The ugly truth in Afghanistan
From Saturday's Globe and Mail March 1, 2008 at 12:28 AM
KABUL AND WASHINGTON — When managers from all the major humanitarian agencies in Kandahar gathered in a high-walled compound to swap war stories last month, it wasn't the tales of kidnappings and suicide bombs that caused the most worry. Nor was it the reports of insurgents enforcing their own brutal laws and executing aid workers.
"The scary thing was, no foreigners attended the meeting," a participant said. "Everybody had evacuated."
Most aid organizations quietly withdrew their international staff from Kandahar in recent weeks, the latest sign that the situation here is getting worse.
At least the foreigners can escape. For many ordinary people the ramshackle city now feels like a prison, with the highways out of town regularly blocked by Taliban or bandits.
Corrupt police prowl the intersections, enforcing a curfew for anybody without that night's password, or bribe money.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization says insurgent attacks increased 64 per cent from 2006 to 2007.
Almost everybody involved with Afghanistan is taking a hard look at the country's future, even as Canada's Parliament takes stock of its role in the war.
"Make no mistake, NATO is not winning in Afghanistan," concluded the Atlantic Council of the United States, a prestigious American think tank that deals with international affairs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please, follow the link to the complete in-depth story. There are 4 pages!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
My only comment at the moment is...let's get out of there!!! We only load more and more responsibility on ourselves! Next thing we know we'll be blamed for having started the damn war!!
The Americans cooked the soup, now let them eat it, too!:x
From Saturday's Globe and Mail March 1, 2008 at 12:28 AM
KABUL AND WASHINGTON — When managers from all the major humanitarian agencies in Kandahar gathered in a high-walled compound to swap war stories last month, it wasn't the tales of kidnappings and suicide bombs that caused the most worry. Nor was it the reports of insurgents enforcing their own brutal laws and executing aid workers.
"The scary thing was, no foreigners attended the meeting," a participant said. "Everybody had evacuated."
Most aid organizations quietly withdrew their international staff from Kandahar in recent weeks, the latest sign that the situation here is getting worse.
At least the foreigners can escape. For many ordinary people the ramshackle city now feels like a prison, with the highways out of town regularly blocked by Taliban or bandits.
Corrupt police prowl the intersections, enforcing a curfew for anybody without that night's password, or bribe money.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization says insurgent attacks increased 64 per cent from 2006 to 2007.
Almost everybody involved with Afghanistan is taking a hard look at the country's future, even as Canada's Parliament takes stock of its role in the war.
"Make no mistake, NATO is not winning in Afghanistan," concluded the Atlantic Council of the United States, a prestigious American think tank that deals with international affairs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please, follow the link to the complete in-depth story. There are 4 pages!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
My only comment at the moment is...let's get out of there!!! We only load more and more responsibility on ourselves! Next thing we know we'll be blamed for having started the damn war!!
The Americans cooked the soup, now let them eat it, too!:x
