Taliban Almost Retook Kandahar? "Yeah, no, they didn't."

The Canadian Press' version of events:

Governance in Kandahar was pushed to the brink by Taliban bombs and assassinations last spring, an onslaught that at one point saw provincial council members temporarily abandoning the region, newly released Canadian documents reveal.

An extraordinary set of quarterly campaign reviews, prepared by Canadian Forces Expeditionary Command over several months, paint a startling picture of the civilian administration in Kandahar province where Canadian troops operate.

The events of last spring may well foreshadow the kind of battle likely to be fought in the province this spring.

The censored reports were obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws and stand in contrast to the measured, sanitized quarterly reports released by the Conservative government.

Casualties among Canadian and NATO forces always grab headlines back home, but what often goes unappreciated is the carnage taking place on the streets of Kandahar as the Taliban systematically attempted to decapitate the local government.

They came perilously close last spring.

"Most provincial committee members have left (Kandahar city) due to security," said a memo dated April 28, 2009....

The rest of the story, courtesy of Bruce at Flit:

I do quibble with this (from the CP story)....

That perception was something the Afghan government may have brought upon itself by the firing of Wessa’s predecessor, Rahmatullah Raufi, a popular general.

"Politically many Raufi supporters have called for his reinstatement, demonstrating general displeasure with amount of power held by a few individuals in the province," said the quarterly campaign assessment from Oct. 1 to Dec. 8, 2008.

"The removal of Governor Raufi and subsequent replacement with Governor Wessa lends itself to political instability. Violent acts of intimidation directed (censored) impacts governance progress and initiatives."

Within weeks of the firing, the Afghan government lost control of Ghorak district, in the extreme western part of the province.

Absolutely no connection. Ghorak is so isolated from the rest of the province it might as well be the other side of the moon. I doubt anyone in Ghorak could have told you who the governor was, let alone be disappointed by his departure. And Ghorak had been non-permissive to Afghans and ISAF long before the gubernatorial replacement. Just a reporter's coincidence taking the place of causation, there.

Bruce's vantage point?

I was there.

Thanks for sharing that Bruce.