“In the Islamic Faith the holy month of Ramazan (Ramadan in Arabic lands) is observed by fasting and prayer throughout the day. Not even water is taken during the day, and the fast is broken each evening with a small feast. Most Muslims simply switch their day and night schedules during Ramazan so that they are asleep when they are supposed to be fasting and active at night when they can eat and drink. As Ramazan is based on the lunar calendar, it moves twenty-eight days to the left each year.
Ramazan is traditionally a time to focus on God, and be with family. This typically leads to dramatically reduced levels of violence as both insurgent groups (INS) and native tribal conflicts wind down. The goal of this time of reflection is to purify oneself in order to lead a life more closely aligned with the tenants of God. Not surprisingly, Afghans are particularly sensitive to intrusion or unnecessary hostilities during this period of time.
ISAF forces take great pains to limit operations, and respect the culture and traditions of the Afghan people during Ramazan. Cultural awareness cards are distributed to every soldier, and no one eats or drinks in front of Afghans during the day. Soldiers dress more conservatively and do not wear shorts in public even for physical fitness.”
In the midst of war, our troops are carefully to respect local customs and traditions. Let us pray for Capt. Hancock and all of our troops in the fight for freedom.
CA News & Views
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Hail Canada
Location: Kandahar Airfield (KAF), Afghanistan
Relative Time Zone: +11.5 Hrs 20AUG2011
Disclaimer: This story is inspired by some actual events. In all cases incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Many events and interpersonal exchanges are fictitious. Characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious. No classified information was used in the creation of the story, it is unclassified.
Capt. Hancock, 9/19/11 Exclusive to the California Political News and Views
While the United States has more troops in Afghanistan than any other single country, the fight to free the Afghan people is actually a NATO mission. Employing many different countries, each with different equipment training and capabilities, presents a host of logistic and doctrinal challenges. It also creates an unparalleled opportunity for the astute soldier to learn about their counterparts all over the world and thereby absorb quite a bit of culture and wisdom.
America could not sustain the conflict in Afghanistan these past ten years without the generous assistance of the thirty plus countries that comprise the coalition forces known collectively as the International Security & Assistance Forces (ISAF). Canada has been one of ISAF’s most significant contributors, and when the Canadians held their July 1st Independence Day celebration, it was not surprising that many Americans turned out to celebrate as well.
Canada Day is the national day of Canada celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act which united three British colonies into a single country called Canada. Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.
Frequently referred to as “Canada’s birthday”, particularly in the popular press, the occasion marks the joining of the British North American Colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the province of Canada (Ontario & Quebec) on July 1, 1867. In this arrangement British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian Constitution.
Canadians celebrate the occasion usually with outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts, as well as citizenship ceremonies for new citizens.
Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario have since the 1950s celebrated both Canada Day and the United States’ Independence Day with the International Freedom Festival. The festival involves a massive fireworks display over the Detroit River, the straight separating the two cities, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators annually. A similar event occurs at the Friendship Festival, a joint celebration between Fort Erie, Ontario and neighboring Buffalo, New York.
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All of the village children loved the stranger. He was tall and strong, spoke perfect Pashtu, and had gold teeth. He was rich and he gave gifts to the local villagers and the children. One day he provided the children with an exceptionally fun gift—firecrackers.
He told the children that the firecrackers were harmless, and that they should throw them at the foreigners who come to their village to “stare at their women”. The following day an ISAF convoy carrying humanitarian aid pulled into the village. The kids lit their firecrackers and threw them at the convoy.
As the powerful firecrackers exploded the ISAF soldiers, thinking they were under attack, threw smoke grenades and fired their weapons into the air to disperse the crowd. They made a hasty exit, taking all of the supplies they had intended to give to the Afghan people, with them.
The children all ran home and told their parents how the ISAF forces had tried to kill them. Enraged, the local elders held a meeting to determine how they would seek vengeance. His work complete, the stranger that everyone loved smiled, and headed for the next village.
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In the Islamic Faith the holy month of Ramazan (Ramadan in Arabic lands) is observed by fasting and prayer throughout the day. Not even water is taken during the day, and the fast is broken each evening with a small feast. Most Muslims simply switch their day and night schedules during Ramazan so that they are asleep when they are supposed to be fasting and active at night when they can eat and drink. As Ramazan is based on the lunar calendar, it moves twenty-eight days to the left each year.
Ramazan is traditionally a time to focus on God, and be with family. This typically leads to dramatically reduced levels of violence as both insurgent groups (INS) and native tribal conflicts wind down. The goal of this time of reflection is to purify oneself in order to lead a life more closely aligned with the tenants of God. Not surprisingly, Afghans are particularly sensitive to intrusion or unnecessary hostilities during this period of time.
ISAF forces take great pains to limit operations, and respect the culture and traditions of the Afghan people during Ramazan. Cultural awareness cards are distributed to every soldier, and no one eats or drinks in front of Afghans during the day. Soldiers dress more conservatively and do not wear shorts in public even for physical fitness.
The various insurgent groups however do not honor their faith during Ramazan. This year there were more attacks during Ramazan than any year in recent history in the Regional Command South [RC(S)] Area of Operations (AO). Most of these attacks resulted in innocent civilian deaths.
Pakistani Taliban were so bold during Ramazan that they actually distributed night letters clearly printed in Pakistan to local Afghans urging them to commit violence during Ramazan and target Afghan Security Forces (ANSF) and coalition bases. Luckily the Pakistani Taliban don’t seem to realize that virtually no one in Afghanistan can read thanks to Taliban rule, so the multi-page dissertations they leave for the locals are thrown in the trash with little or no effect.
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July 1st was a clear sunny day with not a rocket in the sky. The Deputy Commander (DCOM) Brigadier General (BG) Courbold, a Canadian, was outfitted in his finest regalia. The soldiers of the 307th PSYOP CO had come to respect him greatly. He was organized, effective, and a gifted speaker. It was he who had consistently volunteered to represent the 10th MTN Division when the PSYOP soldiers received awards, or needed guidance.
He had an informal style, and even on the most sacred Canadian holiday he had gathered his soldiers about him in a semi-circle so that he could interact with them more freely. He truly cared about each and every one of them. Kandahar Airfield was home to thousands of Canadian soldiers proudly serving the NATO Command. They wore their signature red baseball caps which boldly displayed their national symbol—the maple leaf. Everywhere there was an endless sea of red heads looking to the Canadian and NATO flags and to their leader.
CPT Hancock watched from the sidelines smiling. While he had not been specifically invited, he took it upon himself to reciprocate the attention the Canadians had always shown his American soldiers. In any case, it certainly had nothing to do with the giant delicious cake decorated with the Canadian flag that was just six feet away…
He had only been observing for two minutes when two Canadians caught sight of him and invited him join the ongoing festivities. CPT Hancock laughed. He had never met a Canadian he did not like, anywhere in the world, and always appreciated their hospitality.
Soon BG Courbold finished his speech, and the Canadians grew quiet as their honor guard raised their flag. A moment later, the Canadian National anthem came over the loudspeakers, and every red hat began to sing in harmonious French. CPT Hancock saluted, and sang along in English:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
>From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
As the national anthem came to a close with thunderous applause, BG Courbold cut the celebratory cake and began serving his soldiers. The cake itself was truly delicious, perhaps because of the shortage of decent sweets in Afghanistan—or perhaps because of the character, fiber, and courage of the men who made it.
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The high point of Ramazan comes at the end and is known as Eid-Al-Fitr. It is marked by feasting for several days and ceremonies which culminate in the cleansing of the Muslim mind and body. Each Year, Mullah Omar (MO), the spiritual leader of the Taliban puts out a message on Eid-Al-Fitr in an attempt to bolster the morale of his fanatical followers. In the past he has written these missives himself, but more recently ghost writers are suspected of writing in his name.
This year his message contained slightly less inflammatory rhetoric than in past addresses. He also discussed how peace would allow the exploitation of Afghanistan’s natural wealth to help bring economic prosperity. When the local Afghans heard this message, they went wild and all of the major Afghan news agencies began to report how peace “is close at hand”.
Unfortunately, they had taken Mullah Omar’s message out of context and read into it what they wanted to see. The section concerning exploitation of wealth was in the context of dividing the spoils of war. It was merely a recruiting ploy which stated that those who fought for the Taliban would divide the plunder of Afghanistan amongst themselves after they had achieved victory. The average Afghan will get nothing.
Mullah Omar also spent a considerable portion of his message encouraging his followers to commit as many horrific attacks as possible in the name of Islam. He further discredited the Bonn peace conference as a means for reconciliation. Coupled with the recent failure of U.S. backed peace talks which were conducted without the knowledge or approval of the Karzai government, an objective person cannot conclude that peace is on the horizon.
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Balbala approached the hut of her rival Nazdana. Ramazan was a period of peace and reflection. With Ramazan complete Nazdana would not be suspicious of Balbala’s offer of reconciliation. Balbala had chosen her time carefully. She wanted to make sure that Nazdana’s husband Ulman, and her older brothers were out tending the fields.
Balbala knocked lightly on the door and waited. A few moments later the door was opened a crack as a woman in a burka peered out. Seeing another female at the door, Nazdana opened it all the way in order to converse. Nazdana was momentarily taken aback when she saw Balbala. Balbala had tried on two separate occasions to steal her husband, and the two were not on speaking terms.
Balbala spoke quickly and in soothing tones. “Afternoon’s greetings lady. My apologies for calling on you unannounced, but it is the only way.”
Unaccustomed to such courtesy from her rival, Nazdana hesitated, then merely nodded.
Balbala went on “I prayed long and hard during Ramazan and Allah, blessed be his name above all, sent me a vision.”
Curios, Nazdana took the bait. “And what was this vision?”
Smiling, Balbala continued, “He showed you and I side by side tending children together and sewing—though not in the same household. He sent me images of us drinking chai together and laughing. He also showed me that one day you would save my life.”
Nazdana looked surprised, but such things were not impossible within pastunwali—the rules that govern their culture. “What are you proposing?”
“simply this” Balbala went on, “God has pressed upon my heart the need to make peace with you. After what has passed between us I know that this cannot be accomplished in a day, but I seek a new beginning.”
Nazdana looked thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled. “I thank you for this news. I am not above Allah and perhaps there is some wisdom in what you say. I am willing to consider it—and in time we shall see.”
A look of cunning flashed briefly in Balbala’s eye. “This is all I could ask. I thank you for this consideration. As a gift of intent, I would like to invite you to my home for chai. I have a pot on now and I believe this is what I saw in my vision.”
Nazdana hesitated a moment. This was all very sudden, but who was she to question the will of Allah? She called to her younger sister to look after the children for a short time. “Very well Balbala, I will accompany you for chai.”
Balbala held out her hand, and clasped Nazdana’s. Together they walked down the dirt road as two sisters might on a spring outing. After some time they approached a bend in the road near a tree and Balbala suggested that they stop and rest for a while.
As the two girls sat cross legged under the tree conversing, four men with rifles emerged from the underbrush. They flashed an evil grin as they advanced towards the women. Nazdana started to scream just as Balbala picked up a rock and hit Nazdana over the head. Nazdana crumpled to the ground.
When she awoke Nazdana found herself tied to the ground under the tree. The men had been waiting for her to wake up, and quickly began to rip away her clothing while she lay helplessly before them. Balbala stood over her rival and glared down at her victoriously. She gloated how she had led Nazdana to the Taliban. Nazdana began to weep when she met Balbala’s gaze.
Having just purified themselves during Ramazan the Taliban set about their demonic plan with relish. They took turns violating and ravaging Nazdana while Balbala looked on. Finally when the men had had their fill, Balbala offered them a cord with which to strangle Nazdana. The Taliban squeezed the life out of their prey, and left her corpse in a heap beneath the tree.
Balbala smiled to herself. Her rival in the village of Khofat had been dealt with. Now it was time to introduce the Taliban to her rival in Huwat…
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Shortly after Canada Day the Canadians began their exodus from Kandahar Airfield. It was a bitter sweet moment. Canada has fought alongside the United States in every major conflict in the modern era. While many NATO nations send only logistical support, or some base security elements, Canada has committed everything.
Canadians can be found in the thick of the most dangerous battlegrounds in Afghanistan such as the Horn of Panjwai— or on elite special teams capturing the worst of the worst in pre-planned raids. You will find them manning security at the entry control point, cooking for soldiers, or providing dental care. They man radars, prepare and fuel planes and vehicles, conduct reconnaissance, gather intelligence, and even perform their own Psychological Operations. Soldiers in a NATO fight just have to look to the left or their right—odds are there is a Canadian there happily pulling his weight.
Canadian forces are well supplied, well trained, well led, and disciplined soldiers. They are perpetually optimistic, multi-lingual, and possess excellent social skills. They work hard, rarely complain, and focus on the mission. They are the kind of people and soldiers, that everyone wants around them. In addition their more relaxed fiscal accounting system allows them to quickly and easily fund high return local programs. This stands in direct contrast to the slow, volatile, and highly bureaucratic American system which focuses on centrally planned large scale projects which are both unsustainable and rarely have local impact.
The local Afghans in the Regional Command South were very concerned with the Canadian departure. Relationships which spanned many years had come to an end, and the prospects for more urgently needed, expedient, local projects seemed in doubt.
CPT Hancock skipped lunch to head to the flight line. He watched from a distance as the last of the Canadian main body of soldiers boarded a commercial jet bound for home. He whispered thanks for all the help they had provided America over these many years and prayed for their safe journey home. He knew that the Canadian soldiers, ever true in spirit, would have happily stayed longer, but political will at home would not allow such.
CPT Hancock stayed until the last plane had flown out of sight. Then he raised his right hand in a formal salute, and boldly proclaimed “Hail Canada!” which drew confused looks from the predominantly American airport staff. CPT Hancock decided he would make a point of thanking Canadians, wherever he encountered them, for the gracious assistance they had provided these many years.
CPT Hancock collected his thoughts in silent reverie for several minutes. He looked at his watch, he needed to get back to the fight. As he turned to leave he noticed that in the span of a few short moments, something had changed. Colors had become less distinct, the jovial camaraderie which had characterized the mission to this point seemed absent, and the mood of Kandahar itself seemed to have darkened.
