Total failure in Afghanistan .... all those tales about Canada doing good over there ....

should be taken with a pinch of salt. The Taliban are back even before NATO shows them their backs. PM Harper's decision to keep Canadians as non-combat personnel after the troops come back, is so very, very WRONG.  He might be good in economics and keeping our necks above water in these terrifying economic times but he is almost clueless when it comes to understanding the muslim mentality and especially the Afghanistani mindset. Having an Afghan senator in his cabinet who was probably born with a silver spoon in her mouth and thus far above and beyond the cavemen thinking that goes hand in hand with your average murdering Taliban, who by the way make the majority in that hellhole, and depending on her outlook on what's happening in Afghanistan to probably make his decisions, is downright stupid.  Wake up Mr.Harper .... get each and every Canadian out of that hellhole.....and get them out now. Doing otherside will mean that you will be responsible for every death of the non-combat personnel you continue to keep or deploy to that region.

BBC is reporting today that : At least 19 people are dead and many are injured after militants in Afghanistan stormed the provincial governor's compound in Parwan....

And, here's a good analysis of the situation in that war theatre from PajamasMedia Kandahar province is the strategic keystone .for Af­ghanistan sitting as it does between the central Hindu Kush Mountains and the Registan Desert forming the country’s southern border. The province is also at the center of political turmoil as the United States begins a two-year troop withdrawal

And the trends are not good. Part of the problem is the weakness of the U.S.-backed Afghan government’s political and military presence. Rather than actually build governmental institutions and the national army the power went to President Karzai’s tribal allies. There isn’t any real army there, just tribal militias. And they aren’t a very effective fighting force or a popular one. The result has been gains by the Taliban and numerous security breaches.

On the political level, the power-brokers have been tribal strongmen allied to the Karzai family who consoli­dated their rule during the turbulent 1980s and 1990s. But disorganization, corruption, and the limited power of these tribal leaders did not create a strong authority. Thus, the Taliban has been able to challenge the government militarily and politically......