TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH: Wasn’t Us Blowing Up Mosques in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif

NOTE:  Do NOT click on a link to the Taliban’s or other terrorist web pages if you don’t want the webmasters to see your computer’s IP number. This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

---

Report on the gathering of the Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate and its statement regarding the recent bombings on Ashura  – Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

On the day of Ashura, 10th of Muharram 1433, inexplicable bombings took place in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif in which tens of our defenseless countrymen were soaked in their blood and their families left in utter grief. This incident was also strongly rejected and condemned by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the initial hours. Yesterday on the 15/01/1433, the Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate held an important council about this topic. Intense discussions were held regarding these incidents which were described as a pre-planned plot of the defeated enemy and it was stressed that our vigilant nation must pay astute attention to such actions of our enemy and nobody should be allowed to reach their sinister goals by creating rifts and divisions amongst our united people on the basis of religion, race, language or region.

Similarly, the political and religious sides of our country were asked to put the benefits of our country and people ahead of their own or organizations benefits and such actions not be undertaken to achieve their political aims which would mean nothing other then adding fuel to the fire which has been lit by our enemy against the unity of our people and country. It was also said that in these tender moments in which our enemy is on the verge of fleeing, it is going back to its natural habit and reaching for grief stricken moments like the day of Ashura so it can divide the unified Afghan people because the enemy wants to take revenge from our suffering people for their own failures. Our alert and unified nation will never be deceived by such plans of our enemy but rather they will also thwart this plan like all the previous ones. In the end of the gathering, the below statement was issued after much deliberation:

1.  The Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate wants to extend its condolence to the affectees and once against strongly condemns such acts.
2.  Islamic Emirate considers such incidents the plots and acts of the invaders and the enemies of Afghanistan and calls on all its countrymen to lend each other hands and cooperate with each other in preventing such incidents in accordance with their national and religious duty because such acts of the enemy are against all our countrymen and are detriment to our beloved Afghanistan.
3.  Islamic Emirate personally asks the scholars and leaders of Afghanistan’s Ahl Tashi’ (Shiite) to be very vigilant regarding this matter and they should inform their people that this incident can never be considered a topic of enmity between Sunni and Shiite. They should never lend an ear to the internal agents who want to paint this as an internal and religious strife for serving their own interests and for pleasing their masters.
4.  Islamic Emirate gives guidance to all of its Mujahideen to pay attention to preventing such acts from taking place alongside their other duties.

The Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Advertisement

Another ISAF-Taliban Twitter Tussle over Latest Bombings

On this:

“Twin attacks apparently targeting Shia Muslims have killed at least 58 people in Afghanistan.  In the deadliest incident, a suicide bomb struck a shrine packed with worshippers in the capital, Kabul, killing at least 54 people.  Another blast struck near a Shia mosque the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif at about the same time, killing four.  The attacks appear to be of a sectarian nature unprecedented in recent Afghan history, correspondents say.  They coincided with the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura – the most important day in the Shia calendar and marked with a public holiday in Afghanistan.  Ashura is the climax of Muharram, the month of mourning for the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.  Though tensions exist between Afghanistan’s Sunni and minority Shia Muslims, most attacks in Afghanistan in recent years have targeted government officials or international forces, correspondents say ….”

…. here’s the Taliban’s position, via @ABalkhi at Twitter ….

“Z.Mujahid condemns today’s bombings(Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif) and blames invaders( @ISAFmedia ) for trying to sow dissension amongst afghans”

…. followed by the ISAF Info-Machine’s response, again through @ISAFMedia via Twitter:

“Blame ISAF? Rubbish. GEN Allen: Insurgents are spelling own demise by killing innocents http://goo.gl/XSbg1“

Fighting the good (info) fight, 140 characters at a time.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 10 Oct 11

• Afghanistan (1)  Canadian team takes over training in northern Afghanistan camp (via U.S. military Info-Machine).  I look forward to this level of detail from the CF’s Info-Machine.
• Afghanistan (2)  “…. If Canada is serious about reconstructing Afghanistan, then let’s canvass the Afghan-Canadian diaspora for qualified trades persons and teachers so they can establish a vocational training program in their home country. Surely a legion of plumbers, carpenters and electricians would be far more beneficial to Afghanistan’s future than an equal number of partially trained, foreign-funded military recruits.”
• A Middle Eastern logistics company (one that’s had its share of issues in the past) appears to be in hot water again, in part, because of reportedly being in the running to offer support to the Canadian Forces in Kuwait.
• VAC no longer covering some travel for counseling, treatment?  “Former members of the Canadian military who are struggling with mental health problems say they’re being denied benefits from Veterans Affairs to cover travel costs to their psychologists and other medical professionals. Two veterans said they’ve received notice from the department that their travel coverage to psychologists and psychiatrists would end last summer, leaving them on the hook for the payments if they wanted to continue seeing them. Steve Bird said he was told in June that Veterans Affairs would no longer pay costs associated with his regular trips from his home in southeastern Saskatchewan to Saskatoon to see a team of health-care providers. Instead, he said the department wanted him to find a psychiatrist and psychologist in Regina, which is about two hours closer ….”
• Not just happening in Saskatchewan, either.  “A Nova Scotia military veteran dealing with numerous mental-health issues says he’s being left in the cold after Veterans Affairs Canada stopped financing his travel costs to seek treatment. For six years, Craig Pottie of Truro, N.S., had been travelling to Halifax — roughly 45 minutes away — every few weeks to receive counselling and treatment for anxiety and panic issues, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, that surfaced following eight years of service in the Canadian Forces. The 45-year-old Pottie said that, starting in July, costs to get to and from his Halifax appointments — which had been covered by Veterans Affairs — were no longer being covered and that years of progress for his issues are lost ….”
• On cuts and CF transformation:  “Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie’s vaunted report on restructuring and streamlining the Canadian military (mainly the army, it seems) is apparently causing shock waves among those who’ve read it. Leslie is now retired, and can speak more freely. He’s quoted in Maclean’s as saying the “tail,” or administrative staff in Ottawa’s defence headquarters, has grown like Topsy and “we’ve got almost as many people in Ottawa as we have in the regular-force deployable army.” One is tempted to ask, “what else is new?” ….”
• Critics want CF recruiting to be done in shabby hovels, then?  “It’s a good time to be in Canada’s military. Despite the nation’s promise to wind down its decade-long military role in Afghanistan, Canadian Forces recruiters are hard at work, hoping to draw a new generation of youngsters in. And, it seems no expense is to be spared. In a time of government cut-backs, and promises of more of the same to follow, Lt. David Utzinger, commander of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Detachment in my town, outlined last week progress being made on the nearly one million dollar renovation of his Fort Street recruiting centre. News Group reporter, Erin McCracken informs the reno, budgeted at $928,000 is expected to be ready for business in time for Halloween, noting the leased space will be expanded more than 35% to approximately 7,000 square feet ….”

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 2 Apr 11

• Libya Ops: “NATO’s operational commander is warning forces attacking civilians in Libya that they would be “ill-advised” to continue such activities. Lt. Gen Charles Bouchard, a Canadian now heading the international operation, says the transition of command from the U.S. had been “seamless with no gaps.” …. Gen. Bouchard said he was “aware” of news reports citing a Tripoli-based Italian Catholic bishop who said that 40 civilians died when a building collapsed during a bombing in the Buslim district of Tripoli. “We are investigating and we will report the details once the investigation is completed,” Bouchard told reporters via videolink from his headquarters in Naples, Italy. “My investigation is to ascertain whether or not NATO forces were involved in this incident,” he said ….”
• If you think it’s LOTS safer in northern Afghanistan than it used to be, you might want to think again.  Canada condemns the violence there here. Meanwhile, still no word where Canada’s training mission will be placing troops in Afghanistan (other than not in Kandahar).
• Flit’s Bruce Ralston disses Michael Yon’s defence of U.S. soldiers charged with assassinating and mutilating Afghan civilians.
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1) – “At least one Ottawa diplomat is privately worried about further price jumps in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, adding another voice to the chorus of governments already expressing concern. The diplomat was responding to a slew of recent news highlighting the price uncertainty around the F-35. Several countries have delayed their purchases until later in the decade, while two national budget watchdog groups have recently concluded that the original cost estimates are far too low. On condition of anonymity, the diplomat said his country is definitely worried about the situation as a result of recent developments. The international JSF program, now expected by a the US Government Accountability Office to cost all participating countries more than $1 trillion after $23 billion in increases since 2007, is exposed to uncertainty due to its dependence on a global supply chain and big orders from over a dozen United States allies ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2) – “…. Canada is ruled by a minority regime which places top priority on war making at the expense of the people. When we go to the polls on May 2, Canadians should send the message to all parties in Parliament that the shocking fighter jet purchase plan is a scandal and must be scrapped immediately.”
• “Two Somali-Canadian women who vanished from Toronto in early January travelled to Somalia and are believed to have joined Al Shabaab, say community members who fear the increasing appeal of this outlawed terrorist group among youth. “No one knows what happened . . . how they were brainwashed,” said Mohamed Gilao of Dejinta Beesha, a Rexdale-based organization that helps Somali-Canadians. “It’s very, very worrying.” It is the first known case of women being recruited by Al Shabaab in North America, sending shock waves through Toronto’s Somali community. Their disappearance is particularly troubling for those still reeling from news of the Tuesday night arrest of Mohamed Hersi, 25, at Pearson airport before boarding a flight for Cairo ….”
• “Canadian troops could be complicit in the deaths of innocent civilians if the government proceeds with weak recommendations in the international treaty to ban cluster munitions, says Canada’s former lead negotiator. Earl Turcotte resigned last month from Foreign Affairs after nearly 30 years in the public service, the last decade of which was dedicated to disarmament issues. Turcotte broke his silence and told The Canadian Press in an exclusive interview Friday that he was removed as the government’s chief negotiator in part because he ran afoul of his superiors after senior U.S. officials complained he was too aggressive in cluster bomb treaty negotiations ….”
• What’s (a NATO country) Buying? A bit more than a year ago, Canada said it was looking for mobile labs to test bits of IED to help figure out where they came from (PDF of screen capture here if link doesn’t work).  This week, we hear “Allen-Vanguard Corporation announced (Thursday) that it has just completed the delivery of its first field deployable laboratory for a NATO military customer that provides complete forensic and biometric, technical and tactical intelligence against IEDs ….” (PDF) – copy of news release also available here if link doesn’t work.

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 12 Mar 11

• DefMin MacKay in Brussels for NATO Meeting (1) – He’s back from a defence ministers’ meeting with this to say about Libya: “…. “Since the crisis began in Libya, Canada has been actively engaged in responding to requests for evacuation and for humanitarian assistance,” said Minister MacKay. “Canada has also emphasized the importance of NATO planning, so the Alliance can stand ready to respond to humanitarian crises as required.” Minister MacKay informed Canada’s allies that Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetown is joining the NATO Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, patrolling the Mediterranean Sea in response to the crisis in Libya. The ships of NATO and other like-minded nations will be monitoring shipping and providing a maritime presence during this time of ongoing instability in North Africa. “Canada is standing with our allies to monitor the current situation in North Africa and will keep working with our allies as the situation continues to develop,” said Minister MacKay. “The versatility of HMCS Charlottetown and her crew allows Canada to be ready at a moment’s notice to carry out humanitarian missions and whatever mandate the international community calls for.” ….”
• NATO’s read of what happens next in & around Libya:  “NATO Defence Ministers …. agreed to increase the presence of NATO Maritime assets in the Central Mediterranean using ships from two of NATO’s Standing Maritime Groups.  “It has been decided to increase the presence of NATO maritime assets in the Central Mediterranean under the command of Supreme Allied Commander Admiral Stavridis, “said the Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen,  in a news conference following the meeting.  “These ships will improve NATO’s situational awareness which is vital in the current circumstances and  they will contribute to our surveillance and monitoring  capability, including with regard to the arms embargo established by the UN Security Council  Resolution 1970”.  Admiral Stavridis will determine the number of ships required to provide this enhanced presence and it is expected that these ships, drawn from the Standing NATO Maritime Group and the Standing Mine Countermeasures Group, will begin moving to the region in the very near term.  Defence Ministers also agreed to have more detailed planning options for humanitarian assistance and support to the arms embargo.  “We  have  also directed NATO military authorities to develop, as a matter of urgency, detailed planning with regard to humanitarian assistance and ,  provided there is a further UN Security Council Resolution, more active measures to enforce the arms embargo”, the Secretary General highlighted.  The topic of a possible no-fly zone over Libya was also discussed and it was agreed that further planning will be required  in case NATO were to receive a clear UN mandate ….”
• DefMin MacKay in Brussels for NATO Meeting (2) – He also did a bit of work with the Americans there as well. “…. While in Brussels, Minister MacKay and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates also took the opportunity to sign a joint Statement of Principles for a Space Situational Awareness Partnership, building on the long history of close defence cooperation between the two countries ….” What are those principles?  Here’s what they were when Australia signed on to the partnership in November of last year.
• NATO DefMins on Afghanistan:  At the same NATO defence ministers’ meeting, the gang decided on which areas in Afghanistan can be protected by Afghan security forces.  Here’s the NATO-speak version:  “….Ministers took a crucial step towards the implementation of Transition – the process by which security responsibility for Afghanistan is gradually transferred to Afghan leadership.  The recommendation will now be conveyed to the Afghan government to decide on the areas that will initiate transition. Transition will commence only once it has been approved by the Afghan government and announced by President Karzai.  They endorsed the recommendations of the Joint Afghan NATO Inteqal (Transition) Board for the first areas to be transitioned to Afghan lead. In doing so, NATO has taken its own decision to move to Phase 4, or the Transition Phase of the operation, in those recommended areas ….” Here’s the easier MSM version: “NATO defence ministers on Friday endorsed a list of the first cities and provinces where Afghan police and soldiers will take control of security — a key element in the West’s exit strategy from the decade-old war. The areas include the provincial capitals of Lashkar Gah, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, as well as all of Bamiyan and Panshir provinces, and Kabul province except for the restive Surobi district. The list was provided by officials and diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue ….”
• GG presents valour, other decorations (anonymously) to Canadian special forces troops for work in Afghanistan.
• Taliban Propaganda Watch: Protest alleged in Kandahar over civilian casualties, and other claimed attacks.
• F-35 Tug o’ War PM visits Ontario high-tech company to highlight jobs coming from F-35 buy (more), and companies in the biz “saluted” PM, saying F-35 is good news.
• Lasers, even the hand-held ones, are not a joke – they CAN damage peoples’ eyes.  “A 26-year-old man accused of pointing a green laser at the Winnipeg police whirlybird says he didn’t realize it was dangerous. Sheldon Friesen had just wrapped up a shift as a cook early Thursday and noticed a helicopter circling near his West End street. He said he recently bought a laser pointer with a green beam for 99 cents on eBay and wanted to test it out. “Just to see the distance. You point it up into the sky and see the beam go forever. I don’t know how far forever is, so I see something in the sky that’s worth reflecting, well why not?” he said. Friesen got something of an answer — fast. From about 1,000 feet up in the sky, the police chopper crew quickly zeroed in on a suspect with a laser, while officers on the ground were dispatched to the 200-block of Toronto Street. “There was about three cars in about five minutes. They weren’t really impressed. They were trying to figure out why I did it,” Friesen said. “It was supposed to be for simple entertainment rather than having to cause someone danger like that.” ….” More on this from the Winnipeg Free Press here.

MILNEWS.ca Highlights – 1 Oct 10

Main website’s on the fritz, so I’m sharing some Canadian military news tidbits that catch my eye here – enjoy!

---

• CBC’s Brian Stewart asks a vital question:  “With our exit in sight, how will we honour those who served?”
• If one believes in reading tea leaves about Canada’s future mission in Afghanistan, Canada’s Ambassador to AFG drops by a northern AFG training centre (with no reference of any any Canadians working there).  Also note all the other police-y stuff on Canada’s AFG page this week:
  – “Questions from a Seventh Grader” (answered by a police Sgt in AFG)
  – “My Experience at a Forward Operating Base” (Attributed to an RCMP constable)
  – “Chiefs of Police Get the Scoop on Canada’s Civilian Policing in Afghanistan.”
  Whatever could it all mean?
• Canada’s outgoing Commander-in-Chief announces bravery awards from action in Afghanistan , shortly before the new Commander-in-Chief is sworn in in Ottawa (text of his installation speech here).
• In Afghanistan, Canada’s TF Commander tells reporters the troops are “gaining momentum” in a push under way in Kandahar.
• Postmedia News’ Matt Fisher looks at Canada’s recent casualty stats:  “While NATO has already suffered its worst year for deaths in Afghanistan, Canada’s fatality rate has dropped more than 40 per cent, according to calculations by Postmedia News.  An analysis derived from statistics kept by iCasualties.org and other sources shows 14 Canadians have died so far this year, compared to 25 during the first nine months of last year, with the rate of decline accelerating throughout the so-called summer fighting season.  Over the past four months, for example, six Canadians have died. There were 13 Canadian deaths during the same four months in 2009, when fighting usually peaks ….”
• Meanwhile, back home, an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for Global TV has this to say from Canadians who responded:  “Most Canadians support Ottawa’s plan to pull out of Afghanistan next year, according to an exclusive poll for Global News.  Sixty-one per cent of respondents to the TV network’s “Canada’s Pulse” poll say all Canadian troops need to come home, while 28 per cent think Canada should leave some troops behind to train Afghan police and soldiers. Just 11 per cent want to extend the mission. As Canada prepares for its 2011 exit, 38 per cent of those polled also say the 152 Canadian soldiers who died there did so in vain ….”
• Adrian MacNair, owner of the Unambiguously Ambidextrous blog, is in Afghanistan – looking forward to reading what he shares.
• Canadian Helicopters is getting a good chunk of business from flying people, beans and bullets around Afghanistan for U.S. Transport Command.
• The Taliban’s latest lies:  Load’s o’ attacks alleged around Kandahar and they deny even tentative approaches to the Kabul regime and NATO (as alleged by some).
• Meanwhile, let’s not forget the work Canadian troops are doing in Darfur and Kosovo.

---

Is Canada Leaving “Kandahar” or “Afghanistan” in 2011?

Maybe I’m reading too, too much into these things, but two things  got me wondering about the future of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.