23 August 2008

I hope to land in Afghanistan tomorrow, but as for tonight, I'm stuck in a hotel reading everything I can devour on Iraq and Afghanistan. An interesting interview with General Petraeus surfaced. General Petraeus has always been objective in his communications with me. I see in this Newsweek exclusive, that General Petraeus is again dampening expectations. I've seen him do it over and over. Now isn't that amazing? An American General who actually makes it a point to dampen press enthusiasm. But while delivering the raw truth, General Petraeus gains enormous credibility with journalists, who then reach untold millions of people. I remember stepping off his helicopter one night before he roared away into the Iraqi night. Just before I took off the headset and unbuckled my seat belt, General Petraeus said something like, "No Victory Dances." I stepped out and his darkened helicopter disappeared into the night, nearly knocking me over with the rotor wash. General Petraeus has enormous press credibility because he delivers the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now for General Petraeus:

02 September 2008

Michael Yon

Over the last nearly four years, I've watched in awe as our men and women in uniform changed the course of history. They have taken defeat and disaster and given us—and the Iraqi people—victory and hope. Their sacrifices for our country are immeasurable.

Now, with your help, we can show our service members that a growing number of Americans do understand and appreciate their sacrifices and accomplishments.

I'm partnering with Soldiers’ Angels to give copies of my book, Moment of Truth in Iraq, to the very soldiers still stationed there.  Soldiers’ Angels is an extraordinary organization. Among many other activities in support of America’s military men and women and their families, Soldiers’ Angels sends thousands of care packages to deployed personnel every month.  Moment of Truth in Iraq will now be included in as many of those packages as possible.

28 August 2008
Michael Yon

The long journey back to Afghanistan is complete.  Starting in the mountains of Nepal, with several days’ walk to Pokhara, then a long drive to Kathmandu, a flight to Bangkok where I bought some combat gear (my regular gear is in Iraq and Washington), then to Dubai, and a circuitous journey from India and finally Kabul, where I landed several days ago.  I hired a taxi to the British Embassy, passing horse-drawn carts, vendors selling sunglasses, and old men who looked older than time.  The streets of Kabul are not war-ravaged like Baghdad, but the fact that there is a war on is unmistakable.  The weather was clear, bright and cool, and Afghan and foreign troops were all about, armored convoys could be seen.  After a meeting at the British Embassy, I asked for a taxi to the Serena Hotel, but one of the Afghans working the embassy gate suggested there was a kidnapping threat if I took a random taxi.  Since I do not have a private car, taxi it was, through the Kabul traffic where kids begged for bakseesh at intersections and the horse-drawn carts clopped by.

Michael has no internet but called on sat phone.

British 2 Para in Helmand provence have been reapeatedlyand successfully closing with and engaging the Taliban. In ongoing operations today a number of British paratroopers lured Taliban into an attack. British forces responded with machine guns, small arms, shoulder fired rockets, mortars, and a 500 lb bomb. Locals say "Many Taliban dead."

More Later...

Helmand Province, Afghanistan
05 Sep 2008
 
The Af-Pak war continues to escalate.  Morale among American, Aussie, British and Canadian forces is high.  I cannot comment on others; to date, I have not been interfacing much with other member nations.  There is no doubt that the war is escalating, but our folks are meeting it head on:  Click here to view article in the Washington Post.

At this rate, 2009 will be the hardest year so far.

9 September 2008
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

When I was briefed on the top-secret mission before it was launched, I thought : “Good grief.  I might have to report on the failure of one of the largest and most important missions of the entire war.”

09 September 2008

Correction and update: In the dispatch “Where Eagles Dare,” I wrote that General Dan McNeill was the overall commander in Afghanistan.  This is incorrect: General Dan McNeill was the previous Commanding General but has since rotated out.  I was originally told by a military officer that General McNeill had ordered the mission, but was told today that General David McKiernan, now the CG, gave final approval.  In any case, it was a tremendous success.

10 September 2008

Canada PM: Troops home from Afghanistan in 2011
By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's prime minister vowed Wednesday to pull troops from Afghanistan in 2011, the first time he has said Canadian forces will leave the country.

11 September 2008

During the Spring of 2006, it was painfully obvious that Afghanistan was spiraling into a black hole.  I couldn't have written it more clearly at that time.  Many readers vowed never to read this site again.  Yet today, on this 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the situation is immeasurably worse.  At the going rate, we will lose the war in Afghanistan.

Michael