"In case you missed this..."

My pal, CJ, over at A Soldier's Perspective, sends me regular emails under the title "In case you missed this." He keeps me informed, so I am duty-bound to keep YOU informed. Read on:

Don't fall for the mantra that "they don't want us there" or "our presence makes them want to kill us." Having been there myself and speaking to troops deployed almost daily, I can tell you this simply isn't true to a large degree. The Taliban and Al Qaeda are quickly becoming extinct thanks to the mercy and justice of American troops and the murderous extremism of theirs.

More Than 1,000 Afghans Shout "Death To Taliban"

For Killing And Beheading Innocent Civilians In Bus Attack

Anti-Taliban demonstrators in Afghanistan hold portraits of some of the young men slain in the southern Kandahar province last week, 24 Oct., 2008.

(Associated Press)

Associated Press: "More than 1,000 people shouted anti-Taliban slogans in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, protesting the slayings this week of 26 young men from their community by militants in the south.

The unprecedented demonstration in the eastern Laghman province was one of the largest anti-Taliban gatherings since the fall of the hard-line Islamist regime following the U.S. invasion in late 2001." (Fisnik Abrashi, "More Than 1,000 Afghans Protest Taliban Killings," Associated Press, 10/24/08)

• Last "Sunday, Taliban stopped a bus in southern Kandahar province's Maiwand district, a militant-controlled area, and killed 26 of the passengers – beheading at least six of them."

• "Protesters from Laghman's Alingar district – where most of those killed came from – shouted 'Death to Taliban' and 'Death to killers' in the provincial capital of Mehtar Lam. They waved black flags in a sign of mourning."

• "'They were innocent people, trying to find jobs, and they killed them,' Abdul Wakil Attock, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said about the victims."

• "An anti-Taliban protest by Pashtuns, like Friday's, will likely provide the U.S. and other international forces with an opportunity to exploit the rift to drive a wedge between the insurgent group and the civilian population."

(Associated Press)

Voice of America: "Thousands of ethnic Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan Friday marched in protest against a Taliban massacre of civilians last week. Marchers demonstrated in Mihtarlam, the capital of Lahgman province, as well as the city of Jalalabad. The anti-Taliban protests took place one week after Taliban fighters ambushed a bus in southern Kandahar province and killed about 30 civilians." ("Thousands Of Afghans Protest Civilian Massacre By Taliban," Voice of America, 10/24/08)

• "The Taliban claimed responsibility for 27 killings, saying they attacked the bus because it was carrying army recruits. Afghanistan's government and survivors of the violence say the passengers were civilians."

Thank YOU, CJ, for all that you do.