CBC: Blair urges Canadians to support Afghan mission

[tuvor]

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is urging Canadians to support their troops in Afghanistan, a country that is "one of the front lines of the war against terror."

Speaking to the Canada-U.K. Chamber of Commerce in London, Blair warned that waning public interest or support of the NATO mission in Afghanistan was a clear signal to the Taliban and al-Qaeda that they were winning the conflict of ideas.

"If we let them win, will that make them any less likely to come after us?" he asked, "They're not going to stop. I believe it is absolutely vital that we stay the course, and never let Afghanistan be used again as a training ground for terrorists."

Blair's speech came as the bodies of two more Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan arrived home. In all, 40 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since Canada began an active military role in southern Afghanistan.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/10/16/blair-canada.html

[Bragi]

1. Another Bushite commends Harper

Blair is probably the most disappointing former left-of-centre politician on the planet.

So thorough is his transformation into a hardline Republican right-winger that it is really no surprise that, as he unwillingly leaves office, he finds time to speak kindly of any Bush supporter still standing, like our own George W. Harper.

Well fuck you, Tony, and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

- B

[oblivious]

2. Good news from Afghanistan

Commander barters girl for dog
Fate of a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by powerful armed men on a petty dispute of hound in Ali Abad district of the northern Kunduz province is still unclear since two months.

...a former local commander Mahmud in Ramazani village of Ali Abad district had abducted the young girl named Sanubar. Mahmud handed her over the young girl to Nematullah another resident of the area in return of a hound.

Nematullah along with his son Musa and two other broke into Sanubar's house and abducted her, he said, adding commander Mahmud also assisted him. Mahmud later got the dog from Nematullah and sold it for 15,000 afghanis in Kabul. Zafari said: "I can clearly say district chief of Ali Abad and commander Mahmud have delayed the case to be pursued."

He added despite many efforts he failed to get help of the officials as some high-ups were involved in the case. Zafari said they had received reports that Sanuber had been raped by Mohammad Musa son of Nematullah and her condition was worrying.
http://www.pajhwak.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=26148

Afghanistan's opium production soaring 'out of control,' U.N. agency warns
...Opium production in Afghanistan rose 59 percent in 2006 to a record 165,000 hectares (408,000 acres) — representing 92 percent of the world's opium, according to U.N. figures.

"You can say that Afghanistan is pretty much out of control," Bannerjee said.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/17/news/UN_GEN_UN_Opium_Production.php

150 schools torched so far in 2006
Some 150 schools have been torched during 2006 alone, while more than 200,000 students are staying away from schools due to fear of more attacks, according to officials from the Ministry of Education in Kabul.

Earlier this month, local education ministry officials in southern Afghanistan told IRIN that some 330 mixed schools had been closed in the provinces of Kandahar, Zabul, and Helmand alone, due to fear of attacks and threats from Taliban militants.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d0943f8f8ab30e4cd06287f6234cfa27.htm

Jailed for escaping 'the old man'
...At 13, Shabano is as self-conscious and awkward as any teenaged girl ... Two months ago, she was jailed for running away from an arranged marriage with a 50-year-old man, a deal negotiated by her father before his death. Home for her now is a dark cell containing nothing but a filthy mattress folded up and stacked against the concrete wall.

Shabano has been locked up for breaking her father's deal, an exchange that horrified the girl who refers to her former fiancé simply as “the old man.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061015.wxprison16/BNStory/International/home