Afghanistan Wrapup for October 27, 2006

The latest death toll figures from Hurricane Katrina can be seen on this website here.

Updated January 26, 2008

Friday, October 27

North of Tarin Kot, Tarin Kot District, Uruzgan Province: A vehicle carrying villagers heading to a religious celebration hit a land mine that had been laid in the road, killing 14 of the travelers.

Gangikhel, Bermal District, Paktika Province: A US Air Force B-1B attacked Taliban fighters battling US forces near here. There are bombing runs and battles around here almost every single day these days. Clearly, guerrillas are coming across the border from Waziristan to fight US forces. Gangikhel (map) is is 10 miles south of Bermal, 8 miles northeast of Shkin and 4 1/2 miles from the Pakistani border. South Waziristan is across the border.

*****
Hajji Mohammad 'Omar Khan, Murghab District, Badghis Province: British Royal Air Force GR-7 Harriers attacked guerrillas engaged with ISAF troops near here. I really do not know what guerrillas are fighting here in Badghis Province, which has only a small Pashtun population.

Hajji Mohammad 'Omar Khan (map) is located in the Murghab District near the border with Turkmenistan. It is 20 miles south of Murghab, the capital of the district. The Morghab River runs through this area.

Morghab is still populated mostly (85%) by Pashtuns, who are for the most part poor nomadic herders. The remaining 15% are mostly Tajiks and Turkmen. These Pashtuns are the descendants of Pashtuns settled here 100 years ago to act as a buffer along the border. A lot of Pashtuns moved here from Faryab Province after they were being persecuted in Faryab. They moved to Murghab because it was a safe place for Pashtuns.

The Morghab District is is hilly and is well-cultivated and most of the population lives in the Murghab River Valley. This area was hit pretty hard by the drought in recent years (although the Murghab River itself continued to flow) with livestock losses estimated at 80%. Wheat, sesame, maize, millet, watermelons and other melons are grown here, along with mulberries, apricots, carrots and turnips.

The irrigation systems, which often funnel water from rivers, are in very bad shape, with damaged embankments. 30% of the shallow wells have gone dry. The only sanitation system in the whole district is in the capital of Murghab and it is in very bad condition. The rest of the district has no sanitation at all. All roads here are in terrible condition and they all become impassible during rains, including the Herat-Mazar "highway".

There is only one health center in the whole district and it is in the capital of Murghab. Unfortunately, there are very few girls in school and employment opportunities for women in Murghab are about zero. In the rural areas there are no schools at all.

There was some serious factional fighting between Pashtun warlords here in 2003, with rapes of women and executions of rival militiamen.

The province has a mixed population of Aimaqs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Pashtuns and Turkmen.

Tens of thousands of residents fled the province to refugee camps near Herat due to terrible drought in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Whole families actually walked the roads for months to travel to Herat or Kandahar to look for food, if you can believe that.

The drought situation has since gotten better. By 2003, 74,000 people had returned to Badghis and only 22,000 remained in the camps. Although they returned to Badghis, they in many cases have not been able to return to their villages due to harassment by warlords.

This was one of the last provinces conquered by the Taliban, and the population here never accepted them. The Northern Alliance quickly retook it and this conquest was followed by a brutal ethnic cleansing of the Pashtun population. Warlords continue to run amok here, running private jails, stealing land at will and controlling the cultivation of opium.

They run roughshod over the civilian population, extorting money from them, taxing them, harassing them, forcibly recruiting men and raping women. By 2003, there were still not enough ISAF troops here to maintain order. This is one of the most isolated provinces in Afghanistan but it is located in a strategic location right in the middle of Central Asian trade routes.

A terrible highway links the province with Herat in the south and Mazar-i-Sharif in the north. Increased opium production has recently boosted the economy here. With good precipitation in 2002-2003, the hills of the province were covered with wheat fields and there were large livestock herds. In addition to agriculture, Badghis is known as one of the carpet-making capitals of the country.
*****

Alibeg, Andar District, Ghazni Province: US Air Force A-10s attacked Taliban fighters battling US forces near here. Alibeg (map) is 13 1/2 miles south of Ghazni city, the capital of the province, and 4 miles north of Miri, the capital of Andar District. This district is now completely controlled by the Taliban. Madrassa networks are very important in the development of the Taliban here.

Garmser, Garmser District, Helmand Province: British Royal Air Force GR-7s attacked Taliban fighters in contact with British troops near here. There are air strikes and battles almost every day around Garmser.


Thursday, October 26

Band-Kajaki, Kajaki District, Helmand Province: A US Air Force B1-B Lancer and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked Taliban fighters battling British troops near here. This area is right below the Kajaki Dam and sees regular fighting and air strikes for weeks now.

****
Gangikhel, Bermal District, Paktika Province: French M2000 Mirages and an Air Force B1-B attacked guerrillas fighting US troops near here. There is fighting around this area 5 miles north of Shkin along the Pakistani border with South Waziristan most every single day now. The map and location description of Gangikhel are above.

The Pakistani fundamentalist jihadi group Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group dedicated to liberating Kashmir, has also participated in attacks around here, and claimed responsibility for an October 23, 2003 attack that killed 2 CIA agents in Shkin.
****

****
Payandeh, Jaghatu District, Ghazni Province: Air Force A-10s provided close-air support for ISAF troops in contact with Taliban extremists near here. There are 3 Payandehs - one in Kabul Province, another in Wardak Province and another in Ghazni Province.

This fighting is probably taking place in Ghazni, as air strikes in Kabul and Wardak Provinces rarely occur, while they are common in Ghazni. Payandeh (map here) is 10 miles north of Ghazni. I am not aware of much fighting in this district. The Jaghatu District is 73% Hazara and 27% Pashtun.
*****


Wednesday, October 25

*****
Koh-e-Sayad, Shirin Tagab District, Faryab Province: A member of the provincial council, Syed Noor Mohammad Agha, was assassinated here by 2 gunmen on a motorcycle. His guard was wounded in the attack. The motive for the attack was not known as the Taliban do not have much of a presence in this district.

The province is primarily Uzbek and Tajik, although there are some Pashtuns and there is a significant Turkmen population here. Warlords continue to run amok here, especially Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek super-criminal, who reportedly has his own jails here.

Warlords are involved in many land seizures here. Since the overthrow of the Taliban, there have been significant efforts at reforestation of this province, as it was heavily deforested. The Shirin Tagab District is populated mainly by Turkmen.

Severe overgrazing in Faryab Province. This land is barren now and not even a sheep or a goat can find a morsel to eat here.

A breathtaking photo of the city of Faryab, capital of Faryab Province, in a green valley surrounded by barren hills. This photo was taken by a US soldier. As you can see, there are quite a few trees in the city of Faryab.

*****

Khakeran, Day Chopan Province, Zabul Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs dropped a 500-lb bomb on Taliban fighters fighting US troops near here. Khakeran (map here and here) is located 25 1/2 miles northeast of Day Chopan, the capital of the district in the northern part of the province near the border with Uruzgan.

Band-e Kajaki, Kajaki District, Helmand Province: British Royal Air Force GR-7 Harriers attacked Taliban fighters battling British forces near here. There is fighting near the Kajaki Dam all the time. It's clearly Taliban Central.


Tuesday, October 24

****
Lay Kundi, Mirwisa Mina, Zangabad and Sperwan, Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, AM : NATO forces said they killed 48 Taliban here in 3 separate battles. The governor of the Panjwayi District, however, reported that 60 civilians had been killed in the air raids and a number of houses had been destroyed. This assertion was backed up by 2 other government officials, who said that 60-85 civilians were killed.

Other reports said that 40-85 civilians had been killed. The village was hit by NATO mortar, artillery and air strikes.Taliban fighters reportedly took refuge in local homes and those homes were then attacked from the air. Villagers said that the dead were nomads, possibly Kuchi nomads, who were living outside the village in tents.

A sheep flock being grazed by Kuchi nomads outside Kandahar city. Kuchis are well tolerated by most of Afghanistan's ethnic groups, even though they are not necessarily classed with the main groups such as Pashtuns, Tajiks, etc. They travel through, ask to graze in the local fields, and move on, in a timeless manner.

The dead civilians were creating a crisis for the Karzai regime as it scrambled to try put the best face on the matter.

The initial attack occurred when 40 guerrillas attacked a NATO base. Then the same group apparently attacked an Afghan army base in the same area. A second attack occurred near dusk at a Canadian Base called FOB Wilson when a group of Taliban in a truck were spotted south of the base and attacked with artillery.

The final attack occurred near Sperwan, where a large group of Taliban apparently were congregated. Air strikes were called in. This is apparently where the civilian casualties occurred.

Most of the dead civilians were reported from a place called Sperwan Ghar in the Panjwayi District, which could not be found on any map. However, a town called Sperwan definitely exists. Sperwan (map) is 19 miles southwest of Panjwayi, the capital of the district. Lay Kundi and Mirwasi Mina could not be located on any map, nor could Zangabad, but they are apparently near Sperwan.

This town was where Mullah Omar was reportedly holed out with a group of hardcore followers in January 2002 after the US invasion. Soon afterwards, he reportedly fled to the Baghran District of northern Helmand Province on a motorcycle.

A predominantly military project in this area is clearly not going to work, as the excellent article by Elizabeth Rubin in New York Times Magazine notes. It's an excellent first part of a 2-part series on Afghanistan that shows that this mess is a lot more complicated than a lot of folks think it is.
*****

*****
Kandahar-Kabul Highway, Zabul Province: Officials seized 10 tons of marijuana from a vehicle on this highway. 5 men were arrested. Although cannabis is illegal here, the focus of narcotics officers, such as it is, is on opium and heroin instead. Quite a few Afghans, especially older males, smoke cannabis, usually in the form of hashish.

It is associated with Sufi orders, which are still quite popular here despite the influence of Salafism, Wahhabism and other forms of Sunni Islam hostile to Sufism.
*****

*****
Farah Province: Officials seized 120 pounds of opium from a vehicle here. A car failed to stop at a checkpoint manned by US and Afghan troops. It was then chased down and the opium was seized. 610 tons of opium of opium were grown in Afghanistan this year, exceeding the world demand for heroin by 33%.

One out of every 8 Afghans is involved in growing opium, or 2.9 million Afghans. Opium cultivation is especially important in Helmand Province and to a lesser extent in Kandahar Province. It is also grown in Nangarhar and in particular Badakhshan Province in the north. Opium cultivation is a major factor driving the Taliban insurgency in Helmand and Kandahar.
*****

****
Garmser, Garmser District, Helmand Province: A US Air Force B-1 Lancer attacked Taliban fighters battling British troops near here. Garmser is chronically unstable and there have been regular air strikes here for weeks or even months now with no apparent end in sight.

The degree of support that the Taliban now has in Helmand is shocking. Something needs to be done quickly to arrest this trend. For starters, the crooked governor of Helmand needs to be removed.
*****

Sardaran, Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province: A US Air Force B-1 Lancer attacked Taliban fighters battling NATO forces near here. Sardaran (map here) is located 2 miles west of Panjwayi. This airstrike may be related to the disastrous airstrike above that killed 60-85 civilians.


Monday, October 23

Pech District, Kunar Province: US forces fired mortars at guerrilla positions here and one of the shells fell short, hitting a home and killing 3 children. Troops were firing mortars into areas where they been attacked earlier.

Bermel Rod, Bermal District, Paktika Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and an Air Force B-1 Lancer attacked guerrillas battling ISAF forces near here, dropping GBU-31's and GBU-38's on the guerrillas. Bermal Rod is located between Rajim Sa (map) and Jabin Kot (map) near the Pakistani border, 5 miles north of the dangerous US firebase at Shkin. South Waziristan is across the border.

Eybak, Samangan Province: British Royal Air Force Harrier GR-7s attacked unknown guerrillas fighting ISAF troops near here. This area has been bombed before. The guerrillas in this area are mysterious and unknown.

Kandahar: A US Air Force B-1 attacked Taliban forces in contact with NATO forces near here.


Sunday, October 22

*****
Waryan, Shinand District, Herat Province, afternoon: Heavy fighting erupted between the forces of two warlords here, killing 32 combatants. The fighting broke out between the forces of Amanullah Khan, a Pashtun commander who has frequently fought with his Tajik rivals. However, this time, he fought with Arbab Basir, another Pashtun warlord. The fighting broke out when Khan's forces entered an area controlled by Basir's forces.

Hundreds of men armed with RPG's, heavy machine guns and automatic weapons took part in the idiotic fighting. The warlords gained power with the mujahedin fighting Soviet troops sponsored by US imperialism and Saudi and Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist regimes. It was this mujahedin movement that eventually created the Taliban and Al Qaeda and gave a shot in the arm to jihadi loons all over the Muslim World.

After the overthrow of the Taliban, many of these criminals remain in power, despite a movement to get them to turn in their guns. Waryan could not be located on any map.
*****

******
Laghman Province: Officials seized a large quantity of bomb making materials here. 2 trucks carrying over 150 75-pound bags of ammonium nitrate and 159 cans of ammonium paste were seized.

A field in Laghman Province. This area south of Kabul is heavily Pashtun, although it has not seen a lot of fighting recently. After being routed in Paktia Province during Operation Anaconda in early 2002, Ayman Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's second in command, reportedly moved to an area of Laghman Province that strongly supported the Taliban and Al Qaeda. This was in about January or February 2002.


The site of a school being built in Laghman Province. At least someone is building some schools somewhere in Afghanistan. There needs to be much more like this, except the US Republican Party is totally hostile to public education everywhere on Earth, so I guess there won't be much school building.

*****

*****
Garmser, Garmser District, Helmand Province: A US Air Force B-1 Lancer and British Royal Air Force Harrier GR-7s attacked Taliban fighters battling British troops near here. There is now almost daily bombing around the Garmser area.

*****
Mangratay, Khost Province: An Air Force B-1 attacked guerrillas fighting US forces near here. There have been regular bombing runs around this town recently. The town could not be located on any map.

2 older men and a younger man relaxing inside a building. Note the beautiful Afghan rug and the pillows. Those rugs will probably fetch a good figure in the West.


Boys in school in Khost Province. Hey, at least they are indoors! Thank God for small favors, kids. Check out the caps and the carpets.

*****

*****
Gereshk, Nahri Sarraj District, Helmand Province: An Air Force B-1 and RAF GR-7s attacked Taliban fighters battling British forces here. There seems to be chronic fighting around Gereshk for some time now.

Gereshk was the capital of Helmand Province until 1957, when it was supplanted by the new city of Lashkar Gah, a city that was created by the Helmand-Arghandab Irrigation Project that the Afghan government hired the US government to do on the Helmand River. Gereshk is along the Kandahar-Herat Highway and as such it was an important town.

After Lashkar Gah became capital, Gereshk was supplanted. The economy of Gereshk is now deeply tied into Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. There are not many government offices in town anymore, most having moved to Lashkar Gah. The bazaar in town only sells food products.
*****

*****
Lwara Dasta, Gayan District, Paktika Province: A US Air Force B-1 attacked guerrillas who were fighting US troops near here. This is the location of a US firebase on the border with Pakistan that is seeing a lot of action lately. It is right across from North Waziristan.

The areas of Afghanistan across from the Waziristans have seen an increase of three times in the number of attacks since a truce was signed with locals and the Pakistani government. The Taliban and Al Qaeda now rule the area. The have instituted Islamic law and it is true that crime has gone down, especially armed robbery. Waziristan is a strange place.

Many of the males here are involved in chronic feuds with other families or towns. Frequently these feuds have lasted for 40 years or more. The best job to get is with the government, because the job gives you some protection against the feuds. If one goes to work in the bazaar, one will often be killed quite quickly by one's feuding enemies.

The men here sire large families as a sign of masculinity. The women are completely kept down and have no involvement whatsoever in public affairs. They are usually not even seen outside the home. The people here are very poorly educated and many are illiterate. Often the only available education is in the madrassas.

Now, the fundamentalist cretins are issuing decrees saying that the only book that should be read is the Quran. A lot of money is flowing into the area from fundamentalist barbarians in the Gulf, and the money is going straight to the madrassas run by fundamentalist idiot clerics.

If you want to access any of the services in the area, you have to go through the clerics, who are monopolizing the money in the area. Such is the dilemma that the Waziristanis face. As you can see, not all of them necessarily support the fundamentalist creeps, but in such an area, it is not as if one has a lot of choice.

In fact, many of the traditional leaders refused to support the jihadis. Hence, large numbers of the traditional leadership were killed off by the jihadis. Now that the traditional leadership structure has been decimated, it is easy for the Islamist boneheads to move in and assume control.

In the past year in North Waziristan, many girls schools have been burned down. Although some Waziristanis support that, others surely do not.

The picture is quite complex - more complex than the "Waziris love the fundamentalist jihadis" sound bite.
*****


Saturday, October 21

*****
Ismail Khel, Khost Province: Roadside bomb attack on the intelligence chief of the province killed the chief.

One of George Bush's delightful "classrooms" in Khost Province. I wonder how Bush would like to go to a school like this? When Afghans say that we have been here 5 years with nothing to show, they are not kidding, sometimes.

*****

****
Gayan District, Paktika Province: An airstrike reportedly killed 5 Taliban here. This is part of Operation Mountain Fury. There have been regular air strikes here and in other areas of Eastern Paktika for the last couple of weeks, probably all as part of this Operation. North Waziristan is across the border.

Zabul Province: Guerrillas attacked a US convoy with RPG's and automatic weapons, sparking a battle in which 15 Taliban were said to have been killed. 2 US troops were wounded in the fighting.

Bar Kanday, Pech District, Kunar Province: US Air Force A-10s Thunderbolt IIs fired cannon rounds at guerrillas battling US forces near here. There are regular battles and airs trikes here. Bar Kanday (map) is 13 miles east of Asadabad in the Pech River Valley.

Garmser, Garmser District, Helmand Province:US Air Force A-10s dropped a 500-pound bomb and fired cannon rounds at Taliban forces battling British troops near here, in an area that sees fighting almost every day. The A-10s dropped a general-purpose 500-pound bomb and fired cannon rounds on the Taliban.


Friday, October 20

*****
Khost Province, Early: US forces raided a cell that was making roadside bombs here. One guerrilla tried to resist and was shot and killed by soldiers. Bomb-making materials were confiscated.

School is in session, kids! Although the class in Khost Province is all boys, they actually have both a male and a female teacher teaching them. In Afghanistan, that is called revolutionary.

*****

*****
Khost: A suicide bomber walked up to an Afghan army convoy and detonated himself, killing himself and a soldier. 7 soldiers and 3 civilians were also wounded in the attack. There are now regular suicide bombings in Khost in what is an ominous development.

The insurgency in Khost is led by Jalalludin Haqqani, a former Taliban commander who has managed to utilize the madrassa network in the area to form a solid basis of support for the Taliban insurgency. Haqqani also has a lot of power in Paktia Province and in the Waziristans, especially North Waziristan. In truth, Haqqani controls the Taliban insurgency in both the Waziristans and in all of Southern Afghanistan.

A "school" in Khost Province. It is not in session. Thanks a lot, George Bush! After 5 years in Afghanistan, this is the best that Bush can do for the Afghan people. A school under a shade tree, like in America in the 1830's.

The Bush reactionaries threaten and even attack any country in Latin America that dares to spend money on schools, medical care, housing, roads, literacy, etc. Aristide in Haiti built more schools in that country than in the entire history of Haiti from 1804-1994.

For this crime, George Bush, along with France and Canada, overthrew his government, ordered Aristide to vacate the country by pointing a gun at his head, and installed a death squad regime that has murdered 3,000 Haitians who supported Aristide for doing evil stuff like building schools.

Considering how hostile the US is towards all social spending (the US calls that "socialism") why should we expect America to engage in "socialist" social spending in Afghanistan? We should not.


Indoors, much better. Also in Khost Province. These girls are actually in school. At this early age, they already need to cover their hair? Why, to protect themselves from child molesters like John Mark Karr? In this very conservative province, these girls are lucky to be in school at all.

Can you believe that Khost Province was one the hotbeds of support for the Communist government in the 1980's? Neither can I? At the same time, it was also one of the first provinces to expel the Soviet troops.

Afghan politics is nothing if not complicated and has more to do with tribal affiliation than such abstract concepts as Communism or capitalism. Not that capitalism has much relevance here anywhere. In fact, we can posit that capitalism has thoroughly failed in Afghanistan.

*****

*****
Shem Kheyl, Jaji Mandan District, Khost Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked guerrillas battling US forces near here. Shem Kheyl (map) is 20 miles northwest of Khost City, 7 miles west of Jaji Mandan, the capital of the district, and only 8 miles from the Pakistani border.

An old man stands next to what appears to be a cave in Khost Province. The text describing the photo was in German so I am guessing at the content of the photo.

*****

****
Musa Nikeh Ziarat, North Waziristan, Pakistan: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked guerrillas in contact with US forces near here. I assume that the fighting was just on the border, as this town is actually in Pakistan. There seems to be heavy fighting going on almost every day here in the Bermal and Gayan Districts on the Pakistani border these days.

Moza Nikeh Ziarat is right over the border into the South Waziristan region of Pakistan. I assume that the fighting was right on the border, or possibly the airstrike was in Pakistani territory - who knows. There is fighting and bombing around Shkin and especially within 5 miles to the north of it on a regular basis the past few weeks.
*****

Garmser, Garmser District, Helmand Province: Royal Air Force GR-7s attacked Taliban forces fighting British troops again near here, in what is almost daily fighting now.

Afghanistan Wrapup for October 19, 2006

Thursday, October 19

*****
Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, 11 AM: A suicide bomber on foot threw himself at a NATO convoy here as it left the Afghan National Police Station and killed 4 people - himself, 2 civilians and 1 British Royal Marine, Gary Wright. 5 NATO soldiers were wounded, 1 of them very seriously. A British jeep was engulfed in flames after the attack.

An overhead shot of Lashkar Gah. This city was built up by the US government 30 years ago as part of an aid project, and many locals worked on that project and are nostalgic for the beneficent US government of the 1970's.

I suppose the Bush reactionaries feel that all aid money is "socialism" - after all, it goes to build roads, schools and hospitals with "government spending", all of which the Republican Party opposes at home and in all US third world allies. Since they oppose such social spending at home and in most of its allies, what makes anyone think that the Bushies are not ideologically opposed to "socialist" aid in Afghanistan? Is such aid not a violation of the free market mantra?

*****

Korengal, Pech District, Kunar Province, Late: Guerrillas stopped a vehicle containing 10 workers who were coming home from work at a nearby US military base, stole $6,000 from them, and then executed 8 of them. 2 of the workers somehow managed to escape.'

Paktika Province, Late: A dozen Taliban attacked a district here. Police fired back, killing 1 Taliban and wounding 5 more. This attack is probably the same as the Sanjay Ghar air strike in the Wor Mamay District detailed below.

*****
Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province: In a separate attack, a suicide bomber on foot targeted attacked a British aid group's vehicle here, damaging the vehicle, killing himself and 1 civilian, while wounding 4 more civilians.

A British soldier passes burka-clad women in Lashkar Gah on March 16, 2006. Most women in this city wear the burka the whole time they are outdoors. Helmand, believe it or not, never supported the Taliban very much, because they tried to eradicate the opium crop. Opium is God in these parts.

Locals are very poor and borrow money from crooked warlord/landowners in a semi-feudal situation. After the farmers' opium crop is eradicated, the farmer now cannot pay back the loan money he borrowed to farm the land. As payment, the landowner may demand, say, one of the farmer's daughters as a wife.

All of the Afghan provincial governments are in on the heroin/opium business in one way or another and so are at least in parts of every government agency under Karzai. Typically, a small percentage of the land is set aside to be eradicated by the narcotics police (say, 10%) then the rest is harvested and the cops are paid off.

*****

Khost: A suicide bomber threw himself at an Afghan police car just outside this city, killing himself and a policeman while wounding 4 other police.

Bar Kanday, Pech District, Kunar Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked guerrillas fighting US troops near here. The jihad in this area is reportedly being led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami. The Bar Kanday area is being bombed regularly by US forces in recent weeks. Bar Kanday (map) is located 13 miles west of Asadabad in the Pech River Valley.

*****
Sanjay Ghar Mountain, Wor Mamay District, Paktika Province: US Air Force B-1 Lancers attacked guerrillas fighting US troops near this mountain. Sanjay Ghar Mountain is located near the town of Rahmatullah Khan Kalay.

Rahmatullah Khan Kalay (map) is located 10 miles northeast of Wor Mamay, the capital of the district. Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, is 39 miles to the east. There is a fair amount of fighting in this remote region. In all of the areas of Greater Paktia (Paktia, Khost and Paktika Provinces), the Afghan government is weakest in Southern and parts of Eastern Paktika and Southern Ghazni.

The Wor Mamay District is in southern Paktika. It is mandatory that a comprehensive security, governance and reconstruction regime be implemented in these regions at once as there is presently no comprehensive government or NATO counterinsurgency program to combat the guerrilla insurgency.

Paktika and Ghazni Province need 2 NATO infantry battalions each, or a doubling of strength from their current level.
*****


Wednesday, October 18

****
Darya-I-Baghlan, Border Between the Baghlan and Puli-i-Kurmi Districts, Baghlan Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked guerrillas who were fighting ISAF forces near here. The Darya-i-Baghlan is a river in Baghlan Province.

It begins just west of the city of Baghlan, the capital of Baghlan Province, between the towns of Puzai Esan (map here) and Omar Khel (map here). I really do not know why US planes are doing bombing Baghlan Province, which is in the far north and has not seen much fighting.
*****

Worzhanah Kalay, Urgun District, Paktika Province: US Air Force A-10s and an Air Force B-1 Lancer attacked guerrillas fighting US forces near here. Worzhana Kalay (map here)is located about 10 miles north of Urgun, the main market town in Paktika Province. North Waziristan is located just east of here, which is partly why this has traditionally been one of the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan for US troops.


Tuesday, October 17

Bagh-Khosak, Shahidi Hassas District, Uruzgan Province, 1:01 AM: US warplanes dropped three 500-pound bombs on Taliban forces in the Khod Valley here, killing a senior commander and an additional 10-15 Taliban. Bagh-Khosak (map here) is located 10 miles north of the capital, Shahidi Hassas, on the Varkhan River in what appears to be very wild and high-altitude terrain.

*****
Tajikan, Nahri Sarraj District, Helmand Province, 10 PM: A large group of Taliban attacked a police checkpoint here, setting off a 4-hour battle between the Taliban and NATO soldiers and Afghan security forces that killed 13 civilians and 1 Taliban fighter.

3 police were also wounded. During the fighting, a rocket fired from a NATO jet hit a house, killing the 13 civilians. After several hours of fighting, the Taliban fled. News reports give the name of the town as Tajikai, but it is actually Tajikan. Tajikan (map here) is located right next to Gereshk, the main city in the district.

British Royal Air Force Harrier GR-7s attacked Taliban forces during this fighting, and according to this report, fired rockets at enemy targets. Therefore, it was clearly a rocket from a British Harrier that killed the 13 civilians here.
*****

****
Ashoqa, Zhari District, Kandahar Province, Night: NATO air strikes here hit 3 homes, killing 9 civilians and wounding 11 more while the victims slept. NATO said an unknown number of Taliban were also killed. However, the governor of Kandahar said that no Taliban were killed in the raid.

The operation was intended to interdict Taliban fighters who were laying roadside bombs in the area. The name of this town was given as Ashogo in news reports but it is actually called Ashoqa. Ashoqa (map here) is located 15 1/2 miles west of Kandahar.
*****

Darashot and Azo, Chitral District, Pakistan: NATO planes bombed these 2 villages along the border with Afghanistan. The bombs set the nearby forest on fire. The name of the town was given in the report as Daroshot, but the actual name of the town is Darashot. Azo could not be located on any map.

Darashot (map) is located 2 1/2 miles east of the Afghan town of Gawhardesh, in the Nari District in the far northeast corner of Kunar Province. The Nari is mountainous, forested and remote.

It is 60% Pashtun and the remaining 40% are divided into various Nuristani, Gujur and Kohistani groups. The Gujur speak a language that is related to Hindi and Urdu but is quite close to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The Kohistanis speak a language related to Kashmiri.

Both groups were formerly Hindus who were converted to Islam in the 1000's, and both retain traces of their Hindu or even pre-Hindu religions, especially the Gujur. For instance, the Kohistanis believe in the presence of ghosts, spirits, gods, demons, fairies and ancestral spirits. Shamans are utilized to cure the sick, communicate with gods and control worldly events.

The Gujur are an interesting people. Gujurs are descended in part from Sythians, Georgians, Khararians who took part in the "Scythian" (sometimes referred to as Turko-Iranian) invasions of India from 1900 to 2500 years and Parthian Greeks, along with lesser understood peoples like Ephthalites or "White Huns" and Tokharians or Yue-Chi, an Indo-European-speaking people from Western China.

Parthians invaded Northern India 2100 years ago and "White Huns" invaded 1500 years ago.

A Dr. Huthi from Georgia came to India and investigated the Gujurs and attempted to develop a theory that they came from Georgia, all the way down to their name - Gujur - which was said to be related to the Persian word for Georgians - Gujris. This would go along with general thinking that the Gujurs have part-Caucasian (Georgian, Chechen, etc.) heritage.

These people mostly settled in the Punjab, Gujarat and Kashmir and interbred with local Indo-Aryan speaking peoples. Gujurs also appear to have interbred with native Indian peoples. These groupings developed Buddhist and sun-worshipping kingdoms that ruled much of Afghanistan and Pakistan and a good part of India.

While there are only 2,000 Gujurs in Afghanistan, there are 33 million in Pakistan and another 30 million in India. All Afghan Gujurs are Muslim, but the Gujurs of India and Pakistan have many Sikhs and Hindus amongst them.

The lives of the Gujur have in general been difficult since they converted to Islam. The Gujur originally lived in northern India exclusively. Islamic invaders swept into India in the 1000's, and at this time, the Gujur converted to Islam.

Most of their Hindu neighbors refused to convert, and the Gujur incurred the wrath of their Hindu neighbors, who forced them to leave the area and turn into wandering herders. They wandered into what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since their conversion to Islam, their lives have been marked by poverty, oppression and illiteracy, even though they are generally a peaceful-minded people.

In India, they are still treated with contempt by higher-caste persons who regard them as thieves and vagrants, even though as Muslims they are totally outside the disgusting caste system. The Gujur in Kashmir are often cheated by "middlemen" who take their products to market, sell them and refuse to pay the Gujur.

The Gujur in Afghanistan are a Gypsy-like wandering people who work as tinkers (those who mend small objects), musicians, traders and fortune-tellers. They are often extremely poor and a number have been driven to begging and petty crime. Others are wandering goat-herders who travel the mountain valleys in the summers.

In Chitral in northern Pakistan, some Gujurs are also nomadic, and in the summer have huts as high as 9,000 feet where they graze their goats and travel rocky trails. They probably live similar lives in Kunar.

In Pakistan, some Gujur groups have done well economically and hold an economically-dominant position in some places. Despite the fact that they are Muslims, the Muslim Gujur often also worship a "family deity" and celebrate certain Hindu holidays such as Holi. Because they share some Hindu beliefs and holidays, they are not accepted well by other Muslims.

People in the Nari District mostly support themselves by timber harvest, although they also raise wheat and corn. There is only one mobile clinic in the entire district thanks to George Bush's glorious reconstruction of Afghanistan, and as such most people are taking the sick to Asadabad, which is 50 miles away on a terrible road. As such, a number of the sick are dying along the way to the clinic.

Others try to go to Pakistan for treatment, especially pregnant women. But since the border is now closed, they cannot make it across the border. Thus, a number of pregnant women have died. Since the fall of the Taliban, the number of schools has almost tripled. Many girls are in school. Idiotically, the schools have only walls, with no roofs, doors or windows! This is because the crooked development agency did not even pay its workers.

The villagers have since built doors, windows and roofs for themselves. There are actually 14 female teachers but they are all working without pay for some idiotic reason.
*****

Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province: Guerrillas attacked a US convoy here, damaging a US vehicle. US forces came to the aid of the convoy and returned fire, killing up to 14 guerrillas. The Taliban claimed that 10 US troops were killed, but that is apparently not accurate.

*****
Afghanistan: Wrap up on wounded British troops - For the period of January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2006, 70 British military and civilian personnel were admitted to medical facilities and categorized as Wounded in Action. 53 more British military and civilian Personnel were admitted to the hospital with non-battle injuries.

14 British personnel were categorized as Very Seriously Injured from all causes, excluding disease. 9 more British personnel were categorized as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease. 198 British personnel were airlifted from Afghanistan on medical grounds for whatever reason.
*****

Paktia Province: US and Afghan forces battled the Taliban here, killing up to 20 guerrillas.

*****
Gol Kowt, Gayan District, Paktika Province: Afghan soldiers battled the Taliban here for 5 hours and 24 Taliban were killed. Both sides used automatic weapons, heavy machine guns and RPG's. 5 more Taliban were wounded but escaped. 1 Afghan soldier was killed. A US air force report said that a US Air Force B-1 attacked guerrillas fighting Coalition forces near Gol Kowt.

Although the news reports gave the location of the fighting as Bermal, it probably actually took place in Gol Kowt, as Gol Kowt is only 12.5 miles north of Bermal. There has been a lot of bombing around this area lately. The Gayan District is right across from North Waziristan. Gol Kowt (map here and here) is located 12 1/2 miles north of Bermal and 12 miles west of the Pakistani border.
*****

Garmser District, Helmand Province: Fighting between Afghan police and the Taliban here killed 4 Taliban. 6 more Taliban were arrested afterwards. 1 policeman was wounded.

Musa Qala District, Helmand Province: British forces are completing their pullout from this hostile district after brokering a truce with local elders 6 weeks ago. The Taliban said that after the pullout, the Afghan government flag would not fly in the district anymore. I am not sure if that counts as a victory or what?

Spin Boldak, Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province: The Taliban fired rockets at an oil tanker delivering oil to Coalition forces in Kandahar at a border crossing here, destroying the tanker and killing the Pakistani driver.

Bez Bel: A US Air Force B-1 Lancer attacked guerrillas fighting NATO forces near here. This town could not be located on any map.

Now Zad, Helmand Province: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs provided close-air support to British troops fighting the Taliban near here. in contact with enemy forces near here. There is regular fighting around here with no end in sight.

Kuh-e Pahsakhvan: US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs attacked guerrillas fighting NATO troops near here. This town could not be located on any map.


Monday, October 16

*****
Dorahi District, Kandahar City, 12:30 PM: Suicide car bomb attack on a Canadian resupply convoy in the center of Kandahar killed the bomber and 3 civilians. One NATO soldier and 4 Afghan civilians were wounded in the attack. Smoke rose from a destroyed Canadian vehicle after the attack.

Canadian troops opened fire afterwards, wounding one Afghan man, Mohammad Server, who was in a mosque at the time. Server works as a cook for the Afghan police. Canadian forces denied that anyone was hurt by the "warning shots" that they fired after the bomb hit, despite Server's wounds and testimony.

A market scene in Kandahar City. Notice that there are not too many men about here. Kandahar is actually Ground Zero of the Pashtuns of Afghanistan. Kandahari Pashtuns, especially Durranis like Karzai, have ruled Afghanistan for the last 200 years or so, similar to the Sunnis of Iraq. It is the similar feeling of rage by an elite that has lost its power that in part drives the Taliban insurgency.

The Ghilzai Pashtuns have generally not been the ruling class, except for Mullah Omar, who was a poor Ghilzai farmer. The Pashtuns in general feel that their Tajik (or Persian, as the Pashtuns see them) rivals now rule Afghanistan.

Part of the gripe is that Dari (a dialect of Persian spoken by Tajiks) is now virtually the official language of Afghanistan, with Pashtun, though officially a state language, being relegated to a far distant second. The treatment of the Pashtun language under Karzai is surely unfair.

A great street scene of Kandahar city. To the west in the Panjwayi District, there is a great deal of opium production. Opium growers feel they are being singled out for eradication efforts, in particular certain tribes. Their anger at having their opium crops eradicated, in part, drives the Taliban resurgence in this province.

Another reason is the vast corruption. The local police have often not been paid in months and locals complain that they are all thieves. Driving west out of Kandahar City, one encounters roadblock after roadblock of Afghan troops demanding bribes. The bribes are only 20 cents or so, but it adds up after a while, and Afghans are very poor.

You can say what you will about the Taliban, but they were not corrupt. It is a failure of the NATO forces that they have stood by and allowed the Karzai Administration to become so corrupt. This corruption is surely fueling the Taliban resurgence.

*****

Kabul: Suicide bomb attack on an unknown target near a school on the road linking the US Embassy with the airport wounded 3 civilians.

Ghazni Province: US and Afghan forces backed by US warplanes attacked the Taliban in a mission directed at a bomb-making compound, killing 3 Taliban. 1 US soldier was wounded in the fighting.

Band-e Kajaki, Kajaki District, Helmand Province: US Navy F/A-18s and British Royal Air Force Harrier GR-7s attacked Taliban forces fighting British troops near here. Band-e Kajaki is located right under the Kajaki Dam on the Helmand River. There has been regular fighting and Coalition aircraft bombing here for weeks now with no end in sight.

Akhtaro Kalay, Gayan District, Paktika Province: US Navy F/A-18s attacked guerrillas fighting US troops near here. Akhtaro Kalay (map here) is 17 miles west of Urgun, 16 miles northeast of Bermal and 5 1/2 miles west of the Pakistani border. The Gayan District is seeing a lot of fighting and bombing by Coalition aircraft lately. North Waziristan (Al Qaeda Central) is right across the border.


Sunday, October 15



******
Korengal, Pech District, Kunar Province, Night: Guerrillas attacked US forces here with RPG's and automatic weapons. US troops returned fire, killing 4 guerrillas.

US forces cover their ears as artillery fire blasts at enemy positions in the Korengal Valley in the Pech District of Kunar Province. Supposedly only one tribe, the Korengali, are fighting US troops here, and have thrown in their lot with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezb-i-Islami and other guerrillas, and the rest of the tribes are with the Afghan government, but I think that is dubious.

This area is very dangerous and is crawling with armed guerrillas who are very well-trained and well-armed. There are quite a few Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens aligned with Al Qaeda and like groups fighting with the other guerrillas here.

The Uzbeks are with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) who are now headquartered in North Waziristan with a force of about 1,000 fighters, having fled Uzbekistan after various government crackdowns. 2 US troops were killed here on October 2.

****

Paktia Province: Afghan troops killed 8 Taliban in fighting here.

****
Gangikhel, Bermal District, Paktika Province: French Mirage 2000Ds and a US Air Force B1-B Lancer attacked guerrillas fighting US troops near here. Gangikhel (map here and here)is 10 miles south of Bermal, 8 miles northeast of Shkin and 4 1/2 miles from the Pakistani border.

After a long march through semi-desert terrain, a US soldier rests in Gangikhel in August 2002. This area is only 8 miles north of Shkin, the location of a US firebase on the Pakistan border which was formerly the most deadly are in all of Afghanistan for US troops.


Local Afghans in Gangikhel wait as US troops search the village for weapons in August 2002. Note the red beard on the Pashtun Afghan man in the foreground. Red hair is fairly common in this part of the world, interestingly enough, which implies a substantial amount of European genes are present in these Pashtuns. Red hair is thought to have originated in Finland about 10,000 years and then spread to a significant part of the world. The highest rates of red hair are found in Scotland and Ireland.

US Army Sgt. Brandon Cross directs US forces to take up positions in Gangikhel in August 2002.

Chinooks drop off US troops in a mission to interdict enemy forces in Gangikhel in August 2002. The Pakistani border with South Waziristan (Al Qaeda Central) is less than 5 miles away.


US forces take up positions in Gangikhel in August 2002. 4 years later, the area is still highly unstable.


A US soldier rests in Gangikhel after marching through the desert for hours in August 2002. Across the border in South Waziristan, members of what is probably this same tribe, the Gangikhel, a sub tribe of the Wazirs, fought Pakistani forces for years until a truce was recently brokered. There was very heavy fighting with this tribe near Wana in 2004, when Pakistani forces felt that they had surrounded Ayman al-Zawahiri, but it was either a false lead or else he escaped.


US positions take up positions outside Gangikhel in August 2002. The Pashtuns in this area have fought all foreign forces since Alexander the Great. They are probably not any more enamored of US forces than any other foreigners.

******

"The Death of Habeas Corpus and the Beginning of the End of Our Freedoms as American Citizens", by Andy Marquis

The following post is by a blogger with whom I partner on this blog, Andy Marquis. Andy is a high school student from Maryland. Despite his youth, I feel that he is a talented writer with a promising future. Many of my posts on this blog are reposted on his International News Connection blog.

I feel that the public does not understand this whole debate on the new Bush anti-terrorism law.

Considering that 43% of the US public cannot even identify the 3 branches of US government (for those who do not know, they are the Executive [President, staff and Departments], Legislative [Congress], and Judicial [Courts]), it seems preposterous to believe that these folks have the slightest understanding of this highly legalese debate over the new anti-terrorist law.

Bush says we need to try these folks using secret evidence because allowing the evidence into court would compromise national security. Come on! Let's have a debate over this. Would it really compromise national security? What have other nations - in particular, Israel - done in similar situations?

Would it be possible to have closed courts, where the evidence was revealed to the defense team in order to plot their defense but not revealed to the general public?

Do we really need to beat confessions out of these guys? Instead of lying and saying that we are not torturing, mistreating and beating detainees when we are, let's have a debate about this.

Do the American sheeple feel that we should be beating, mistreating and torturing detainees, either to get them to confess or to get information out of them? If so, fine, we will become a nation of torturers, but our conscience will be clear. If not, at least the people will have spoken.

But instead of having this perfectly rational debate, as usual, the Administration is lying and saying not only will we not be beating, mistreating and torturing prisoners, but that we have never done so since Bush has been in office.

Do we need to deprive these suspects of lawyers? Let us note the recent appalling case of Lynn Stewart (superbly written up, as usual, by the fine Stephen Lendman), who, no matter what she may have done, certainly is not a terrorist or terrorist sympathizer and did not work to help terrorists. Stewart represented the Blind Egyptian Sheik Abdul Rahman, who was involved in the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1994.

She reportedly passed notes from him to his followers, which she claims she never even looked at, that told his followers (The Egyptian Islamic Jihad) to carry out attacks against their enemies. They never acted on his call. It is important to note that imprisoned guerrilla leaders and terrorists typically call on their followers to keep on fighting when they are interviewed. This occurs all over the world.

And it had always been legal for attorneys to release any statements at all from their imprisoned clients, including calls to carry out attacks. Apparently, the Patriot Act suddenly made this illegal. Stewart claimed that she was not really aware of how the law had changed, that is, she was not deliberately defying the law.

Furthermore, Stewart, a radical leftwinger, despises the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Islamic fundamentalists in general. Surely she is not a supporter of this terrorist group, or even a sympathizer of their cause. So the government, in sentencing this poor 67-yr-old woman with breast cancer to 28 months in prison for this nonexistent crime, has committed an outrage.

The despicable government prosecutor dogs tried to sentence her to 30 years in prison for her nonexistent crimes and ranted and raved during the trial about how Stewart was a "terrorist".

What is really going on here is frighteningly obvious. The Bush Administration, in line with all rightwing authoritarian and fascist governments everywhere, is attacking the defense attorneys of those who have taken up arms against the state. This is typical behavior in any dictatorship.

In Peru, under the US-supported dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori, the defense attorneys for the Shining Path suspects were arrested, tortured, beaten and even killed in prison for the mere crime of representing Shining Path guerrillas. No evidence was ever presented proving that these attorneys were actually members of the Shining Path or helped them to carry out attacks in any way.

This usually happens in most states under the conditions of an insurgency, or merely under the auspices of an authoritarian state of the Right or Left.

Along the same lines, several Pentagon defense attorneys who "were too vigorous" in defense of their Guantanamo clients have been refused promotion. In line with the Pentagon's "up or out", policy, this means that they will be forced out of the service. One of these attorneys was voted one of the top attorneys in the US last year.

These defense attorneys were merely following US military policy, which allows those accused under military law the right to a defense attorney who will vigorously work to defend their rights.

What is obviously going on here in both the Stewart and the Pentagon cases is that the US government is persecuting defense attorneys for representing accused terrorists. The purpose is to make it less likely that anyone will want to represent these accused terrorists. As I have noted, this is a classic tactic used by dictatorships.

Once again, let us have a debate about this with the American people. Should those who represent accused terrorists be arrested themselves on phony charges and thrown in prison merely for representing the accused enemies? Should US military lawyers be thrown out of the service merely for representing terrorism suspects?

If the American people say yes, ok, then fine, we have a public that supports dictatorship or at least the tactics of dictatorship. If not, once again, the people will have spoken, and democracy will be given a new lease on life. But we are not having such a debate. Instead, dictatorship is creeping right along and both the vile, despicable US media and the Bush Administration are denying that it is even occurring.

Now, onto Andy's article:

President Bush has signed a new law into power that gives him the right to jail "enemy combatants" without affording them the right to a trial by jury or access to a lawyer.

It might sound like a solid plan at first but when you dig deeper into the motives of this President, it is just plain scary.

The president has recently pushed for journalists who "expose national security" secrets (such as the illegal CIA detention centers, the Abu-Ghraib scandal, torture at Guantanamo, illegal NSA wiretapping of phone calls made outside the U.S. and later records of any phone call made to any person by any American) to be prosecuted.

Among his recent wild cards, he called for a New York Times journalist who won the Peabody award for journalism excellence to be prosecuted.

If you don't believe there is anything to fear, than just wait until you are arrested and not granted right to an attorney and held without bail just for speaking your mind regarding your opinion against the President or the Congress. Wait until the government skews the laws and charges you with treason and put you before a military tribunal without your own attorney with the prosecution using false evidence against you.

If you think the Attorney General is gonna waste his time to stick up for you or your civil rights, think again.

Habeas Corpus

Habeas Corpus is the very foundation of what many American scholars call the "Constitution."

But this so-called "Constitution" is frustratingly vague about the right to trial. In fact, there's only one reference to habeas corpus at all, quoting: "The privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

As far as I can tell, there is no rebellion (unless you count the latest poll numbers) and there is no threat of invasion (unless the Democrats are the enemy). And last I checked, neither journalists or Democrats attacked us on September 11th. Al-Qaida did, and they did so in part to change our way of life.

The President said on that evening and in the evenings to follow that changing our way of life would give the terrorists a victory. Well, it seems they have won. And it was not us who did this, it was not the Democrats. It was the President.

This Habeas Corpus is not just pre-September 11th thinking, it is pre- Independence Day. This 13th century document states laws of trial-by-jury, rights to an attorney and the right to a quick and speedy trial.

In fact, an 18th century colonial "declaration" - The Declaration of Independence - states that depriving us of trial by jury was actually considered sufficient cause to start a war of independence based on the then-fashionable idea that "liberty" was an inalienable right.

Habeas Corpus also plays a large part in a rarely-seen document called the "Bill of Rights."

Once more, if you don't think this applies to you, consider who the President deems the enemy.

President Bush stated in his famous "Axis of Evil" speech during the State of the Union that if you are not with us, you're with the enemy, and later declared that if you are against the Iraq war, you are with the enemy.

The President does appear to deem Democrats and those who oppose this war as being hand-in-hand with al-Qaida.

The President has tried to re-assure Americans this bill does not infringe on Habeas Corpus and Congress is quick to point out that this Military Commissions Act does not suspend Habeas Corpus. They are right - it doesn't suspend it - it permanently erases it from U.S. law.

The government has also tried to ease our fears by stating that "These military commissions will provide a fair trial in which the accused are presumed innocent, have access to an attorney and can hear all the evidence against them."

Presumed Innocent?

Bush's new law allows for detainees to be abused up to the point just before they sustain "serious mental and physical trauma" in the hope of getting them to incriminate themselves, and the accused may no longer even invoke The Geneva Conventions in their own defense.

Access to an attorney?

Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift said to the Supreme Court that he was only granted access to his detainee defendant on the promise that the detainee would plead guilty.

Hearing all the evidence

The Military Commissions Act specifically permits the introduction of classified evidence not made available to the defense.

These words by the President are all lies. All this is just his typical obtuse shorthand of bullying and bullshit.

The only freedom we have left as Americans at this point is to vote for the donkey on November 7th and remove the Republican leadership from office, and in that way, the President will meet opposition in Congress.

--
Andy Marquis
International News Connection

Afghanistan Wrapup for October 15, 2006

Updated January 26, 2008:

October 15

Khost, Early AM: Taliban guerrillas raided a police post here, killing 3 policemen.

Herat, AM: Roadside bomb attack on a Western security vehicle missed the target but killed 2 civilians instead.

Kandahar: A Taliban fighter on a motorcycle shot dead Mohammad Yunus Hosseini, a provincial delegate, outside his office.


Saturday, October 14

Laghman Province, 8 AM: The Taliban tried to assassinate another Afghan governor, this time with a mine bomb attack on the governor of Laghman Province as he arrived at work. The attack killed an engineer who was riding with him. The engineer was initially wounded but then died later. After the mine detonated, the Taliban fired on the governor. 2 more people were wounded in the attack.

****
Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, 3:10 PM: The Taliban ambushed a Canadian force working on a road-building project here. The Canadians were attacked by a heavy volley of RPG's and small arms from at least 4 different directions at once. 2 Canadian soldiers were killed and 2 more were wounded in the initial ambush. Sergeant Darcy Scott Tedford and Private Blake Neil Williamson were killed in the ambush.

An RPG exploded over the heads of some troops who were in an armored vehicle with the hatch open, causing 2 of the casualties. The 2 other casualties were standing outside the armored vehicle when the RPG exploded. The ambush set off a 2 1/2 hour firefight between the Canadians and the Taliban, with the Canadians calling in attack helicopters and artillery.

The Taliban said they destroyed three Canadian military vehicles. The Canadian troops were working on a road-building project. This is the same road-building project that was attacked a week ago, also causing Canadian deaths.

It is going from the nonexistent Zhari District (west of Kandahar for about 25-30 miles and north of the Arghandbad River) south of the river down towards the heart of the Panjwayi District that they are referring to as Pashmul, which is another area that is not shown on typical maps.

The Pashmul pocket is generally in the heart of the Panjwayi District south of the Arghandab about 25-30 miles west of Kandahar. This road has proven costly; within the last 16 days, 6 Canadians have been killed while working on, guarding or patrolling the site of the new road. The dirt road is as wide as 100 yards in places. A good article on the road, with photos, is here on the National Public Radio site.
*****

*****
Zebak District, Badakhshan Province, Night: A large group of gunmen swarmed a large high school here, tied up the 2 guards, and set the school on fire. 800 boys and girls used to study at this coed school. The identity of the attackers is mysterious because the Taliban are not known to have a significant presence in this largely Tajik Province. The government statement appeared to blame the Taliban for the attack.

However, there is definitely a Pashtun minority here and there have been occasional roadside bomb attacks here since summer. The attackers remain unknown, however. More research needs to be done to determine who is carrying out these attacks in the North.
*****

Jori, Zhari District, Kandahar Province: Suicide car bomb attack on an Afghan army patrol killed the bomber and wounded 6 troops. The Taliban claimed the responsibility of the attack. The Zhari District does not exist on normal maps, but it is north of the Arghandab River about 25-30 miles west of Kandahar in the Taliban-infested Panjwayi District. No called called Jori could be located on any map.

****
Between Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, and Kandahar Province: The Taliban abducted an Italian photojournalist, Gabriele Torsello, and accused him of spying, an Afghan news agency reported.

A call to his cell phone was answered by the Taliban who explained the abduction and the reason for it. An Afghan who was with the journalist and was released said that the Taliban had stopped their car as they were driving from Laskhar Gah in Helmand to Kandahar Province.
*****

Uruzgan Province: Roadside bomb and small arms attack on another US-Afghan patrol killed 1 Afghan soldier and wounded 3 more. The attack began as a roadside bomb attack, and was then followed with a small arms attack.

Sarkh District, Logar Province: Rocket attack on a school here damaged the school. The Taliban were suspected in the attack.


Friday, October 13

*****
Kunduz Province, Late: Guerrillas attacked an ISAF patrol here with RPG's, wounding 2 ISAF soldiers. The nationalities of the wounded were not given, but most of the troops here are Germans. There are very few attacks in Kunduz, so this is unusual. However, there has long been a Pashtun population here. For instance, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-i-Islami, is a Pashtun from Kunduz.

The Pashtuns were moved there by the Afghan government after the conquest of the north in the late 1800's in a divide and rule tactic where many Pashtuns from around Jalalabad were moved north to separate them from their ethnic brethren who were seen as a threat to the government.

Many of them became a land-owning ruling class in the north in a semi-feudal economic system. This semi-feudal system was dealt heavy blows by a land reform that was initiated by the Communist regime that came to power in the late 1970's, in one of the great things that the erratic Communists did.

After the defeat of the Taliban in 2001, there were many reprisals against Pashtuns in the northern provinces, as they were seen as supporting the hated Taliban. Pashtuns were beaten and killed and their property was stolen. Many fled to the south.
*****

*****
Outside Kandahar: Suicide car bomb attack on a US convoy near the turnoff to the NATO base at the Kandahar airport killed 8 civilians and 1 US soldier, while wounding several other people, including 8 civilians and 1 US soldier. Initially, 2 soldiers were wounded in the blast, but one, Spc. Jason A. Lucas, later died in the hospital.

Later, in a suspected secondary suicide attack, an Afghan man who approached the site of the attack and was acting erratically was shot dead by wary troops. Suicide bombings have killed about 200 people this year, the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since 2001.
****

Zazai Aryub district, Paktia Province: Roadside bomb attack on an Afghan army convoy here damaged a military vehicle and killed 6 Afghan soldiers. There is no place called the Zazai Aryub District. There is the Zizi District, which on most maps is formerly known as the Ali Khel District. It borders on the part of Pakistan next to Tora Bora and the White Mountains where Osama bin Laden made his last stand in late 2001.

Kabul: ISAF forces raided a Taliban hideout here, arresting 9 Taliban and killing 1 more.

Zabul Province: The Taliban attacked a police patrol here, but the attack was repelled and 3 Taliban were killed.


Thursday, October 12

Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province: NATO and Afghan troops fought with the Taliban here, and up to 20 Taliban were killed. Around 60 Taliban attacked a joint NATO-Afghan patrol. The troops fired back and called in airstrikes. There were no Coalition casualties.

Kandahar: 2 men on motorcycles lobbed 2 grenades at the Indian Embassy here but caused no damage. One of the grenades hit inside the consulate, but still somehow caused no damage, while the other landed outside the police post guarding the consulate building.

Tani District, Khost Province: Car bomb attack on a US patrol here wounded three civilians, but no US troops were injured. The Tani District is southwest of Khost and borders on North Waziristan.

Khost Province: A suicide bomber ran up to an Afghan army vehicle here and blew himself up, killing himself. 2 soldiers and 14 civilians were wounded in the attack.

*****
Afghanistan: Recent surveys by the US Geological Survey have revealed that oil and gas reserves here are 10 times larger than previously thought. The previous estimate, by the Russians, indicated that Afghanistan had 120 billion cubic meters of gas and over 15 million tons of oil.

The new survey indicated that Herat, Helmand, Paktika and some northern province have most of the oil and gas. Unfortunately, Herat, Paktika and Helmand are currently overrun by the Taliban.
*****

Afghanistan: 16 Afghans and 1 Iranian arrived in Afghanistan after they were released from up to 4 years of detention at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Most of them were reportedly innocent and had been turned over to the US on fake charges by other Afghans due to interpersonal disputes, a very common tactic in Afghanistan. These are the people that Bush is determined to torture.


Wednesday, October 11

Camp Holland, Uruzgan Province, AM: A Dutch soldier committed suicide here with his service pistol (the link is in Dutch). His body was found on the base in the morning. Camp Holland is located in Deh Rawood, next to the US FOB Ripley, but the Dutch troops do not appear to be seeing a lot of fighting there.

According to an email from the webmaster of the Uruzgan Weblog, a fantastic resource on Afghanistan issues, the Dutch are following an inkblot strategy, whereby they intend to secure the main cities first, such as Deh Rawood and Tirin Kot, and then move out in the rest of the area. The part of Deh Rawood District around Cahar Cineh next to the Kajaki District of Helmand Province is particularly unstable.

Tirin Kot is stable, but the entire surrounding area of the district is Taliban-controlled. The Taliban have staged recent takeovers of Khas Uruzgan and Chora, district capitals and have recently been seen again in the Shahidi Hassas District.

At the very least, I would say that the Dutch have their work cut out for them. One thing needs to be made clear - the Pashtuns need some reasons to support the Afghan state other than "we will kill you if you do not". The Afghan police in Uruzgan are ludicrously understaffed, and those who are on the payroll often do not show up for work.

I would say that to make their military strategy work, the Dutch will need to spend a lot of money on reconstruction, and do it in a saner way than the US did, when much of the money was wasted on corporate graft, waste and outright theft.
*****

*****
Uruzgan Province: Fighting continued here between US and Afghan forces and the Taliban and Coalition forces said they killed 25 Taliban. The fighting 3 1/2 miles from the base began when the Taliban detonated a roadside bomb on the Coalition patrol and then ambushed the patrol from 3 sides. 1 civilian was killed in the fighting and several more were wounded.

Several Afghan soldiers were wounded. There were no NATO casualties. The patrol consisted of US and Afghan troops and 25 Dutch Special Forces. A Dutch filmmaker, Victor Franke, who is embedded with the Dutch here grabbed a machine gun from a soldier and began shooting during the battle, sparking a controversy back home about civilians using weapons.
*****

*****
Banditemur, Helmand Province: A US soldier, Chief Warrant Officer Scott Dyer, a Special Forces commander, died here after falling from a UH-60 helicopter while it was landing. Another report said that the helicopter came under attack as it was landing, causing Dyer's death.

The only town with a name remotely resembling Banditemur in Helmand is a town called Banader Khurd (map here) which is located far down on the Helmand River in the far south of Helmand, 13 miles east of Khanishin in the red-hot Garmser District.

This ultra-conservative district in the heart of the Margo Desert is totally controlled by drug traffickers and the Taliban. Ancient life here centers around opium cultivation along a barren strip of the Helmand River.

Not far from the river, there is barren desert. The role of clerics is very important here and levels of development are extremely low. The position of women is about zero and most kids are not in school, as they start working at very young ages.
*****

*****
Lwara Dasta, Gayan District, Paktika Province: US Navy F/A-18 Hornets attacked Taliban fighters engaged with US forces near here. Lwara Dasta is the name of a US firebase 46 miles north of Wana in Taliban-overrun South Waziristan on the Afghan-Pakistani border.

The base appears to be located where Paktia and Paktika Provinces and Pakistani Waziristan all come together. The base is located northeast of Khenj Kot (map here) on the border.

US troops enjoying a Thanksgiving meal at the US firebase in Shkin, on the Pakistani border in Paktika Province. This was formerly the most hostile area in all Afghanistan, with more US troops killed here than anywhere else in Afghanistan.

The front gate of the US firebase at Shkin in Paktika Province. This area is still quite dangerous. The Shkin firebase is about 30 miles south of the Lwara Dasta firebase.

*****

*****
Shuhika, Kakrez District, Kandahar Province: US Navy F/A-18s and US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II's attacked Taliban forces battling ISAF troops near here. This town is apparently called Shukhan (map here), not Shuhika. This town is located 25 miles northwest of Kandahar.

A US FA-18 taking off from an aircraft carrier. This is one of the most impressive planes in the US arsenal and it is one of the best, if not the best, fighter jets in the whole world.

*****

Mandagel Sufla, Kandahar Province: F/A-18s attacked Taliban forces fighting NATO troops near here. This town is reportedly somewhere in Kandahar Province but could not be located on any map.

*****
Sado Kala, Dih Yak District, Ghazni Province: US Air Force A-10s attacked Taliban fighters engaged with US forces near here. Sado Kala (map here) was previously bombed on October 4, a week prior. This part of Dih Yak is probably heavily Pashtun and is apparently the scene of a lot of guerrilla activity lately.

US A-10 Thunderbolts in action over Afghanistan. This plane packs an incredible amount of firepower. It was originally designed as a tank-killer, but lately in Iraq and Afghanistan it is being used as a fighter jet and bomber. Truly an excellent warplane.

****
Bar Kanday, Kunar Province: US Air Force A-10's attacked Taliban guerrillas fighting ISAF troops near here. Bar Kanday (map here) is being repeatedly attacked in recent days. It is located 13 miles west of Asadabad in the Pech River Valley, a very dangerous area swarming with Al Qaeda, Taliban, Hezb-I-Islami and other little-known groups. It was previously attacked on October 2, 9 days before.

****
Mangratay, Khost Province: British RAF GR-7 Harriers attacked Taliban guerrillas battling US forces near here.

A fantastic photo of a British GA-7 Harrier fighter jet in action, firing rounds over Afghanistan. I don't know much about this plane, but it sure looks impressive and scary. I assume it was intended as a British analogue of the US FA-15 -16 -18 series.

Monday, October 9

****
Pech District, Kunar Province, Late: Reuters reported that 2 US soldiers and 1 Afghan soldier were killed and 3 more US troops were wounded in fighting here, but this report is apparently in error. There may have been some fighting here on this day with casualties, but there were no US Tia's. It's too bad Reuters carried this erroneous report.

It appears that Reuters is reporting on the 2 US soldiers killed in the Pech District on the previous Monday and got it confused with the subsequent Monday.

A Chinook helicopter landing in Asadabad, west of the Pech District in this dramatic photo. This province is wild, dangerous and very fundamentalist. Note the stark, barren hill in the background.


A gorgeous photo of a lush green valley near Asadabad. Note that even though the hills appear barren, the valleys are very lush and rich. This area gets a lot more precipitation than most of the rest of Afghanistan. The barren nature of the hills may be due in part to deforestation, which has been extensive in Kunar in the last 2 decades.

*****