On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 13)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

July 12 (excerpts):

...The Hazara, of any Afghan ethnic group, may have suffered the most under the Taliban ... If there is any group of people in Afghanistan who should be thankful for the defeat of the Taliban and appreciate the current occupation, it is the Hazara people. So we will be asking people in Bamiyan if this is the case.

... I hesitate to guess at the ratio of women to men, but we might see only one woman to every seventy-five or even a hundred men in the streets. The pale blue burka is still a common sight in the streets of liberated Kabul and I have never seen a woman without at least wearing a headscarf and this will often be pulled across her face, although this may be as much to filter dust as to protect a woman's modesty. As some of the female students we have talked to have stated; a foreign occupation will not change the way people think.

...Hamayon explains that the destruction of the Buddha statues [by the Taliban regime in early 2001] was the culmination of a cultural ethnic cleansing that has been occurring for centuries. The Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan have in the past frequently ordered destruction of the many art works of Bamiyan that feature the faces of people with Hazara features. The facial features and skin-colouring of Hazara people are similar to the people further east in China and other regions of East Asia, whereas the Pashtun people share the features and colouring of the peoples of the Indian sub-continent and many Tajiks have European features. The Mughal Aurangzeb destroyed the faces of the Buddha statues in the 17th century and the destruction of the frescoes adorning the hundreds of caves that honeycomb the cliffs has been an ongoing project that was only completed in recent years. (complete entry here)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 12)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 28 (excerpt):

... The ISAF convoys bully their way through the streets intimidating drivers to make way on the road. We have heard reports of the large ISAF armoured personnel carriers purposely hitting other vehicles and in some cases driving over top of cars and crushing them in order to get through traffic. Apparently the ISAF drivers are instructed not to stop and cannot stop even if they have caused injuries. One man told us about his friend who was struck by an ISAF vehicle as he rode his bicycle; he was left on the road to die... (full entry here)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 11)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 27 (excerpts):

...Privatisation is an important issue for Afghanis. Like every other Western-controlled state-building project in recent years, the international financial community demands the privatisation of state enterprises in Afghanistan. The Land Titling and Economic Restructuring of Afghanistan (LTERA) estimates at least 14,550 people will be put out of work during the restructuring process. The World Bank and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation have guaranteed a "Social Safety Net" for terminated state employees, but I suspect, based on my research in Guatemala and reams of analysis by researchers elsewhere, these severance payments will not adequately compensate families...
If the experience in Afghanistan will be like elsewhere, it is highly likely that many of these state jobs will not actually disappear, but will instead be casualised during privatisation – merely transformed from steady, relatively well-paying pensionable work with benefits to become contingent casual work. I also suspect, as in other cases around the world, the official estimates of the number of workers likely to be
terminated is likely unrealistically low... (full entry here)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 10)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 25 (excerpts):

[Attempting to interview students at a teachers' college:] The dean was satisfied we posed no threat, but decided to assign one of his colleagues to select students to talk to us. ...

As it turned out the teacher who selected the students and then stayed to supervise the interviews was dissatisfied with his own selection. He continually advised his students not to talk about politics; nonetheless, the students did. They complained there is no library or internet connection, the buildings are falling apart and furniture and supplies are insufficient. After a few comments like this the teacher considered too political, he summoned the police to escort me off the campus. As it turned out it was worthwhile playing along with the dean's charade of academic freedom.

... In the last few years walls have been built around all the postsecondary schools and large contingents of police are posted at the gates. While these security procedures are supposedly to protect the students, some students believe it is to protect the regime from a potential student revolt

...On a number of occasions people have remarked that at least when the Soviets occupied Kabul they built urban infrastructure, homes, factories, schools and theatres. In Kabul today, the most obvious construction projects are hotels, shopping centres and huge private homes that are displays of ostentatious wealth, but do little to improve the lives of most people. These displays of wealth do, however, seem to stir resentment among the poor majority, judging by the small number of people we have talked to... (complete entry here)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 9)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 24 (excerpts):

[At Kabul University, seeking students to interview:] ... we found a broad range of views among the students – a contrast with yesterday in the market where, with one exception, the men we interviewed are vehemently opposed to the Western occupation.

... We found more support for the Western occupation among students today than on our last visit to the university. Some students expressed unqualified support, regardless of the large numbers of civilian casualties...

Several women pointed out that while they have personally benefited since the occupation began, they recognise that their privileged position is not typical and most people in Afghanistan are not benefiting from the occupation... (complete piece here)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 8)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 23 (excerpt):

...We moved to another location in the market where we were able to conduct a number of interviews. The poor Kabulis on the street demonstrated considerable knowledge and intelligent analysis of the situation their country is in. With the exception of an English-speaking Pakistani man, none of the people we interviewed support the Western occupation. These people are extremely frustrated by what they perceive as the self-serving strategy of the Western powers. [complete entry here]

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 7)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 21 (excerpt):

...A UN worker who works throughout Afghanistan we met with informally states it has become evident to him and his co-workers in their travels that both the U.S. and Britain have made deals with the Taliban. He says he feels sorry for the Canadian soldiers, because they are taking the brunt of what he thinks is an American and British strategy to maintain Taliban strength by deliberately maintaining the Taliban supply lines.

However, the many anecdotal stories alleging covert relationships are unlikely to be proven for many years just as other covert operations around the world including past American support for both the Mujaheddin and the Taliban only came to light years after occurring.
... [complete entry here]

Dutch want out while Brits face WW2 casualty rate

A recent poll conducted for Radio Netherlands Worldwide finds that almost 55% of Dutch citizens (polled at home and abroad) want to see their troops pulled out of Afghanistan at the end of their current commitment next year. Dutch troops are upholding the NATO mission in Uruzgan province, next door to Kandahar, where Canadian Forces operate.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that the British military operating in Helmand province (also next door to Kandahar) is suffering a casualty rate (deaths plus serious injuries) of 10%. "Senior officers fear it will ultimately pass the 11 per cent experienced by British soldiers at the height of [World War 2]." The figure represents a tenfold increase in British casualties in the past six months. British troops in Iraq, meanwhile, are enduring a higher death rate than their American counterparts, according to the article.

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 6)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 19 (excerpt):

...Qasim [editor of a major Kabul daily newspaper] told us that he initially supported the American-led invasion, but he has since changed his mind. He told us that he resisted the Soviet occupation in the 1980s and paid the price of prison time and then exile. Dramatically in our interview, he stated that he now believes the occupation by the Western forces is worse than the Soviet occupation ever was. He believes that after almost six years of occupation, people are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of development.

While the Soviets at least ensured the people were fed and provided with medical care and education, according to Qasim, and essential infrastructure and even some non-essentials such as theatres were built – the current occupation has failed to meet minimal standards of care for the people. The arrogance and lack of respect for the Afghani people shown by the occupation forces and the impunity
of these forces, compounds the growing feelings of resentment among Afghanis, in Qasim's opinion.

After lunch, we set up our camera in a sidewalk café outside the Kabul University hoping to interview passers-by. The students and workers that stopped to talk to us offered a wide range of opinions. Some students support the occupation, but qualify their support with regret for what they consider unavoidable civilian losses. A larger number of students and workers we interviewed are opposed to the occupation. Some of these people complain that the development aid promised has never materialised. Others analyse the situation as an imperial occupation of Afghanistan aimed at controlling Afghanistan's neighbours China, Pakistan, and Iran, as well as Afghanistan's near neighbour Russia. Some people had very personal reasons for wanting to see the western forces out of Afghanistan, such as one young man who told us his friend was killed without reason by ISAF personnel.

Seeing no benefits for Afghanis from the occupation, most people we interviewed want an end to the Western occupation despite the power of the Taliban in some regions of the country. (Complete entry here.)

On the ground in Afghanistan (Part 5)

Mike Skinner's account of his experiences in Afghanistan (intro here).

June 18 (excerpt):

... [On a stroll through Kabul:] a man greeted me in English and struck up a conversation. He told me he learned English in Pakistan where he was a refugee for fifteen years.

He has only recently returned to Kabul, but fears he may have made a mistake in coming here. He says he was astounded on his arrival by how little development the Western states have accomplished since the invasion of 2001. (Complete entry here.)