Saturday, May 03, 2008

Afstan: Canadians mentoring, Marines fighting...plus corruption

1) A slide-show with audio by the Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith of Canadians patrolling with the ANA; note a Canadian saying "I don't order the ANA" (1:30 remaining--what's the helicopter shown at the beginning and end?). An earlier post on Canadians mentoring the ANA is here.

2) Marines in combat in southern Helmand province, with photos. Here's a post on the Globe's coverage of the Marines.

Meanwhile the Globe today runs this front-page, top of the fold, story that really tells nothing new--but I'm sure the pape'rs editors calculated its negative impact:
Corruption eats away at Afghan government

DOUG SAUNDERS

KABUL — Among the soldiers, diplomats and aid workers who live in Afghanistan, it is the problem that nobody dares mention...
That first sentence is a stunning misrepresentation, as the rest of the story itself demonstrates. In any event just about everybody has been talking about the corruption problem for a long time. This minor example from last December:
[US] Administration officials say the White House has become more concerned in recent months about the situation in Afghanistan, where grinding poverty, rampant corruption...

5 Comments:

Blogger Bob R. said...

Helicopter looks like a Kiowa. Nice slideshow. The problem with the ANA is not their will to fight but coordinating larger actions and logistics.

6:39 p.m., May 03, 2008  
Blogger Gilles said...

Its' a US Army OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. More about it here:
Task Force 'Out Front' Brings Kiowa Warrior Choppers Into Afghan Fight

Makes you wonder what it is about US Kiowas and UH-1s (Griffon) that allows them to be deployed effectively in hot and high Afghanistan when ours cannot'. I don't need to go there, you all know the reasons....

10:51 p.m., May 03, 2008  
Blogger Mark, Ottawa said...

A taxpayer: Thanks very much--but I'm not sure we "all know the reasons".

Mark
Ottawa

10:58 p.m., May 03, 2008  
Blogger Brett said...

Yeah I'm curious to hear "the reasons" too. And a UH-1 and the Griffon are not the same helicopter although the Griffon is derived from the UH-1 lineage.

1:54 p.m., May 04, 2008  
Blogger Mark, Ottawa said...

This earlier post of Babbling's might be looked at:

"Griffons one step closer to Afghanistan?"

Mark
Ottawa

2:03 p.m., May 04, 2008  

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