Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Kandahar Police Chief Dies In Shootout

'Kandahar Police Chief Dies In Shootout', CBC News, 29 June 2009

EXCERPT: "Kandahar's provincial police chief and nine other police officials died on Monday in a gun battle at an Afghan government complex. Later, the governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province said 41 private security guards were arrested. Gov. Thoryalai Wesa said the guards had been disarmed and will be sent to Kabul for a military trial. Gunfire broke out as private security guards moved into a government complex and demanded the release of a man being held in custody. Police Chief Matiullah Qati was among 10 officers killed outside the attorney general's office in Kandahar, officials said. The provincial head of the criminal investigations department, Abdul Khaliq Hamdard, also died, officials said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the private security guards involved in the battle were working for U.S. coalition forces and demanded they be handed over. Karzai is currently on the election trail and has been mounting his campaign around demanding the U.S. pull back from the ferocity of its attacks for the sake of citizens."

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See also:
'Afghan guards arrested over police chief shooting', The Telegraph, 29 June 2009
'Afghan president asks coalition to hand over those involved in shooting', China View, 29 June 2009

Related posts:
'Canada secretly arms Afghan security guards', 17 June 2009
'Surge of private security in Afghanistan', 23 March 2009
'As Afghanistan hots up, private security moves in', 28 January 2009

NATO Entering New Stage In Afghanistan

'NATO Entering New Stage In Afghanistan', VOA News, 25 June 2009

EXCERPT: "A NATO commander in southern Afghanistan says military operations there are entering a completely new stage, focused on bringing security and economic development to the local population. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon via satellite link from southern Afghanistan, Major General Mart de Kruif says the arrival of thousands of U.S. Marines in the region will significantly improve coalition efforts to bring security to the Afghan population. 'So we're entering a new stage in the operation, in which I would like to make the case that we took away the operational initiative from the insurgents and are now entering a new stage, in which we will have the operational initiative on our side and maintain it,' said General de Kruif. General de Kruif commands more than 30,000 international troops from 17 nations in southern Afghanistan, which has been a stronghold of the Taliban insurgency."

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See also:
'NATO on the offensive in Afghanistan: Dutch general', AFP, 25 June 2009
'General: More troops needed to defeat insurgents', The Associated Press, 25 June 2009
'US troops will break Afghan stalemate: UK generals', 25 June 2009

Related posts:
'NATO supply lines in Afghanistan: The search for alternative routes', 19 June 2009
'Defining actors and its consequences for "coalition strategy"', 19 June 2009
'Secretary General: 10,000 NATO troops for elections', 17 June 2009
'Afghan strategy was flawed: NATO chief', 16 June 2009
'Afghan, NATO forces build security plan for election', 5 May 2009

IDPs Leave Camp From Insecurity, Lack of Aid

'Insecurity, Lack Of Aid Prompt IDPs To Leave Camp', IRIN News, 21 June 2009

EXCERPT: "Over 1,000 families in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan, have opted to return to their home areas in the north and northwest of the country because of worsening insecurity and lack of aid at the camp. Zherai Dasht camp, about 25km west of Kandahar city, was home to hundreds of thousands of IDPs in 2002-2005. Most have returned home over the past four years but some 3,000 families still live in the camp, according to the provincial department of refugees. Mohammad Azam Nawabi, director of the refugees’ department in Kandahar, told IRIN 1,087 families had formally expressed their desire to return. Nawabi, and several camp residents, said the IDPs wanted to go to their home areas because of the insecurity, lack of aid and grinding poverty. Most of the IDPs who had registered to return said they had had no assurances their living conditions would improve when they returned to their places of origin. According to a study by the US-based Brookings Institution, many returning IDPs face serious reintegration difficulties in their original areas due to the lack of access to basic services - drinking water, healthcare, employment and education."

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To read the "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Return of Internally Displaced Persons to Northern Afghanistan" report, click here.

See also:
'The failure to protect: Battle-affected IDPs in southern Afghanistan', Brookings Institution, 22 June 2009

Related posts:
'Sanitation woes in makeshift IDP camps', 23 April 2009
'IDPs in northwest battle cold, diseases and hunger', 26 February 2009
'Amnesty warns of food shortages in camps', 19 February 2009
'Displacement ongoing in a number of regions', 15 May 2008
'IDPs reluctant to return home', 28 April 2008

Private Security Frees-Up Canadian Military

'Private Security Called A Boon To Canadian Bases In Afghanistan', The Canadian Press, 18 June 2009

EXCERPT: "The increased reliance on private companies to provide basic security for Canadian bases in southern Afghanistan is freeing up critical military manpower, officers say, although some soldiers worry about the effectiveness of local Afghan guards. Several operating bases in the dangerous Panjwaii district are now farming out the sentry work, the latest switch-over coming just this week. 'It definitely gives us flexibility,' said Maj. Steve Jourdain, infantry commander and head of a patrol base. 'If it was not for the private security, it would not be possible for me to do the next operation.' In this particular case, the Canadian-owned security company Tundra Strategies won the contract with the Department of National Defence. Tundra, one of four private companies working for Canada, runs an Afghanistan-based operation that hires and trains mostly Afghans as guards, but deploys them as far from their home regions as possible in order to avoid conflicts of interest."

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See also:
'A question of protection in Afghanistan', The Globe and Mail, 29 May 2009
'The ongoing outsourcing in Afghanistan', The Dominion, 29 May 2009
'Canadian civilians in Afghanistan to rely on private security', Calgary Herald, 26 May 2009

Related posts:
'Canada secretly arms Afghan security guards', 17 June 2009
'Canada after 2011 may rely on US protection', 27 May 2009
'Surge of private security in Afghanistan', 23 March 2009
'As Afghanistan hots up, private security moves in', 28 January 2009

Afghan Minister: Officials Assisting Taliban

'Afghan Minister: Officials Assisting Taliban', CBS News, 14 June 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghan Interior Minister Muhammad Hanif Atmar on Sunday blamed government officials for assisting militant forces, as more than 78 civilians and policemen were killed and more than 172 wounded as a result of 126 incidents last week. Talking to the media, Atmar claimed the attacks were planned and supported outside of Afghanistan's borders. Some government officials were complicit in such strikes, he said, without giving further information. He added that the fatal assault in which 176 fighters were killed and another 36 wounded, suggested a 70 percent surge in violence in 25 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Militant funding and weather changes were among the principal factors fuelling the unrest, argued the minister, who identified drug money and extortionist tactics as the Taliban's key income sources."

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See also:
'Afghan minister: Militancy goes up in Afghanistan', China View, 15 June 2009
'Insurgents want "bloodiest" Afghan summer yet: Minister', NASDAQ, 15 June 2009
'25 killed as Taliban intensifies attacks in Afghanistan', The Earth Times, 14 June 2009

Related posts:
'Taliban relying more on homemade bombs', 10 June 2009
'US arms may be falling into Taliban hands', 19 May 2009
'Assassinations on the rise in Afghanistan', 19 May 2009
'US loses support to Taliban over blunder', 14 May 2009
'Taliban threatens spring offensive', 29 April 2009

Canada Commits Aid To Train Afghan Police

'Canada Announces $12 Million In Support For Rule Of Law In Afghanistan', ReliefWeb, 12 June 2009

EXCERPT: "The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced that Canada will help strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan—one of Canada's six priorities in the country—through an additional contribution of $12 million to support Afghan police salaries. 'This contribution demonstrates our continued commitment to helping Afghans improve security and rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society,' said Minister Cannon. The International Police Coordination Board, which is chaired by Mohamad Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's Minister of Interior, recently approved an increase in the number of police officers countrywide, including at least 1,000 new recruits in Kandahar province, ahead of Afghanistan's elections in August."

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See also:
'In Afghanistan, voting takes courage', Canada.com, 12 June 2009
'As election looms, few Afghan police "adequately" trained: UN', The Vancouver Sun, 11 June 2009
'Afghan elections shaping up; Iraqi forces set for transition', United Press International, 10 June 2009

Related posts:
'Canadians after 2011 may rely on US protection', 27 May 2009
'"Drawback" new tactic: military', 4 May 2009
'Canadian involvement to narrow', 26 March 2009
'Canada to pay salaries of 3,000 police officers', 17 March 2009
'Afghanistan won't be stable by Canadian deadline: General', 13 March 2009

Taliban Relying More On Homemade Bombs

'Taliban Relying More On Homemade Bombs', The Globe and Mail, 10 June 2009

EXCERPT: "The Taliban's increasing reliance on homemade bombs may be the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass for the insurgency, says a Canadian Forces soldier who helped plan a mission to pull the bombs out of caches and compounds. Operation Constrictor intercepted the equivalent of 30 to 80 bombs from villages near Kandahar over several days, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Patrick said yesterday. The sweeps also led to the death of a Canadian soldier. Private Alexandre Péloquin, 20, was killed Monday during the mission when he stepped on a hidden bomb. Hundreds of Afghan, Canadian and NATO soldiers worked to recover 15 explosives on that day, with more bombs and bomb components discovered in the days prior. The sweeps targeted a group of villages in the volatile Panjwai district, an area west of Kandahar where many Canadian combat deaths have occurred."

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See also:
'Roadside bombs: An Iraqi tactic on the upsurge in Afghanistan', TIME, 9 June 2009
'Afghan mission plagued by surge in roadside bombs', Online - International News Network, 9 June 2009
'Motion detectors to thwart Afghan bombers', Canada.com, 8 June 2009
'Targeting Taliban bombs', The National Post, 6 June 2009

Related posts:
'Use of IEDs increased by 80 percent', 5 June 2009
'Coalition deaths from IED attacks soar', 9 March 2009
'Afghan buildup includes billions to fight bombs', 25 February 2009
'Afghan roadside bombs hit record in 2008', 26 January 2009
'Homemade bombs now top threat in Kandahar', 16 January 2009

Journalist Attacked As Election Approaches

'Afghanistan's Election Gets Rough, And It Hasn't Even Started', Canada.com, 25 May 2009

EXCERPT: "This country's presidential campaign has not been formally launched but there are already signs it will be a rough-and-tumble affair. On Sunday, prominent local journalist Mohammad Yar lodged a complaint with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission after receiving a 'politically motivated' beating from gun-toting assailants in Kandahar City. The beating took place Thursday in broad daylight and followed a heated exchange between Yar and the city's mayor, Ghulam Haider Hamidi. The two men clashed at a poetry festival held inside the Governor of Kandahar's official guest house, where Yar had attempted to distribute a biography of Afghanistan's former finance minister, Ashraf Ghani. Ghani is one of 44 declared presidential candidates, and is thought to have the best chance at defeating Hamid Karzai, the incumbent president. The presidential election process does not officially begin until next month with the election itself to be held in August. Ghani has made the incident a pre-campaign issue. He held a news conference in Kabul over the weekend and demanded that Karzai condemn the attack."

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See also:
'Security a serious concern for Afghan candidates', Quqnoos, 25 May 2009
'Few on streets of Kandahar appear aware of Afghanistan's national elections', The Canadian Press, 23 May 2009

Related posts:
'Press freedom in decline as election nears', 17 March 2009
'Death threats, intimidation part of journalists' daily lives', 10 June 2008
'"Situation for the media in Afghanistan is getting worse"', 16 May 2008
'Worsening security threatens Afghan elections', 7 October 2008

Assassinations On The Rise In Afghanistan

'Assassinations On The Rise In Afghanistan', NPR, 19 May 2009

EXCERPT: "The number of assassinations in Afghanistan is growing, particularly in Kandahar province, where Taliban militants are strong and well-organized. Dozens of politicians, government employees, activists and Muslim clerics have been targeted in an attempt to silence critics and disrupt the government. Last month in Kandahar, Afghanistan's largest southern city, a local education director and a health official were shot dead by militants who stormed a government compound. And in a case that garnered international attention, armed men on motorbikes gunned down Sitara Achakzai, a prominent female politician and women's rights advocate, on April 12 as she chatted with a neighbor outside her home. Kandahar Gov. Tooryalai Wesa blames the killings on militant groups like the Taliban. But he says he lacks the thousands of additional police officers needed to secure the province and prevent assassinations. Provincial officials have been provided bodyguards, Wesa says. And some Afghans who feel threatened have moved into safe houses. The entire council of ulama, or Muslim scholars, and other clerics who preach against militants feel they are under siege. Four mullahs have been gunned down in Kandahar in recent months."

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See also:
'Taliban influx threatens "hot months" in Afghanistan', Bloomberg, 19 May 2009
'Afghan gov't regains control of southern district from Taliban', China View, 19 May 2009
'Karzai's brother survives as convoy is ambushed', The New York Times, 18 May 2009
'Taliban intensify attacks on troops', PressTV, 18 May 2009

Related posts:
'Taliban strategy aims to cut NATO logistics, undermine elections', 5 February 2009
'The return of the Taliban', 27 January 2009
'"The Taliban now holds a permanent presence in 72% of Afghanistan"', 8 December 2008
'Afghan "spring offensive" a myth: US commander', 9 May 2008
'Militants, criminals plague south Afghanistan', 12 September 2008

Canada To Create "Model" Villages In Kandahar

'New Tactic Aims To Create "Model" Afghan Villages', The Globe and Mail, 19 May 2009

EXCERPT: "Canada's reconstruction mission in treacherous southern Afghanistan is poised to embark on a new phase in the coming weeks with efforts focused on normalizing small population centres on the five main approaches to Kandahar, the country's second-largest city. The aim is to create 'model villages' where normal daily and economic activity can flourish in a secure environment and the reach of the central Afghan government is felt, unlike in so many of the existing communities that dot war-ravaged Kandahar province. The idea is simple: identify suitable small villages on the main thoroughfares in and out of the city where coalition support is strong, establish a secure perimeter and then embark on a concerted information campaign to win over the hearts and minds of local villagers. 'This is a recognition that population centres are more pivotal,' said Cory Anderson, who is currently in charge of the 60 civilians working with the reconstruction team. Indeed, a similar approach is being applied within Kandahar city itself, 10 districts totalling between 500,000 to 800,000 people where the aim is to identify population 'pockets' amenable to rejecting the Taliban in favour of a positive alternative, Mr. Anderson said."

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See also:
'Afghan police train for treacherous frontlines', AFP, 19 May 2009
'Canada could stay beyond 2011, MacKay says', The Globe and Mail, 18 May 2009
'Taliban hit police in the south', PressTV, 17 May 2009

Related posts:
'Afghan police face critical tasks', 30 April 2009
'Canada to pay salaries of 3,000 police officers', 17 March 2009
'Afghanistan won't be stable by Canadian deadline: General', 13 March 2009
'Creating effective Afghan security forces', 12 March 2009
'Canada's engagement in Afghanistan', 4 March 2009