Afghanistan - Stalky & Co Redux

The highly respected Senlis Council released a report on June 28th based on Field Interviews conducted by The Senlis Council’s international and Afghan staff in Kandahar over the last two months. The report was on the Canadian efforts in Afghanistan and starkly titled ..."Following US policies is turning Canadian military operation in Afghanistan into a suicide mission"

Emmanuel Reinert, is the Executive Director of The Senlis Council and he says ,“Most farmers feel abandoned and cheated by the central government and the international community,” said Reinert. “This has given way to a dramatic switch in alliance to the only people who they believe are showing any understanding of their needs – the Taliban.”

The Report indicates that the large-scale aggressive forced eradication of poppy crops in Kandahar, led by the US, has contributed in a significant way to the discontent of the local populations and that a wave of New Taliban are cashing-in on the local population’s disillusionment with the foreign military presence.

The Report notes that foreign troops are increasingly being seen as aggressors rather than peace-keepers in the eyes of the local population, due to aggressive military interventions which have caused numerous civilian deaths and casualties in the past months.

“The US has lost yet more of the support of the local people with the blood of innocent civilians on their hands,” said Reinert. “The problem facing the Canadian troops who have been assisting in the US led anti terrorist mission Operation Enduring Freedom, is that the local populations do not differentiate between the various nationalities – foreign troops are foreign troops. And foreign troops have killed their loved ones or other members of their communities.”

The field research in Kandahar revealed that the number of civilian deaths in the province has doubled from 2005 to 2006. Of the total number of fatalities for 2005 and the first half of 2006 (until the end of June 2006), civilian deaths represented an astonishing 22 percent of total fatalities. This equals the amount of Afghan Army and police forces killed in Kandahar.

An example of the military mindset could be found on BBC On LIne report this week ....

Captain Drew Gibson, a spokesman for the British military in southern Afghanistan, said the two UK soldiers killed in Helmand had been taking part in a "planned operation".

"The patrol was supported by close air support and by the quick reaction force that came out to support them," he said.

"Both those forces were then involved in separate contact incidents, and both were supported by close air support and artillery."

Or you might take another perspective when the gormless Mr Hoon (described as a FO Minister) On Tuesday June 27th in the House of Commons stated ...."Actually, there has been remarkable progress in Afghanistan since 2001. There have been presidential elections, parliamentary elections, and the establishment of a Government who are now increasingly able to extend their authority throughout the country. That is a success to celebrate. It does not mean that difficulties do not occur from time to time, but it is something on which I think we should all congratulate President Karzai and his Government. They are increasingly in control of their own country, as should be the case."

... all this under " the umbrella of security that our soldiers are working so hard to create"

Which was somewhat at odds with the views of Mr. Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth, East) (Con) recently returned from a bumpy trip to Afghanistan.

" ....and I was shocked to see how bad co-ordination is on the international development and reconstruction front. There is a conflict of interests between United Nations and European Union agencies, as well as the myriad of non-governmental organisations that answer to no one. A fundamental lack of leadership is leading to the pursuing of separate agendas, and to the wasting of money as projects overlap."

Send out more troops ? ... make sure we send out more body bags.