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Afghanistan
Taliban melt away from battle
2006-09-13
God love the Canucks!
PANJWAI DISTRICT, AFGHANISTAN — Hundreds of insurgents have fled scattered from a grinding Canadian military advance in Panjwai district, as soldiers punched into a former Taliban stronghold in a cascade of dust and flying rubble.

A few days ago, the Canadians were convinced that this warren of buildings, code-named Objective Cricket, harboured at least 100 determined insurgents. Some locals estimated as many as 1,000 Taliban were lurking in the region after the rebels overran a strategic belt of farmland southwest of Kandahar city this spring.

But the Canadians gained new intelligence during the weekend, suggesting they would find only scattered groups of two or three fighters opposing them. The likelihood of so few fighters, perhaps with booby traps or suicide bombs, represents a significant reversal as the rebels had appeared to be prepared for an all-out fight.

NATO forces hammered the buildings with a barrage of artillery and air strikes, then the Canadians threw themselves into the maze of mud walls and farmers' fields.

"It's Sept. 11," said Major Geoff Abthorpe, commander of Bravo Company, speaking to his troops as they prepared for the attack. "Is that symbolic? Damn right, it's symbolic. It's the reason why we're here."
Posted by:Steve White

#36  Good gawd. First we *celebrate* 5 safe years of no new attacks on the homeland. Then, .com pokes his head in ("poke" may be an unwise use of terms for .com)! My, my, what a week! Good to see ya, .com!
Posted by: BA   2006-09-13 23:02  

#35  :-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-09-13 22:57  

#34  np - I gave him the option to express opinion. We can all express facts.
Posted by: Frank G   2006-09-13 22:44  

#33  I didn't read his comment as more than straightforward analysis, Frank. Welcome back, Rafael -- I hope you're feeling better after your rest.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-09-13 22:32  

#32  hola Raphael. Actions speak louder, and your troops are kicking ass. If you're ashamed of that, say so
Posted by: Frank G   2006-09-13 22:13  

#31  The Canadians are coming around.

Don't count your chickens yet...The Liberals are in a holding pattern waiting to pick a new leader, and as soon as they do it's a vote of non-confidance in Harper and we're off to the elections. Whether Harper keeps power depends on whether Canadians agree with Layton: "Layton says Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan should focus on humanitarian aid, reconstruction and peace negotiations instead of combat." Source.

Personally I think Harper comitted several mistakes by giving the appearance of cozying up to the US. Layton is already calling him an American puppet and this will be a major theme in the next elections. So instead of a Harper majority, as it was hoped even not too long ago, it could be a Harper minority, if he should keep power at all.
Posted by: Rafael   2006-09-13 21:46  

#30  It was never canceled, it was just rebuilt as the RC-A5 Vigilante.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-09-13 19:45  

#29  I can't believe they canceled that for the BOMARC.
Posted by: 6   2006-09-13 17:23  

#28  The Canadians are coming around. I was worried, they were hanging out with bad friends and showing certain signs of being in the Tranzi Closet. But it looks like a vigorous election fueled by newly cheap back bacon has rekinded the whatever it is that Canada had that made them want to build the Awesome Avro..

Posted by: 6   2006-09-13 17:22  

#27  I was in Vancouver (our system was being used in a movie there) last week. We were talking about the war and I was telling the locals how great their boys were doing in Afghanistan. The locals said that they hardly ever see any coverage of their military's efforts. One guy's nephew was killed the weekend before in a friendly fire incident by one of our A-10's. He was not bitter at all. Said sh*t happens. Anyway, they were glad to hear about their boys great work.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-09-13 13:07  

#26  It worked.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-09-13 11:59  

#25  Try this one

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/
washington/13diplo.html?hp&ex=
1158206400&en=b644c254a687e555&ei=
5094&partner=homepage
Posted by: john   2006-09-13 11:37  

#24  Bad link for me, John.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-09-13 11:34  

#23  Apparently, there is more than Taliban on folks minds.
Pete&Condi
Posted by: john   2006-09-13 11:31  

#22  More ominously, a Taliban fighter reached by telephone yesterday said the fleeing insurgents have a plan to regroup. "We will get new orders in seven or eight days," the fighter said.

Is he in the yellow pages?
Posted by: SwissTex   2006-09-13 10:49  

#21  Off topic, but nice to see ya, .com!
Posted by: docob   2006-09-13 10:39  

#20  We always loved to see the A-10 flying over us. It is a great CAS plane. Go Canada!
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-09-13 09:23  

#19  Thank You Canucks! Jules, give 'em a big pat on the back from us.
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-09-13 09:19  

#18  It's still not great to think you have the enemy surrounded and then have them successfully slip away. It sounds like the Taliban got about 100% of their force out somehow. It's not easy to locate and isolate large pockets of guerilla forces and so when you do finishing them off is important.
Posted by: Odysseus   2006-09-13 09:18  

#17  Ah, they're no better than the US guys... They get ready to hammer us, and we 'melt away', like the famous Afghan winter.

Those that fight, and run away

live to fight another day.
Posted by: TalibBobby   2006-09-13 09:16  

#16  a Russian zigzag pattern
Did'nt they beat the Russians?
I am planing next summer's vacation, it will be somewhere in Canada. Thanks canada.
Posted by: plainslow   2006-09-13 09:12  

#15  "Dammit, I ordered that you all were to fight to the death! By running away, not only do you not inflict a casualty or two on the infidels, but you make me look bad!"
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-09-13 09:01  

#14  A food wrapper inside hinted that the insurgents were eating packaged food aid intended for the poor.

So we stop shipping food over.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-09-13 07:43  

#13  Lol, insh'allah, bitch.
Posted by: .com   2006-09-13 07:13  

#12  "Officially, we got new orders to leave the area," the commander said. "But the truth is that we ran out of bullets. We had nothing to fight with."

What's the Pastun equivalent for "Buck-buck-braaaawk!"
Posted by: Mike   2006-09-13 07:06  

#11  Sky is the least PC of the UK channels which may not be saying much - things continue to get more Orwellian by the day here - we still seem to attack most strongly those who take the threat seriously rather than those elements causing the threat itself. I love Big Brother.
Posted by: Howard UK   2006-09-13 06:22  

#10  Lol. Bugger? Me? Now hold on a minute... that better be a figure of speech with a different meaning, lol!

Sky is Fox's "sister" network, but the reporting I've seen them run, for the big events in the UK they always defer to Sky, has been much more PC in tone than the "normal" Fox stuff - or at least that's my opinion.

Regardless, it's great to hear you have your pick across the spectrum, now. Your mental defense mechanisms must be pleased, lol. :-)
Posted by: .com   2006-09-13 06:15  

#9  They just installed satellite in the secure unit so now we've got hundreds of channels... I need the Beeb to get me fired up on a daily basis and remind me what this scraps about. Yes, we get Fox/CNN etc.. Tend to stick to Sky for a dose of reason/rationality.
(Good to see you back you old bugger!)
Posted by: Howard UK   2006-09-13 06:07  

#8  There must be a healthy level of cognitive dissonance in those Beeb stories, lol, Howard.

Do you watch Beeb for the (unintended) comical aspects? How many "news" outlets do you have available on TV? Can you get or have Fox, for instance? Despite it's flaws, which are several, it is an improvement over all the others I've seen, IMHO.

Just curious, bro. :-)
Posted by: .com   2006-09-13 06:02  

#7  This battle was on the Beeb the other night (9/11) - those Canucks seem a determined bunch. They weren't leaving much standing in their wake either - much as the Beeb tried to ham up the threat of the Taliban.. The item also featured a few healthy bursts of A10 cannon fire in the background - the noise that sounds like a supersonic vacumn cleaner.
Posted by: Howard UK   2006-09-13 05:55  

#6  Hats off again to CAF personel who do a damn fine job.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2006-09-13 05:49  

#5  "Just in time for the dreaded fall offensive."

And then comes, horrors, the dreaded Afghan Winter. Haven't we learned from the MSM that no one can survive that?! Oh, wait... the Canucks are laughing their asses off... LOL.

Wow. I, too, am extremely gratified and happy to read how the Canucks have handled these mooks - and have risen to the challenge, and beyond. Fantastic!

There must be groans and grumbling galore in Quebecistan, LOL. I'm sure they, the same as our own Moonbats, pray daily for piles of dead Canadians - simply so they can make political hay.

Thank you Harper and sensible Canadians! Thank you, Mjr Abthorpe! Thank You Troopers! On Canada!
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-13 04:54  

#4  "It's Sept. 11," said Major Geoff Abthorpe, commander of Bravo Company, speaking to his troops as they prepared for the attack. "Is that symbolic? Damn right, it's symbolic. It's the reason why we're here."

I've never been more proud of our Northern neighbors than today.

I only wish I could buy Wiser's Oldest in the States. I'll have to settle for O'Keefe Extra Old Stock or Moosehead.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-09-13 02:45  

#3  Active defence?
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-09-13 02:14  

#2  They never fight head on, because they'll lose. But, they'll be back to sneak up on you another day. Kill as many as you can, while you can. You've been doing a magnificent job. Keep it up.
Posted by: SOP35/Rat   2006-09-13 00:33  

#1  but, but...the MSM says we're doomed, doomed I tell ya
Posted by: Captain America   2006-09-13 00:25  

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