I’ve corresponded with blogger and milspouse Kanani for a while now (and hope to meet her soon), and been following her blog and posts on Facebook featuring pictures and stories from “Hub” her husband, a military surgeon at a forward surgery center – the kind of place that may save my son’s life if he’s unlucky – in Eastern Afghanistan.

Today she writes about the rising tensions in Kandahar and Argrendeb and the impacts on a small NGO that has been trying to do some good there.

…Arghand’s most recent dilemma was when co-op members wanted to quit and shutter the business. The reason? For an Afghan, being associated with the Americans had become too risky. Violence in Kandahar was on the rise, and retribution for working with the Green and Chayes gives the Taliban cause to murder or torture themselves or their families. In a Field Note written in March 2008, Chayes detailed the deteriorating conditions and risk.

“One of our cooperative members has left Arghandab. His family made it through the Jihad, the Mujahideen period, and Taliban rule, ensconced in the protective enclave of their pomegranate thicket. He has had to move because two unknown men with guns were lying in wait on his path to work, early in the morning when only he is abroad.”

Echoing this, Green tells readers that she and her sister have seen a jubilant atmosphere where the future seemed unlimited after liberation in 2001. However, these are “dark days of violence and paranoia.”

To me we have four heroes here – the two American women who chose to get involved in the context of Afghanistan itself, rather than sit safely at home and write about it (um, like I do…); a surgeon who could be making big dollars here who chose to enlist and go save young men like my son and help local Afghans with modern medicine – and his wife, whose life must have been turned upside down when he made that decision, and who writes with cleverness, energy, and insight about what she sees. Kanani continues:

To read the how Arghand International solved its dilemma, read the full text of her “Notes From The Field” available for download on the Arghand site. Click on “News” on the top. Then pull down “Notes From the Field.” From there, click on “Nov. 8 (Jennie) under 2009” on the left sidebar. Arghand hand made, high quality, natural soaps may be purchased online from independent retailers throughout the U.S. Just search for “Arghand Soaps.”

–