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Afghanistan: What have we gotten into?
What are Canadian soldiers fighting for in Kandahar?
A look at the map will tell you what our military
and government are careful not to mention: the pipeline. The
military prefers to have us believe they are liberating Afghans from
the cruel Taliban, but as they hand out trinkets to the natives with
one hand they assist with the theft of their natural resources with the
other. And when they talk of "security" they mean to protect the
pipeline perimeters.
WorldPress:
Pipeline Politics: Oil, the Taliban, and the Political Balance of
Central Asia The American oil company Unocal has proposed the
construction of oil and gas pipelines from Turkmenistan through
Afghanistan to Pakistan and later to India. Afghanistan's long war has
prevented this project from moving forward. If some degree of stability
returns to Afghanistan, the project may be resurrected.
The Futility:
 "There are 25
million Afghans. Say
only half
are loyal to their ancient tradition of destroying foreigners who
invade and occupy their space, and fighting on until the invaders crawl
away in defeat. That would leave about 12 million. Even if
you assume
half are kids too young to fight, that leaves 6 million active fighters
and their supporters, men and women. So, what the silly General
faces
is simple: 1,500 down, 4,998,500 to go. How do you like them
odds?
Game over. Time to come home." American
(anti) War Veterans
Senlis
Council Policy Group Report:"Canada in Kandahar: No Peace to
Keep". The deaths of innocent Kandahar civilians at the hands
of the
Canadian military has come to symbolise to the local population
Canadian indifference to the Afghan people and to symbolize the failing
mission in southern Afghanistan.
Some History:
Operation
Cyclone: 1986 to 1992 - How CIA jihadist training camps in
Afghanistan and the US - originally designed to defeat the Soviets -
helped to create the civil war that only the Taliban was able to end.
Tyee/Dobbin:
How the West Destroyed
Afghanistan - [In 1978] the country had a progressive,
secular government which, according to University of Winnipeg professor
John Ryan, "affirmed the separation of church and state, labour unions
were legalized, health care and education became priorities, women were
given equal rights, and girls were to go to school.
Canada's Role:
On May 17, 2006, Canada's government voted
to
extend our "mission" in Afghanistan by a further 2 years, but the
Harper government made it clear that it
would take a lot longer than that. Paul Martin's Liberal
government originally
sent our troops into the North (Kabul) to assist with "peacekeeping and
rebuilding of infrastructure", but under the command of Gen. Rick "Kill
the Scumbags" Hillier, our troops have since been moved into the South
(Khandahar) and are now involved in full-blown combat.
Rabble:
The Manley Report: Ottawa
gets advice on prolonging
the war
Government
stops show in Supreme Court
Petition for injunction against transfer by
Canadian troops of
prisoners to mistreatment in Afghan jails.
The
following news items are from 2006 when Canada's role in Afghanistan
changed from one of "reconstruction" to direct combat. Little has
changed since then, except that more Canadian soldiers have died.
BBC: 'Civilians killed' in Nato raids
Kandahar provincial council member Bismallah Afghanmal said announcing
an investigation was not enough. "These kinds of things have happened
several times, and they only say 'sorry' ... How can you
compensate people who have lost their sons and daughters?"
TheNews: Foreign forces pullout only way to end
violence: [former Afghan PM] Hekmatyar “We are willing to
consider options other than war. But the root-cause of the violence is
the presence of foreign forces. Also, we are ready to guarantee the
safety of the incumbent Afghan rulers who consider the presence of
US-led coalition forces vital for their protection and power”
CPUnch: Bloody, Unbowed, Stoned? - Canadians in
Afghanistan Dear Rick ... if a Canadian soldier dies for a
stupid idea, it doesn't make the idea any better ...
AsiaTimes:
Afghanistan: Why NATO cannot win
"We saw over a period of many years how the country was torn apart by
civil war ... But in the face of outside aggressions, Afghans have
always put aside their differences and united. Evidently, the [US-led]
coalition forces are also being seen as a threat to the nation."
Canada/NATO
Invasion of Afghanistan Sows Destruction and Misery
TheTyee:
How
the West Destroyed Afghanistan - Canadian soldiers at war History got
us into this mess. Can it get us out?
Canada's involvement is part of a 30-year continuum of Western (and
Soviet) interference and it cannot be surgically excised and declared
pristine in its motives. So long as we ignore this history, we will
have more body bags coming home, thousands of innocent Afghanis will
die and homes and whole villages will be destroyed ... History got us
into this quagmire; knowing that history might help get us out.
YYC: But if you say this to war supporters, they'll counter with:
"Maybe so, but this time we have a chance to make things better for
Afghanis." As Einstein is said to have said: "insanity is doing the
same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Tyee:
Afghanistan: Wrong Mission for Canada
Tipping point nearing. The coolly reasoned case made by a leading
expert in international law.
Truthseeker:
Taliban "tougher than expected"
Having served extensively in front line Special Forces units and seen
intense close quarter combat, I knew what I was watching and the
message was clear. The British and Canadians – and to a lesser extent
their allies in the quieter northern provinces – are in serious trouble
in Afghanistan.
PakTribune:
KABUL: Several Afghan officers [who report to the Defence Ministry]
were detained for trafficking weapons and ammunition to Taliban
militants, a local newspaper reported.
YYC: If this is true, it's more indication of
Afghani government corruption. It also indicates that it's
instability that's wanted for Afghanistan (and Iraq), not peace,
because there's so much profit in weapons manufacturing and
merchandising.
KhaleejTimes:
Canadians killed while assuring Afghans about safety NATO
said they were giving gifts to the population, and the police said they
were handing out notebooks and pens. Asked if this was true, he said:
‘No, the soldiers were actually doing a security patrol. But there is
significant humanitarian assistance going on.’
YYC: I heard a radio report that the bomber
attacked as they were "giving candy to children". The report has
since been amended to "the troops were on security patrol".
WashPost:
Canadian Leader Gives Optimistic View of War
"The Taliban is on the run," Harper proclaimed in a nationally
televised address from Parliament Hill in Ottawa
Tomdispatch/Jones:
Why It's Not Working in Afghanistan In August 2002, Secretary
of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was already proclaiming the new Afghanistan
"a breathtaking accomplishment" and "a successful model of what could
happen to Iraq." As everybody now knows, the model isn't working in
Iraq. So we shouldn't be surprised to learn that it's not working in
Afghanistan either.
CTV:
Cdn. Forces to accelerate enlistment of recruits
YYC: Hillier thinks it's tough to lose a soldier, but
losing a bunch of them - I mean, man - that's numbers lost and it's
numbers we need, so let's get that recruitment thing going!
CBC:
Reservist was disillusioned with military - considered pretending he
was suicidal to get out
Cpl. Anthony Boneca, a 21-year-old reservist from the Lake Superior
Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., was killed Sunday morning
as international and Afghan soldiers moved into a region west of
Kandahar City. [Uncle]: "I don't think he believed totally in
what he was doing because
I think he saw things he didn't expect to see and didn't want to see
and probably did things he didn't want to do."
CTV:
Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan firefight
"He said 'it's not like you see on TV and I
would never do it again.'"
CTV:
O'Connor seeks $15B in extra equipment for troops
NYT:
Afghanistan, Unraveling
Something has gone alarmingly wrong in Afghanistan ... The warning
signs go well beyond this week's deadly outbreak of anti-American
rioting in Kabul ...
YYC: But we're still expected to believe that our
troops are doing "good" in Afghanistan.
CommonDreams:
Concern Mounts over Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan ... a
teacher in nearby Tulakhan village told AFP by telephone that he saw
the bodies of 40 civilians, including children, and that about 50
others had been wounded. The US-coalition said up to 80 suspected
Taliban had died in the raid targeting Azizi village in Panjwayi,
adding it was investigating claims of civilian casualties.
YYC:
Do we really believe the military is going report
the deaths
of civilians in any way but to minimize? And they always say they
are investigating complaints of civilian deaths, but do we ever hear
anything further on that? There's a reason why
journalists are not allowed to see for themselves.
The military kills civilians and then calls
them "Taliban". And when our Canadian War PM and our Minister of
Death say that the Afghans want us there, they are referring to the
puppet government and those who have made deals with the US. The
Afghan people increasingly do not want foreign forces in their country.
NYT:
Canada Curbs Putting Flag at Half-Staff for Its Troops
Prime Minister Stephen Harper faced a storm of criticism on Tuesday for
his decision to halt the flying of the flag at half-staff for Canadian
troops killed in Afghanistan, and for refusing to allow news coverage
of the return of the bodies of four soldiers recently killed there.
CTV:
Defence minister defends change in flag policy
"Lowering the Peace Tower's flag on November 11th ensures that all of
Canada's fallen heroes are justly honoured."
YYC:
Honouring those who died in the "highest calling" is way down Harper's
list of priorities. More than anything, he doesn't want Canadians
reminded of the realities of the war.
G&M/Nowar:
Support plummets for Afghan mission About 54 per cent of
those polled oppose or strongly oppose Canadian involvement, compared
with 41 per cent in mid-March. Negative sentiment has grown sharply in
Quebec, where 70 per cent of respondents are against sending troops to
Afghanistan, compared with 53 per cent two months ago.
CTV:
Harper pledges to boost military numbers
"I believe that military service is the highest calling of
citizenship," Harper told the young soldiers at a military graduation
in Wainwright, Alta.
YYC:
If Harper truly believes this, then why has he
wasted his life on a political career. He should suit up and get
his butt over to Afghanistan and experience the glories of war.
HillTimes:
PM Harper attaches 'a lot of his political credibility' to Kandahar
military operation: MP Kenney
But Paul Heinbecker says the U.S. has an agenda in central Asia that
isn't the Canadian agenda.
"By that I mean strategic relationships in which a refurbished role
with India is part of it; also bases throughout central Asia, also
pipelines, oil companies. These are part of the U.S. agenda, it's not
part of the Canadian agenda. The extent to which you involve yourself
as a kind of partner with the U.S. but with different objectives, you
risk being confused by others as being part of the U.S. enterprise
overall. That's a very dangerous place to be."
YYC: But Harper doesn't mind danger. Look
how happy he was in Afghanistan. That's his true calling for
sure. He should quit being PM and join the military.
yayacanada
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