The dogs are doing what??

The Dogs are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan by Graeme       Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a well-written & informative snapshot (2006-2009 was main focus, but some coverage also of the "Surge & Pull-out" phases, up through 2014 ) of the situation in Afghanistan, mainly from the Canadian perspective on the south of the country, in & around Kandahar. Smith was often embedded with Canadian troops on various missions, but also did independent reporting out of a small office near the center of Kandahar--until there was a break-in and heightened security concerns. Smith does a great job, I think, of tackling the issues of the on-going insurgency in Afghanistan, as well as the in-your-face corruption in the local police, governmental authorities, and military. One important area of negligence & corruption Smith exposes is the treatment of prisoners by Afghan authorities, complicated by the look-the-other-way complicity of the Canadian forces often making the initial arrests. Fascinating investigation into several of the prison breaks by Taliban prisoners in Kandahar.

Smith does a good job of articulating the complexities of the Afghan situation--and the various motives & strategies of the numerous main players. The author provides background & contextual
understanding for why it's not a simple matter of winning big battles and taking control of territory, which often then cannot be held properly, due to local police/military abuse, corruption & neglect, feeding discontent among the local populace towards the government and swelling the Taliban's recruits.

Got this for a birthday present; read on my Kindle.


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