Afganistan @ MindSay 
Well this is the last day of winter, and Spring arrives tomorrow! As the flowers burst out of the cold soil to fill the world once again with their beauty and their sweet smell fill the air,as the trees wake up and leaf out, and new babies are being born in all the world, from chicks to calves, to humans , as new life is brought forth, let us also remember that this is also the anniversary of Bush's illegal war, we must never never forget the sacrifices of our heroic men and women who are fighting in Iraq and Afganistan, and we must always honor those whose lives have ended may they always be remembered and for their families who will always have a hole left in their hearts for the loss of their loved ones, THANK YOU MILITARY SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN FOR YOUR SERVICE !! MAY YOU BE BLESSED AND BE KEPT SAFE FROM ALL HARM.
Honor the Fallen |
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| The following fatalities were identified by the DoD on 3/17: Spc. William D. O’Brien |
Ok... I've been studying and thinking real hard about the war on terrorism.. Here's my point! Terrorists from Arab countries are flocking to Iraq which they consider the front of thier holy war against western society. We already won the war against Iraq! That's not who we're fighting now! We're fighting islamic extremists! If the war wasn't being fought in Iraq it would be being fought in Afganastan or worse in the United States! The war on terror, therefore, really is the War on Terror! Don't get me wrong! I'm not saying that the United States had a right to attack Iraq BUT that war is over! It's not about that now! It's a Muslim Holy War going on... and it doesn't matter where it's being fought! It's the war in question! See ya!
Gary O 
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2006 – Coalition forces continue to aid and develop Afghanistan, even as they fight back terrorist extremists who are determined to stop progress, U.S. military officials reported today. Aid and reconstruction efforts include a rebuilt mosque in the Paktya province and medial and humanitarian aid to hundreds of Afghan villagers in the Kandahar province, said Combined Forces Command spokesman Army Col. Thomas Collins.
The refurbished mosque, he noted, was a joint effort by the Afghan government and coalition forces; it took three months and $16,000 to complete. The project had been identified by the people of the Zormat district as "something they needed for their people," Collins said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the mosque's completion on July 20.
Also last week, a cooperative medical assistance team provided preventive health care to more than 230 Afghan villagers and some 450 children in the Kandahar province. All children under the age of 5, Collins said, were given de-worming medication. A second medical assistance team, he added, is en route to villages in the Uruzgan province. But for every two steps forward that the Afghan people make, terrorist extremists launch attacks designed to bring the country one step backward.
For example, two suicide bombers in Kandahar City yesterday killed five local Afghan civilians and two coalition soldiers. Thirty-two civilians and eight coalition soldiers were wounded in the attacks. Another coalition soldiers was killed July 21 in the Sharana district of Paktika province, when rocket and mortar rounds landed inside a coalition base.
"The killed and wounded were coalition soldiers who were here in Kandahar, away from their homes and families, to work with the Afghan people to help them have the opportunity for a safe and secure way of life," Collins said. "They were honorable, caring soldiers who were here to help build schools, give out shoes and wheat seed to villagers. They were soldiers who were here to free Afghanistan of extremists, who thrive on intimidation and spread fear among the people. They were soldiers who only wanted to help."
Collins said the Afghan villagers who were killed in the attacks also were innocent. They "only wanted to take care of their families and give their children the chance for a healthier, happier life," he said. They "wanted progress and peace." Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76, said the soldiers killed by the suicide bombers were Canadians.
"We grieve for our lost Canadian soldiers who served so willingly," Freakley said. "They were superb teammates, and we will always remember their selfless sacrifice. We are honored to have served with them." Coalition forces, he added, are not now and will not ever be dissuaded from their mission of building a free, secure, and independent Afghanistan. Otherwise, the terrorist extremists will have won and the myriad sacrifices of U.S., Afghan and coalition forces will have been in vain, the general said.
"Out of respect and admiration for (their) courage and commitment, we will continue the fight until extremism is defeated in this country," Freakley said. Coalition forces continue to root out the terrorist extremists, and "Afghan National Security Forces continue to build in strength and capacity to root out enemy fighters and to take the lead in these critical missions," Collins said.
For example, the Afghan Air Corps recently opened a flight operations facility at Kabul International Airport. The new center will allow aircrews from the various ministries to coordinate flight plans and check routes before flying, Collins said. The Afghan Air Corps has a fleet of helicopters and fixed wing planes, and plans call for more aircraft. With these new capabilities, Collins said, the air corps can take on more missions and provide greater security to the Afghan people.
Afghan and coalition forces, meanwhile, remain on the offensive by continuing to attack Taliban safe havens and interdicting their movements to further extend the authority of the Afghan government throughout the region. Yesterday, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan transferred custody of terrorist Amir Gul Hassanyar to a representative of the national director of security at the Kabul International Airport.
The 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 209th Afghan National Army Corps, and coalition forces detained him, during a search of a compound south of Kunduz near the village of Baghlan on July 16. "Gul is responsible for numerous attacks using improvised explosive devices, trafficking in illegal weapons and drugs, and engaging in other anti-coalition and anti-government-of-Afghanistan activities," Collins said. "Amir Gul Hassanyar remains a security threat, and coalition forces believe that returning him to the custody of the government is in the best interest of the Afghan people"
Moreover, in the past few days, coalition forces discovered a suicide vest in Uruzgan province and unexploded ordnance near an intersection in the Urugan district in Paktika province. The unexploded ordinance may have been planted as a possible IED; coalition forces disabled it, Collins said. In Wardak province, the Nerkh police station defended itself against a group of enemy fighters. Some Afghan National Police were wounded, but the police station held its own and repelled the extremists, Collins said.
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2006 – Afghan security forces are making tremendous strides, but challenges remain, the lead U.S. trainer for the force said today. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, said numbers for both the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police are on track. Equipment is flowing to the entities, and efforts are in place to "professionalize" both forces, the general said during a Pentagon news conference.
A tangible and important aspect of the capability growth in the Afghan National Army is the role the force has played in Operation Mountain Thrust, Durbin told reporters. The operation began in March and continues today. "The significance of this event cannot be overstated, as this is the first-ever large-scale operation in which the Afghan army shouldered and continues to shoulder a large portion of this operation," Durbin said. The Afghans not only planned the operation, but also have the largest contingent of troops, he noted.
The army also has made strides to professionalize the force. The Afghan defense minister has appointed the first sergeant major of the army to take the lead in developing a professional noncommissioned officer corps -- something the Afghan army has never had under previous regimes, Durbin said. The Afghan National Army is an all-volunteer force. Durbin said the Afghan people should be proud of that fact, and he said there has been no problem with recruiting.
Retention is a new issue. "(The Afghan soldiers) sign up a commitment to serve for three years," Durbin said. "So we are going through a period now where many of the battalions that were formed three years ago are coming up on the end of their enlistment. We are running a little bit above the 35 percent rate for retention. "We would like that retention to be more like 50 percent," he continued. That is the Afghan government's goal, and the Defense Ministry is studying steps to encourage soldiers to remain in the military.
Progress for the Afghan National Police has been equally impressive, he said. On June 3, Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a law reforming the upper ranks of the police. “This is a significant step, because it shows the Afghan government's commitment to making the Afghan National Police a more effective force," Durbin said. "In essence, the Afghan government is putting into place a process that over time will lead to higher standards and professionalism. The Afghan National Police will be led by the most qualified leaders, and their performance will continue to be evaluated throughout the course of their public service."
There are more concrete signs of progress. The police opened a Regional Command South center in Kandahar, and Regional Command East opened in Gardez. The police also recently received or will receive more than 8,000 new vehicles, 45,000 new uniforms, millions of rounds of ammunition and thousands of weapons of all types, Durbin said. Overall, 30,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army are fully equipped and trained, the general said. Plans call for a military of 72,000 soldiers. For the Afghan National Police, about 37,000 officers are fully equipped and trained, with plans of a police force of about 62,000. In fact, 62,000 police have been trained, but all have not yet been equipped, the general said.
Absenteeism in the military and the police remains the biggest problem facing the security forces, although new laws, rank reform and pay reform are having an effect on the malady, Durbin said.
Corruption remains a huge problem for the police, and the Afghan government has promised to combat the problem. "Leader development continues to be a challenge," Durbin said. "Though recent improvements such as pay and rank reform are having the desired effect, the army and police need to continue to develop institutional solutions that will sustain production of high-quality leaders."
Durbin said the biggest challenge facing the security forces "is that they face an adaptive enemy bent on destabilizing Afghanistan through any means necessary."
