NBC: Defiant School Girls To Taliban: “You Can Spray Us [With Acid] A Thousand Times; We Will Not Stop Going To School”

Defiant School Girls To Taliban: “You Can Spray Us [With Acid] A Thousand Times; We Will Not Stop Going To School”

Students Who Were Injured In A Recent Acid Attack In Southern Afghanistan Are Now “The Faces Of Defiance”

 Watch Last Nights NBC News Story

ANN CURRY: In depth now, a powerful story of courage and a reminder of what is at stake in the war in Afghanistan, a war in which Islamic militants attack young girls whose only offense is going to school. NBC’s Jim Maceda reports now from Kandahar.

JIM MACEDA: Thirteen-year-old Zahara always looked forward to school, to science class and athletics, until one morning last month, walking to the Mirwais Meena Girls’ School in Kandahar with her older cousin Chamsey. Here, just outside the school, her life changed.

ZAHARA: (Through translator) It was Wednesday. We were coming home from school when men on motorbikes drove by and threw something on our face.

MACEDA: Zahara thought it was water, just a prank, until it started to sting.

ZAHARA: (Through translator) My skin became green, then white and I knew something was really wrong.

MACEDA: Her cousin Chamsey screamed and passed out. She and five other girls were hospitalized with burns, all victims of a brutal acid attack by militants. In the eyes of the Taliban, girls are unholy if they go to school.

Colonel MIKE MALLIN: It’s an event that really shook this place up, to be quite frank.

MACEDA: For Colonel Mike Mallin, a former New York cop now training Afghan police here, it was an atrocity.

Col. MALLIN: To see this happen to children just trying to go to school and get an education, better themselves and be part of the future success of this country.

MACEDA: There have been hundreds of school-related attacks in Afghanistan over the past year alone, but nothing like this. Kandahar police say they’ve arrested four suspects, but refused to allow us to see them.

Who does she think did this?

ZAHARA: (Through translator) The enemy did it.

MACEDA: Most of these kids were back in class after four or five days, but their teachers say the mood has changed. There’s still a strong desire to learn, of course, but now that’s mixed with a deep-seated fear.

MACEDA: ‘We’re all afraid,’ said principal Mahmoud Qaderi, ‘but we don’t care. We’ll continue to teach and learn here, and that will defeat the enemy.’ Zahara admits she’s lost the joy to study, but not her dreams.

ZAHARA: (Through translator) I want to be a doctor someday and give something to my country and its children.

MACEDA: Her cousin Chamsey was left partially blind by her acid burns, but her sister had this message for the Taliban.

MACEDA: ‘You can spray us a thousand times; we will not stop going to school,’ she swore, in tears. Two cousins, both victims of terror, and now the faces of defiance. Jim Maceda, NBC News.

(NBC’s “Nightly News,” 12/22/08)

Merry Christmas from ARSIC-South

To all of our family and friends back in the States, Canada, Australia, the U.K., France, The Netherlands, and beyond:

“Merry Christmas to all of the wonderful family and friends of the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command – South,” from the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen deployed in southern Afghanistan.

Thank you for all of your love, encouragement, and support of  Operation Enduring Freedom.

Confiscated Drugs Go ‘Up in Smoke’

Confiscated Drugs Go ‘Up in Smoke’

Story by Lt. Col. Bruno Plourde, RC(S) Liaison Officer to RPAC-South

Photos by Maj. Roy Hunter, Executive Officer, RPAC-South

 

FOB Walton—  Recently Afghan national law enforcement agencies destroyed seized narcotics here, at the Regional Police Headquarters of the Afghan National Police.  Present to watch the seized narcotics go ‘up in smoke’ were the Provincial Governor, Rahmatullah Raufi, the Regional chief of police, Brig. Gen. Ghulam Ali Wahdat, local Afghan commanders and Afghan government officials, members of the Regional Police Advisory Command- South led by Col. John Cuddy, the Commander, to witness more that 40 tons of narcotics and transformation products being destroyed.

 

The drugs and related products destroyed were the result of the collaborative work of the Afghan National Police, the Counter-Narcotic Ministry, the National Development Strategy (NDS), and Afghan Border Police during the last few years.  All illegal drugs (heroin, opium, hashish) and other chemicals were seized during police operations in the different districts of Kandahar Province.

 

This event highlights the success, dedication, and the enduring and collaborative efforts of Afghan Government law enforcement officials in the Kandahar province in their struggle to provide their citizens a drug free, more secure, and stable homeland. 

 

Official breakdown of the load:  140 kg – Heroin; 860 kg – Opium; 9 483 kg – Hashish; 8 171 L – Acid; 22 510 kg – Various chemical products; Total: 41, 174 kg

ANP Give Back to Local Kandahar City School

ANP Give Back to Local Kandahar City School

Story and Photos By Maj. Roy Hunter, Executive Officer, RPAC-South

Kandahar City—  Recently, the Deputy Commander of 404 Maiwand Zone, Afghan National Police (ANP), Brig. Gen. Mirwaise Noorzai, orchestrated a Humanitarian Aid (HA) distribution at a local Kandahar City school.  He was joined by the commander of the region’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Brig. Gen. Yousef Taryaedi, and the commander of the Police Sub-Station in Kandahar City, Precinct 1, Lt. Col. Gulab Shah. 

The school is used by about 200 students during the morning and about 300 students in the afternoon from the local community for ages five through 16.  It took seven ANP Light Terrain Vehicle (LTV) pick-up trucks to carry all the HA supplies to the school, their flat beds loaded to overflowing with the blanket-wrapped packages and boxes of clothing. 

 

Items distributed by the local Afghan Uniformed Police along with members from the Regional Police Headquarters included staples such as food, prayer rugs, and blankets as well as items collected by family and friends of U.S. service members at the Regional Police Advisory Command – South (RPAC-S), such as school backpacks and other school related supplies, small toys, and personal hygiene items. 

 

“This was truly an Afghan police-run event with a small handful of RPAC-S HQ Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors where there to assist with the security and to enjoy the warm greetings of the Afghan children and parents,” Col. John Cuddy, the RPAC-S Commander said after the HA drop was completed.”   

The Main Effort October-December 2008

The latest edition of the ARSIC-South The Main Effort is available.  Please click here to view it: the-main-effort-oct-dec-20082

Camp at Forward Operating Base Dedicated to Fallen Soldier

Camp at Forward Operating Base Dedicated to Fallen Soldier

Story and Photos by 1^st Lt. Amy Bonanno, PAO, ARSIC-South

 

 

Lashkar Gah— Formerly known as Camp Falcon, the American compound here at the British base, was recently renamed in honor of a fallen comrade.  An improvised explosive device (IED) took the life of Cpl. Scott Dimond, on October 13, 2008, in honor of his life the Camp here was recently dedicated to honor his memory. 

 

At the dedication ceremony recently, Lt. Col. Joe Martini, the Helmand Provincial Lead Mentor, said, “Cpl. Scott G. Dimond was the consummate professional.  Cpl. Dimond is no longer with us, but his sacrifice here in Afghanistan will never be forgotten.  This marble tablet serves as a reminder of Scott and his dedication to the mission to bring peace and security to the people of Afghanistan.  I hereby rename Camp Falcon, Camp Dimond.” 

 

Corporal Scott G. Dimond, 39, of Franklin, New Hampshire was killed in action while the convoy he was traveling in came under attack in Kandahar City, Afghanistan.  Cpl. Dimond was assigned to Charlie Company, 3^rd of the 172^nd Mountain Infantry Regiment of the New Hampshire Army Guard. 

Cpl. Dimond was a Police Mentor Team (PMT) member of ‘Easy Rider,’ helping to mentor the Afghan Border Police.   After graduating from Franklin High School, he served on the Franklin Police force for 18 years as an Officer and a Sergeant.   After retiring from the police force in 2006, he joined the Army National Guard. 

 

Cpl. Dimond outdid other Guardsmen during rigorous training prior to mobilizing to southern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, despite being more than twice the age of many other soldiers.  Cpl. Dimond began taking Pre-Med courses prior to leaving for Afghanistan in the hopes he could earn a nursing degree and work alongside his mother caring for aged and injured veterans.

 

Cpl. Dimond will be remembered for being a dedicated father and police officer. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and his four children: Ashlee, Luke, Alexis, and Madison.

 

“Scott, you are missed by all of us, served with honro with us, and will not be forgotten by any of us, “Lt. Col. Martini concluded. 

IED kills three insurgents in Oruzgan

PRESS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES AFGHANISTAN
Kabul, Afghanistan
Phone: +93 (0) 799 51 2919

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2008
Release Number 20081612-01

IED kills three insurgents in Oruzgan

KABUL, Afghanistan – Three insurgents attempted to plant an IED in Deh Rawod district, Oruzgan province, approximately 200 km southwest of Kabul, along a well traveled road when it detonated, killing two of the insurgents. Local villagers reported an explosion to the ANSF, who discovered the dead and wounded.
Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces provided medical attention and transported the wounded insurgent to a nearby Coalition forces medical facility for treatment, but he subsequently died of his injuries.
No ANSF, Coalition forces or civilian casualties were reported.
“The ANSF showed their compassion and professionalism by providing treatment to a wounded enemy,” said Col. Gregory Julian, U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesperson.
-30-
United States Forces Afghanistan’s mission, in coordination with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, is to conduct operations to defeat terrorist networks and insurgents by developing effective governance and building the Afghan National Security Force. Effective security throughout the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan facilitates continued regional stability and increases economic development for the people of Afghanistan.

Gates: More brigades to Afghanistan by summer

Gates: More brigades to Afghanistan by summer
12/11/2008
By LOLITA C. BALDOR The Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The Pentagon is moving to get three of the four combat brigades requested by commanders into Afghanistan by summer, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday as he traveled here to meet with military leaders.

In his most specific comments to date about how soon he will meet the call for up to 20,000 more troops in Afghanistan, Gates said he will not have to cut troop levels further in Iraq to free up at least two of those three brigades for Afghan duty.

At the same time, Gates said a key “course correction” in the Afghanistan war for the administration of President-elect Barack Obama will be to build the Afghan army and better cooperate with Kabul on security operations.

“I think there’s a concern on the part of some of the Afghans that we sort of tell them what we’re going to do, instead of taking proposals to them and getting their input and then working out with them what we’re going to do, so it’s a real partnership,” Gates told reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan. “That’s an important aspect of this, that I think we need a course correction.”

Gates was scheduled to meet with Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, and to gather with U.S. troops in Kandahar.

The meetings come as senior military leaders and the White House are pulling together a broad new military strategy for Afghanistan, one that would shift the focus from the waning fight in Iraq to the escalating Afghan fight.

Gates said he expects the troop levels in Iraq to remain fairly steady through the provincial elections early next year and “probably for some period of time after that.”

While there is wide agreement that the military emphasis will now shift to Afghanistan, long regarded as the secondary priority behind Iraq, there is still debate on how best to do it.

Gates would not detail any of the findings that have surfaced in the strategy reviews. But the push to increase the size of the Afghan army is reflected in at least one of the ongoing studies.

The White House, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the incoming Obama administration and Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, all are conducting their own reviews. Obama has said getting more troops to Afghanistan is a priority.

Gates said he has no details on the expected deployments to Afghanistan next year, adding that he has not approved any orders for specific units. He said the Joint Chiefs may have identified the units, but he’s not aware of those decisions.

He added that he does not know when he will be able to send the fourth requested brigade.

Gates and other U.S. officials have endorsed efforts to pour four combat brigades and thousands of support troops into Afghanistan to stem the spike in violence and tamp down the resurgence of the Taliban.

Officials already had announced that one unit — the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division — would go to Afghanistan in January and that they would try to meet the rest of the troop requirements as soon as possible. But military leaders have resisted disclosing which units or how quickly they would go, saying much depends on how quickly troop levels can be cut in Iraq. A brigade is about 3,500 troops.

The U.S. is working to meet deadlines in its agreement with Baghdad that require combat troops to leave the cities by June and be out of the country in three years. As planned, the number of combat brigades in Iraq is dropping to 14 early next year, and Gates said that level will enable him to get a second brigade to Afghanistan by summer.

He said he’s not sure whether the third brigade will be redirected to Afghanistan from a planned tour in Iraq or if it can be found elsewhere.

Asked whether Marines may be tapped to go, Gates said the decision has not been made.

The top Marine officer, Gen. James Conway, told The Associated Press this week that he believes there is a growing consensus that Marines could be used to fill part of the need in Afghanistan. If approved, he said, some could go there in early spring.

“It’s clear that the Marines want to be in the fight, that’s what you’d expect,” said Gates, adding that it’s clear that the security situation has greatly improved in Iraq’s Anbar province, where the bulk of the Marines are. “I don’t have a problem with Gen. Conway’s desire to have a bigger part of the mission in Afghanistan for the Marine Corps.”

He said he will wait for recommendations from his military leaders.

There are 31,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including 13,500 with the NATO-led coalition and 17,500 training Afghan troops and fighting the insurgency. There are 149,000 troops in Iraq.

Gates’ stop in Afghanistan was designed initially as a farewell tour to visit troops as he prepared to leave office. But that changed when he was asked to stay on by Obama, making Gates the new administration’s Republican holdover in the Cabinet.

During a NATO meeting in October, Gates asked allies to consider increasing troop levels in Afghanistan next year during the elections, a move that has been made for past votes, both there and in Iraq. Gates said the increase would be temporary, and it was not clear how many forces would be needed or who would provide them.

At the same meeting, the allies also agreed on to step up their operations to combat Afghan drug lords who fuel terror networks.

http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/politics-16/122898565342920.xml&storylist=topstories&thispage=1

RCAC Commander Updates Bloggers on the 205th ANA Corps

U.S. Advisor Praises Progress of Afghan Army’s 205th Corps By Navy Seaman William Selby Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2008 – With the help of mentors from several countries and every branch of service, the 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army now can plan and execute operations, a senior advisor said yesterday.“These are Afghan pilots flying Afghan missions in support of the Afghan people,” Army Col. Paul Somersall, commander of Regional Corps Advisory Command in southern Afghanistan, said to bloggers and online journalists during a teleconference. Three of the 205th Corps’ four infantry brigades have been assessed as capable of conducting independent operations with minimal support from their combat advisors. “One of the brigades recently planned, executed and sustained themselves during a seven-day operation where they drove deep into what is called an enemy sanctuary or enemy safe haven to destroy identified enemy forces,” Somersall said. “They were successful leading the operation, with less than 30 mentors and 20 other coalition soldiers, in addition to their 300 ANA ground force,” he said. “That was a great example of ANA’s capability to lead and conduct their own operations.” To train and develop the 205th Corps, Somersall said, the trainers had to earn trust from the Afghan soldiers. “How we do this mission is by establishing strong, trusted relationship with the ANA counterparts, and that is done by living, eating and fighting side by side in combat with our Afghan brethren,” he said. “Depending on the location and the circumstances, mentors are expected to spend between two and 12 hours a day with their counterpart.” Somersall explained that for the mentors to be effective, they must learn how to see the challenges and opportunities through the perspective of the Afghan people. While the mentors and the 205th Corps have concentrated on combat capabilities, they’ve also been meeting with village leaders to find out the needs and concerns of the citizens. The 205th Corps has responded by providing food, water wells, power generation, schools, as well as medical and dental outreach events, Somersall said. One of the challenges the ANA has faced in the past has been logistics support, but that has been resolved and the Afghans are operating on their own, Somersall said. “We’ve moved 90,000 tons of supplies since August using the MI-17 [helicopters], and these are all by the Afghans,” he said. Overall, Somersall said, the Afghan soldiers in the southern region of Afghanistan are tough, experienced fighters who are focused on fighting for their country and supporting the Afghan constitution. “The 205th Corps is committed to winning in southern Afghanistan and doing what needs to be done to grow larger and stronger every day, he said. “I’m convinced that with increased numbers of well-trained mentors and advisors, as well as additional combat enablers of aviation and intelligence assets, we move a bit closer every day to being able to transfer and leave security responsibility to the government of Afghanistan.” (Navy Seaman William Selby works for the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

To listen to Col. Somersall’s interview, click here.  The transcript is available here. 

The North Shore Journal, one of the participants, had this to say. 

http://www.defenselink.mil/Blogger/Blogger.aspx

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/PentagonRadioNetwork/bloggersroundtable

From Brooklyn to Kandahar

From Brooklyn to Kandahar

First Sgt. Steve Hayden, left, and Capt. William Hart are two NYPD police officers serving in Afghanistan.

 

Two New York City cops have gone from fighting crime in Brooklyn to training police officers in Afghanistan.

NYPD Emergency Services Unit officers Steve Hayden and William Hart are serving with the New York National Guard in southern Afghanistan. They are both on leave from the department, working as mentors to Afghanistan’s growing police force.

Capt. Hart, 39, of Westchester, said the recruits have a lot to learn in a short amount of time.

“The Afghan National Police have great expectations placed upon them and they only receive eight weeks of formal training,” he said. “Any police officer in American will tell you that it takes years to be proficient as a police officer.”

First. Sgt Hayden, 45, of Long Island, said many of the recruits are illiterate, which hampers their training.

“Their inability to take notes and refer back to written material, notes and outlines hamstrings their efforts to retain information,” Hayden said. “I am impressed with the Afghan officers’ willingness to engage the enemy and their desire to secure their homeland. If Afghanistan is to stand alone as a nation, on it’s own, it is imperative that the U.S. military provide training, support and guidance that will allow them to secure their own country and prosper as a people.”

Hart said bringing his street smarts to the rugged mountains of Afghanistan has given him a new appreciation for his work.

“The police in America do not have to worry about improvised explosive devices in the road or Taliban coming to their homes at night to kill them because they support the government,” he said.

“All the answers come down to security,” Hart said. “Because the people of Afghanistan feel that there is not enough security, the children do not go to school. If there was more security, the local population would feel more comfortable providing information to the police about criminal activity without fear of retribution.

“This fear is not only in Afghanistan but in New York as well. In certain neighborhoods, the people fear the criminals and do not provide police with information because they are afraid of what will happen when the police are not around.”