10 Taliban Arrested in School Girl Acid Attack Nov 26, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Afghan police have arrested 10 Taliban militants involved in an acid attack this month against 15 girls and teachers walking to school in southern Afghanistan, a provincial governor said Tuesday. "Several" of the arrested militants have confessed to taking part in the acid attack, said Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi ... The attackers squirted the acid from water bottles onto three groups of students and teachers walking to school in Kandahar city on Nov. 12. (Newsmax)
Taliban not talking peace Nov 25, 2008
During Taliban rule (1996-2001), Rahmani was governor of Kandahar province, the Taliban's spiritual heartland ... How did you became governor of Kandahar province ... I am a former governor of Kandahar province. (Asia Times Online)
S Korea denies hostage payments Nov 25, 2008
HOSTAGE TIMELINE 19 July: 23 South Korean Christian volunteer aid workers seized on a bus between Kabul and Kandahar 26 July: One male hostage shot dead - identified as Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, a church pastor and leader of the group 31 July: Another male hostage, Shim Sung-min, a 29-year-old former IT worker, found dead 10 August: South Korean officials and Taleban start talks 14 August: Two female hostages handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross as a goodwill gesture - leaving 19... (Yahoo News -- South Korea)
Afghans arrest schoolgirl acid attackers Nov 25, 2008
President Hamid Karzai ordered the arrest of the culprits and said they would be executed in public after the attack on eight schoolgirls and four female teachers in the southern city of Kandahar this month ... "The attack was the work of the Taliban and we have not finalised our investigation," Daud told reporters in Kandahar. (International Herald Tribune)
Karzai's death-penalty dilemma Nov 25, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN In a counterweight to his image as too gentle a leader, incapable of dealing with the rising instability, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has resumed signing death warrants and responded to the recent acid attack against schoolgirls with a vow to kill the perpetrators in public ... People speak more clearly on the streets of Kandahar city. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Rise in crime, kidnapping, top Afghans' worries Nov 25, 2008
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Hajji Habib Lal is a successful businessman in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, importing fine ceramic plates from Germany and France ... For his part, businessman Lal in Kandahar says there is much work to be done. (Christian Science Monitor)
10 Arrested In Acid Attack On Afghan Girls Nov 25, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 25, 2008 ... "Several" of the arrested militants have confessed to taking part in the attack earlier this month, said Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi ... The attackers squirted acid from water bottles onto three groups of students and teachers walking to school in Kandahar city on Nov. 12. (CBS News -- World)
U.N.: "Grave Abuses" Against Afghan Youth Nov 25, 2008
On February 17, 2008 in Kandahar province, six children were among the 67 people killed in a suicide bomb attack. On April 6, 2008 in Doab, a joint operation of the international military forces and the Afghan National Army reportedly resulted in at least 18 civilian deaths, including 4 women and 7 children, and as many as 150 homes destroyed. (CBS News -- World)
Military plans continual harassment of Taliban Nov 24, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Canadian and international troops plan on a continued campaign of harassing the Taliban in southern Afghanistan during what traditionally have been the slow winter months ... Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, is taking the approach that the best defence is a good offence ... There have been a number of operations, both big and small in the volatile Zhari, Panjwaii and Arbhandab districts in the regions surrounding Kandahar city in recent months. (Globe and Mail)
Eight Canadian soldiers hurt north of Kandahar Nov 23, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan The ever present danger on the dusty roads of Afghanistan an improvised explosive device provided a much-too-close call for eight Canadian soldiers Friday. The soldiers were on patrol in the Arghandab district, north of Kandahar city when their armoured vehicle struck an IED. ... All were immediately airlifted to a medical facility at Kandahar Airfield for treatment. (Globe and Mail)
Poor security imperils Afghan vote, report warns Nov 22, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN The impending elections in Afghanistan risk being undermined by poor security and other problems that could make the votes a flashpoint for ethnic and tribal feuds, according to an unpublished study. The 21-page briefing paper by Grant Kippen, a Canadian who previously chaired the country's Electoral Complaints Commission, calls on the international community to immediately take a greater role in protecting the elections' legitimacy. (Globe and Mail)
US looks set to extend Afghan commitment Nov 22, 2008
The meeting in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia in Canada, involved defence ministers of nations in the International Security Assistance Force regional command south whose troops operate in the provinces of Oruzgan, Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul which have seen intensive fighting with Taliban insurgents. Currently, Australia has about 1,100 troops in Oruzgan province. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
More troops for Afghan Nov 22, 2008
MacKay said Canada "would very much like to see other NATO countries engaged" in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, where its forces are currently set up, but scheduled to leave in 2011. "While there is volatility everywhere, Kandahar province ... is an area that we are very happy to see more troops coming in," he said, adding: "This is about reinforcement, not replacement.". (iAfrica.com)
US charges defense contractor with Afghan killing Nov 21, 2008
On Nov. 4, Ayala was on patrol about 50 miles west of Kandahar when an Afghan civilian named Abdul Salam ignited a pitcher of fuel and threw it on social scientist Paula Loyd, according to the affidavit. Ayala helped subdue and arrest Salam, who was restrained and placed in plastic handcuffs, according to the affidavit. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Use of nuclear weapons more likely in future: US intelligence Nov 21, 2008
AFP/File US soldier searches for insurgents during a patrol of Afghanistan's Kandahar province in 2007. The. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Interrogator Says Bin Laden Driver Heard Sept. 11 Briefing Nov 21, 2008
Hamdan first met bin Laden around 1996 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, after he was recruited by a close bin Laden associate, Soufan testified. Hamdan rose through the ranks, becoming a trusted weapons courier and bodyguard, said Soufan, who also narrated for jurors a video from a 1998 al-Qaeda news conference held for Pakistani journalists. (Yahoo News -- Terrorism & 9/11)
Is Kashmir key to Afghan peace? Nov 21, 2008
And it has taken the provocative step of opening consulates in two cities sitting on the border with Pakistan Jalalabad and Kandahar. Pakistan claims Indian intelligence agencies are using these consulates as bases, though it has never made this evidence public. (Christian Science Monitor)
A woman's lot Nov 21, 2008
In Kandahar last week, eight exuberant teenage girls on their way home from school were sprayed with acid by two men who came alongside them on a motorcycle ... At the end of September Malalai Kakar, who was celebrated for her gun-toting courage as the chief of the women's police in Kandahar, was assassinated by the Taliban as her 15-year-old son drove her to work. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
* Afghans push for return to public executions Nov 20, 2008
But at the weekend he told reporters he would consider public executions for those behind an acid attack on schoolgirls in the southern city of Kandahar last week. If advised by the Supreme Court and religious clerics, I will accept public execution so people can see those who have carried out such barbaric acts. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Canadian air wing takes flight in Afghanistan Nov 19, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN Two rented helicopters lifted into the orange sky over Kandahar at dawn yesterday, their flight marking the first time Canadian troops have received support on the front lines from their own aircraft ... "Resulting from the Manley report last spring, Canada decided to deploy what we're calling some new air capabilities," said Colonel Christopher Coates, Canada's recently arrived Air Wing Commander for Kandahar. (Globe and Mail)
Ask Christie Blatchford about Fifteen Days Nov 19, 2008
Ms. Blatchford has done four tours of Afghanistan since Canada took over the major security role in Kandahar province in 2006. Related Articles. (Globe and Mail)
Al Qaeda: Dont Be Fooled By Obama Nov 19, 2008
Zawahiri referred to a U.S. airstrike that killed 37 people in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Nov. 3, saying it took place last Monday. . (CBS News -- 60 minutes II)
Afghan Air Force takes off, slowly Nov 19, 2008
His hope is that the next time these pilots head to Kandahar, they will read it, too. An American pilot will not take off without a preflight routine taking no less than 90 minutes including checking weather forecasts, intelligence reports, and briefing his crew. (Christian Science Monitor)
Taliban rejects Afghan's offer to talk Nov 18, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban militants rejected an offer of peace talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying yesterday there would be no negotiations until foreign troops leave Afghanistan. Karzai offered Sunday to provide security for Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he enters negotiations and said the United States and other Western nations could leave Afghanistan or oust him if they disagree. (Boston Globe)
Afghanistan I: Scarred forts and sandbagged pubs Nov 18, 2008
There's the Afghanistan at war, to the south, particularly in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. But there's an Afghanistan at peace, with varying levels of stability from jittery, paranoid Kabul to the carefree Mazar-i-Sharif in the north - Afghanistan's fourth largest city - where I spent most of my time during a reporting trip in May. (International Herald Tribune)
Taliban Spurn Afghan President's Offer For Talks Nov 18, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2008. Text Size: (AP) Taliban militants rejected an offer of peace talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying Monday there would be no negotiations until foreign troops leave Afghanistan. (CBS News -- World)
Afghanistan offers to protect Taliban leader during talks Nov 17, 2008
Omar rose to power in the southern province of Kandahar in the mid-1990s after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan plunged the country into a chaotic civil war. A fierce military commander who was wounded several times in battle, Omar ruled the country until the fall of the Taliban government in 2001. (Boston Globe)
Acid Attack On Afghan Schoolgirls Causes Fear, Anxiety Among Parents Nov 17, 2008
Three girls sustained severe burns in the southern town of Kandahar earlier in the week when unknown men sprayed acid on up to 15 girls ... Classes have been cancelled in Kandahar s Nazo Ana high school for girls as most of its students and teachers have decided to stay home after hearing about the acid attack ... Kandahar schoolgirls are easily recognizable with their uniforms of white tops, black trousers, dark coats, and headscarves. (EurasiaNet.org)
Why hasn't the U.S. gone after Mullah Omar in Pakistan? Nov 17, 2008
Latest Political Stories. Latest World Stories. (Anchorage Daily News)
Supply trucks resume travel in Khyber Pass Nov 17, 2008
The violence in the region continued Monday when an Afghan official said a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a government office in Kandahar province, killing two policemen and a civilian. It was not possible to confirm exactly what was being transported in Monday's convoy. (Globe and Mail -- International)
U.S. Supply Line From Pakistan Reopens Nov 17, 2008
The violence in the region continued Monday when an Afghan official said a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a government office in Kandahar province, killing two policemen and a civilian. Across the border in Pakistan, a suicide car bomber attacked an army post in the northwest on Monday, killing at least three people, while violence elsewhere in the region left at least five suspected militants dead. (CBS News -- World)
Afghan girl says acid attack won't stop her lessons Nov 16, 2008
The girl, who gave her name as just Shamsia, was the most seriously injured of a group of girls attacked outside their school by unidentified men in the southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday. "I'll continue my schooling even if they try to kill me. I won't stop going to school," Shamsia said from her bed at Afghanistan's main military hospital in Kabul. (Reuters)
Taliban Blamed for Acid Attack on Afghan Schoolgirls Nov 15, 2008
Nov. 14: Shamsia Husainai, 17, rests on a hospital bed in Kabul after an acid attack on her Wednesday in Kandahar, Afghanistan. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan No students showed up at Mirwais Mena girls' school in the Taliban's spiritual birthplace the morning after it happened. (Fox News)
The week in seven stories Nov 15, 2008
Earlier in the week, three Afghan girls walking to school in Kandahar City were seriously burned when two men on a motorcycle. Selling assets. (CBC.ca)
Girls at Afghan school sprayed with acid Nov 15, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan No students showed up at Mirwais Mena girls' school in the Taliban's spiritual birthplace the morning after it happened. A day earlier, men on motorcycles attacked 15 girls and teachers with acid. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Civilians caught up in Afghan bombing Nov 14, 2008
The market bombing outside Jalalabad came a day after a massive truck bombing in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar that wrecked a government compound, killed six people and injured more than 40 others. Also Wednesday, two suspected insurgents on a motorbike threw acid at a group of schoolgirls on the outskirts of Kandahar, two of whom were hospitalized with burns ... The United Nations condemned yesterday's bombing, together with the previous day's attacks in Kandahar. (Boston Globe)
* Bomb attack kills 11 in Afghanistan Nov 14, 2008
Also on Wednesday, suicide bombers struck in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar killing more than 10 people. Taliban spokesmen could not be contacted for comment. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Afghan schoolgirls acid attack Nov 14, 2008
November 14 2008 Acid has been sprayed in the faces of two young sisters on their way to school in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Video Duration - 00:01:11). (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
The dearth of security Nov 14, 2008
I thought the "double standard" mentioned in a Globe and Mail editorial after the release of kidnapped CBC reporter Mellissa Fung might refer to all the security resources available to Western mainstream journalists, versus their absence among ordinary Afghans, such as schoolgirls blinded by acid in Kandahar ... After Wednesday's acid attacks in Kandahar, and a separate suicide bombing that left six dead, Canada's commander there said, "The vast majority are delighted that we're here, trying to... (Globe and Mail)
Taleban vow to win Afghan fight Nov 14, 2008
He denied they were behind this week's acid attack on schoolgirls in Kandahar. The spokesman denied his movement financed itself from the drugs trade, a statement our correspondent says is unlikely to be taken seriously in Western capitals. (BBC News -- South Asia)
19 killed and dozens wounded in attack on U.S. convoy in Afghan market Nov 14, 2008
On Wednesday, a tanker truck packed with explosives detonated outside the provincial council office in Kandahar, Afghanistan's largest southern city, killing the driver and at least six other people and wounding more than 40 others ... C.J. Chivers contributed reporting from Kabul, Taimoor Shah from Kandahar and Alan Cowell from London. (International Herald Tribune)
Acid attack blinds Afghan student: Nov 14, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN Before yesterday, Shamsia had dark brown eyes and smooth skin the colour of wheat ... She was wearing only a head scarf that exposed her face, a bold choice for a teenage girl in Kandahar ... It was a day of many tragedies in Kandahar, with a truck bombing that killed six people, but the loss that may reverberate the most for war-weary residents is those beautiful eyes. (Globe and Mail)
Ottawa moves to block detainee-transfer hearings Nov 14, 2008
They also have blacked out details of torture allegedly administered personally by Asadullah Khalid, the governor of Kandahar province and a key Canadian ally. While there were several instances of ordinary Canadian soldiers and junior officers refusing to turn over prisoners to Afghan police or army units because they feared the detainees would be killed or tortured, senior officers and ministers long maintained that adequate safeguards were in place. (Globe and Mail)
Taliban kill mullah critical of suicide attacks Nov 14, 2008
AP A pile of seized drugs is destroyed guarded by Afghan police in the Kandahar, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov.. KABUL, Afghanistan Suspected Taliban militants killed a religious leader in western Afghanistan after he criticized the use of suicide attacks as a weapon of war in the country, an Afghan official said Friday. (Yahoo News)
The new Baghdad Nov 14, 2008
Death and mayhem were the companions of remote provincial centres, such as Kandahar and Jalalabad ... Then there was the twin attacks of great cruelty in Kandahar the previous day: the detonation of a fuel tanker packed with explosives outside a government office, which killed six people, and the blinding of two school girls by two men on a motorcycle, who sprayed battery acid in their faces. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Six killed at Afghan government office Nov 13, 2008
Taliban militants were blamed for the bombing yesterday in Kandahar ... KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber driving an oil tanker detonated his explosives outside a government office during a provincial council meeting yesterday, killing six people and wounding 42, officials said ... Rahmatullah Raufi, governor of Kandahar province, said that among the dead were two intelligence agents, a police officer and three civilians. (Boston Globe)
Bikers spray eight Afghan school girls with acid Nov 13, 2008
Atifa Bibi, an Afghan school girl, recovers in a hospital after two men on a motorbike threw acid on her in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 ... An Afghan man look at a damaged vehicle after a car bomb exploded next to an Afghan government office in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 ... Afghan police officers stand guard after a car bomb exploded next to an Afghan government office in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. (CTV.ca)
Acid attack on Afghan schoolgirls Nov 13, 2008
Attackers in Afghanistan have sprayed acid in the faces of at least 15 girls near a school in Kandahar, police say ... "Kandahar is not safe. But we can't stay at home, we want an education.". (BBC News -- South Asia)
S Korea denies hostage payments Nov 13, 2008
HOSTAGE TIMELINE 19 July: 23 South Korean Christian volunteer aid workers seized on a bus between Kabul and Kandahar 26 July: One male hostage shot dead - identified as Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, a church pastor and leader of the group 31 July: Another male hostage, Shim Sung-min, a 29-year-old former IT worker, found dead 10 August: South Korean officials and Taleban start talks 14 August: Two female hostages handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross as a goodwill gesture - leaving 19... (Yahoo News -- South Korea)
Suicide, acid attacks rock Kandahar Nov 13, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan A top Canadian commander Wednesday accused the Taliban of acting in desperation as a suicide bomber killed six people outside a government office in Kandahar city and unidentified attackers threw acid on a group of girls walking to school, a grisly assault even by Afghan standards. The girls were on their way to Mirwais Minna Girl's School in Kandahar when they were attacked by two men on a motorcycle ... Afghan police officers stand guard as an injured man leaves a... (Globe and Mail)
The Globe Roundtable Nov 13, 2008
Yet another reminder of the deteriorating security situation there as was a major suicide bomb blast today in Kandahar. And yesterday we had families of fallen soldiers in Kandahar for Remembrance Day and a very moving ceremony ... They can't go to Kandahar. (Globe and Mail)
Shining star Nov 13, 2008
His unit was providing security for a long range convoy from Kabul to Kandahar when it was ambushed. The first sergeant for Delta Company was credited with direct actions that lead to the repulsion of enemy forces without the injury or death to U.S. forces. (Hudson Register Star, NY)
Suicide blast kills 11, wounds 70 more in E Afghanistan Nov 13, 2008
The previous one which rattled southern Kandahar city on Wednesday left six persons dead and injured over 42 others. Taliban militants fighting Afghan and international troops based in the war-torn nation have claimed responsibility for both the attacks. (Xinhuanet, China)
Suicide Bomber Targets Afghan Gov't Office Nov 13, 2008
At Least Six Dead, 42 Injured Kandahar Attack; Resurgent Taliban Blamed. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 12, 2008 ... Six people died and 42 were wounded in the blast, said Rahmatullah Raufi, the governor of Kandahar province. (CBS News -- World)
21 killed in attack on US convoy in Afghanistan Nov 13, 2008
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber driving a tanker truck hauling oil detonated his explosives outside an Afghan government office during a provincial council meeting in the southern city of Kandahar, killing six people and wounded 42, officials said ... Two members of the provincial council were wounded in the attack, said Kandahar's Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Bomb rocks Afghan government office Nov 12, 2008
Kandahar attack occurs hours after men throw acid on six schoolgirls ... KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A car bomb explosion ripped through an Afghan government office during a provincial council meeting Wednesday in this former Taliban stronghold, killing at least three people and wounding 28, officials said ... The attack in the southern city of Kandahar also flattened two nearby homes and damaged the nearby offices of the country's intelligence service. (Huntington WSAZ-TV, WV)
Countrywide ceremonies honour dead from all wars Nov 12, 2008
Myself, originally a Quebecer, became a true and proud Canadian the day I saw our flag upon returning to the Canadian camp after a tough day in Kandahar. I remember that on Remembrance day last year, my family and I drove to the ceremony at the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa. (CTV.ca)
Cropseyville Guardsman receives Bronze Star Nov 12, 2008
Meltz's unit, Company D of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, was traveling in a long convoy from Kabul to Kandahar when it was ambushed by enemy fighters. Meltz, 38, and the company commander, Capt. Joseph Merrill of Binghamton, provided leadership and "direct actions that led to the repulsion of enemy forces without injury or death to U.S. forces," the Army said Tuesday. (Albany Times Union)
Suspected bomb wounds 15 in south Afghanistan Nov 12, 2008
At least 15 people were wounded in a suspected suicide bomb attack near two government buildings in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday, police and a government official said. The blast hit between Kandahar's main intelligence office and a compound used by the provincial government council, said Zalmai Ayoubi, a spokesman for Kandahar's governor. (International Herald Tribune)
Families visit Afghanistan to honour fallen soldiers Nov 12, 2008
The families of fallen Canadian soldiers took part in Remembrance Day ceremonies at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 ... A Canadian soldier stands with his head bowed prior to the beginning of Remembrance Day ceremonies at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 ... The families of six Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan honoured their memory in an emotional ceremony at Kandahar Air Field on Tuesday. (CTV.ca)
Interrogator Says Bin Laden Driver Heard Sept. 11 Briefing Nov 12, 2008
Hamdan first met bin Laden around 1996 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, after he was recruited by a close bin Laden associate, Soufan testified. Hamdan rose through the ranks, becoming a trusted weapons courier and bodyguard, said Soufan, who also narrated for jurors a video from a 1998 al-Qaeda news conference held for Pakistani journalists. (Yahoo News -- Terrorism & 9/11)
2 dead as blast rocks government office in Kandahar Nov 12, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN Officials say a car bomb ripped through a compound of government offices in the southern city of Kandahar, killing two people ... Dr. Amayun Shafi at a Kandahar hospital says two people died and 28 were wounded. (Globe and Mail)
A long, painful pilgrimage for a fallen son Nov 12, 2008
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN Peter and Reine Dawe travelled halfway around the world to see what their son saw, to breathe the same air, to try to make peace with their loss and to remember. The trek from Kingston to Kandahar is an achingly long trip for a short stay, but the Dawes never questioned making it this week to mark the place where their youngest son, 27-year-old Captain Matthew Dawe, drew his last breath ... I want to see what was the last thing he saw, an emotional Ms. Dawe said after... (Globe and Mail)
Canada honours war dead Nov 12, 2008
In Afghanistan, the families of six Canadian soldiers gathered at the cenotaph inside the Canadian compound at Kandahar Air Field. The families laid wreaths emblazoned with the words Fallen Soldier. (Globe and Mail)
Taliban hijacking threatens key NATO supply route Nov 12, 2008
One in the south connects Quetta to the Afghan city of Kandahar, but it makes little sense for supplying NATO forces in and around Kabul, the capital. This route would be an extra few hundred miles, and it passes through even less secure territory. (Christian Science Monitor)
