Soldiers' sacrifices worth it, (President) Karzai tells Canada

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/09/22/karzai-hill.html

Amid pomp and ceremony on Parliament Hill, Afghan President Hamid Karzai thanked Canada on Friday for its financial aid to his devastated country and a military mission that has cost more than $2 billion and the lives of 37 Canadians.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaking to MPs and senators in the House of Commons on Friday. (CBC) Noting that the bodies of four soldiers killed on Monday are being brought home, he told a joint session of Parliament that his heart goes out to their families and friends.

They sacrificed their lives helping Afghanistan win a better future, he said. Since 2002, 36 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.

It seems there is a PR push going on.

How long would Karzai stick around in Afghanistan if the NATO and other troops pulled out? Ten minutes at the most, I think.

On edit - I have read elsewhere that the cost of the mission is $4 billion so far.

Without at least 500 Black water mercenaries guarding his sorry ass, he would be toast in a nano-second.

and so that the pipeline can be completed and profits can continue to flow. The "Mayor of Kabul" makes sure HE stays safe in the "green zone" of Kabul.

by Unocal but since then agreements have been signed to push it through.

Central Asia pipeline deal signed

An agreement has been signed in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, paving the way for construction of a gas pipeline from the Central Asian republic through Afghanistan to Pakistan.

The building of the trans-Afghanistan pipeline has been under discussion for some years but plans have been held up by Afghanistan's unstable political situation.

This follows a summit meeting bringing together the presidents of the three countries last May when the project received formal go-ahead.

snip

But investors will be very cautious about putting serious money into Afghanistan when the central government in Kabul still has only limited influence in the regions the pipeline would cross.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2608713.stm

I googled Trans Afghanistan Pipeline, but the articles are from 2003 and earlier. Are they hiding it?

"stable", before they continue with it ergo our soldiers are dying to stabilize the area needed to build the pipeline and our soldiers will continue to die until it is safe to build that pipeline. Sad state of affairs, eh.

And where are their troops? Maybe they intend to protect the pipeline once its built.

selling it and reaping the profits, not the Afghan people that's for sure.

I don't think the US cares so much at the moment about the pipeline....they care about Taliban infiltration from Pakistan, Iran, China, and their hegemony.

The issue of a oil pipeline through Afghanistan is more of import to the Afghans and Pakistanies themselves.

It would be nice if they could get that pipeline...not going to happen until there is peace between the Balochs and Pashtuns (Afghans) with the state of Pakistan.

These things take time...

if the aggressors, in this Pakistan are nullified so the place becomes stable. If NATO/US were to leave Pakistani agents would take over the country in about 1 week.

That said, everyone needs to get the public talking about the need for the US to support the secular Baloch and Afghan (Pashtun) nationalists inside of Pakistan who want to leave the country.