Kandahar Dispatches

Hello,

To all Canadian Troops serving in Afganistan
You are all doing a great job keep your heads up. I currently have a fiance over seas for the second time, Everyone back home misses him incuding me and his beautiful 16 month old son.
Take Care Jeff and come home soon.

Love you
Erica and Jayden
XOXOXO

To Khan:
By "Free and Islamic Afghanistan" do you mean one ruled by the Taliban, who hold public executions and treat women worse than animals? You should consider yourself lucky to live in Canada with so many freedoms that you seem oblivious to. If this country is so offensive to you perhaps you should move back to Taliban controlled Afghan territory. Then at least your preaching will have legitimacy.

SO... Khan....I recognize your right to comment, since you are in my country. My son is currently doing his best in YOUR country to make if safe for you to go back there anytime. I am proud of him and the people he serves with and the job he is doing his best to do in a strange place amongst unfamiliar people. You should be thankful that there are people in this world willing to stand up for other people's rights even if those people are currently not living in their own country.

This is directed at "Khan" from Toronto and his comments of Canada and its role in Afganistan. You have the right to express religious beliefs openly in Canada but what about in Afganistan. Don't preach from a high horse when your own country won't tolerate any other religion and nearly put to death a man who converted to Christianity. The Taliban's control of women is nothing short of shameful and the destruction of a Budda monument by the Taliban is a great example of what is wrong with your intolerant Islamic Afganistan. The country you live in now is one where everyone from all backgrounds are living together in peace and we are an example of how humans of all beliefs can coexist together in peace. You sound like you dislike the west but yet you live in the west. It's obvious you want to best of both worlds.

Whoa, I cannot believe I am reading this on the CBC web site. For years the Liberals and the CBC were out to defeat our troops. I guess the CBC wants to keep the funding coming under the Conservatives.

I hope that our service people overseas can read this. As a regular working grunt, I cannot express properly my feelings of pride in the duties that my fellow Canadians are doing. I would not take on their job for anything.

From gassing up the LAV's to running pitched gun battles, the people of or armed forces are doing us proud.

To all of you ... stay safe and remember there are those of us that see you as an example of what this great country is.

Go with God.

Dave

i find that there is alot of information about canadian forces in afgan and i like that! i have a nephew just north of kandaharwith the canadians . He is a very brave soldier and we are very proud of him
his name is johnathan williams .johnathan if u see this letter we miss u buddy and keep up the good work and be SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds good. Maybe, just maybe we will be able to put the flag back on our backpack again, when traveling around the world. Really heartening to see that we do things the Canadian way, and not the American way.

I'm glad for CBC Canada's website so that I can see what my countrymen are up to. After a long time out of the military I have decided to get back into the airforce and reading what our soldiers are doing in Afgahnistan makes me proud of them and our forces in general.

Keep up the good work and stay safe all over there.

Speaking of cash payments to Afgan farmers so to make us look like the fair and nice guys, Harper's magazine reports in 2006: Chances that a Guantánamo detainee was turned over to Coalition forces by an Afghan or Pakistani citizen: 9 in 10[Mark Denbeaux, Seton Hall University Law School (Newark, N.J.)]

Average reward that leaflets airdropped over their countries promised for every “terrorist” turned in: $5,000(US$).

What a way to fill a prison. Instant so called "terrorists". Wow.

Well lets change the ratio some. What if the US leaflets were dropped in Canada. At the Afgan $3 a day farmers wage compared to the average Canadian day wage at $75(minimal) this ratio would earn a Canadian US$125,000+(or CAN$145,000+)should he/she turn in a so called terrorist, or neighbour of dislike, or some wandering bum on the street. I am sure many hard up weak Canadians would cash in on this windfall, so creating multitudes of "terrorists". Then maybe we could get or troops out of Afganistan to sort out our own problems, out from under a corrupt US thumb, and out of supporting the UK/USA ---the biggest arms merchants of this war. See the recent Boeing order for 3 or 4 huge transport planes. Our tax $ at work, for who? The UK/USA military industrial complex. Canada and the good old days as peacekeepers went when PM Harper rubber stamped Bushes mad aims as the world's oil henchman.

Tom and associates. My hats off for your jounalistic bravery.

Though I personaly don't know people presently serving in the Canadian Milatary I hold deep respect in my heart for these representatives of Canda.

Give a hello from Squamish will you. Be safe.

Mark

Good to hear some more details about what goes on in Afghanistan. A lot of what happens there seems to reported very vaguely. Obviously some of that is due to necessary military secrecy, but it's good to hear some thing more specifc than "some Canadaian soldiers got engeged the enemy, somewhere in Kandahar province. Things happenned, maybe.".

Great story, giving cash directly to civilians creates more trust than any other thing you can, I hope peace keepers realize the benifits to this.

At last. A story worth remembering. Above all else I believe our soldiers will be remembered for the good things they did in Afghanistan. I don't believe in war but that doesn't stop me from trying to understand the circumstances under which our troops are soldiering on. I especially liked the idea of handing money directly to the Afghani farmers without corrupt officials or organizations getting their hands on it. For this our soldiers deserve a medal. Whoever is responsible for this brain child - kudos.

The politicians concerned would like to keep the taboo of questioning anything re: performance of the troops, intact. It is their invisible shield. They come out with patriotism, not true Canadian, disputing the integrity of forces etc.
I want to break this taboo by asking:
When money is distributed in the manner you described, who keeps the accounting straight and who audits that the money is all used for the purpose it is intended, and not falling into unknown pockets. It is alleged that Billions are missing among the troops in Iraq.
Do we follow the Americans step-by-step blindly or do we have brains.

Thank you so very much for writing such a good article about our soldiers in Afghanistan. I think that it is very important that we get news and video reports regarding our troops ~ their welfare, what they are doing, and where they are doing it. It was extremely interesting to read your report and watch the video, because we do not get this kind of coverage elsewhere. Our soldiers are doing a very hard job extremely well, and it is only in these type of accounts can we know that.

I liked that article from the Canadain Press.You got to love those Journos in Kandahar , especially that million-dollar ride. Take care over there and God Bless The Troops.
DianeMarie

I just read this article and I wanted to say how proud I am of our soldiers in Afghanistan. Thanks is not nearly enough for what you are doing. God keep you all and bring you home to your families safe.

I hope cbc guys will respect the so called freedom of expresion and publish my artical. Any ways What are canadians are doing in Afghanistan in the first place? Are they peackeepers? Are they there to help people of Afghanistan? Wait I have the answers for all the above and I am not afraid if they come to pick me up as a whatever you call. Afghanistan is an occupied country by the most brutal and inhuman forces of the US and canadians are helping the occupiers not the people of Afghanistan. There is a global war being waged by all the Western powers against Islam and Canada is among them. All orders come from Washington, Tel Aviv and London and Canda has no option but to obey. So think O respected people of Canada of your sons whom they die to please others. We Afghans have never accepted outsiders as our Master becuse we have accepted Allah the most high as our Master and God willing we will drive all the outsiders from our land sooner or later but victory is ours God willing so now think again which side you want to be our friend or .... is up to you.
To a Free and Islamic Afghanistan

I really like that Canada gives video reports back about what is happening on the ground there. I wish we could see more of this. This is how to keep the support up for this mission and keep us in touch with our soldiers. I think it is our duty, if we are going to put our troops in harms way, to know what is going on over there. These reports are very important, I think. Stay safe Tom and our brave soldiers.

I am enjoying the little bit of news I have read so far on your site, my son went Feb.8/07 he is artillery, perhaps I will be able to read something on these units soon. He has only had time for a quick text to my phone of " doing fine" and the news and coverage is sketchy unless someone is killed or a large event takes place, the everyday things are good to hear about as well, just so we have some news that isn't black.

Salam,
As one of many individuals who really see the need for Canadian contribution in brining peace and stability in the warn torn Afghanistan, I really salute the Canadian men and women in uniform and wish them all the best. I am sure that history won't forget the sacrifices made by the peacekeepers in Afghanistan and in other areas of the world. Afghanistan has been one of the countries in which the government forces are either not organized/equipped enough to do the job themselves or have so much interference, especially from their neighbors, that it makes it impossible for them to carry out their duties with out assistance from the international community.

All the best and stay safe.

It is interesting to see where my son was during his time in Afghanistan, as he does not say much since his evacuation after stepping on a landmine in Nov 2006 and losing his right foot and suffering serious wounds to his right arm & hand. He is recovering very well and heading back to Petawawa to be with his friends who have just returned from their 6 month mission. He will continue his therapy and looks forward to a normal life. We are extremely proud of our son, Cpl. Mike Barnewall, 1 RCR and continue to support all those who serve our country. God Bless you all and stay safe.

Hi!
Sorry if i got out of the truck that fast in that night but i didn't have time to explain the situation to you and wour buddy!

Hope you had a good ride it will be our plaisure to get you on another ride with us around Kandahar!

Sorry for the heat

The LAV Sentry of 4 Bravo

Thanks for the great story, I just returned from 6 months in Afghanistan, two months at strong point center. I know how tough the conditions are there ( I spent Christmas in my bunker at strong point center).
2 RCR keep up the great work!
Pro Patria.
Sgt Scott. MJ
1 RCR.

No one likes war, and that includes the men and women of our military. But when push come to shove, our Military more than holds its weight. Whether the pacifists that this country has (hello Jack Layton, yes I'm talking to you, and your party) realize it or not, our men and women are once again putting Canada back on the map. They are the ones who show the world what Canada is made of. Dieppe, Vimy, Korea, and yes, even peacekeeping have all been major contributions to defining Canada in the eyes of the world. Now it's Afghanistan.

To the men and women who serve in our Forces, keep up the EXCELLENT work! We the people that realize that you have a dangerous job to do, thank you for it.

Hi, I enjoy your reports very much. My son is in Kandahar with the U.S. Army. We don't get many news reports of the area from US news. It seems Canada is more interested in what is going on where there soldiers are.
So far our son hasn't even gotten internet connections. We miss him very much and reading your reports makes us feel a little closer. Thanks!!

Tom is that your blood type marked on your Press flak jacket? Is that in case of.... for quick access to life-saving measures?
I just saw your report on the $$$ on CBC News in Halifax. Stay safe.