Today’s stories:

Canadians have momentum in Kandahar: Commander

Petraeus cites progress in Kandahar

NATO squeezing Taliban, but no claims of victory
Taliban commanders dead or captured. Insurgents routed from strongholds. Stopping short of claiming it has broken the back of the insurgency, NATO is touting progress ahead of Washington’s year-end review of the war – and hoping that this time, the alliance has the force and experience to keep militants from regaining momentum.

[US] Digging in for the Long Haul in Afghanistan

On the other hand (via Milnews.ca’s “CANinKandahar“):

More ISAF Spinning, Clumsily

Update: Meanwhile a prominent Canadian pundit considers the Afghans in effect unworthy of our efforts:

…the Taliban are on their way back…

Nor are the Taliban interested in making major concessions. Knowing that the U.S. and its NATO friends no longer have the stomach for this war, they will bargain hard.

But the endgame has begun. Those who, like Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals, want Canadian soldiers to stay on and train the increasingly irrelevant Afghan army have been overtaken by events [Mr Walkom might read his paper's editorials].

The NATO foreigners are on their way out. The Taliban are on their way back. Sometimes the bad guys do win.

Doubting Thomas of the Crvena Zvezda seems only best pleased. Fie and hurl. But don’t you just love the grin as he merrily throws millions to the wolves:

One might almost think he positively lusts for us, and thereby the Afghans, to lose.

Mark
Ottawa