to the Highway of Heroes but then again it may be the sound of the people standing on the bridges. Is it the sound of the traffic going by in anticipation of the procession or the sound of the occasional horn honking as drivers see you on the bridge. Maybe it's the sound of the flags flapping in the wind that people are holding. Then in the distance the procession is in sight and the people on the bridge are mumbling "here it comes". Is the sound of repatriation the police sirens that fills the air as the procession reaches your bridge? The sound of sirens vibrate in your chest then in a beat of your heart you finally hear the sound of a repatriation. It is the sound of a silent "Thank You" from you and all the people around you to the soldier that gave his life for his country; your country. This is the sound of a repatriation; our freedom.
The Last Post / The Rouse
-- Oh Canada, they stood on guard for thee --
-- Oh Canada, they stood on guard for thee --
Master Corporal Byron Greff 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
October 29, 2011
A Canadian Forces member was killed by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while transiting through Kabul as a passenger on an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) vehicle.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Master Corporal Francis Roy Canadian Special Operations Regiment based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario
June 25 2011
One Canadian Forces member was found dead from non-combat related wounds at approximately 6:00 a.m. local Kandahar time on 25 June 2011 at a coalition forward operating base in Kandahar City.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Bombardier Karl Manning, from 5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada based at CFB Valcartier, Quebec
May 27 2011
One Canadian Forces member was found dead from non-combat related wounds at approximately 5:30 a.m. local Kandahar time on 27 May 2011 at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Zangabad, located 45 Kilometres southwest of Kandahar Airfield.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal Yannick Scherrer, from 1er Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, based at CFB Valcartier, Quebec serving with 1er Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group
March 27 2011
Corporal Yannick Scherrer was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted partnered patrol in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar Province at approximately 12 p.m. (noon) Kandahar time on Sunday, March 27, 2011.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal Steve Martin, from 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, serving with 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group, based at CFB Valcartier, Quebec
December 18, 2010
Corporal Steve Martin was killed December 18th, 2010, after an improvised explosive device detonated while on operations in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar Province, at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal (Cpl) Brian Pinksen from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Corner Brook Newfoundland,
Aug 30 2010
Corporal (Cpl) Brian Pinksen from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, based in Corner Brook Newfoundland succumbed to his injuries at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Aug 30 2010 from an IED explosion on Aug 25 2010 in Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sapper Brian Collier 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, Edmonton, Alberta
July 20 2010
Sapper Brian Collier was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated during a foot patrol in the Panjwa’i District, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, at approximately 9:00 a.m. Kandahar time.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Master Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht 1 Canadian Field Hospital, Petawawa, Ontario.
June 26 2010
Master Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht was killed when the vehicle they were travelling in as part of a convoy struck an improvised explosive device.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Andrew Miller 2 Canadian Field Hospital, Petawawa, Ontario.
June 26 2010
Private Andrew Miller was killed when the vehicle they were travelling in as part of a convoy struck an improvised explosive device.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sergeant James Patrick Macneil 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, Petawawa, Ontario, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group
June 21 2010
Sergeant James Patrick Macneil was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated during a foot patrol, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, in the Panjwa’i District, at approximately 8:00 a.m. Kandahar time on 21 June 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sergeant Martin Goudreault 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, Edmonton, AB,1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group
June 6 2010
Sergeant Martin Goudreault was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated during a foot patrol, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, in the Panjwayi District, at approximately 6:30 a.m. Kandahar time on 6 June 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Trooper Larry John Zuidema Rudd , Royal Canadian Dragoons, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, Petawawa, Ontario.
May 24 2010
Trooper Larry John Zuidema Rudd was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated during a routine security operation, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, in the Panjwa’i District, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Kandahar time on 24 May 2010
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Colonel Geoff Parker, Royal Canadian Regiment
May 18 2010
Colonel Geoff Parker was killed after an insurgent detonated a vehicle borne improvised explosive device between the convoy of vehicles in Kabul at approximately 8 a.m. local Afghanistan time on 18 May 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Kevin Thomas McKay 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta.
May 13 2010
Private Kevin Thomas McKay was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted night patrol in the Panjwayi district, approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, at 8:00 p.m. Kandahar time on May 13, 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake a member of Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), based in Shearwater, Nova Scotia.
May 3 2010
Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake was killedafter an improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted operation, about 25 kilometers southwest of Kandahar City, in the Panjwayi District, at approximately 4:40 p.m. Kandahar time on 3 May 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Tyler William Todd from the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, Alberta
April 11 2010
Private Tyler William Todd was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated during a dismounted security patrol in Dand district at approximately 7:30 a.m. Kandahar time on 11 April 2010.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, CFB Edmonton
March 20 2010
Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick 3rd Battalion died in an Edmonton Hospital after succoring to his injuries from a road side bomb March 6 2010 in Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal Joshua Caleb Baker The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion PPCLI), Edmonton, Alberta,
February 12 2010
Corporal Joshua Caleb Baker was killed in a training accident on a range located approximately 4 km northeast of Kandahar City. The accident took place at about 5:00 p.m., Kandahar time
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sergeant John Wayne Faught 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, Alberta
January 16 2010
Sergeant John Wayne Faught was killed by an improvised explosive device during a dismounted security patrol near the town of Nakhonay in the Panjwayi district, approximately 15 kilometres south-west of Kandahar City.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sergeant George Miok a member of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton
December 30, 2009
Sergeant George Miok was killed in an improvised explosive device that detonated during a patrol 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sergeant Kirk Taylor a member of 84 Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
December 30, 2009
Sergeant George Miok was killed in an improvised explosive device that detonated during a patrol 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time.
Corporal Zachery McCormack Loyal Edmonton Regiment, 4th Battalion PPCLI, based in Edmonton
December 30, 2009
Sergeant George Miok was killed in an improvised explosive device that detonated during a patrol 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time.
Go to Memorial
Private Garrett William Chidley 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba
December 30, 2009
Sergeant George Miok was killed in an improvised explosive device that detonated during a patrol 4 km south of Kandahar City at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kandahar time.
Go to Memorial
Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall, 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) Edmonton, Alberta
December 23, 2009
Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated during a joint foot patrol near the village of Nakhonay in Panjwaii District, about 25 km southwest of Kandahar City, on December 23, 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sapper Steven Marshall, 1st Combat Engineering Regiment based in Edmonton, Alberta
Lieutenant Justin Boyes, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
October 30 2009
Sapper Steven Marshall was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated near their dismounted patrol approximately 10 km south-west of Kandahar City at approximately 4:30 p.m. Kandahar Time on 30 Oct 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Lieutenant Justin Boyes, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
October 28 2009
Lieutenant Justin Boyes was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated near their dismounted patrol. The incident occurred approximately 20 kilometres south-west of Kandahar City at around 9 a.m., Kandahar time, on 28 October 2009
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Jonathan Couturier, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
September 17 2009
Private Jonathan Couturier was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated in the vicinity of his vehicle while on patrol in Panjwai District. The incident occurred approximately 25 kilometres South-West of Kandahar City at around 10:15 a.m., Kandahar time, on 17th September, 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Patrick Lormand, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
Corporal Jean-François Drouin 5e Régiment du génie de combat, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
September 13 2009
Private Patrick Lormand was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his armoured vehicle on a road in Panwjai District. The incident occurred approximately 10 kilometres South-West of Kandahar City at around 1:00 p.m., Kandahar time, on 13th September, 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal Jean-François Drouin 5e Régiment du génie de combat, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
September 6 2009
Corporal Jean-François Drouin was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their armoured vehicle in the vicinity of Dand District, approximately 14 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City at around 12:00 p.m., Kandahar time, on 6 September 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Major Yannick Pépin 5e Régiment du génie de combat, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
September 6 2009
Major Yannick Pépin was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their armoured vehicle in the vicinity of Dand District, approximately 14 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City at around 12:00 p.m., Kandahar time, on 6 September 2009.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Corporal Christian Bobbitt 5e Régiment du génie de combat, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
August 1 2009
Corporal Christian Bobbitt was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near a patrol in the Zhari District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City at around 3:20 p.m., Kandahar time, on 1 August, 2009..
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Sapper Matthieu Allard 5e Régiment du génie de combat, 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group Valcartier, Quebec.
August 1 2009
Sapper Matthieu Allard was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near a patrol in the Zhari District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City at around 3:20 p.m., Kandahar time, on 1 August, 2009..
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Private Sébastien Courcy 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment based in Quebec City, Quebec
July 16 2009
Killed in action was Private Sébastien Courcy from 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment based in Quebec City, Quebec. Pte Courcy was serving as a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group.
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Master Corporal Pat Audet from 430e Escadron tactique d'hélicoptères Valcartier QUE
July 6 2009
Master-Corporal Pat Audet was killed when a Canadian CH-146 Griffon helicopter crashed during take-off. The incident occurred at a Forward Operating Base in Tarnak Va Jaldak, Zabul Province, northeast of Kandahar City at around 1:50 p.m., Kandahar time, on 6 July 2009..
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Corporal Martin Joannette from the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment Valcartier QUE
July 6 2009
Corporal Martin Joannette was killed when a Canadian CH-146 Griffon helicopter crashed during take-off. The incident occurred at a Forward Operating Base in Tarnak Va Jaldak, Zabul Province, northeast of Kandahar City at around 1:50 p.m., Kandahar time, on 6 July 2009
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Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, 2e Batallion, Royal 22e Régiment Valcartier Quebec City
July 4 2009
Master-Corporal Michaud succumbed to his injuries at approximately 2 p.m. EDT on July 4, 2009 in a Quebec City hospital. Master-Corporal Michaud was seriously injured June 23 2009 when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his dismounted patrol in Panjwayi District.
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Cpl Nicholas Bulger from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Edmonton
July 3, 2009
Corporal Nicholas Bulger was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Zhari District. The incident occurred south-west of Kandahar City at around 11:20 a.m., Kandahar time, on 3 July, 2009.
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Corporal Martin Dubé 5e Régiment de genie de combat CF Base Valcartier Quebec City.
June 14, 2009
Corporal Martin Dubé was killed as a result of an explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED). The incident occurred in the vicinity of Panjwayi District, approximately 20 km southwest of Kandahar City at around 12:30 p.m., Kandahar time, June 14, 2009.
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Private Alexandre Péloquin 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment Valcartier near Quebec City.
June 8, 2009
Private Alexandre Péloquin was killed when an explosive device detonated during a foot patrol in the Panjwai District. The incident took place in an area south-west of Kandahar City at around 09:20 a.m., Kandahar time, June 8, 2009
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Major Michelle Mendes, based in Ottawa, Ontario.
April 23, 2009
At approximately 4:00 p.m. Kandahar time, 23 April 2009, a Canadian Forces member was found dead in her accommodation room, at Kandahar Airfield.
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Trooper Karine Blais, from 12e Régiment Blindé du Canada based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier
April 13, 2009
Trooper Karine Blais was killed when her armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device north of Kandahar City in the Shah Wali Kowt District.
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Trooper Jack Bouthillier, The Royal Canadian Dragoons based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
March 20, 2009
Trooper Jack Bouthillier was killed on March 20, 2009, when the vehicle in which he was travelling struck an improvised explosive device in Shah Wali Khot District, north-east of Kandahar City.
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Corporal Tyler Crooks, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa
March 20, 2009
Corporal Tyler Crooks was killed on March 20, 2009, when an improvised explosive device detonated near him during a dismounted patrol in Zhari District, west of Kandahar City.
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Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
March 20, 2009
Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes was killed on March 20, 2009, when the vehicle in which he was travelling struck an improvised explosive device in Shah Wali Khot District, north-east of Kandahar City.
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Master Corporal Scott Francis Vernelli, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa
March 20, 2009
Master Corporal Scott Francis Vernelli was killed on March 20, 2009, when an improvised explosive device detonated near him during a dismounted patrol in Zhari District, west of Kandahar City.
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Trooper Marc Diab, The Royal Canadian Dragoons
March 8, 2009
Trooper Marc Diab was killed and four were injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Shah Wali Kot District. The incident occurred north-east from Kandahar City at around 1:15 p.m., Kandahar time, on 8 March, 2009
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Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, Lincoln and Welland Regiment
March 3, 2009
Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred northwest of Kandahar City at around 5:40 p.m., Kandahar time, on 3 March, 2009.
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Corporal Dany Olivier Fortin, 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville
March 3, 2009
Corporal Dany Olivier Fortin was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred northwest of Kandahar City at around 5:40 p.m., Kandahar time, on 3 March, 2009..
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Corporal Kenneth Chad O’Quinn, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron
March 3, 2009
Corporal Kenneth Chad O’Quinn, was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred northwest of Kandahar City at around 5:40 p.m., Kandahar time, on 3 March, 2009.
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Sapper Sean Greenfield, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based at CFB Petawawa
January 31, 2009
Sapper Sean Greenfield was killed when his armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device approximately 40 km west of Kandahar City in Zharey District. The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m., Kandahar time, on January 31, 2009.
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Trooper Brian Richard Good, The Royal Canadian Dragoons based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa
January 7, 2009
Trooper Brian Richard Good was killed when his armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device approximately 35 kilometres north of Kandahar City in the Shah Wali Kowt District.
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Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge, 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada
December 27 2008
Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge was killed on December 27, 2008, when an explosive device detonated in their vicinity in the Panjwayi District.
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Sergeant Gregory John Kruse, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
December 27 2008
Sergeant Gregory John Kruse was killed on December 27, 2008, when an explosive device detonated in their vicinity in the Panjwayi District.
Private Michael Bruce Freeman, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from CFB Petawawa
December 26 2008
Private Michael Bruce Freeman died Friday afternoon when the armoured vehicle he was riding in struck an improvised explosive device during a routine security patrol in the Zhari District of Kandahar Province.
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Corporal Thomas James Hamilton, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick
December 13 2008
Corporal Thomas James Hamilton was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 14 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time, on 13 December 200
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Private John Michael Roy Curwin, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick
December 13 2008
Private John Michael Roy Curwinwas killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 14 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time, on 13 December 200
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Private Justin Peter Jones, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick
December 13 2008
Private Justin Peter Jones was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on an armoured vehicle during a patrol in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 14 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time, on 13 December 200
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Private Demetrios Diplaros, First Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa
December 5 2008
Private Demetrios Diplaros killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on their armoured vehicle during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time on 5 December 2008
Corporal Mark Robert McLaren, First Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa
December 5 2008
Corporal Mark Robert McLaren killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on their armoured vehicle during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time on 5 December 2008
Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson, First Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa
December 5 2008
Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson killed as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on their armoured vehicle during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers in the Arghandab District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometers west of Kandahar City at about 9:00 a.m., Kandahar time on 5 December 2008
Sgt Prescott Shipway, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Manitoba
September 7 2008
Sgt Prescott Shipway was killed after his armoured vehicle was struck an improvised explosive device (IED) during a security patrol in Panjwayii District at approximately 12:30 p.m., Kandahar time.
Corporal Andrew Paul Grenon, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Manitoba
September 3 2008
Corporal Andrew Paul Grenon was killed after an insurgent attack on his armoured vehicle while they were conducting a security patrol in Zharey district at approximately 9:30 a.m., Kandahar time.
Cpl Michael James Alexander Seggie, 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Manitoba
September 3 2008
Corporal Michael James Alexander Seggie was killed after an insurgent attack on his armoured vehicle while they were conducting a security patrol in Zharey district at approximately 9:30 a.m., Kandahar time.
Private Chadwick James Horn, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Manitoba
September 3 2008
Private Chadwick James Horn was killed after an insurgent attack on his armoured vehicle while they were conducting a security patrol in Zharey district at approximately 9:30 a.m., Kandahar time.
Sergeant Shawn Eades 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Edmonton, Alberta
August 20, 2008
Sergeant Shawn Eades was one of three soldiers killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) near their vehicle while on patrol on highway 1 in Zharey district.
Corporal Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Edmonton, Alberta
August 20, 2008
Corporal Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden was one of three soldiers killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) near their vehicle while on patrol on highway 1 in Zharey district.
Sapper Stephan John Stock 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Edmonton, Alberta
August 20, 2008
Sapper Stephan John Stock was one of three soldiers killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) near their vehicle while on patrol on highway 1 in Zharey district.
Master Corporal Erin Doyle 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, Alberta
August 11, 2008
Master Corporal Erin Doyle 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton was killed while protecting their combat outpost when insurgents attacked them with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
Master Corporal Joshua Brian Roberts 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba
August 9, 2008
Master Corporal Joshua Brian Roberts 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba was killed in a fire fight skirmish involving coalition forces, insurgents and a private firm that provides armed escorts for civilian convoys
Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba
July 18, 2008
Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba was killed just before midnight Kandahar time. The soldier was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device while on a foot patrol in Panjwayi District.
Private Colin William Wilmot, 2nd Battalion, PPLI, 1 Field Ambulance, Edmonton, Alberta.
July 5, 2008
Private Colin William Wilmot, 2nd Battalion, PPLI, 1 Field Ambulance succumbed to his injuries by a road side bomb detonated near a dismounted security patrol in Panjwayi District.
Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey, Military Police, Dundurn, Saskatchewan
July 4, 2008
Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey was found dead in an accommodation room in the Theatre Support Element compound in the Gulf region. Exact cause is not know at this time.
Captain Jonathan (Jon) Sutherland Snyder 1st Battalion, PPCLI, Edmonton, Alberta
June 7, 2008
Cpt. Jonathan Snyder was killed June 9:00 pm., Kandahar time. The soldier was killed after falling into a well while conducting a security patrol in Zhari District.
Captain Richard (Steve) Leary of the 2nd Battalion, PPCLI, from Shilo, Manitoba
June 3, 2008
Cpt. Richard (Steve) Leary was killed today at approximately 9:30 a.m., Kandahar time. The Canadian soldier was killed by direct fire when a joint Afghan-Canadian dismounted security patrol came under small arms fire from insurgents in the Panjwayi District.
Corporal Michael Starker, of 15 Field Ambulance
May 6, 2008
Corporal Michael Starker, of 15 Field Ambulance was killed in combat when he came under fire while on Patrol in Afghanistan. One other soldier was injured.
Private Terry John Street, 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
April 04, 2008
Private Terry John Street, from 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed today when his armoured vehicle struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Sergeant Jason Boyes, 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI), Shilo, Manitoba.
March 16, 2008
Sergeant Jason Boyes was killed today by an explosive deviceat approximately 8:20 p.m. Kandahar time while participating in a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol in the Zangabad region, in the District of Panjwayi, approximately 35 km South-West of Kandahar City.
Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet,1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Shilo, Manitoba.
March 11, 2008
At approximately 2:15 pm today Kandahar time, a Canadian soldier was found dead in an accommodation room, at Kandahar Airfield.
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Edmonton, Alberta
March 2, 2008
At approximately 3:45 p.m. Kandahar time on March 2, Trooper Hayakaze was killed when his armoured vehicle hit a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Mushan region, located in the District of Panjawayi, 45 km West of Kandahar City.
Sapper Étienne Gonthier, 5th Combat Engineer Regiment, Valcartier Québec
January 23, 2008
Sapper Étienne Gonthier, Age 21, 5th Combat Engineer Regiment, Valcartier Québec who was part of a convoy was killed when the armoured vehicle he was in struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED)
Trooper Richard Renaud 12e Régiment blindé du Canada
January 15, 2008
Trooper Richard Renaud, age 26, from Alma Quebec was killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. He was a member of the Valcartier-based 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, which can be informally translated as the 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
Corporal Éric Labbé, 2nd Bataillon, Royal 22nd Régiment, Valcartier Québec
January 6, 2008
Éric Labbé, age 31, was killed at approximately 6:30 p.m. Kandahar time on January 6, when their Light Armoured Vehicle rolled over, during a tactical move across difficult terrain.
Warrant Officer Hani Massouh, 2nd Bataillon, Royal 22nd Régiment, Valcartier, Québec
January 6, 2008
Hani Massouh, age 41, was killed at approximately 6:30 p.m. Kandahar time on January 6, when their Light Armoured Vehicle rolled over, during a tactical move across difficult terrain.
Gunner Jonathan Dion, 5 Régiment d'Artillerie légère du Canada, based in Valcartier, Québec
December 30, 2007
OTTAWA - At approximately 9:10 a.m. local time (in Kandahar), Gunner Jonathan Dion was killed when the Armoured Vehicle he was in struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device. Four other Canadian soldiers were also injured. The incident occurred during a routine patrol, approximately 20 km West of Kandahar city, in the Zharey District. Helicopters were used to evacuate the soldiers to the Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield. The wounded soldiers are in stable condition and have contacted their families.
Master Corporal Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, age 28, 5e Ambulance de campagne, based out of Valcartier, Québec.
November 17, 2007
OTTAWA - Two Canadian soldiers, and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 12:00 a.m. Kandahar time on 17 November, 2007 when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device approximately 40 km West of Kandahar city in the vicinity of Ma’sum Ghar.
Corporal Nathan Hornburg Reserve soldier, King's Own Calgary Regiment, Calgary, Alberta
November 17, 2007
OTTAWA - Two Canadian soldiers, and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 12:00 a.m. Kandahar time on 17 November, 2007 when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device approximately 40 km West of Kandahar city in the vicinity of Ma’sum Ghar.
Private Michel Jr. Lévesque, age 25, 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Québec.
November 17, 2007
OTTAWA - Two Canadian soldiers, and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 12:00 a.m. Kandahar time on 17 November, 2007 when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device approximately 40 km West of Kandahar city in the vicinity of Ma’sum Ghar.
Major Raymond Ruckpaul, NATO Allied Land Component Command
August 29, 2007
OTTAWA - Major Raymond Ruckpaul, NATO Allied Land Component Command 42, died after being found wounded in his room at the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force in the Afghan capital.
Master Corporal Christian Duchene, 5e Ambulance de campagne, based out of Valcartier, Quebec
August 22, 2007
OTTAWA - Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier was killed at approximately 6:19 p.m. Kandahar time today when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected mine approximately 50 kms West of Kandahar City.
Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 2e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Québec
August 22, 2007
OTTAWA - Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier was killed at approximately 6:19 p.m. Kandahar time today when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected mine approximately 50 kms West of Kandahar City.
Private Simon Longtin of the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, based out of Valcartier, Québec..
August 19 2007
OTTAWA - Pte Longtin succumbed to his injuries after his LAV III struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) roughly 1:41 am Kandahar time, approximately 20 kms West of Kandahar City. At the time of the incident, the Canadian convoy was returning from a Forward Operating Base following a re-supply mission from Kandahar Airfield.
MCpl Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment based out of New West Minster, B.C.
July 4 2007
OTTAWA - MCpl Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. RWMR is based out of New West Minster, B.C.
Captain Matthew Johnathan Dawe, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Edmonton.
July 4 2007
OTTAWA – Captain Matthew Johnathan Dawe, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. 3 PPCLI is based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
Cpl Cole Bartsch, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Edmonton.
July 4 2007
OTTAWA – Cpl Cole Bartsch, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. 3 PPCLI is based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
Private Lane Watkins, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton.
July 4 20047
OTTAWA – Private Lane Watkins was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. Pte Watkins was a member of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia"s Canadian Light Infantry, 3 PPCLI, based out of Edmonton.
Cpl Jordan Anderson, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton.
July 4 2007
OTTAWA – Cpl Jordan Anderson, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. 3 PPCLI is based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
July 4 2007
OTTAWA – Captain Jefferson Francis of 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery(1 RCHA), was killed on 4 July, 2007 along with 5 other CF members and one Afghan interpreter, when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device, approximately 20km south-west of Kandahar City. 1 RCHA is based out of Shilo, Manitoba.
Sergeant Christos Karigiannis, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton.
June 20, 2007
OTTAWA – Sergeant Christos Karigiannis was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints.
Private Vincent Wiebe, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton.
June 20, 2007
OTTAWA – Private Vincent Wiebe was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints.
Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton.
June 20, 2007
OTTAWA – Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane waskilled when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints.
Trooper Darryl Caswell of The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD), 25, based at Petawawa, Ont.
June 11, 2007
OTTAWA – Trooper Darryl Caswell (Bomanville) was killed today when a roadside bomb detonated near the vehicle he was traveling in, about 40 km north of Kandahar City. The incident occurred at approximately 6:25 p.m. Kandahar time (10:05 a.m. EST).
Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede from Gagetown, NB
May 31, 2007
OTTAWA – Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, a military Imagery Technician serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command (South) Headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, was killed when the helicopter in which he was a passenger went down at approximately 9 p.m. Kandahar time on 30 May, near the town of Kajaki, Helmand Province, about 95 kms northwest of Kandahar City. Master Corporal Priede was a member of the Army News Team from 3 Area Support Group, based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.
Corporal Matthew McCully, (CP/HO/Canadian Armed Forces), 25, from Orangeville, Ontario
May 25, 2007
A Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan on May 25, 2007 has been identified. Corporal Matthew McCully, 25, from Petawawa, Ontario, was killed in IED attack. He was a signaler and communications specialist working, like 70 other Canadian troops in the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, with soldiers of the Afghan National Army. An Afghan interpreter was slightly injured in the blast.
Master-Corporal Anthony Klumpenhouwer, 25, from Listowel, Ontario
April 18, 2007
A Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan on April 18th has been identified. Master-Corporal Anthony Klumpenhouwer, 25, from Listowel, Ontario, was killed in an accident. The communications technician was working on a tower when the accident occurred. Go to Memorial
Trooper Patrick James Pentland, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont
April 11, 2007
On the eve of six killed April 8, 2007 coming home Trooper Patrick James Pentland was killed when his vehicle was bombed by an road side IED during heavy fighting with the Taliban resistance. Three other CF soldiers were, one seriously, as a result of this attack. Go to Memorial
Master Corporal Allan Stewart, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.
April 11, 2007
On the eve of six killed April 8, 2007 coming home Master Corporal Allan Stewart was killed when his vehicle was bombed by an road side IED during heavy fighting with the Taliban resistance. Three other CF soldiers were, one seriously, as a result of this attack. Go to Memorial
Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, of Burton, N.B. (but raised in St. John's). 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
April 8, 2007
Donald Lucas one of the six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Go to Memorial
Pte. Kevin Vincent Kennedy, 20, of St. Lawrence, N.L. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
April 8, 2007
Kevin Kennedy one of six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Go to Memorial
Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, of Lincoln, N.B. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
April 8, 2007
Aaron Williams one of Six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Go to Memorial
Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20, of Saint John, N.B. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
April 8, 2007
David Greenslade one of six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Go to Memorial
Cpl. Brent Poland, 37, of Camlachie, Ont. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
April 8, 2007
Six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Go to Memorial
Master Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, of Dartmouth, N.S. reservist with the Princess Louise Fusiliers, Halifax
April 8, 2007
Christopher Stannix one of six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Stannix was promoted in the field to Master Corporal in Afghanistan Go to Memorial
Corporal Kevin Megeney, Reserve -1st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders
March 6, 2007.
Canadian soldier Corporal Kevin Megeney, Reserve -1st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders was killed by accidental friendly fire on Tuesday March 7, 2007 The accident took place in the compounds of a non war area in Afghanistan. Go to Memorial
Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion
November 27, 2006.
Canadian soldier Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion was killed by suicide attack on Monday November 27, 2006 A suicide car bomber struck a military convoy near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Go to Memorial
Cpl. Albert Storm from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group
November 27, 2006.
Canadian soldier Cpl. Albert Storm from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group was killed by suicide attack on Monday November 27, 2006 A suicide car bomber struck a military convoy near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
Go to Memorial
Sgt. Darcy Tedford, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Oct. 14, 2006.
Sgt. Darcy Tedford was killed on October 14 when his unit was ambushed near the new Panjwayi development road, 25km West of Kandahar City.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Pte. Blake Williamson, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Oct. 14, 2006.
Pte Blake Williamson was killed on October 14 when his unit was ambushed near the new Panjwayi development road, 25km West of Kandahar City.
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Go to Memorial
Trooper Mark Wilson, Royal Canadian Dragoons, Petawawa, Ontario
Oct. 7, 2006.
Trp. Mark Wilson was killed on October 7 when the RG-31 he was traveling in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Panjwayi area, approximately 25 km west of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
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Go to Memorial
Cpl Robert Mitchell, Royal Canadian Dragoons, Petawawa, Ontario
Oct. 3, 2006.
Cpl Robert Mitchell was killed October 3, 2006 in clashes with the Taliban. Mitchell was one of two Canadian Armed Forces trooper to die during the intense fighting this day in Afghanistan.
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Go to Memorial
Sgt Craig Gillam, Royal Canadian Dragoons, Petawawa, Ontario
Oct 3, 2006.
Sgt. Craig Gillam was killed October 3, 2006 in clashes with the Taliban. Gillam was one of two Canadian Armed Forces trooper to die during the intense fighting this day in Afghanistan.
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Go to Memorial
Pte. Josh Klukie, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Sep.29, 2006.
Canadian soldier Pte. Josh Klukie was killed by an improvised explosive device, while he was conducting a foot patrol in the Panjwayi district, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Cpl Glen Arnold, 2 Field Ambulance, CFB Petawawa, Ont
Sep.18, 2006.
Cpl Glen Arnold, a member of 2 Field Ambulance, was killed Sept 18, 2006 by a suicide bomber during a foot patrol in Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Cpl. Shane Keating, 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Sep.18, 2006.
Corporal Shane Keating of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed on Sept 18, 2006 by a suicide bomber who attacked his patrol in Afghanistan..Go to Memorial
Cpl. Keith Morley, 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry from Shilo, Man
Sep.18, 2006.
Corporal Keith Morley, of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed on Sept 18, 2006 by a suicide bomber who attacked his patrol in Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Pte. David Byers, 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Sep.18, 2006.
Pte David Byers, a member of 2 PPCLI was killed on Sept 18, 2006 by a suicide bomber who attacked his patrol in Afghanistan.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, Petawawa
Sep.3, 2006.
Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan was killed on Sunday, Sept. 3 fighting against Taliban insurgents west of Kandahar City.Go to Memorial
Pte. Mark Anthony Graham, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Sep. 3, 2006. Pte. Mark Anthony Graham, a member of 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont., was killed on Monday, Sept. 4, about 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City as Canadian troops participating in Operation Medusa were mistakenly strafed by a U.S. warplane.Go to Memorial
Private William Jonathan James Cushley, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
Sep. 3, 2006.
Private William Jonathan James Cushley was killed in Afghanistan on September 3, 2006.Go to Memorial
Sergeant Shane Stachnik, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment
Sep. 3, 2006.
Sergeant Shane Stachnik was killed while fighting Taliban insurgents in an operation whose roots trace back to the New York and Washington terror attacks.Go to Memorial
Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, 1st Batallion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Sep. 3, 2006.
Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish was killed on September 3, 2006 in Afghanistan.Go to Memorial
Aug. 22, 2006.
Cpl. David Braun was killed in a suicide attack on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, 1st Field Ambulance, CFB Edmonton
Aug. 11, 2006.
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, a Canadian Forces medic with One Field Ambulance based in Edmonton, was killed Friday in a suicide attack near Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometres south of Kandahar.
Go to Memorial
Master Cpl. Jeffrey Scott Walsh, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Aug. 9, 2006. 06:51 AM
Master Cpl. Jeffrey Scott Walsh died in Afghanistan Aug 9, His death came just six days after he was re-deployed to the country for his second tour of duty.
Go to Memorial
Master Corporal Raymond Arndt, Loyal Edmonton Regiment
Aug. 5, 2006.
Master Corporal Raymond Arndt of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment died in a vehicle accident south east of Kandahar August 5, 2006.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid, 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Aug. 3, 2006.
Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid, of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was killed Aug. 3 near Kandahar by a roadside bomb.Go to Memorial
Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, First Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Aug. 3, 2006.
Sgt. Vaughn Ingram of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry died in Afghanistan on Aug. 3, 2006.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Aug. 3, 2006.
Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry died in Afghanistan Aug. 3.Go to Memorial
Private Kevin Dallaire, 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Aug. 3, 2006.
Private Kevin Dallaire of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed August 3, 2006 near the village of Pashmul, southwest of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.Go to Memorial
Corporal Francisco Gomez
July 22, 2006.
Corporal Francisco Gomez of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton was one of two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on July 22, 2006.Go to Memorial
Corporal Jason Patrick Warren, Montreal's The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
July 22, 2006.
Corporal Jason Patrick Warren of The Black Watch in Montreal was one of two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on July 22, 2006.Go to Memorial
Corporal Anthony Joseph Boneca, 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
July 9, 2006.
Corporal Anthony Joseph Boneca was killed during an engagement with the Taliban near Kandahar on the morning of July 9th.Go to Memorial
Capt. Nichola Goddard, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
May. 17, 2006.
Goddard, a 26-year-old officer with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, was killed while serving as a forward observer, ready to bring down gunfire in support of the infantry. She was Canada’s first female fighting soldier to die by enemy fire.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Randy Payne, CFB/ASU Wainwright Military Police (MP) Platoon in Wainwright
April 22, 2006.
Payne, 32, was killed in Afghanistan April 22 with three other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicle.Go to Memorial
Corporal Matthew David James Dinning, 2 Mechanized Brigade Group in Petawawa
Apr. 22, 2006.
Dyer was killed in Afghanistan April 22 with three other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicle.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Lieutenant William Turner, Canadian Armed Forces Reserves
Apr. 22, 2006.
Lieutenant William Turner was killed in Afghanistan April 22 with three other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicle.
Go to Memorial
Go to Memorial
Bombardier Myles Mansell, Canadian Armed Forces Reserves
Apr. 22, 2006.
Bombardier Myles Mansell was killed in Afghanistan April 22 with three other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicle.Go to Memorial
Pte. Robert Costall, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton
Mar. 28, 2006.
Canadian soldier Robert Costall was killed in a firefight with Taliban insurgents near Kandahar on March 28th.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Paul Davis, 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
Mar. 2, 2006.
Corporal Paul Davis, a Canadian soldier from Bridgewater, N.S., serving with the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) in Kandahar, was killed March 2 when the light armoured vehicle collided with a civilian taxi and then rolled over after hitting a ditch on the side of the road.Go to Memorial
Master-Corporal Timothy Wilson, Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Mar. 4, 2006.
Master-Corporal Timothy Wilson, of Grande Prairie, Alberta, who was seriously injured in the March 2 vehicle accident in Kandahar, Afghanistan, died at a U.S.-run hospital in Landstuhl, Germany early Sunday March 5, 2006.Go to Memorial
Master-Corporal Timothy Wilson, of Grande Prairie, Alberta, who was seriously injured in the March 2 vehicle accident in Kandahar, Afghanistan, died at a U.S.-run hospital in Landstuhl, Germany early Sunday March 5, 2006.Go to Memorial
Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry
Jan. 15, 2006.
Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry, a political director posted with the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan, was killed near Kandahar in an apparent suicide bombing on Sunday, January 15Go to Memorial
Private Braun Scott Woodfield
Nov. 24, 2005.
Private Braun Scott Woodfield of Victoria, B.C., shown in a August 26, 2005 photo in Kabul, Afghanistan was killed Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005 and four others injured when their armoured vehicle rolled over in Afghanistan.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment
Jan. 27, 2004. 03:44 PM
Cpl. Jamie Brendan Murphy, killed in Kabul Jan. 27 in a suicide attack
Go to Memorial
Sgt. Robert Short, Royal Canadian Regiment, 3rd Battalion
Oct. 2, 2003. 04:53 PM
Sgt. Robert Short, 42, was killed Oct. 2, 2003 when his jeep hit a land mine or buried shell near the capital, Kabul.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Ottawa
Oct. 2, 2003.
Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 29, was killed Oct. 2, 2003 when his jeep hit a land mine or buried shell near the capital, Kabul.Go to Memorial
Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Light Infantry of Edmonton
Apr. 17, 2002.
Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Light Infantry of Edmonton is seen in this undated file photo.Go to Memorial
Sgt. Marc Leger, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
Pte. Richard Green, A Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Pte. Nathan Lloyd Smith, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia Light Infantry
Apr. 17, 2002. 04:21 PMPte. Nathan Lloyd Smith, died April 17, 2002 under friendly fire.Go to Memorial
AND...
CANADA REMEMBERS SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - OUR CANADIANS- WORLD TRADE CENTER
Honours
Canadians who died in the
September 11, 2001 Disaster
 Friends Forever |  |
We honour the 24 Canadians who died (or are missing and presumed to have died) in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S.A., according to families and the official list of Canadian victims as released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: |  |  |  |
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Victims of ALL the September 11, 2001 attacks (not including the 19 hijackers):
* New York: 2,750, (those confirmed dead or missing in the Trade Center Towers and aboard American Flight 11 and United Flight 175)
(343 firefighters and 23 police officers included in the above total)
. * Washington: 184 at the Pentagon and American Flight 77
* Pennsylvania: 40 passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93
Total Loss of Life: 2,974 in all 3 attacks.
No Canadians were lost in the Pentagon attack, or in the Pennsylvania crash.
Putting a brief story to each of the Canadian victims' names will hopefully serve as an inspiration to their families, friends and all Canadians. This page is a tribute to these Canadian men and women.
IN MEMORIAM
| Michael Arczynski | The 45-year-old was a senior vice-president of Aon Corp.'s Manhattan office. He was a physically active man who moved to New York after nine years in London. He was a well traveled man who said that he had three homes- Montreal, London and Australia. He and his wife Lori had three children. Lori is expecting their fourth in February. Arczynski also leaves three daughters from his first marriage. |
| Garnet (Ace) Bailey | 53 years old, director of pro scouting for the L.A. Kings, a native of Lloydminster, Sask. was aboard United Airlines Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center. He was a professional hockey player. He played for many teams including the Edmonton Oilers, where he played with Wayne Gretzky. He was nicknamed "Ace" for his skills on the ice. He was starting his 32nd season as a player or scout for the National Hockey League. He is survived by a 22 year old son and his wife Kathy. |
| David Barkway | The 34-year-old executive with BMO Nesbitt Burns in Toronto was visiting a client atop the World Trade Center's north tower when the first plane hit. He sent an electronic message to his Toronto colleagues, saying he was in trouble. Barkway was visiting New York with his pregnant wife, Cindy, for a three-day business trip. The couple has a two-year-old child. He was on the 105th floor when the tragedy took place and tried to contact his office in Toronto for help. |
| Ken Basnicki | The 47-year-old father of two was in the north tower where he worked. The Toronto native was last heard from at 8:55 a.m. in a cellphone call to his mother from an office on the 106th floor. "He was notifying his mother that the place was full of smoke and he didn't think he'd find a way out," said his brother-in-law Dan Young of Ennismore, Ont. Basnicki was on his first business trip to New York. He was a physically-fit outgoing, fun-loving high-achiever who rode a Harley Davidson. |
| Joseph Collison | Joseph Collison was born in Toronto in 1951 and moved to New York City more than 10 years ago. He was on he 102nd floor of the north tower, where he worked in the mail room of Kidder, Peabody & Co., said his sister-in-law, Janet Collison. "Joe was so caring," she said from Mississauga, where he was buried next to his parents. "Joe truly was a brother, someone who always stood beside you." Collison, who was not married, was hoping to adopt a young boy in New York that he cared for, said Janet. "Anyone who knew Joe said he was always there for you." |
| Cynthia Connolly | Age: 40. She worked at Aon Corp. She was transferred from the Montreal office to New York in 1999. She loved pets. She had a Airedale-German-Shepherd and a pet cat. She was married to Donald Poissant, whom she wed in Montreal, a year before she left for the US. |
| Arron Dack | The 39-year-old father of two was attending a conference in the north tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. He called his office just after the impact to say he was alive. Two minutes later, at 8:47, he called his wife Abigail. He was a senior executive with Encompys. Dack was born in England, and grew up in Toronto. He is survived by his wife and two children, Olivia and Carter. |
| Michael Egan | Age: 51. Worked at Aon Corp. He worked on the 105th floor and had his older sister visiting him for a couple of weeks. Some colleagues of his said that his sister, who also died in the terrorist attack, visited his office so she could gaze over the city from his office. |
| Christine Egan | The 55-year-old Health Canada nurse epidemiologist from Winnipeg was visiting her younger brother's upper-floor office in the second tower of the World Trade Center. She had come to New York to spend time with him, her sister-in-law and her two teenaged nephews. She was last spotted on the 105th floor, apparently to meet and old college friend. |
| Albert William Elmarry | The 30-year-old moved from Toronto to the United States in 1999 to work in computer support for Cantor Fitzgerald. He met his wife, Irenie, on a visit to his native Egypt. She is expecting their first child at the end of March. He had worked for IBM Canada, when in Toronto. He was on the 103rd floor when the terrorists attacked. |
| Meredith Ewart and Peter Feidelberg | Ages 29 and 34 respectively. The Montreal couple worked in offices on the World Trade Center's top floors. They worked as consultants for an insurance firm, Aon International. They both got their jobs at Aon International at the same time. They had been married for 18 months. |
| Alexander Filipov | Age: 70. Born in Regina and lived in Concord, Mass. Was on American Airlines Flight 11 when it hit the World Trade Center. Filipov, an electrical engineer, grew up in Windsor and graduated from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. He was hoping to get home on time for his 44th anniversary in Massachusetts. His wife Loretta felt that he lived a well-rounded life, that included golfing, skiing, and playing music. He even tried bungee jumping at 60. He is survived by three sons, Allan, David and Jeffrey. |
| Ralph Gerhardt | The 34-year-old vice-president with Cantor Fitzgerald, a bond trading firm, called his parents in Toronto just after the first plane hit the north tower. He tried to console his parents during the call telling them not to worry. He also informed them that he was going to find his girlfriend, who worked in the floor below. He has not been heard from since. |
| Stuart Lee | He had returned only a day before the attacks from his Korean homeland where he had taken his wife, Lynn Udbjorg, to show off his roots. He was on the 103rd floor of 1 World Trade Center, when the tragedy took place. Lee, who would have turned 31 on Wednesday, was vice-president of integrated services for Datasynapse. He spent the last hour of his life e-mailing his company, trying to figure how to get out of the building. |
| Mark Ludvigsen | Age: 32. Worked at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. He left his native New Brunswick for US, with his parents, when he was seven. He worked on the 89th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. He proposed to his wife on a surprise trip to Ireland. He called his parents a few minutes after the attack on the North Tower to console them that he was alright. He told them that they had nothing to worry about since he was on the other wing. He has not been heard from since. |
| Bernard Mascarenhas | 54 years old, of Newmarket, Ont., worked for Marsh Inc., which had offices at the World Trade Center. He was the chief information officer for the insurance brokerage firm. He was in New York on a five day visit to the technology department of his parent company. Marsh had 1,900 employees in the trade centers of which 295 were killed. He is survived by his wife, Raynette, and a son and daughter, Jaclyn and Sven. |
| Colin McArthur | Age: 52. Worked as a deputy managing director at Aon Corp. He immigrated to Canada in 1977. He is originally from Glasgow. He married his wife, who also works at Aon Corp., after moving to Montreal. He has been working at the company for over 15 years. |
| Michel Pelletier | The 36-year-old commodities broker for TradeSpark, a division of trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was on the 105th floor of 1 World Trade Center. He called his wife, Sophie, and calmly told her he was trapped in the building and that he loved her. She was dropping their two-year-old daughter at her first day of school. He is survived by a three-month-old son and their two-year-old daughter. |
| Donald Robson | 52, raised in Toronto, was a partner and bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. He had spent the last two decades in New York. He was also present in the 1993 tower bombing, according to his wife. He is survived by two sons, Geoff and Scott. |
| Ruffino (Roy) Santos | Age: 37. Worked at Guy Carpenter as a computer consultant. He was leaving the company to work for Accenture a week later. He is a native of Manila, who moved to British Columbia in the 1980's. He later moved to New York, five years ago. |
| Vladimir Tomasevic | 36, of Toronto, vice-president of software development for Optus e-biz solutions. Was attending conference on 106th floor of World Trade Center's north tower. Originally from Yugoslavia, he immigrated to Canada in 1994. "He was my best friend and a part of him will always be with me" commented his wife to Maclean's magazine. |
| Chantal Vincelli | Age: 38. She was a marketing assistant for Data Synapse Inc. Her biggest dream in life was to be a New Yorker. "She loved the hustle and bustle, the atmosphere, the go-getters", said her brother. She has been working in New York for five years. On the day of the attacks, Vincelli was setting up a kiosk at a trade show. |
| Deborah Lynn Williams | Age: 35. Williams, whose maiden name was Robinson, worked for the global insurer, Aon Corp., for 15 years. She and her husband, Darren, moved to Hoboken, N.J., after being transferred to New York City by their employer. Williams, a Montreal native, gave birth to their only child six months after settling in Hoboken. |
| The list was obtained from Foreign Affairs by the Toronto Star Some Bio info. also from the CBC Website | |
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| Frank Joseph Doyle | Foreign Affairs also listed a "25th victim" because of his deep Canadian roots. Thirty-nine-year-old Frank Joseph Doyle was married to Kimmie Chedel of St. Sauveur, Que. He also leaves two children. All of his relatives live in the Ottawa Valley. Doyle, an executive vice-president of Keefe Bruyette and Woods, had a home in Ste. Adele, Que. |
| LeRoy Holmer | Canadian Connection: LeRoy Homer, 36, was the co-pilot of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after being taken over by hijackers. Homer was an American citizen, but his wife Melodie Thorpe was Canadian, having grown up in Hamilton, Ont. Family say Homer always knew he wanted to be a pilot. The couple, who lived in Marlton, N.J., have a young daughter. Homer previously served with the US air force in Desert Shield, Desert Storm and in Somolia. |
| Jane Beatty | Canadian Connection: Jane Beatty, age: 53, Worked at Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. She was originally from Britain and lived in Ontario for 20 years before moving to the United states. She was on the 96th floor of the North tower, when the terrorists attacked. She had survived five years with breast cancer. She celebrated the occasion just three weeks before her death. She called her husband, Bob, at 8:45, a couple of minutes before the terrorist attack. |
Memorial Plaques
Canada's 9/11 victims were remembered as the first plaque honouring Canadian victims of September 11th was unveiled at an Ottawa's Beechwood Cemetery on January 14, 2002. The plaque bears the names of 24 Canadian victims, as well as two others who were married to Canadians. Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson could not attend the service due to another engagement, but her secretary Barbara Uteck delivered a message on her behalf. Another plaque was dedicated to the Canadian 9/11 victims on March 18, 2003. It was unveiled in a meditation room in the East Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It will remain on display there as a permanent memorial. Five family members, representing three victims of the tragedy, attended the ceremony. They were joined by deputy Commons Speaker Bob Kilger, Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper, religious representatives and several MPs, including Ontario Liberal Dan McTeague who spearheaded the idea of honouring the victims. If you are aware of other plaques or memorials to the Canadian victims, please let us know via emailWhat Canada Did On 9/11 and After
| Crises often tend to bring out the best in people. The response in Canada to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 is a case in point. 200 or so aircraft, many of which were of U.S. registry, were heading for the continental U.S. All were diverted to alternate airports in Eastern Canada. Some were too heavy to land and had to dump fuel, before being routed to the nearest available airport. Simultaneously, over the North Pacific, commercial carriers en route from Asia to North America were being diverted to airports in Western Canada, primarily Vancouver. NAV CANADA faced an enormous task of draining the skies under Canadian control, handling 239 diverted aircraft from overseas as well as those destined for the U.S. and Canada. All landed safely in Canada without incident. Of these, 38 went to Gander, 1 to Deer Lake, 21 to St. John’s, 8 to Stephenville, 7 to Goose Bay, 47 to Halifax, 10 to Moncton, 10 to Mirabel, 7 to Dorval, 14 to Toronto, 4 to Hamilton, 15 to Winnipeg, 6 to Edmonton, 13 to Calgary, 1 to Yellowknife, 3 to Whitehorse and 34 to Vancouver. Gander received 6,600 diverted passengers; Vancouver received about 8,500. The last aircraft to land was from the Pacific. By about 6:00 PM EDT, all planes had landed safely. Accommodating more than 33,000 passengers and aircrew was a huge challenge for the Canadian communities, who welcomed the large number of passengers and accommodated them in their homes and public facilities. Many lasting friendship were developed during the days that these thousands of stranded passengers were welcomed into Canadaian homes. By September 16th all diverted planes had departed with their passengers for their intended destinations. |
CLIMB HIGHER
(A tribute to New York City Firefighters)
"Keep on Climbing", says the Captain, "Up through the smoke and smell."
"Keep on climbing", says the Captain, "I think I heard somebody yell!"
"Keep on climbing", says the Captain, "Alive or dead, not ours to tell."
"Keep on climbing", says the Captain, "I think I heard somebody yell!"
"Keep on climbing", says the Captain, "Alive or dead, not ours to tell."
"Keep on climbing", calls the Captain, "Forget about your pain!"
Keep on climbing ", shouts the Captain, "We have a few more floors to gain."
"Keep on climbing", yells the Captain, "We will bring them down again!"
Keep on climbing ", shouts the Captain, "We have a few more floors to gain."
"Keep on climbing", yells the Captain, "We will bring them down again!"
"Keep on climbing", cries the Captain, "If I can, so can you!"
"Keep on climbing", orders the Captain, "Right now I need your best from you!"
"Keep on climbing", orders the Captain, "Right now I need your best from you!"
"Keep on climbing", screams the Captain, "Forget about those sounds!"
"It's just some girders twisting and some concrete falling down."
"It's just some girders twisting and some concrete falling down."
"Keep on climbing", whispers the Captain, "Climb right up to that light!"
"Right up to that sunshine, No smoke to smell, no fire to fight!"
"Right up to that sunshine, No smoke to smell, no fire to fight!"
"Keep on climbing", sings the Captain, "That Angel's hand will lead the way!"
"Rest boys", sighs the Captain, "You did your job, today!"
"Rest boys", sighs the Captain, "You did your job, today!"
"Keep on climbing", prays Our Captain, "Eyes raised, headed for the top."
"And when you're tired, and feel like quiting,
Remember them, they didn't stop!"
"And when you're tired, and feel like quiting,
Remember them, they didn't stop!"
By Jim McGregor, Fire Chief
Langley City Fire-Rescue Service
Langley British Columbia
September, 2001
September, 2001
For an excellent site dedicated to ALL those who lost their lives on September 11th, visit:WTC Memorial Site
This page is part of Knight's Canadian Info CollectionPlease visit our other pages Site © by K.C.I.C. - A. Knight (Webmaster)
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PERFECT SHARE:
Look at our Donald F Baird's perfect share... cry, laugh 4 joy at our Canadian heroes coming home, pride and love and devotion 4 those with God waiting on us... u lift us up... thx Donald.
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March 11, 2008- AFGHANISTAN
Jeremie Quellet could be my son... my friends son... Jeremie Quellet - Sunday March 11 2008 Afghanistan is Canada's son... we love u, we miss u... we remember- we pray 4 your family, your friends and your family of the military, reservists, militia and rangers of Canada. Gone 2 God b4 your time... please protect God till we get there and hug all the tarnished and tattered angels... tell Rita MacNeil we love her... tell Stompin Tom 2 behave as God thinks Canadians are way 2 saucy as it is... hug the homeless angels... who have come home 2 God and know... u are loved honey... u are loved.
Nova Scotia shared Military Minds Inc.'s photo.
It's not about the war... it's about our Canadian Warriors- our heroes- u actually gave a sheeet about the poor everyday women, children and folks in the hard part of the world ..that even women and children rights groups walk on by..... our troops did NOT... and 2 many died.... because u see, troops on the ground day in and day out since 2001- these Muslim women and kids matter. u define our nation. thank u- love u
As the Afghanistan mission officially comes to an end today for Canada, let us not ask if it was worth it, but instead let's honor those who have sacrificed mind limb and life for that country. Let us not forget about the thousands of family members who are deeply affected by this war. Let us never forget the bravery of the soldiers who stepped foot into the unknown and faced head on what most fear and can not fathom. They did it with honour and integrity, all the while carrying what it is to be Canadian. They represented OUR Canada like nobody else can.
Please, do not question whether it was worth it or not, but remember those who represented you for those 12 long years in the worlds harshest environment.
Pro Patria
Chris
Please, do not question whether it was worth it or not, but remember those who represented you for those 12 long years in the worlds harshest environment.
Pro Patria
Chris
March 12, 2014- Afghanistan- Canada Military- coming home after a long war, sacrifice and boots 2 the ground since 2001- Afghan women and children matter in the hard part of the world 2- and our Canadians paid dearly... thank u.... u define our nation.
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Canada's casualties in Afghanistan
Faces of the fallen military personnel killed in the line of duty
CBC News Last Updated: March 12, 2014
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Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan ends- MARCH 13, 2014
Canada will focus on helping building Afghanistan’s economy
KABUL – The Canadian army has hauled down the flag in Afghanistan.
An understated ceremony, held under sunny skies and heavy guard, at NATO headquarters in Kabul brought to an end just over a dozen years of military involvement in the war-wasted nation.
Dignitaries — Canadian and allied alike — praised the country’s involvement and sacrifices.
“Your strength has protected the weak; your bravery has brought hope to hopeless; and the helping hand you have extended to the Afghan people has given them faith that a better future is within their grasp,” Deborah Lyons, the Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan told an assembly of the last 100 soldiers who served on a three year training mission.
The war cost the lives of 158 soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors.
“We can wish that the families of the fallen do not lament their fate, but we know that this is not the case. The only small comfort comes from the knowledge that the sacrifices of lost loved ones has been worthwhile, that they made a difference, and that their grief is shared by a grateful nation.
“It is said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. You actions and those of your fallen colleagues have stopped the triumph of evil.”
Canadian commandos, hunting al-Qaida, were the first troops to hit the ground in late 2001 and they were followed by as many as 40,000 more rotating through different campaigns, including the five-year combat mission in Kandahar.
British Lt.-Gen. John Lorimer, the deputy commander of NATO in Afghanistan, said the Canadians “repeatedly proved their courage and capability” alongside coalition and Afghan troops, especially in Kandahar “where you not only fought hard, but you fought smart.”
Calling it the end of a significant era, Lorimer said he viewed the departure of the Canadians with “mixed emotions” given the shared experiences of the last 12 years.
“I am sad to see you return home, yet grateful for opportunity to have served alongside such great Canadian leaders along the way,” he said.
The last Canadian commander, Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, said the training mission taking place over the last three years has been invaluable preparation for the Afghan army, but the progress made is not irreversible and the West needs to continue nurturing both military and civilian institutions.
Lyons said Canada will remain engaged in Afghanistan and the focus will be on helping build the ruined nation’s economy, particularly in the resource sector.
http://www.macleans.ca/politics/canadian-military-involvement-in-afghanistan-formally-ends/
An understated ceremony, held under sunny skies and heavy guard, at NATO headquarters in Kabul brought to an end just over a dozen years of military involvement in the war-wasted nation.
Dignitaries — Canadian and allied alike — praised the country’s involvement and sacrifices.
“Your strength has protected the weak; your bravery has brought hope to hopeless; and the helping hand you have extended to the Afghan people has given them faith that a better future is within their grasp,” Deborah Lyons, the Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan told an assembly of the last 100 soldiers who served on a three year training mission.
The war cost the lives of 158 soldiers, one diplomat, one journalist and two civilian contractors.
“We can wish that the families of the fallen do not lament their fate, but we know that this is not the case. The only small comfort comes from the knowledge that the sacrifices of lost loved ones has been worthwhile, that they made a difference, and that their grief is shared by a grateful nation.
“It is said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. You actions and those of your fallen colleagues have stopped the triumph of evil.”
Canadian commandos, hunting al-Qaida, were the first troops to hit the ground in late 2001 and they were followed by as many as 40,000 more rotating through different campaigns, including the five-year combat mission in Kandahar.
British Lt.-Gen. John Lorimer, the deputy commander of NATO in Afghanistan, said the Canadians “repeatedly proved their courage and capability” alongside coalition and Afghan troops, especially in Kandahar “where you not only fought hard, but you fought smart.”
Calling it the end of a significant era, Lorimer said he viewed the departure of the Canadians with “mixed emotions” given the shared experiences of the last 12 years.
“I am sad to see you return home, yet grateful for opportunity to have served alongside such great Canadian leaders along the way,” he said.
The last Canadian commander, Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, said the training mission taking place over the last three years has been invaluable preparation for the Afghan army, but the progress made is not irreversible and the West needs to continue nurturing both military and civilian institutions.
Lyons said Canada will remain engaged in Afghanistan and the focus will be on helping build the ruined nation’s economy, particularly in the resource sector.
http://www.macleans.ca/politics/canadian-military-involvement-in-afghanistan-formally-ends/
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