Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Been busy with some longer-term stuff I'm working on.

But I do want to point you to a few stories. The Canwest News Service has a reporter in Kandahar province, where 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division is located. Here are a couple of stories to get you up to date with what's going on:

Canada, U.S. divvy up turf in Afghan war

Canada handoff of Afghan battle zones marks 'new era.'

UPDATE: The AP has a reporter with the troops too. Heidi Vogt writes about their cultural education crash-course.

The battle of Wanat, Afghanistan, has been receiving some critical attention lately. The Pentagon's Inspector General has opened an investigation into whether troops had proper supplies, equipment and aerial surveillance.

Today, the Seattle Times wades into the issue with a well-researched, well-written report. (The Times presumably gave it a second look because one of the casualties that day was Cpl. Jason Bogar of Seattle.)

(Photo by Janet Jensen/The News Tribune)

An Army Special Forces soldier from Skagit County was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.

Chief Warrant Officer Douglas M. Vose III of Concrete was serving in Kabul province with 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. He is the 316th service member with Washington ties – either stationed in the state, a resident or a native – to die in war since the 2001, and the eighth this year.

The 38-year-old Roseburg, Ore., native served in the Army since April 1989. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

Tom Ricks, who has been digging into what really happened during the battle of Wanat, Afghanistan, posted a letter he received from the mother of Cpl. Jason Bogar, a Seattle soldier killed last July. He was among nine Americans killed in the attack.

Check out Ricks' work when you get a chance. It's a good read.

The mini-surge of troops into Afghanistan -- including more Marines and Fort Lewis' 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division -- comes at a crucial time during the war effort, most agree.

But the Pakistani government is not happy about the buildup, the New York Times reports:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan is objecting to expanded American combat operations in neighboring Afghanistan, creating new fissures in the alliance with Washington at a critical juncture when thousands of new American forces are arriving in the region.

Pakistani officials have told the Obama administration that the Marines fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan will force militants across the border into Pakistan, with the potential to further inflame the troubled province of Baluchistan, according to Pakistani intelligence officials.

Pakistan does not have enough troops to deploy to Baluchistan to take on the Taliban without denuding its border with its archenemy, India, the officials said. Dialogue with the Taliban, not more fighting, is in Pakistan’s national interest, they said.

The cooperation of the Pakistani government is crucial if the United States wants to succeed in Afghanistan. The extra troops on the ground, it seems, is also critically important. Should be interesting to how it all shakes out.

U.S. flags have been lowered today at all state agency buildings in honor of an Aberdeen soldier who was killed last weekend in Afghanistan.

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered the flags to be flown at half-staff for Pvt. Aaron Fairbairn, 21. He died in a bombing Saturday, which was the Fourth of July. He was assigned to an Army unit out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.

The flags will be at half-staff until sunset today or first thing Friday morning. The governor encourages others with flags to join in the recognition.

Attention, National Guardsmen: The military wants you for Afghanistan.

Stars and Stripes has a story today about the importance of the National Guard soldiers -- specifically ones with civil affairs-type expertise -- in Afghanistan.

From the story:

Gen. David Petraeus, head of Central Command, has already suggested they could use more of the agribusiness development teams — manned by National Guardsmen from rural areas — that train Afghans in modern farming techniques. Thirteen already are in place.

An expansion of the State Partnership Program, which links state National Guard units with overseas militaries (Washington is partnered with Thailand), is also being considered.

Brian McGovern, a Fort Lewis public affairs NCO deployed to Afghanistan, offers this piece about Father's Day in South Asia.

When I heard someone mention that it was Father's Day. Huh... I had completely forgotten. My thoughts went to my dad, who is bravely suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. And then I thought about my kids. But I couldn't call or email anyone, since we were under a commo blackout.

His post -- like most of his blog -- is worth your time.

For this following the deployment of 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, this could be interesting: Small Wars Journal copies Gen. Stanley McChrystal's initial guidance to the troops upon taking the top military job in Afghanistan.

It begins:

The situation in Afghanistan is serious. The outcome is important--and not yet decided. Our actions this year will be critical. We must, and will, succeed.

Success will be defined by the Afghan people's freedom to choose their future--freedom from coercion, extremists, malign foreign influence, or abusive government actions.

The outcome will be determined by our ability to understand and act with precision, the values we display, our unity of purpose, and our resolve.

More than 300 Strykers belonging to 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division begin arriving in Afghanistan this week.

Almost 9,500 tons of vehicles and support equipment will arrive in the country over the next two months, according to an Air Force press release. Most will arrive on C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets.

Other equipment will be flown by commercial An-124 Ruslan jets. The airlift effort is expected to last about two months.

Two Strykers can fit inside each C-17. The vehicles were loaded onto a ship from the Port of Tacoma last month and shipped to a staging area at a Pacific Ocean island. The airlift will take them to southern Afghanistan, where 5th Brigade will deploy later this summer.

It’s the first time Strykers have been deployed on this scale in Afghanistan, though members of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment have used the eight-wheeled vehicle in the country. The Army boasts seven Stryker brigades – including three at Fort Lewis – but all previous combat experience has been in Iraq.

If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, make sure not to miss Map the Fallen.

It maps out details of each coalition soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here are a couple of screengrabs:

=> Read more!

They're often contradictory beliefs: Many complain the American people don't act like a nation at war, but only until very recently the return of coffins from service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan (images that would remind the public of the cost of war) were off limits to reporters.

So when the bossman sent me a link to this story, I wanted to share it with y'all and hopefully get some input. Two reporters were on hand for the honoring of a fallen soldier at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Check it out.

Should the military allow reporters around for more events like these? Or does it overstep the line protecting privacy?