Operation Aray

A collection of photos that show Canadians soldiers and a captured taliban bomb making factory. Thanks to GM

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Canadians return to base from Lashkar Gah

In early October the taliban launched a major attack on Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, which resulted in an EPIC Fail. Over 100 taliban were killed in the first assault and scores more killed after repeated taliban attacks on the city.

Here's an account of the battle from the eyes of Canadian troops.Canadian Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A small group of Canadian soldiers has finally returned to their base in Afghanistan after playing key roles in some of the heaviest fighting this fall.

Details are now starting to emerge about the part about 30 Canadians played in the battle for Lashkar Gah, the capital of nearby Helmand province that was threatened by the Taliban late last month.

"(The fighting) was quite intense," said Maj. Steve Nolan, who commanded one of the mentorship teams working with a kandak, or battalion, of Afghan National Army soldiers.

Taliban fighters began to mass around Lashkar Gah around Oct. 12.

Afghan Gen. Sher Muhammad Zazai has said hundreds of Taliban fighters were involved, attacking the city on three sides. Nolan's team and their kandak, normally based in Kandahar province, were mobilized and arrived in the embattled city the next day as insurgents were attacking police outposts around the city.

"We pulled into Lashkar Gah in the dark and it turned into a combat mission right away," said Nolan. "As we were moving in, there was tracer fire moving over our convoy."

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On Oct. 17, the Canadian-mentored kandak was ordered to clear a swath of territory five kilometres wide and 10 kilometres long into the nearby village of Aynak - a maze of eight-metre deep canals, three-metre high cornfields, vineyards and narrow lanes lined by tall mud walls.

"There is no more complex terrain anywhere in the world," Nolan said.

Backed up by attack helicopters, the Canadian and Afghan soldiers advanced into repeated ambushes, coming under machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Shots would be exchanged, then the Taliban would fall back to their next position.

"It's an all-day affair. There was always fire, or you always knew (every) 50 metres, that's where the next little contact would be."

There were no Canadian or Afghan casualties. Helmand's governor estimated 63 Taliban were killed.

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Taliban Welcome Canadian Afghanistan Pullout Date

Last week Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised that Canadian troops will leave Afghanistan by 2011. Predictably the taliban have welcomed this news with wide open arms.

If the taliban praises your actions/promises you know you've done something wrong. National Post

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - A high-ranking Taliban commander in Kandahar province says he welcomes Prime Minister Stephen Harper's pledge to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan by 2011, adding that he doubts the Afghan forces will be ready to defend the war-torn country by then.

"It's a step that will help save Canadian civilians and soldiers," said Mullah Jalil Akhund about the Conservative election promise. "We want foreign troops out of our country, and those that insist on staying, we will carry on fighting."[...]

The exit strategy, however, is predicated on the Afghan government and the Afghan National Security Forces being able to provide some semblance of security to Kandahar by that point.

Akhund, an influential figure in both Kandahar and neighbouring Helmand province, said in an interview this weekend that he does not think the Afghan forces will ready by 2011.

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Canadian and Aghan Soldiers Launch Counter Attack

It's time whup some taliban ass. CBC

Canadian and Afghan troops moved into the forests and orchards surrounding the city of Kandahar on Wednesday, battling with Taliban fighters who infiltrated the area, officials said.

At least two Afghan soldiers and several Taliban fighters were killed in the hour-long firefight, said the CBC's Paul Hunter, who witnessed the battle in the Arghandab region, about 15 kilometres northwest of Kandahar.

"We watched the soldiers march towards these orchards. Shooting broke out. The Taliban fired at them, they fired back. You had a helicopter overhead, firing toward the ground," Hunter said.

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He said Canadians are playing a secondary role in the battle, acting as mentors to soldiers in the Afghan National Army, which is in a building process. Two Afghan battalions participated in the Arghandab attack, but one of them was forced to retreat after coming under heavy fire.

"This whole process is about teaching the Afghans how to set up an army. About half the Afghans turned and fled, so there's clearly some work to be done," Hunter said. "It wasn't a complete success today, but I suspect they'll be back at it again. It was quite an operation by the Afghans and supported by the Canadians."

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