Sounds like we are doing better than you thought, KL. Remember, Chomsky predicted we would kill millions there.
Canadians marvel at Kabul's transformation
TERRY PEDWELL
CANADIAN PRESS Toronto Star
KABUL - As Afghanistan wrestles to adopt a new constitution, and the United Nations strengthens its call for more soldiers outside Kabul, Canadian soldiers are noticing dramatic changes in the security and economic well-being of the Afghan capital.
"You can see buildings that weren't there a couple of months ago," said Lt.-Col. Don Denne, the commanding officer at Camp Julien, the largest Canadian Forces base in Afghanistan, as he toured Kabul on Saturday.
"I'm beginning to see new shops everywhere. Some pretty nice houses too."
Even some of Canada's hockey greats, in Kabul to boost the morale of Canadian troops, have recognized the impact the soldiers have had on security in the capital.
"I just talked to my Afghan interpreter, and asked him 'Do you want the Canadian soldiers here?'" Former NHL tough guy Dave (Tiger) Williams said Sunday.
"He said 'They have to stay, they have to stay.' Every day, he says, they're saving thousands of lives."
Williams, former Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean and Cassie Campbell, a gold medallist with the Olympic women's hockey team, met Sunday with Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.
Williams didn't mince words as he revealed his personal thoughts about what the world needs to do in Afghanistan.
"Any countries in the Western world that are not over here supporting this, they should absolutely be ashamed of themselves," he said after touring ISAF headquarters.
"If they're not at least contributing with some funding, I mean, they should get a kick in the ass."
Leslie, the top Canadian soldier in Afghanistan, told the hockey stars that Kabul is relatively secure, but areas outside the capital are still unsafe to drive through.
Williams said Canadians need to understand what their soldiers are dealing with in Kabul.
"If every Canadian could get over here and have a look at what's going on, they wouldn't sleep at night," he said.
Denne believes Canadian soldiers have had a "calming, soothing effect" on the population in Kabul, largely through simple gestures, like smiling and waving as they patrol the city's streets.
"Our presence has been a deterrent because the crime has dwindled away to next to nothing," said Denne.
"I think there's general calm, prosperity and probably security. We're definitely contributing to it."
On Friday, NATO formally authorized the expansion beyond Kabul of its UN-mandated operation to protect Afghanistan's government.
A German provincial reconstruction team, already stationed in the northern city of Kunduz, comes under NATO's command Dec. 31.
As well, U.S. troops plan to set up bases to provide reconstruction aid in provinces plagued by Taliban attacks.
Lt.-Gen. David Barno, the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Saturday the move will make the troubled south and east safer for aid workers and open the way for Afghan elections next summer.
The UN has been clamouring for more soldiers outside Kabul, warning that it may have to pull out of areas where there is too much violence.
There are almost 2,000 Canadian troops working as part of ISAF, looking after security in the Kabul area.
However, no decisions on expanding Canada's presence beyond the city are expected until early in 2004, likely after Prime Minister Paul Martin calls an election.
Most soldiers avoid discussing politics but some do express personal opinions on the benefits of moving outside Kabul.
"I can only speculate that it would improve things," said Master Cpl. Stephen Hopkins of Ottawa as he met Saturday with police officers in the city.
"Elsewhere in the country, if you could have the same presence as we have (in Kabul), it couldn't hurt. It could only make things better."
Delegates attending Afghanistan's landmark constitutional convention are expected to continue arguing this week over the place Islam should hold in the document, and over the powers of the president.
The 500 delegates, 100 of whom are women, are also deeply divided on human rights guarantees, particularly for women.
The issue is so divisive that the UN was forced last week to place a woman delegate, Malalai Joya, under its protection after she openly accused Afghanistan's warlords of ruining the country.
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