Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Near Kandahar, The Prize Is an Empty Town

Near Kandahar, The Prize Is an Empty Town, The New York Times, 1 September 2010

EXCERPT: "When the governor of Kandahar Province came to this town, freshly liberated on Sunday from the Taliban, his armed entourage appeared to outnumber what was left of the population. 'Don’t worry,' Gov. Tooryalai Wesa told the few elders who ventured out of their homes. 'The Taliban are gone. Our security forces will not leave you alone. You’re safe now.' For the moment, this farming community of some 60,000 people on the edge of Kandahar City looked more like a ghost town, doors closed and windows barred, and hardly anyone on the streets. Laced with booby-traps and hidden bombs, the wheat and corn fields nearby were empty of workers. The tempo of operations throughout the districts surrounding Kandahar has been steadily increasing in recent weeks, but nowhere more suddenly than in this town and surrounding Dand District."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Kandahar official killed in bombing, Press TV, 1 September 2010
Birthplace of the Taliban: The next battleground, The Associated Press, 31 August 2010
Analysis: Will battle for Kandahar win the war?, The Washington Post, 29 August 2010

Related resource:
Assignment Kandahar: Peace declared in village, war continues outside, The National Post - Posted Blog, 1 September 2010

Related posts:
US steps up Kandahar operation in Afghanistan, 22 July 2010
Why Kandahar locals turn to Taliban, 7 July 2010
Taliban commander in Kandahar dead: NATO, 4 June 2010
Afghan governor strains to exert influence, 26 May 2010
Taliban "terror" campaign steps up in Kandahar, 12 May 2010

Reporter Met with "Shadow Prince" Warlord in Kandahar

Reporter Met with "Shadow Prince" Warlord in Kandahar, Bild.de, 10 August 2010

EXCERPT: "Haji Ghani (44) is one of the most powerful men in the disputed southern province of Kandahar. He has fought against the Russians and hates the Taliban. His thick pirate beard is jet black, his hair has red streaks from henna dye. Pointing to one of his chained fighting dogs, which looked more like a small bear, he proudly declared: 'That dog cost €6,000.' He received BILD.de over a dish of chilled watermelon in the gardens of his home. 'Germans are our friends', Haji Ghani said. 'Before the Taliban came, a German lady lived with us. She was helping us build a bridge.' Haji Ghani has not been elected. He rules his district with money, charm, threats, a small militia and the Kalashnikov. The US army has been criticised for working closely with men like Ghani. But in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, people like him are the West’s only hope of establishing something resembling stability. 'We have a common enemy – the Taliban,' Ghani said. 'So we have to fight together.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
In Afghanistan, murderers get away with murder, The Earth Times, 10 August 2010
Our mate, the bloody warlord, Brisbane Times, 8 August 2010
American forces enter uneasy alliances with tribal strongmen in Afghanistan, Boston Globe, 1 August 2010

Related posts:
With US aid, warlord builds Afghan empire, 7 June 2010
US stands by deals with tribal elders, 18 May 2010
NATO turns to "private armies" for help against Taliban, 17 May 2010
Militias battle Taliban with aid of US, 23 November 2009
US courts former warlords for stability, 20 March 2009

Taliban Attack Afghan Air Base

Taliban Attack Afghan Air Base, Al Jazeera, 3 August 2010

EXCERPT: "A gun battle erupted outside the main Nato base in southern Afghanistan, after at least one suicide bomber blew himself up outside the gates and other fighters attacked with small arms. The fighting at Kandahar airfield on Tuesday lasted about an hour, officials said. Kandahar airfield, about 25km outside the city, is the largest foreign military base in the country and home to tens of thousands of troops and civilian workers. Katie Kendrick, a spokeswoman for Nato-led forces in Kabul, the Afghan capital, said that 'the suicide bomber failed to gain access and then detonated his explosives, killing himself. This appears to be an unsuccessful and unorganised attack'. Commander Amanda Peterseim, another spokeswoman for the Nato forces, later said that all of the 'approximately four" attackers were killed."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
In Kandahar, US tries the lessons of Baghdad, The Washington Post, 3 August 2010
US-led coalition finds "success" elusive in Kandahar, Tehran Times, 3 August 2010
Taliban flee to desert as Nato storms stronghold, The Independent, 3 August 2010
Afghanistan blast kills 6 children on their way to school, Los Angeles Times, 2 August 2010
Taliban allegedly threatens tribal elders in southern Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 30 July 2010

Related posts:
Why Kandahar locals turn to Taliban, 7 July 2010
Taliban commander in Kandahar dead: NATO, 4 June 2010
Taliban "terror" campaign steps up in Kandahar, 12 May 2010
The Taliban's campaign for Kandahar, 11 December 2009
Kandahar critical test for Afghanistan's future, 3 September 2009

Afghans Pose Awkward Questions for US Military Chief

Afghans Pose Awkward Questions for US Military Chief, AFP, 26 July 2010

EXCERPT: "The US military's top-ranking officer fielded some tricky questions in a meeting with Afghan tribal elders on Monday, as he underlined Washington's long-term commitment to the country. Over tea in polystyrene cups at a US military base in the southern city of Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban, Admiral Mike Mullen invited three community leaders to offer their honest opinions -- and they obliged. As the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff sat humbly listening, the elders expressed their frustration at Pakistan's role in the nearly nine-year war, US policies and the credibility of local government officials. 'You come here to defend us, to help protect us. But then shouldn't you be protecting us from Pakistan?' said one of the men, clad in a traditional turban. His question echoed a common sentiment among Afghans, who accuse their neighbour of fomenting violence. The issue of Pakistan's clandestine influence took on added urgency after the release of secret US government documents alleging Islamabad had deep ties to Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan. Mullen, striking a conciliatory tone, told the elders that the United States also had concerns about Pakistan's links to militants. Mullen added that Pakistan wanted to see 'a stable, peaceful Afghanistan' -- a phrase he often uses in public remarks. But the elders vehemently disagreed."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghanistan not surprised by Pak support for Taliban , Sify, 27 July 2010
Sponsorship of terror as policy instrument condemnable: India, The Economic Times, 23 July 2010
Pakistan at heart of regional peace effort, says Richard Holbrooke, The Guardian, 23 July 2010
Pak using Afghanistan as a pawn to counter India's influence: Afghan lawmaker, Sify, 17 July 2010
Is Karzai's endgame changing vis-à-vis Pakistan?, Eurasia Review, 9 July 2010

Related posts:
Pakistan aids insurgency in Afghanistan, reports assert, 26 July 2010
Pakistan to play key tole in talks with Taliban, 20 July 2010
Taliban network of 156 caves discovered in Pakistan, 3 March 2010
Taliban's leadership council runs Afghan war from Pakistan, 29 January 2010
Pakistan Taliban sent to Afghanistan to counter US surge, 23 December 2009

US Steps Up Kandahar Operation in Afghanistan

US Steps Up Kandahar Operation in Afghanistan, USA Today, 22 July 2010

EXCERPT: "The operation began before dawn. Two hundred Army soldiers moved into a village in the Taliban's southern stronghold of Kandahar province over a few hours' time, their military vehicles rumbling past lush orchards seeded with mines. As villagers shopped at a market selling melons, watches and cellphone cards, the soldiers walked about in the searing heat, searching buildings, fields and people for booby-trap bombs or Taliban fighters. 'Nobody's going to get hurt. It's going to be fine. Everybody's going to be respectful,' Capt. Adam Armstrong told a group of elders who gathered. The soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 508th Parachute Infantry, had taken over one of the few unsecured villages left along the banks of the Arghandab River a few miles west of Kandahar City. An offensive on Kandahar City has been on hold as hundreds of servicemembers who are part of a U.S. surge ordered by President Obama arrive."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghanistan war: The civics in a Kandahar governor's slap, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2010
In Kandahar, Afghans start taking charge of security, TIME, 21 July 2010
King of Kandahar on friends, enemies, and CIA rumours, CTV News, 17 July 2010
Amid gunfire, US troops try to bring governance to Kandahar, Reuters, 9 July 2010

Related posts:
The other, powerful Karzai boss in Afghanistan, 14 July 2010
Why Kandahar locals turn to Taliban, 7 July 2010
Surge delayed as US slows down major offensive, 11 June 2010
Taliban "terror" campaign steps up in Kandahar, 12 May 2010
Kandahar campaign has seven months to succeed, 11 May 2010

Canada Surrenders Command of Kandahar City to US Forces

Canada Surrenders Command of Kandahar City to US Forces, Vancouver Sun, 15 July 2010

EXCERPT: "After holding the Taliban at bay in Kandahar City for more than four years, Canada transferred responsibility for the war in the provincial capital to the U.S. army's 82nd Airborne Division on Thursday afternoon. With the move, Canada's footprint until its combat mission ends next July has now formally shrunk to the Panjwaii, Dand and Daman districts, to the southwest and southeast of Kandahar City. The 1 Royal Canadian Regiment battle group is only patrolling Panjwaii and a squadron from the U.S. army's 10th Mountain Division, which remains under Canadian command, is doing the same in Dand and Daman. 'This is a tactical footprint change,' Canada's Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance said. 'The military brawn is being concentrated.' But the general cautioned that 'there is a wider Canadian mission here and we will continue to support that.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghan mission facing toughest test, Calgary Herald, 4 July 2010
Harper resolute on end of Afghanistan mission, CTV News, 1 July 2010
Afghanistan asks Canada to extend its military mission, Vancouver Sun, 1 July 2010
Water: Canada's secret ingredient for Afghan development, The Globe and Mail, 1 July 2010

Related posts:
Canada tables its eighth quarterly report on Afghanistan, 14 June 2010
Afghan deployment past 2011 possible: MPs, 3 June 2010
Don't extend Afghan mission, Canadians say: Poll, 8 April 2010
Afghan exit plan intact despite Clinton's plea, 30 March 2010
About half of Canadians OK with civilian mission post-2011, 23 October 2009

Afghan Health Team Abducted; Local Official Killed

Afghan Health Team Abducted; Local Official Killed, The Associated Press, 15 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Gunmen kidnapped five Health Ministry employees in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province while insurgents killed a district official elsewhere, reportedly on the orders of the Taliban supreme leader, officials said Thursday. Insurgent bombings, gunbattles, assassinations and abductions have been increasing this year as thousands of American troops partnered with Afghan forces fan out in the militants' southern strongholds to try to wrest back control and establish effective local government. Members of a medical team were abducted Wednesday afternoon while returning to Kandahar city, the provincial capital, after visiting a project in Maiwand district, provincial spokesman Zulmi Ayubi said Thursday. The gunmen forced the car to stop about a mile (two kilometers) outside Maiwand and abducted two doctors, a pharmacist, a nurse and their driver, Ayubi said. The Health Ministry issued a statement calling for their release. The kidnappers were not identified, but Taliban insurgents have been on spree of assassinations and abductions of government workers. The campaign of fear is especially intense in Kandahar, where Afghan and international forces have been increasing their presence, with the apparent message that the militants can still operate in their traditional stronghold."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
First round of Afghan Child Health Week (18-24 July), ReliefWeb / UNAMA, 15 July 2010
Afghanistan: Kandahar’s first charity-backed hospital gives free healthcare to the poor, ReliefWeb / UNAMA, 15 July 2010
9 terrorists, kidnapper gang arrested in Afghanistan, CRI English, 15 July 2010
What Kandahar residents say about the Afghanistan war: It's complicated, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2010

Related resource:
USAID/DCHA Afghanistan – Complex Emergency Situation Report #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, ReliefWeb / USAID, 13 July 2010

Related posts:
Could foreign troop surge exacerbate vulnerability?, 19 January 2010
Overstretched health services in Kandahar, 17 September 2009
Over 600,000 Afghans lack basic healthcare, 7 April 2009
Lack of access may spread diseases: Health ministry, 4 November 2008
Insurgency, insecurity threaten health progress, 23 July 2008 

The Other, Powerful Karzai Boss in Afghanistan

The Other, Powerful Karzai Boss in Afghanistan, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Ahmed Wali Karzai, leader of the Popalzai tribe and the most powerful man in Kandahar, settles down in his chambers for another round of grievance hearing, dispute settling, and political strategizing. Gazed down upon by a photo of his assassinated father and bathed in the aura of his half brother, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Wali Karzai's avid eyes flit over the tribal chieftains and petitioners around him as he dispenses with the business of the day. Increasingly, the business of the day in Kandahar and the business of Ahmed Wali Karzai are indistinguishable. To his supporters, that's all to the good – a supporter of the United States effort with his hand on the tribal political levers in a province and city that's the key to defeating the Taliban. But to others, Mr. Karzai is building a traditional patronage network – with his family at the top of the heap – that is encouraging corruption, creating tribal divisions, and shifting support to the Taliban from the NATO-backed government of his brother."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Bad politics is better than no politics, Foreign Policy, 14 July 2010
Hearts, minds and the same old warlords, Le Monde Diplomatique, 4 July 2010
Kandahar families offered a safe haven from the Taleban, Scotsman, 2 July 2010
In Kandahar, a powerful brother frustrates US aims, NPR, 24 June 2010

Related resources:
Frederick W. Kagan & Kimberly Kagan, A Winnable War, American Enterprise Institute, 5 July 2010
Ambassador Marc Ginsberg: Kandahar and "Counter-Insurgency-in-a-Box", The Huffington Post, 3 July 2010

Related posts:
Why Kandahar locals turn to Taliban, 7 July 2010
Surge delayed as US slows down major offensive, 11 June 2010
Afghan governor strains to exert influence, 26 May 2010
NATO gambles on collaboration with Wali Karzai, 7 May 2010
Kandahar critical test for Afghanistan's future, 3 September 2009

Why Kandahar Locals Turn to Taliban

Dent in Afghanistan War Strategy: Why Kandahar Locals Turn to Taliban, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2010

EXCERPT: "As he took command of the Afghanistan war this weekend, Gen. David Petraeus wrote to NATO troops of building 'a brighter future for a new country in an ancient land.' But around Kandahar, the Taliban's heartland and what Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona called Monday the 'key to success or failure' in the war, growing numbers of citizens are turning away from the new Afghanistan’s corruption-plagued justice system to an ancient means of resolving disputes that is overseen by the Taliban. Some go because they’re Taliban partisans, most others because the Taliban have something to offer that the government of Afghanistan so far does not: Fast, generally impartial justice from a court that doesn’t demand bribes for its services. The phenomenon is part tradition – local mullahs have been adjudicating disputes between farmers and small businessmen for centuries. But it’s also evidence of a government that has so far failed to deliver the governance that is crucial to success of America's strategy in Afghanistan, according to its advocates. They are well aware that it was the predatory behavior and corruption of local warlords in the early 1990s that drove many Afghans, seeking honesty and an end to anarchy, into the arms of the Taliban."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghans do not see return of Taliban: Hillary Clinton, Times of India, 7 July 2010
US Senator McCain says Kandahar vital to winning in Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 6 July 2010
Grenade attacks prompt a partnership in Kandahar, NPR, 7 July 2010
High stakes for US forces in Kandahar, CBS News, 6 July 2010
Elite cadre of Afghan police set up in Kandahar, The Associated Press, 6 July 2010

Related posts:
Surge delayed as US slows down major offensive, 11 June 2010
NATO scraps Kandahar assault due to weak Afghan leadership, 4 May 2010
Local support key in upcoming Kandahar fight, 6 April 2010
The Taliban's campaign for Kandahar, 11 December 2009
Kandahar critical test for Afghanistan's future, 3 September 2009

Surge Delayed as US Slows Down Major Offensive

Afghan Surge Delayed as US General Slows Down Major Offensive, The Globe and Mail, 10 June 2010

EXCERPT: "President Barack Obama’s top commander in Afghanistan has delayed the strategically crucial battle for Kandahar, signalling a shift to a slow, gradual effort to sap Taliban support in the war-ravaged province rather than a major military offensive. 'It will happen more slowly than we had originally anticipated,' General Stanley McChrystal said. For weeks, senior U.S. officials have been scaling back the ambitious expectations, insisting for instance that no 'offensive' was ever planned. With casualties soaring, public support at home slipping, and the surge-and-get-out strategy looking too optimistic, Gen. McChrystal’s cautious warnings came as NATO ministers gathered to assess progress in the Afghan counterinsurgency, on which the alliance has staked its post-Cold-War reason for existence. The President, having made the Afghan conflict his war, tripling the number of U.S. troops there to roughly 100,000, is also caught in a time squeeze. While successful counterinsurgencies usually need more than a decade – and most military analysts believe the past eight years in Afghanistan have been mostly a stop-gap effort – Mr. Obama has also pledged to start pulling American troops out of the war-ravaged country."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Kandahar offensive will take months longer than planned, U.S. says, The Washington Post, 11 June 2010
Slow Afghan gains weigh on Obama strategy, Reuters AlertNet, 11 June 2010
NATO warns Afghan success not yet assured, Reuters, 11 June 2010
Kandahar offensive to target 1,000 Taliban, Vancouver Sun, 1 June 2010
Insurgents in Kandahar's undergrowth drag Nato forces into "green hell", The Independent, 30 May 2010

Related resources:
Behind the Numbers: Public remains unfriendly on Afghanistan, The Washington Post, 11 June 2010
The States of War, The New York Times, 31 May 2010
Kandahar Through the Taliban's Eyes, Foreign Policy, 27 May 2010

Related posts:
Kandahar campaign has seven months to succeed, 11 May 2010
NATO gambles on collaboration with Wali Karzai, 7 May 2010
NATO scraps Kandahar assault due to weak Afghan leadership, 4 May 2010
Local support key in upcoming Kandahar fight, 6 April 2010
Afghan offensive in Kandahar to begin in June: US, 30 March 2010