Posts Suspended

I've been finding it difficult to find the time to dig up then post news on Afghanistan on a daily basis. As a result, I'll be suspending posts at Afghanistan Watch for now ... and perhaps for good.

I thank all those who were readers of my Afghan News roundups.

Cheers!

There will be no posts at Afghanistan Watch for the next week or so.

Afghanistan: May 28, 2007

Special Report
Brave Soldiers; Timorous Public
But the angst is ours, not theirs, the soldiers who have most to fear and perhaps to doubt. They may rage at times over the enemy's tactics – ambushes, roadside detonations and suicide bombings that more often kill Afghan civilians – and occasionally their spirits sag. Yet they've never lost heart or resolve. Which is so much more than can be said for the hand-wringing Canadian public.

Report: Mission Needs Changes
A new report by the Senlis Council is calling into question Canada's stance on development, aid and poppy eradication.

Getting Back at It
Flags returned to full staff and the soldiers of Joint Task Force Afghanistan got back to the job at hand yesterday.

Taliban Ambush; 2 Dozen Taliban Dead
Taliban militants ambushed U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces escorting supply trucks in southern Afghanistan, sparking a 10-hour battle the coalition said killed an estimated two dozen militants.

NATO Hammers Taliban on Border
NATO-led forces are determined to yank the welcome mat from under Islamic insurgents who swear allegiance to Bin Laden's jihadist ideals and have crisscrossed Afghanistan's eastern border region with key supply routes.

Spring Offensive?
Violence escalated across Afghanistan on Monday, one day after the Taliban had announced a countrywide operation against government and foreign forces.

US Air Command Counters Claims
The regional U.S. air commander stands by initial reports that American airstrikes killed scores of Taliban in two western Afghan villages in recent weeks _ not 72 or more civilians, as Afghan officials and other witnesses say.

Taliban Pillage Aid
The thieves, under the cover of darkness, took bulk food, clothing and survival items intended for thousands of Afghan civilians living in the District.

Al Quaida Cell Disrupted
Afghan National Police, advised by Coalition forces, detained one al-Qaida cell commander in the Bak District of Khowst Province just after midnight on May 25.

13 Protestors Killed
Thirteen people were killed and 35 wounded in Afghanistan today when police opened fire to break up a violent protest against a provincial governor.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the Opinion Buffet are not those of Afghanistan Watch. Instead, we strive to offer a broad and diverse cross-section of opinion.
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Defining Canada Through Afghanistan
IT HAS become impossible to overstate how important the mission in Afghanistan has become to the federal government, politically for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, but also for Canada’s sense of identity in the world.

Timorous Germany
The campaign in Afghanistan, conceived as a swift crusade against the Taliban when the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were still fresh in our minds, is turning into an ongoing conflict.

Afghanistan: May 25, 2007

Hoover
A towering column of Leopard tanks and armoured vehicles rumbled into position in the volatile Zhari district of Afghanistan early Friday as Canadian soldiers prepared for their largest offensive against the Taliban in nearly two months.

Canadian Soldier Killed
A Canadian soldier was killed today by an improvised explosive device while taking part in Operation Hoover.

Hillier: Harper Trip a Huge Boost
This week’s surprise visit to Afghanistan by Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a huge boost to the Canadian soldiers working in the war-torn country.

The Canadian Military Revolution
The Canadian military is undergoing a revolution in what it does and how it does it.

Dealing With Poppies
Western nations called Friday for fresh action to stop Afghans growing opium poppies, saying they would confer with the Kabul government on the issue.

18 Taliban Killed
US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan reported Friday killing 18 rebels in the southern province of Helmand.

Aid Convoys Target of Banditry
Armed bandits had stolen food worth 350,000 US dollars in 20 raids in 12 months on aid lorries crossing southern Afghanistan.

Thanking America
Afghanistan’s Finance Minister Anwar Ul-Haq Ahady says his country has made “tremendous progress,” thanks in large part to the United States. “I emphasize the U.S. because more than fifty percent of our aid comes from the United States,” he said.

New Taliban Head a Foreigner
An Egyptian and former member of Egypt's fundamentalist Jihad movement, announced yesterday that he was the new head of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the Opinion Buffet are not those of Afghanistan Watch. Instead, we strive to offer a broad and diverse cross-section of opinion.
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Out by 2009
Even those high-ranking Afghan security officials who know that their tenuous hold on power depends on the presence of NATO forces know that the window for success is fast slamming shut.

Bush on Afghanistan
The Taliban likes to surround themselves with innocent civilians. That's part of their modus operandi. They don't mind using human shields because they devalue human life. That's why they're willing to kill innocent people to achieve political objectives."

The Next Steps
There is great anxiety among all Afghans—those living in Afghanistan as well as expatriates like myself—as to what the future holds.

Too Early to Leave
Rather than an "exit strategy," a strategy for success will win the day for Canada as well as Afghanistan – just ask our troops.

For Sale: One Bad War
Maybe voters will impose an "arbitrary deadline" of their own on a government that seems intent on keeping us in this conflict indefinitely.