We learned very quickly with the Army that nothing is definite until it's
done.......regardless of learning that lesson, we were heartened when Seth
called over the weekend to report that he would be in Bagram at least until
March before being rotated to another posting. We assumed that the only
enemy he would be fighting would be boredom while he stood 12 hour shifts in
a guard tower. Seth called yesterday to report that he would be out of
touch for a while. He was leaving Bagram on some mission that he couldn't
disclose. Afghanistan has their election this Saturday - the first election
of any kind since sometime in the 1960's. Our mission in Afghanistan is to
secure that election. We don't know where Seth is or what he is doing - the
only thing we do know is that he is more in harm's way today than he was
yesterday. Please pray for the people of Afghanistan and our soldiers as
Saturday draws near.
I have included an article from CNN that you might find interesting. Jan
and I have very different ways of dealing with our stress. Jan prefers not
to think about things or read.....I, on the other hand, crave information.
This article is the result of my web surfing since the local papers carry
very little about Afghanistan - Our forgotten War.
Thanks for listening and continuing to keep Seth in your thoughts.
Ed
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A convoy carrying the running mate to Afghan President
Hamid Karzai came under attack in the northeastern part of the country, just
days before landmark elections.
Ahmad Zia Masood escaped unhurt Wednesday from a roadside explosion that hit
the convoy in northeastern Badakhshan province, a government official said.
Masood was in Faizabad for a campaign rally ahead of Saturday's election,
the first time the war-shattered country has directly voted for its
president.
The governor of northern Badakhshan province was injured in the blast,
Khalik Ahmed, a spokesman at the palace told the Associated Press.
But Mutaleb Beg, a local police official, told AP one person was killed and
four others injured in the attack.
Millions of Afghans are set to go to the polls to vote on Saturday in the
first election to take place since the hardline Taliban regime was ousted in
2001.
The vote is seen as a key step in the post-September 11 U.S. campaign to
bring democracy to the region.
Afghanistan has not held any form of election since the late 1960s.
The vote was delayed twice as violence wracked the nation and now tens of
thousands of national and international troops are trying to keep order so
Afghans can cast their vote in peace.
The president on Tuesday campaigned for the first time since an attack on
him last month, where he told supporters that the vote was a turning point
for the nation.
"This vote is not just to choose a president, but for peace and stability in
Afghanistan," said Karzai, a close ally of U.S. President George W. Bush.
"Instead of fighting, we are campaigning for our elections. We should be
proud that we have freedom at last." (Full story)
Officials hope the Taliban and its allies will be thwarted by a security
effort involving a national army of more than 17,000, about 25,000 police,
18,000 U.S.-led coalition troops and a NATO-led International Security
Assistance Force of over 8,000.
The campaign, which has been lacklustre so far mainly because of security
concerns, has picked up in the last few days ahead of its scheduled close on
Wednesday.
Eighteen candidates are running for the office of president, with the pack
led by Karzai.
Only two other candidates are considered big names nationwide: the Uzbek
general, Abdul Rashid Dostum, and Yunus Qanuni, the former education
minister.
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