Afstan summary

1) Moscow wants Canada to extend its Afghan mission (Google translation)

2) Australian troops in Afghanistan ’for a decade’

3) NATO discusses "super envoy" for Afghanistan; Poland offers helicopters (plus some other possibly quite encouraging news):

NATO foreign ministers discussed Friday the possible appointment of an international "super envoy" to coordinate civilian and military efforts better in Afghanistan.

"Allies believe there is a need for greater coordination across the spectrum," alliance spokesman James Appathurai said.

British media reports have suggested that Lord Paddy Ashdown, a former international envoy in Bosnia, is being considered for the job. But Appathurai said no names were discussed in the NATO talks.

Meanwhile, Poland gave a boost to the NATO military mission in Afghanistan, offering eight helicopters to address a key shortage affecting the allied force of 41,000 troops. The offer includes four aircraft for transport, four attack helicopters and a number of additional troops, Polish and NATO officials said.

NATO also said Jordan has sent troops to join the alliance-led force [emphasis added] in Afghanistan, the first time an Arab nation has publicly agreed to NATO's requests for assistance on the mission...

NATO's top commander Gen. U.S. Gen. John Craddock said last week that he is seeking contributions from Arab nations in North Africa and the Middle East to help train Afghan army units.

Jordan's foreign minister joined the NATO ministers for lunch Friday along with foreign ministers from Israel and five other Arab nations as part of the alliance's efforts to build closer cooperation on counterterrorism and other issues with Mediterranean countries.

Alliance diplomats said that any decision on appointing an international envoy would have to be made at U.N. headquarters. The discussions in Brussels have focused on the possibility of combining the roles of the current civilian representatives of the U.N., NATO and the European Union in Kabul...

Update: Some really encouraging news--the Aussie have promised the Dutch they'll stay with them in Uruzgan until 2010:

Afghanistan: troops to stay on
[but note this from Dec. 9, "Australia denies plan to keep troops in Afghanistan to 2010"; denial seems rather thin to me - MC]

Then there's this:

A deadly Afghan battle like none other

...
More British forces are being used in this action than in any other battle in Afghanistan: anything up to 3,000 of the total force of 7,000 in the country, although commanders refused to be specific.

The plan is for the most difficult house-to-house fighting to be left to the soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) which, with British training, has grown from a ragtag collection of volunteers to a professional force capable of holding its own in battle.

Using Afghan soldiers to help force the insurgents from Musa Qala is meant to send a message - not just to the Taliban but also to the people of Helmand. The main phase of the operation, which involves thousands of British, US and ANA troops, began last week when Nato forces began to encircle the town.

In a series of feints and probing attacks, the British troops from 52 Infantry Brigade, which includes Royal Marines from 42 Commando, soldiers from 2nd Bn the Yorkshire Regiment and the Household Cavalry, began testing rebel defences.

The town has been in Taliban hands for almost 10 months, and the insurgents had prepared heavily fortified bunkers and trench positions, protected by minefields. The size of the force inside is un- known. The Taliban say they have more than 2000 fighters, although the British say 300 is a more realistic figure.

As Nato forces pushed forwards, the Taliban withdrew in a series skirmishes. Apache attack helicopters, working in pairs, began to destroy enemy positions. Larger compounds were bombed by combat jets. Mortar and artillery barrages threatened any rebels venturing into the open.

British commanders call this the "break-in battle". Lt Col Richard Eaton, the Helmand task force commander, said: "We are kicking the door in so that others can enter."

Taliban commanders say they have inflicted many casualties on the British and Afghan forces.

Although this was denied by the Ministry of Defence, The Sunday Telegraph has established that at least two British soldiers have been killed and several wounded, bringing the total number killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 86.

At dusk on Friday, several hundred US airborne soldiers, flying in on helicopters, swept in to the north of the town, and by yesterday, Musa Qala was completely surrounded.

Some time in the next two days, Operation Mar Kardad will enter its final and potentially most dangerous phase when the ANA moves in to flush out the Taliban...

Upperdate: British Army Gurkhas ("troops from Nepal") are fighting with the CF in Kandahar province:

Canadian troops shut down bomb-making facility

More on Gurkhas here and here.