One Canadian's experience in a non-combat role during yesterday's attack in Kabul. Za will really like the reference to the Portugese!! Hi Guys, 14:30 - Well things are okay over here for now. An hour or so ago, suicide bombers attacked the green zone. An hour before that, I was walking in the green zone from the Ministry of Defence. We heard a couple of explosions and then small arms fire. I could hear the Mongolians firing their 7.62 machine guns and a lot of M6 rifles being fired. About thirty minutes later more explosions and small arms fire. We quickly got into the bunkers. Still here. ISAF HQ is being attacked by RPGs. More to follow. 17:35 - Well my 18:30 meeting has been cancelled. Isn't that just the way of things! Three hours in my hot armour and helmet. There were several explosions very close by and several shots also very close by. Most of the explosions and small arms fire was off in the distance near the US Embassy and ISAF HQ. A US full Colonel was upset because I ordered my guys to put their magazines in their weapons before we left the building and get into the bunkers. But she quickly changed her mind when an explosion happened fairly close. She moved all the unarmoured people into the back of the bunker and the people with weapons and armour to the front of the bunker, near the opening. Taking control, she checked everybodies weapons to make sure they were on safe. When she go to me, she was pissed because I was not on safe. I tried to explain that I can't put it on safe, but she wouldn't listen. Eventually, I just handed her my rifle and told her to do it for me because otherwise she would not understand. Of course, she couldn't do it. I explained it was a feature of the weapon. Then I asked if she wanted to put my pistol on safe for me (with a friendly smile) and she smiled back and said that everybody had to be on safe EXCEPT for the Canadian. Everybody laughed and eased the tension. We had been getting most of our information from the TV. Someone near the bunker left their door open with the TV on. I can still hear small arms fire, so something is still going on. Russian Hind attack helicopters have been flying over the Presidential Palace which is just down the street from us. US Helicopters were flying by earlier. Fast aircraft (spy planes?) flew by earlier, but we could not see them. 17:41 - Lots of small arms fire and another couple of explosions. We have been allowed to go back to our office, but there is still a major fight taking place close by. Quite a bit of action taking place. I can smell smoke. A message telling all Afghan nationals to leave has been issued. I am rationing tea because I don't know how long we will be stuck in our building. And if nothing else, tea will get me through this battle. A few guys made a mad dash for the post office to pick up what mail they could. Some people got packages from home. Lucky them. There is talk about killing one of the foreigners for food. There is just me and a guy from Portugal here. They were looking at me with hungry eyes, but I quickly explained that I just got back from Thailand and who knows what diseases I may have picked up. I then asked if the Portuguese guy was healthy and he said he was VERY healthy. The Americans are now looking at him and sharpening their knives. Dodged another one! I am going to give you a different address than the Canadian one. It takes two months to get anything to me. This is the US address, but they can have mail to me in less than two weeks. I am mentioning this because the last person that sent me the kitten - you know who you are, and thank you very much for the thought - didn't make it. Smoked salmon would probably survive, though. And I am trying to think of a way to get a whole salmon over here. If I could do that, it would be a MAJOR coup. Anybody coming to Afghanistan for a holiday? Capt John Broughton CSTC-A / NTMA / CJ6 ANSF APO, AE 09356 17:55 - Yea! It is raining! Booo! We are not allowed to go outdoors and enjoy it because of the attacks. It would have been nice two hours ago when we were all hot in our armour. It will help put out the fires, though. I can still hear explosions and small arms fire. 18:17 - Things must have settled down. No explosions or gunfire for the last 30 minutes. And the rain has just about stopped. Maybe they will let us go for dinner shortly. Oh, I spoke too soon. Several Blackhawks flew by. That might be a good sign. You will all hear more about the situation than I will. Take care and give your kids a hug. John
