4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 27, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com `My first trip scared the living daylights out of me' Continued from page 3 Although considered less dangerous than Kandahar, Kabul is not free from the specter of the insurgency or its bombs, an awareness firmly entrenched in Smith's mind as his vehicle made its way from the Kabul airfield to the ISAF headquarters. "My first trip scared the living daylights out of me," said Smith. "The threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and suicide bombers is ever present." The drive to the headquarters only lasted between 15 and 20 minutes, but for Smith it was a hair-raising experience as the vehicle moved from one side of the dirt road to the other and past structures shattered by over 20 years' war. Traveling in a crowded city of millions, ATHENA Awards Congratulations to all of the 2007 nominees and this year's ATHENA recipient for your outstanding contributions to the community. Watch the 11TH Annual ATHENA Gala on A proud supporter of Tuesday, October 30 @ 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 6 @ 8:00 p.m. SALE ON NOW Dining Suites For Christmas where insurgents mingle with innocent civilians was another reality of the Afghan conflict Smith found in Kabul. "The streets are lined with people. They're wearing the typical Afghan clothing and it's very difficult to see who you're dealing with," said Smith. "You have all these people sitting around. You have been briefed on the certain things you should be aware of, but how do you differentiate between `apples' and `oranges' if you will. This is an ever present reality that we deal with." Smith's concerns about who may have been lurking in those crowds proved justified as during his tour Kabul was struck by some of the most deadly insurgent attacks since the Taliban were forced from power in 2001. In one June incident a suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded bus carrying Afghan National Police. The blast ripped the bus to pieces and killed 35 people. A similar bus bombing took place in Kabul on Sept. 29, killing 27 and another killed 13 on Oct. 2. "It happens with a relative frequency," said Smith. "There's suicide bombers about in Kabul all the time just looking for targets." Despite the ever-present danger of the insurgency, the sites Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Smith seen by Smith were not all bad as relaying information back and forth, between ISAF headquarters in Kabul and Regional Command South in Kandahar, gave him the opportunity to see some of the reconstruction initiatives that were underway. "I've seen the building of roads and the initiation of dam projects," said Smith. "Canada is taking a look at a dam project in Kandahar province. It's been very much a success story in how that will move forward in order to bring irrigation and hydroelectric power." In other areas Smith points out that the security provided by Canadian and Coalition forces has allowed former ghost towns to return to some kind of normalcy. "A year and a bit ago everybody had left Bazar-e Panjwai. It was just a totally non-permissive environment," said Smith. "Now there are bazaars happening there and the people are back. There is still a degree of danger there because the insurgents don't want to see these places being successful, but people have moved back. So, now you see lights on at night, you see businesses starting to develop. That's a huge success story." The returning of hundreds of thousands of children to schools and the training of the Afghan National Police and army were other signs of progress pointed to by Smith as evidence of the turning of the tide. "We're on the road to success, but we're not quite there yet," he said. "A large part of it deals with developing the capacity of the Afghan security force. I think given a few more years the Afghans will be in a position to lead and then slowly NATO can fade into the background." See Presented page 5 Since 1959 Beautifully Crafted Solid Wood Furniture www.acaciafurniture.com 1020 Islington Ave. Etobicoke · (416) 233-5127 ISLINGTON BLOOR ST. W. NORSEMAN TITAN RD. THE QUEENSWAY 3800760A 3235 Fairview St. 3235 FairviewSt. Home Accent Pieces 2 Lights North of the Queensway Mon. - Wed. 10-6 p.m. · Thurs.-Fri. 10-9 p.m. · Saturday 10-6 p.m. · Sunday Closed www.plumbingmart.ca 905-639-7106 905-639-7106 Burlington