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Italian aid worker kidnapped in Kabul

Monday, May 16, 2005 Updated at 3:57 PM EDT

Associated Press

Kabul — Four armed men dragged an Italian aid worker from her car Monday in the centre of Afghanistan's capital in a bold kidnapping that reinforces fears that militants or criminals are copying tactics used in Iraq.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the abduction of CARE International worker Clementina Cantoni, 32, or demands for her release, said police and the agency's director, Paul Barker.

"Four men carrying Kalashnikovs bashed in the window of her car and took her away. They told the driver not to move or he would be shot," Mr. Barker said.

The driver had just dropped a Canadian former CARE employee at a house in Kabul's downtown Shahr-e-Naw district when the kidnappers driving a sedan cut off the vehicle and abducted the Italian at about 8:30 p.m. local time, Mr. Barker said. The kidnappers then drove toward a nearby Christian cemetery, he said.

Afghan authorities, including President Hamid Karzai, were quickly alerted to the kidnapping after the Canadian woman made a panicked call to Mr. Barker, the director said. She made it safely into the guest house by the time of the abduction, but heard the attackers banging on the car, he said.

The family of Cantoni, who worked on a project helping thousands of Afghan widows, had been notified, Mr. Barker said.

Security forces immediately sealed off all main roads leading out of Kabul, said Jamil Khan, head of the criminal investigation department for the city's police. Officers stopped and searched cars in the city centre, checking trunks and under seats. Patrol cars with flashing emergency lights moved slowly through streets and helicopters circled overhead.

There were no signs of activity at the main Kabul office of CARE, one of the largest and most established international aid groups in Afghanistan.

In Rome, the Italian foreign ministry said a crisis unit that has handled past abductions of Italians abroad was working on the case, and that Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, on his way back from a meeting in Poland, was following the situation.

The abduction follows a string of warnings to the roughly 3,000 foreigners living in Kabul that they could be targeted in attacks, including kidnappings.

On May 7, a suicide bomber blew himself up in an Internet cafe in the same area as Monday's abduction, killing a UN worker from Myanmar. Last month, an American civilian was abducted in Kabul but escaped by throwing himself from a moving car.

Kabul had been largely free of the kind of kidnappings rife in Iraq until October last year, when three UN election workers — one each from the Philippines, Northern Ireland and Kosovo — were seized at gunpoint in the city. They were released unharmed a month later.

A Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility for that kidnapping, although officials and diplomats have suggested criminals — possibly working for factions that oppose the growing authority of the U.S.-backed government — were responsible.

Margaret Hassan, the British director of CARE International in Iraq, was kidnapped in Baghdad in October last year and believed killed, although no body was recovered.

Her fate caused shock and anger in Iraq where she had lived for 30 years and was renowned for her work distributing food, medicine and supplies to Iraqis suffering under the sanctions of the 1990s.

Canada to base around 1,250 troops in Afghanistan

May 16, 2005

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will raise the number of troops in has in Afghanistan by about 1,250 by February next year to help boost security and rebuilding efforts, Defense Minister Bill Graham said on Monday.

Canada will close its base in Kabul and transfer troops and equipment to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. In early 2006 a battle group of 700 soldiers and a brigade headquarters unit comprising 300 personnel will be sent to Kandahar for up to a year.

Graham also told reporters that a 250-strong reconstruction team would be sent to Kandahar this August and would stay in Afghanistan for around 18 months.

Last year Canada had 2,000 troops in the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force in Kabul but most have now left the country.

A-10 Unit Continues 'Flying Tiger' Legacy

The distinctive Flying Tigers artwork is displayed on the nose of a 23rd Fighter Group Flying Tigers' A-10. The Flying Tigers are the only Air Force unit authorized to display nose art on their aircraft, due to the history it symbolizes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Catie Hague)

One of the Flying Tigers' A-10s lands at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Catie Hague)

The 'Flying Tigers' of the 23rd Fighter Group prowl the sky over Afghanistan.

By U.S. Army Pfc. Cora Gerth - 20th Public Affairs Detachment

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 16, 2005 — The U.S. Air Force A-10s currently deployed at Bagram Airfield are part of the 23rd Fighter Group, the Flying Tigers, out of Pope Air Force Base, N.C., and are a unique group of aircraft - evident by just one look at their nose art.

The noses of these A-10s are emblazoned with an image of a shark's teeth and eyes. The Flying Tigers are the only Air Force unit authorized to display nose art on their aircraft, due to the history it symbolizes.

The Flying Tigers were first activated at Langley Field, Va., in 1941, and took over the tasks of the American Volunteer Group, fighting the Japanese military, in China during World War II. Twenty-nine of the original volunteers joined the 23rd, sharing their knowledge and expertise.

In their first day of combat, the Flying Tigers destroyed five enemy aircraft to help the Chinese fight the Japanese invaders. The original shark's teeth and eyes were designed to scare enemies during battle.

Throughout many inactivations and reactivations at different bases, the Flying Tigers have assisted in missions in China, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kenya, Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, Puerto Rico and now, Afghanistan, as the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

The current mission of the Flying Tigers includes: close-air support, forward air control, interdiction and combat search and rescue operations.

"We fly in the close-in battles and put our noses in the fight," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Ron Oliver, an A-10 pilot with the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

The Flying Tigers enforce high standards that their airmen must uphold. Newly arriving airmen to this group are briefed on the legacy that has been carried on throughout the years. They are trained on the vision, mission and goals to keep the original Flying Tigers' heritage alive.

Col. Warren Henderson, commander of both the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group here and the 23rd Fighter Group at Pope, is honored to lead such a historic group.

"When I'm flying, it's a pretty humbling experience to know the legacy we are continuing,” said Henderson.

“We're still interacting with some of the original squadron commanders, and it's great to see the pride they continue to have in our organization."

All of the training and preparation the Flying Tigers complete when at their home station readies them to do their part in supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Flying Tigers are scheduled to finish their year-long support of Operation Enduring Freedom in September.