MASSIVE AIR ASSAULT BEGINS
From LarsonBlog, on location in Afghanistan: The U.S. military, along with Iraqi and coalition forces have just launched a major assault in the Samarra area, north of Baghdad. This is the largest counter-insurgency assault (troop deployment) since March 2003, aimed at eliminating insurgent activity in the place where the major mosque was bombed a few weeks ago. Some of the aircraft involved in these air operations may have been based on the USS Ronald Reagan, where I spent a few days earlier this week. (Listen to our special broadcast from the ship on www.kogo.com ; just click on the "Larson in the Middle East" banner and go to the archives. You can also see photos I took on the ship by scrolling down this page.) Speaking of Baghdad: In Dubai airport's Terminal Two (where I took my Afghan airline trip to Kabul today, here were the destinations listed on the airport TV screen that shows gate information: Islamabad, Baghdad International, Kabul (my flight), Baghdad, Frankfort, Germany and Baghdad again. Three flights direct from Dubai to Baghdad. Amazing.
WE'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: General Abizaid was right in saying, "This is a tough neighborhood... it will always be a tough neighborhood." From Iraq and Iran, to the Persian Gulf and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, you name it... nerves are more on edge here these days. As the new information comes in about the air offensive in Iraq at this hour ("Operation Swarmer"), the Afghan National Army is continuing their campaign to destroy the poppy fields in Southern Afghanistan. The eradication campaign started about a week ago, with early success in getting rid of the crop that provides a major portion of the world's opium supply. The Taliban, while no longer in charge of the government in Afghanistan, still influences the illicit drug trade in the south. I'll have a chance to see first-hand the progress in the drug wars in the next few days. I'll also spend some time with the Afghan National Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ... who are busy helping with the restoration of this country. Also on the schedule: exclusive interviews with key U.S. and Afghan officials. I'll be phoning in special reports when possible. I'll also have all of our on-site interviews ready to roll on KOGO when I return to the studio next Wednesday. I'm reviewing my official schedule for the next few days... you won't want to miss what we'll have for you!
Kabul is a very interesting city. It's certainly on the mend, very slowly, not only due to the battle to remove the Taliban and kill Al Qaeda (fall 2001) but from some 25 to 30 years of war before that, including a communist coup in the late 70s which led to the Soviet invasion in 1979. This is the fourth poorest country in the world. My heart aches for these people, especially the children I saw playing soccer in the midst of piles of dirt. In the north, most Afghans see the U.S. and coalition involvement as something positive. In the south, the drug farmers like the money they get from the illegal crops and so they often affilliate with the Taliban. (Speaking of Taliban and Al Qaeda: It's a safe bet that some of their "members" were likely on my flight to Kabul. Talk about an "exotic" spot...).
Bombed out buildings are everywhere in the region. Some from 2001 and the Coalition's routing of the Taliban, but most from the late 1970s and 1980s Soviet occupation.
Afghan National Army checkpoint. In the background, an old Soviet-occupation era power plant.
Notes on the flight to Kabul: Flew over the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Realized how narrow that spot is, and how devastating it could be if terrorists blocked the Strait, keeping oil shipments from flowing through. From the air, so much looks bleak...desolate...brown...dark sand.. like some other planet. Then, for the last 45 minutes of the flight into Kabul, they appeared: beautiful snow covered mountains, and the occasional village filled with primitive mud huts. Then suddenly: Brown, dusty, dirty Kabul. What color I see when landing is not in foliage or countryside. It's painted buildings or billboards. Everything else looks gray/brown... even the few pine trees at the military camp where I'm embedded. Dust everywhere. Cool air, and the wind over adds a grittiness to the air, seemingly reflecting the city's environment. In the middle of all this are the brilliant men and women who serve in our military (and with Coalition Forces). Sharp, motivated and personable. I'm in good hands with this team. And so are the Afghans.
With members of the Afghan National Army.
On location with the Afghan National Army, outside of Kabul. Local workers have built the masonry wall, with assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The building in the background was bombed out by the Soviets in the 1980s.
WE'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: General Abizaid was right in saying, "This is a tough neighborhood... it will always be a tough neighborhood." From Iraq and Iran, to the Persian Gulf and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, you name it... nerves are more on edge here these days. As the new information comes in about the air offensive in Iraq at this hour ("Operation Swarmer"), the Afghan National Army is continuing their campaign to destroy the poppy fields in Southern Afghanistan. The eradication campaign started about a week ago, with early success in getting rid of the crop that provides a major portion of the world's opium supply. The Taliban, while no longer in charge of the government in Afghanistan, still influences the illicit drug trade in the south. I'll have a chance to see first-hand the progress in the drug wars in the next few days. I'll also spend some time with the Afghan National Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ... who are busy helping with the restoration of this country. Also on the schedule: exclusive interviews with key U.S. and Afghan officials. I'll be phoning in special reports when possible. I'll also have all of our on-site interviews ready to roll on KOGO when I return to the studio next Wednesday. I'm reviewing my official schedule for the next few days... you won't want to miss what we'll have for you!
Kabul is a very interesting city. It's certainly on the mend, very slowly, not only due to the battle to remove the Taliban and kill Al Qaeda (fall 2001) but from some 25 to 30 years of war before that, including a communist coup in the late 70s which led to the Soviet invasion in 1979. This is the fourth poorest country in the world. My heart aches for these people, especially the children I saw playing soccer in the midst of piles of dirt. In the north, most Afghans see the U.S. and coalition involvement as something positive. In the south, the drug farmers like the money they get from the illegal crops and so they often affilliate with the Taliban. (Speaking of Taliban and Al Qaeda: It's a safe bet that some of their "members" were likely on my flight to Kabul. Talk about an "exotic" spot...).
Bombed out buildings are everywhere in the region. Some from 2001 and the Coalition's routing of the Taliban, but most from the late 1970s and 1980s Soviet occupation.
Afghan National Army checkpoint. In the background, an old Soviet-occupation era power plant.
Notes on the flight to Kabul: Flew over the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Realized how narrow that spot is, and how devastating it could be if terrorists blocked the Strait, keeping oil shipments from flowing through. From the air, so much looks bleak...desolate...brown...dark sand.. like some other planet. Then, for the last 45 minutes of the flight into Kabul, they appeared: beautiful snow covered mountains, and the occasional village filled with primitive mud huts. Then suddenly: Brown, dusty, dirty Kabul. What color I see when landing is not in foliage or countryside. It's painted buildings or billboards. Everything else looks gray/brown... even the few pine trees at the military camp where I'm embedded. Dust everywhere. Cool air, and the wind over adds a grittiness to the air, seemingly reflecting the city's environment. In the middle of all this are the brilliant men and women who serve in our military (and with Coalition Forces). Sharp, motivated and personable. I'm in good hands with this team. And so are the Afghans.
With members of the Afghan National Army.
On location with the Afghan National Army, outside of Kabul. Local workers have built the masonry wall, with assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The building in the background was bombed out by the Soviets in the 1980s.
<< Home