It’s typical of the war in Afghanistan that all sides are claiming victory in the wake of the recent insurgent attacks on Kabul and other cities. We seemed relieved that Afghan security forces, now believed to number 190,000, were able to put down the attacks albeit after several hours of
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The Disaffected Lib: What Victory Looks Like in American Eyes
An American asks now that the US has won the Afghan war, isn’t it time to leave? The editor in chief of AirForce Magazine concludes that the American forces have come as close as they ever will to winning in Afghanistan and that Western forces have come as close as
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Afghanistan Infantry Firefight
A short video from an unspecified rotation by 3rd battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Afghanistan. The video is from a helmet-mounted camera worn by a soldier using a C-9 light machine gun Note that at one point a rocket propelled grenade passes over the soldier’s head. -srbp-
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Green on Blue Now #2 Cause of Allied Death in Afghanistan
Three more Western soldiers gunned down by their Afghan counterparts today, two Brits, one American. Attacks by our Afghan allies on Western forces now rank second only to improvised explosive devices in our fatalities. Almost one out of three recent fatalities has been from ‘green on blue’ attacks. The problem
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: American Support for Afghan War Tanks
Four months ago a bare majority, 53% of Americans, thought US soldiers should no longer be fighting that conflict. Today that number stands at 69%. In November less than half of Americans surveyed thought the war was going “badly or very badly.” That’s up today to 68%. The CBS News/New
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Afghanistan – Rags to Riches to Rags
Iran, China, Russia and India are poised to become the real beneficiaries of the blood and treasure we’ve poured into the Afghan War. An investigation by the British newspaper, The Independent, finds that these countries will be moving in to exploit Afghanistan’s mineral riches when we move out in 2014.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Can You Smell the Hypocrisy?
NATO, stalwart defender of Afghan democracy, is planning to slash its financial support for the Afghan army and police by two-thirds. And, yes, that would be the very same Afghan army and police we’re expecting to take over our security role in their country when we di di mau in
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Afghan Murder Spree Blame Lies on Capitol Hill
Following the recent killings of 16-Afghan civilians by a US Army sergeant, the critical details began rolling in. Married man, father of two. Ten year veteran. Three tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. Two previous head injuries sustained in combat. Sent to Afghanistan against his will. Tick, tick, tick. The
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: If You Thought This War Was Futile Before
It’s safe to assume we, the West, are in the final phase of our hapless war in Afghanistan. We have made a real difference over the past decade. Unfortunately the negative differences may outnumber, outweigh and, worst of all, outlast the positive. And the ratio of positives to negatives for
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Another massacre in Afghanistan
If this is how one “wins the hearts and minds” of a people, this past weekend’s massacre of 16 civilians by a US soldier has only succeeded in creating even more terrorists. There have been suggestions the suspect may have been mentally unstable but in this part of the world
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: US Soldier Goes Postal – Guns Down 16 Afghans
Afghan president Hamid Karzai is accusing a US serviceman of gunning down 16-people including 9-children and 3-women. Another 5 Afghans were said to have been wounded. A report in The Guardian claims the soldier walked off a military base and just began shooting. NATO has issued an apology and has
Continue readingWomen win one, lose one … and so it goes
The good news is that the European Union is considering mandatory quotas to get more women on corporate boards. They have tried the voluntary approach and, as is so often the case, it hasn’t worked. Currently only one in seven board members at Europe’s biggest companies are women despite the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Six Brits Missing, Presumed Dead, in Afghanistan. Cameron Reacts Quickly to Declare Missing Soldiers Dead
A patrolling British Warrior armoured fighting vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. The six soldiers who had been aboard are missing and, curiously, presumed dead. The attack seems to illustrate the awkward point all sides to this war are in as they wait for Western forces
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: How the GOP should criticize Obama on Iran
Leaders of Brazil, Turkey & Iran As the Republicans continue to escalate their misguided criticism of Obama and his handling of the issue of a nuclear Iran, they desperately need a brief history lesson. I am not talking about a history lesson that extends back to the days of a
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Can Pakistan Leave America Bottled Up in Afghanistan?
Western forces in Afghanistan are finding it’s not especially easy to get out. The Brits recently negotiated an exit route via Kazakhstan for removal of their equipment and weapons. British equipment will travel north all the way to the Baltic where the stuff will be loaded aboard ships for delivery
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: They’ve Even Got a Name For It Now – "Green on Blue"
“Green on Blue” is the newly coined term for deadly attacks by Afghan military or security forces on US or NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. It seems to be happening with such regularity that a code phrase was deemed convenient. The latest such attack (that we know of as yet) occurred
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Inside the wire: What wire?
It’s true that government and Canadian Forces spokespeople will readily acknowledge that no part of Afghanistan is absolutely safe. But when the subject comes up there’s always the implication that Canadians there are safer now that they’re training Afghan security forces rather than going on combat missions. That relative safety
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Britain Secures Escape Route Out of Afghanistan
Britain has cut a deal with Kazakhstan to let it extract six billion dollars worth of equipment, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers, safely out of Afghanistan. The Brits were scrambling for an exit after Pakistan closed the supply route via Karachi. The plan is to get British vehicles and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: And The Leaks Just Keep On Coming
Wikileaks rocks – at least if you’re part of the US intelligence community. They’ve just released a dump of e-mails from American security outfit, Stratfor, sometimes described as the “shadow CIA.” Among the zingers is the revelation that Osama bin Laden was in “routine” contact with top officials of Pakistan’s
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Inside the wire
Canadian media outlets began reporting yesterday afternoon that Canada had followed the example set by other NATO allies in Kabul. Canadian officials in Afghanistan have been ordered to stay out of government buildings after two senior American officers were killed inside a supposedly secure ministry office in Kabul. The measures
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