Posted on 06/07/2006 3:31:02 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
Pakistan's efforts to establish control of the tribal regions along the Afghan border, has led to promotion opportunities for the many tribal men who have joined the Pakistani armed forces. Men from the tribal territories have long been overrepresented in the Pakistani military. Thus the new governor of the Northwest Frontier Province, the region that abuts the Afghan frontier, and which includes the "Federally Administered Tribal Areas," that have been a haven for Taliban and Al-Qaeda for many years, is himself a native of the region. Ali Mohammed Jan Orakzai, a retired lieutenant general in the Pakistani Army, was appointed governor in May, 2006. The general had commanded the Pakistani II Corps, based at Peshwar, from 2001 until his retirement in early 2004. Later that year he was given a sub-cabinet post as secretary for defense for production, which he is leaving to assume his new assignment.
The general, who is about 59, is a native of the province, a member of the Alikhel tribe, in the Orakzai tribal agency, and fluent in Pushtun. While commanding II Corps, he directed operations in the Khyber and Kurram tribal agencies to conduct operations against Al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters fleeing the fighting in the Tora Bora Mountains in Afghanistan. He is noted for advocating the cooption of local tribes in the struggle against extremists, rather than trying to use overwhelming force to pressure them into cooperation.
The general has four children; the eldest, a daughter, is married to an army major, and two of his three sons, two are officers in the Pakistan Army, while the eldest son is currently studying law in the U.S., where the general himself attended several Army schools.
Since World War II, many ambitious Pushtun men have joined the army as a way to get away from the traditional tribal life. Many tribal people want change, but getting away from the tribe is not easy, and means risking losing touch with your family. The tribes had long rejected the outside world, and any tribesmen who embraced it.
On the tribal side of the fence, there are tribal leaders who are trying to adapt to these intrusions from the modern world. The Taliban is, above all, an effort to impose tribal lifestyle and customs on people who don't want it. To that end, the Taliban seems to be trying to adapt its tactics to the local situation in Afghanistan. So where government and Coalition forces are strongest, some of the better commanders, such as Mullah Osmani, in Kandahar, are trying to avoid conventional ambushes and confrontations and relying more heavily on terrorist attacks against softer targets. Osmani was actually captured by American Special Forces in late 2002, but released by mistake early the following year.
To understand the Taliban, study the Pashtuns. Fascinating people.
ping
I've safely arrived at Kandahar Airfield (KAF). I had to take a United Nations Humanitarian Assistance flight to the airfield, as the Canadian military does not provide for travel to & from the bases as the Marines/Army do in Iraq. Did you know the UN has its own airline? Predictably, they rake you over the coals on the cost of the ticket. But they do have flight attendants and served sodas! Frankly I would have preferred a free, no-frills flight on a C-130 with the guys...
I would compare Kandahar Airfield to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq: a large, well protected rear operating area (there are about 8,000 troops here. There are Dutch, Canadian, British, French, American, Bulgarian [Romanian?] and a host of other countries based out of KAF. The Canadians maintain two other Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kandahar province. I plan on pushing out to the FOBs & PRT as soon as I can, but it may take a day or two. I will get out on some patrols from the base in the mean time. The Canadian military was pleased to discover I actually wanted to go out to the field, as that is the exception, not the norm.
An interesting sidebar on the Canadian military view of the media: They feel the media hangs out at Kandahar Airfield to maintain the "death watch" - waiting for news of soldiers killed or wounded. I spoke to several members of the Canadian media and they freely admitted this, and complained they are prisoners of their media organizations. They have to stay at the airfield to cover news from there, lest they miss this "news". They can get out on daily patrols from the main base but this is a strain on resources (the death watch would be unmanned). I will say the Canadian members of the media have been very friendly and are interested in what I do. One gentleman gave me a great set of maps which will help with my reporting. They aren't pleased with being on the death watch.
Combined with the issue of the war not being covered in the proper context and the importance of education, it is for these reasons I believe it is important to be out here.
It's been relatively quiet around here, so there will be no update today, other than this email. Here is a link to a recorded radio broadcast on Pundit Review radio.My friend Matt from Blackfive is also on the program, and Haditha and Iran are also discussed, as well as Afghanistan.
Not a lot to report. Last Friday the Taliban finally improved their aim and got a mortar round into the base after firing seven rounds. It shook the ground and my room really hard. It occurred around 7 PM local. Black smoke everywhere. Like in the past the good news is they only hit a pile of tires, and not anyone.
Combat has been very heavy on the weekends for my troops. We had a successful 10 days with my men killing close to 300 enemy combatants. Even thought I report numbers, I wish I was in a situation that I had nothing to report ever. There isn’t anything I hate more than waste, and war is one of the biggest wastes that mankind can bring. However, as long as I am here, I will do my duty and kill the enemy so everyone in American can be safe.
I am bored this week, I get to watch our troops fight via a feed from a drone aircraft call the Predator. You get the see the actual combat day or night with clarity and only a two second delay. To be honest with everyone I would rather be on the ground kicking in doors and fighting like I was last year. Instead of being a director, and telling people where and when to fight. This is the first time in my career on a deployment that I have shot in anger at anyone. Weird afterall this is a war, and there is a lot of fighting.
There is a big debate about when I get to rotate back to the States. One set of orders say Sept 06, another Feb 07 and a third one say Sept 07. The not knowing is killing me, hard to get a career on track when I have no idea what the military has planned for me. Everyday I ask and everyday I get a different answer. I do know one thing once I am back, I am back, untouchable under law for at least three years.
As many of you have heard there was a riot in Kabul last week, and the media of course is blaming the US Army. I have driven in Kabul, there are no traffic signs or lights, it is a free for all. Imagine all the Arab cab drivers we deal with back home weaving in and out and cutting you off. You think they learned that behavior in the street of NYC, no way they learned it in Kabul. Imagine a city where everyone drives like a cab driver, if you can picture that then you have driven in Kabul.
What really happened, a large tractor trailer that belonged to some engineer unit lost its brakes. They tried to stop by plowing into parked cars, but the last car was an occupied taxi. One person was killed. While the US Army medics were treating the people. Taliban extremist came out of a Mosque and started inciting their worshipers. What the newspapers didn’t tell you was that the riot was small, only two thousand people in a city of 500,000. Also that many Taliban fighters live in Kabul. Additionally, that the riot was pre-planned and they were just waiting for an incident to put their plan into effect. If fact we captured pre-printed maps that said in case we can get a riot started we will go to these places. Also the last thing the paper doesn’t tell you that someone in the crowd started shooting at US forces. When that happened our troops mounted up, shot in the air and fled. The people then started attacking the National Police who were on the scene providing crowd control. It was them that started shooting in the crowd. I wish the media was more even handed.
They talk about American atrocities, you should see what these people do to each other. If you have a college degree you are considered a Westerner and should be killed. You wouldn’t believe how many people are found on the side of the road be-headed and have a note attached to their body that says education is evil only knowledge from the Koran is good. If you are a girl and your father gets mad at you, it is common practice to throw hot oil on her or put her hand in the fire, usually she falls in the fire and has more burns. Here on my base we get two to three girls a week with third degree burns from oil of fire. Women according to the teachers of Islam in Afgahanistan are evil and subservient. That is the type of people that will come into power if were leave. The media never report this, but heaven forbid we accidently kill someone who The Taliban use as human shield when fighting against us, you never hear the end of it. Only cowards use women an children as shields to fight.
These so called freedom fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, fight only for the freedom of men who are Mullahs. They use religion to get into power. That to me is a true coward.
I leave you with the following to ponder: We will eventually fail in Iraq and Afghanistan because the media loves an American loser. It sells much better than good news. I hate to see what the economy will be like back home when we are forced to withdraw. I guess we should start getting use to European Gasoline Prices which range from $7.00 to 8.00 dollars a gallon.
I am on my soap box because all week I have seen the way the media manipulates the truth into lies. I saw the live video feed from Kabul and I saw the rioters shoot at our troops. I saw the national Police shooting back, but that is not what was reported. Once again better to show the ugly American instead of the true American the kind and care. No wonder people hate us in the world, the media tells them we are evil.
Did you know my unit built three bridges across the Helmand River. Everyone who has tried has failed, like Alexander the Great, the Roman, the British, and the Russians. We were the first in three thousand years to succefully complete the project, now that is something the world needs to know.
Everyone, thank you for your support and genorosity. I really do appreciate it. Last item someone sent me a package from Drugs.com, who was it? I want to thank you.
Bye.
Peter
Thanks for the Ping - Good read -
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