Afghan suicide attack kills 21, 4 Canadian soldiers die

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL176168.htm

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb attack aimed at a convoy of NATO troops in southern Afghanistan killed at least 21 civilians, local officials said, and four Canadian soldiers also died on Thursday.

The four were killed, and 10 more wounded, in three separate roadside attacks in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, Canada's Department of National Defence said.

One Canadian died and four colleagues were wounded in the early hours.

The other three were killed when suspected Taliban fighters opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades near the provincial capital, Kandahar city, just after midday, the International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

[unda cova brutha]

1. we need to bring the troops home NOW!!!!

[cgrindley]

2. Mixed feelings

Canadians are taking a beating in Afghanistan.

Certainly, I support deposing the Taliban, who were worthless and unjust misogynistic theocrats, but Hamid Whatshisname is an utterly ineffective puppet, powerless and basically reduced to the status of president of whatever chair he's currently sitting in. Afghanistan is a mess; ruled by drug lords, it exports heroin all over the globe, is laughably corrupt, and still hasn't managed to get rid of the Taliban.

I remember being terribly let down by their constitution, by their elections, by just about everything. This last week, for example, we've seen the rise of the ministry of thought crimes there again.

Sure it was just to topple the Taliban, but what has happened since is inexcusable.

I'm all for Canadians serving peace, but we've lost at least 23 young people. I just don't see any results beyond the obvious one. I think that it's still worthwhile, but I can't help but think that if the States hadn't randomly invaded Iraq, then maybe Afghanistan might not be so fucked up.

[Benhurst]

3. As of your last election, you are part of the Bush Collective.

[cgrindley]

7. That's not fair

a) I didn't vote for them

b) does that mean that you're part of the Bush collective too?

[Benhurst]

13. Yes. We both are. But neither of us voted to be so. And

I assume we are both struggling against it.

[cgrindley]

15. Absolutely

I have dedicated my life to the cause. I'm a lifelong Liberal and I do what I can.

[NNN0LHI]

4. What is our purpose for being in Afghanistan?

Are we still chasing international terrorists around over there?

Were we ever?

Don

[wuushew]

5. More importantly how do land locked guerrillas threaten the North Atlantic?

NATO is a joke and is nothing more than a convenient tool to side step the U.N. in our attempts to legitimize illegal use of military force in the world.

[cgrindley]

8. Would you have supported a UN mission

to chase out the Taliban when, say, they banned women from attending schools? I would have.

[wuushew]

9. No I am a cynic and cultural relativist

I believe that cultures, traditions and patterns of life are dependant on complex interactions between local geography, resources and forces of history.

It is the height of arrogance to try to change other peoples lives.

Since we will never solve all evil in the world why not dedicate our resources to helping people where it is actually requested and needed like providing mosquito netting, AIDS research money or food relief for famines and the like. As the world's last remaining superpower surely we have not run completely run out of carrot before turning to the stick.

There are many self evident causes in the world that don't reek of white man's burden.

[NNN0LHI]

10. I don't think you are a cynic

I think you are smart.

And not the kind of smart one gets from reading books either.

More like the kind of smart that comes from having been around the block a few times.

Don

[cgrindley]

11. I believe in human dignity

A form of government that denies education to women is not a valid government. A government that destroys important cultural monuments is not a valid government. A government that imposes a religion on its people is not a valid government.

It's not the "white man's burden", it's a human burden.

[NNN0LHI]

12. There is nothing dignified about dropping bombs on top of people though

Don't you see that is the Catch-22 here? Yes if all we had to do was snap our fingers or push a button and all the little kiddies get to go to school any one of us would do that.

But it is not that easy. We have to invade and occupy a country using horrible weapons that maim and kill. And these weapons are not "smart" either. And as long as our soldiers are put into a position where they are unable to distinguish between a bad guy or just some guy protecting his family or home it will never work.

Is it worth it?

Don

[cgrindley]

14. Is it worth it?

Right now, I'd probably say no it wasn't. But it could have been if we'd done it through the UN and had done it properly.

[cgrindley]

6. I don't think we have a coherent mission there

and that's the problem. We should have stepped in much earlier to get rid of the Taliban as a human rights mission. What we're doing there now doesn't really make any sense.