Afghanistan

Afghanistan is so off the radar that I left it out of my earlier post, but things are continuing to get messier there.

Taliban forces took two towns in Southern Afghanistan "forcing police and government officials to flee." I doubt if they came under attack that they would attempt to hold the towns against the British forces operating there, but the Taliban doesn't need to hold the towns to effect their influence.

Who would you cooperate with, the Taliban who could come in at any time and kill those who are even suspected of working against them or the British who won't?

British, US, and Canadian forces are in the middle of a "major operation" which seems to be gaining some successes, but at the same time, carbombings are increasing and British bases are coming under more frequent attacks.

British and Afghan forces came under heavy fire in Nazad town in Helmand province on Sunday, days after nearly being overrun in an attack by 200 Taliban. "This is the 27th attack in 18 days."

Also, while we're here, let's talk about that "freedom" thing again....

The Afghan government has alarmed human rights groups by approving a plan to reintroduce a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the body which the Taliban used to enforce its extreme religious doctrine.....

The spin on this is that it's an effort by the Karzai government to appear more Islamic to counter the rising Taleban influence in the south of the country.