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Haji Agha Lalai (left, Director of Kandahar Strengthening Peace) and Mullah Ibrahim (right). Click image to view. |
Posted on 06/17/2006 7:17:27 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
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Haji Agha Lalai (left, Director of Kandahar Strengthening Peace) and Mullah Ibrahim (right). Click image to view. |
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan: As Coalition and Afghan forces press on with Operation Mountain Thrust in southeastern Afghanistan, the fighting in the Zari and Panjwai has abated. Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hope, the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, has stated the offensive operations have now shifted towards joint security patrols between Canadian and Afghan police and army units. "We know from our report that any large Taliban groups have withdrawn... there must be a permanent presence, particularly by Afghan National Authorities, particularly ANP and ANA, supported by Coalition soldiers. Coalition soldiers will remain present in those two district (Zari and Panjwai) for some time. They are there now and they will stay,” said Lt.Col. Hope.
The Taliban hit back at a soft target in Kandahar City on Thursday morning. Ten were murdered and seventeen wounded after the Taliban detonated a bomb on a civilian bus. On the bus were Afghan nationals working for the Coalition at Kandahar Airfield. Five interpreters, one driver and one cook were killed in the terror bombing.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a press release issued to the Afghan Islamic News, and claim they can strike at targets at will. “It is our success. It shows we can... gain access to highly guarded government places... and do what we want,” according th the Taliban press release. But the timing of the attack and the security measures at Kandahar Airfield tell a different story. The Taliban chose to detonate the bomb on the bus while in the city, as outside buses are prevented from entering the airbase. Passengers are dropped off at the main gate and driven into the airfield by different vehicles to prevent such a situation.
The choice of striking at soft, civilian targets is both an admission of military weakness and a standard tactic insurgencies use to sow fear in civilian populations. "The Taliban is not capable of facing the Coalition on the battlefield. They know that. Every time they face us on the battlefield, they lose and they lose big," said Major Quentin Innis, a spokesman for Combined Task Force Aegis.
The Taliban are attempting to intimidate local Afghanis to prevent them from cooperating with Afghan government and Coalition forces. Interpreters are particularly a desired target of the Taliban as they provide the vital link between Coalition forces and the local Afghan peoples. Five of the Coalition's estimated fifty interpreters in the Kandahar region have been murdered, and the impact on current operations and future recruiting are unknown.
In the past, suicide bombings and other mass attacks on civilians in Kandahar has produced a backlash against the Taliban. Attacks against civilians in Kandahar City and Spin Boldak earlier this year have produced rare public protests against the Taliban. “Death to Pakistan, death to al-Qaeda and death to the Taliban," chanted the protester in Spin Boldak after the Taliban suicide attack during a celebration of the Muslim festival of Eid .
The Afghan government is attempting to counter Taliban influence by turning members of the Taliban against the movement through the Tahkim-e-Solh program (Strengthening Peace). Established in May of 2005, Tahkim-e-Solh is aimed at giving Taliban and other anti-government forces not guilty of criminal activity a way to opt out of the fighting and return to society. As of May 2006, 1,569 low and mid-level Taliban have entered the program.
On Friday, Mullah Ibrahim, described as a senior Taliban commander with great influence in the Panjwai and Zari districts, has publicly joined the Strengthening Peace program, and renounced the use of violence against civilians and the government. Mullah Ibrahim has fought with the Mujahideen and the Taliban for several decades, and boasts of his fighting prowess. “If I come to fight, no one would have have defeated me, just as I have not been defeated in the past,” said Ibrahim, “I want all Afghans to abandon fighting and unite.” His involvement with the Taliban since 2001 was sidestepped, but he indicated the Taliban has “coerced” Afghans to fight in their cause while in foreign countries, including Pakistan. As in all problems in Afghanistan, the origin invariably leads to Pakistan.
Additional Multimedia:
A transcript from my Wednesday evening appearance on the Hugh Hewitt show is available at Radioblogger.
A recording from Thursday's press conference with Major Quentin Innis on the bombing in Kandahar. (File size is 5 Megabytes, in .wav format)
A recording from Friday's press conference with Mullah Ibrahim. This includes translation to Pashtu. (File size is 37 Megabytes, in MP3 format)
A recording from Friday's press conference with Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hope on Operation Mountain Thrust. This includes translation to Pashtu. (File size is 22 Megabytes, in MP3 format)
Terrorism is an information war disguised as a military operation.
ping
And that is where reminding the public how the coalition forces have not yet lost one battle in both Afghanistan and Iraq becomes so important. The country needs to know just some of the heroic actions our dedicated and loyal Troopers have taken to save the lives of their brothers in battle and to defend their home shores. There have been so many days in the last five years that we here back home should cause us to be burst with pride. Books should be written, songs sung and movies made to communicate the true stories of our wonderful Troopers.
You have that exactly right - Which is why the RNC/WH need to have a constant and innovative program in place and running 24/7 (with intensity!) countering not only our enemies but more directly our MSM! -
This WH along with the RNC need to be out there daily touting our successes and continually pointing out why we need to stay in this WOT and continue to take the fight to our enemies (constantly point out who the DEMs/MSM are....cut-n-run'ers who cannot be trusted with national security).
Hell last night I noticed (via watching it on the web) that NBC news did a whole segment on their nightly news cast painting Iraq/WOT as just another Vietnam (they are pathetic!....as there is absolutely no intellectually honesty behind such childish accusations....yet they make up such news reports weekly simply for the negative spin factor).
The artsy-farsty types sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf, and they hate that they are kept free only through the exertions of better men than themselves.
They refuse to endorse, promote, or hold in any kind of regard the kinds of skills and professions required to fight the war. This relates back to the fact that they just don't "do" that kind of stuff. From mechanical engineering to rifle marksmanship, from program management to rocket science, they just don't do it, any of it. Their idea of a brutally effective weapon is a can of mace in a purse. Their concept of effective strategy is a sharp crack during a faculty lounge discussion. Their idea of a grevious war wound is paper cut - or perhaps spilling McDonald's coffee in thier lap.
Thanks for the posted picture of LCol Hope. Now there's a real stand up guy! God Bless him!
How do we know that they don't?
Over what mass media can they counter the Main Stream Media? Not everybody reads blogs.
They had some characters when I was in Kandahar. They seemed to me to be quite a bit older on the average than the US Army. Some snowy regimental mustaches. I used to eat in the same DFAC they did. They were all extraordinarily polite, especially in comparison with the Romanians.
Over what mass media can they counter the Main Stream Media? Not everybody reads blogs.
I would like to restate my premise in that I firmly believe that majority of American's fully support our efforts (when given clear choices and paying attention).
That the silly MSM polls we see, which are weighted at ridiculous levels (the latest Ipsos poll showing a 15+ DEM advantage shows the lengths of the intellectual dishonesty the MSM will go).
As for "how do we know they don't" (the WH/RNC) it is because I truly try and stay informed and I don't see an effective, daily intense effort to counter the MSM BS! - I don't see innovative ways routinely being used to tout our successes (and to remind the public why we are in this war).
I saw virtually no effort out of the RNC or WH regarding the 2 year campaign to try and rewrite history by suggesting WMDs were the only reason we went into Iraq. (that is complete BS yet it wasn't countered virtually at all).
How much of a cohesive RNC/WH/Bloggers type system exists? Are the WH & RNC looking to help those out there (in the new media of the web) who are trying to get the facts out?
IMO - I see a terribly lazy and inept RNC....with a WH that does do a better job (but only because of our CIC GWB). I don't see an effective WH outside of GWB (though Tony Snow definitely seems to be an upgrade).
Keep up the good work -
Canada ping!
Please FReepmail me to get on or off this ping list.
Good report - Sad but true -
By passing the national MSM and getting to the local media coverage is an excellent idea (this is what R. Reagan did so well). This is the type of innovative (with intensity) type thinking that needs to have been in place for the past 2 years -
Regardless it should be implemented now and going forward -
51% is a majority, so we may have that, but Americans aren't paying attention, except when the MSM screams for it, and the attention is almost always negative.
I truly try and stay informed and I don't see an effective, daily intense effort to counter the MSM BS!
How would you see it? Over what medium would you have visibility over counter-psyops? If a tree falls in the forest and the MSM refuses to cover it, did it make a sound? Our ways of knowing what we think we know are very dependent on flawed sources of information. Somebody else decides what is newsworthy and what will be publicized and what will be made available for us to know, and somebody else always has their agenda.
How much of a cohesive RNC/WH/Bloggers type system exists?
Pitiful compared to the Deaniac/Koskid connection.
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I'm not speaking to counter-psyops operations out of Country - But the need for an intense effort in the States (U.S.) to simply counter the DEM/MSM lies - Of course those Ops can and have been run here....but that is not what I'm speaking to - Or the need for -
The WH/RNC response on the weekend talk shows was inept for over 2 years - The lack of intensity out of the RNC (though better of late) of standing up and fighting for this WOT, for touting our successes speaks volumes to me.
Complaining about the MSM is fine to a point. But we all know where their job is at (spinning for the DEMs) - Old news, very old news - We need to counter that (the RNC/WH) and do so without excuses.
What our warriors are facing on the ground in Stan and Iraq is incredible hard, incredible difficult.....but they have to suck it up, adjust when needed and become more effective each and every day - (and they have and our doing this).
I don't see this out the RNC/WH on a daily basis (simply within the public debate). Going to the local networks would be a step in the right direction (trying to embed local reporters).
Pitiful compared to the Deaniac/Koskid connection.
Exactly my point -
You are so right to be proud. Our Coalition Forces are quite special. Do thank your Canadians Trooper for us south of the border.
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