Canadian troops create fragile peace in Panjwai

[career_radio-checker]

Title: Canadian troops create fragile peace in Panjwai
Date: 26 Nov 06
Source: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061126/panjwai_afghanistan_061126/20061126?hub=TopStories
By : CTV Newstaff

It appears that the media is attributing a relative stability in the Panjwai district to in large part the Canadian offensives that took place there this summer. Of course that's not to say all is calm, but from evidence in the newscast there is optimism in the air

Canada's military is taking back Afghanistan one town at a time and has finally managed to create a pocket of peace in the former Taliban stronghold of Panjwai.

The routing of insurgents from there, led by Canadian troops, has been the largest offensive of NATO's involvement in Afghanistan.

"Two months ago, driving into Panjwai without the military's protection would be unheard of," CTV's Steve Chao reported Sunday from Panjwai. "Today, we're greeted by smiling children."

The bazaar in Panjwai is returning to life. Shopkeepers say business is getting better because people are buying things again.

Like many from his community, Agha Lali, Panjwai's leader, fled when Taliban fighters moved into the town, which is 30 kilometres west of Kandahar city.

Now he's back to help secure the fragile peace by meeting with tribal elders to convince them to stop supporting the Taliban.

Before, there were more than a thousand Taliban here," Lali said. "But everyone now is talking about how strong NATO and the Canadians are. We have some peace now. In Panjwai, people have turned their backs on the Taliban."

He's distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Afghanistan's national government to compensate families of civilians mistakenly killed in NATO bombings.

The town bears visible reminders of violence, such as a shop burned out by a suicide bomber. Refugees from fighting in nearby areas ask for help.

"We need food, we need jobs -- we are castaways in our own land," one told CTV News.

"But for the most part, there is a growing mood of optimism and talk of a lasting calm in a community that for generations has only known war," Chao said.

Battles continue in southern Afghanistan

Skirmishes and pitched battles continue on a daily basis elsewhere in Afghanistan, evidence of how precarious the peace is.

Although Panjwai is secure for the time being, attacks occur almost daily in the southern provinces once held by the Taliban.

A NATO soldier and more than 50 insurgents were killed Sunday in four different attacks near the Tirin Kot district of Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. The soldier's nationality has not been released.

A suicide bomb attack at a restaurant in the Urgun district of southeast Paktika province on Sunday also killed 15 Afghans and wounded 24.

It's believed that the bomber, a Pakistani, was targeting an Afghan special forces commander and a district chief who were at the restaurant. Both were injured in the attack.

NATO figures show that as of mid-November, 217 people have been killed in 97 suicide attacks.

Afghan army and NATO soldiers came under Taliban fire in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar on Saturday, injuring four NATO soldiers. NATO ordered a retaliatory air strike that killed about five insurgents.

And in Zabul province next door, about 50 insurgents launched an attack on the Arghandab district chief's compound Saturday. They fought with police for an hour. One Taliban died and three were wounded, district chief Fazal Bari told The Associated Press. There were no police casualties, he said.

Insurgents also ambushed a police convoy Saturday night on the main Kabul-Kandahar highway in Zabul province. In an exchange of gunfire with police, one insurgent was killed.

With a report from CTV's Steve Chao and files from The Associated Press

On a personal note, I take great pleasure in posting this. In the furver of a hectic exam preparations and essay writting, I am reminded of how minuscule my own problems are in relation to other places in the world, and especially by soldiers a world a way who I get to share a uniform with.

This brought a genuine smile to face as I watched the newscast because I knew that some way or another the fighting would pay off. And that all naysayers would have their foots in their mouths when a calm (the best way to describe it) finally sets in.

My hat is off to all those who fought the good fight and those who continue the fight. Excellent job to you men and women. Keep up the good work. Word is spreading here in Canada of your success and the memories of those who died in this particular region will not go unnoticed.

I'm smiling right now. Good Job and keep it up 

C_R-C