Canada's propaganda arm, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) reports the allies are advancing into the "Taliban stronghold of Marjah."
Of course, besides being a "stronghold," Marjah happens to be a town
"harbouring" some 80 thousands of everyday Afghanis who, while they may
have reason to hate the western military intervention in the affairs of
their city and nation, have committed no crime warranting the wasting
of their homes and "collateral" murdering of their families.
The
CBC quotes Canadian helicopter pilot Lieutenant-Colonel Jeff Smyth saying today's was the biggest air assault Canada has ever done, its three Chinook helicopters, escorted by four Griffons, delivering more than 1,100 British soldiers into Helmand province. Smyth's commanding officer, Colonel Christian Drouin said of the Canadian part in the assault;
"We had no resistance whatsoever."
An unnamed "coalition spokesperson" says two coalition soldiers are dead, along with 20 "Taliban fighters," killed in the "fighting." One of the two coalition soldiers was killed when he stepped on land mine, the other died from a gunshot.
The CBC says only a "handful" of Canadian troops are involved in the attack, the 34 of them mostly serving as "mentors" for Afghani troops. The CBC reminds, the title of the operation, Moshtarak translates as "together" in the Dari dialect. The CBC relates;
"International development workers and Afghan officials will enter the city as soon as it is secure." Adding;
"Government teams have plans for new schools, clinics and mosques."
15,000 troops are reportedly involved in Operation Moshtarak.
In related news from Afghanistan, the American military announced three of its soldiers were killed in a bomb blast elsewhere in the country. And, Toronto's
Globe and Mail newspaper is repeating a Canadian Forces (CF) report, saying a Canadian soldier too lost his life when blown up in a "training accident."
