Christmas in Kabul

Last updated
Christmas in Kabul
Written by Paul Mather
Rick Mercer
Directed by Geoff D'Eon
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Original release
Release2003 (2003)

Christmas in Kabul is a CBC Christmas special about comedian Rick Mercer going to Afghanistan to bring Christmas cheer to the Canadian troops stationed outside Kabul.

Music stars Damhnait Doyle, Kevin Fox and Tom Cochrane accompanied Mercer to Camp Julien, where many of the troops live in large tents.

It originally aired December 21, 2003, on CBC.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Security Assistance Force</span> NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan from 2001–2014

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined the establishment of a permanent Afghan government following the U.S. invasion in October 2001. ISAF's primary goal was to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions; it gradually took part in the broader war in Afghanistan against the Taliban insurgency.

Dayna Curry is an American citizen, who was held a prisoner by Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. She befriended fellow aid worker Heather Mercer while attending Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. In 2001 the pair were part of a German-based missionary group called Shelter Now International when they were imprisoned by the Taliban for proselytization. Their captivity coincided with the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the US-led War in Afghanistan. In November 2001, Curry and her fellow workers were rescued from Taliban captivity by US military forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Mercer</span> Canadian comedian (born 1969)

Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report. He is the author of four books based on content from the shows and the two part memoir consisting of Talking to Canadians and The Road Years. Mercer has received more than 25 Gemini Awards for his work on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Julien</span>

Camp Julien was the main base for the Canadian contingent of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Operation Tsunami was a joint operation in 2003 between 200 Canadian forces and Afghanistan police against drug trafficking in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damhnait Doyle</span> Canadian musician

Damhnait Doyle is a Canadian musician, singer and composer. A phonetic spelling of her first name also serves as the title of her 2003 album. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian band Shaye from 2003–2009 with Kim Stockwood and Tara MacLean (2003–2007). Along with Blake Manning, Stuart Cameron and Peter Fusco, she formed a new band called The Heartbroken which was active since 2009.

Operation Athena was the Canadian Forces' contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The operation was divided in two phases: the first one took place from July 2003 to July 2005 in the Kabul region and the second one from August 2005 to December 2011 in the Kandahar area. The operation's main objective was to improve Afghanistan's security and governance. Operation Athena in Kandahar constituted the longest combat mission in the history of Canadian Forces. With over 40,000 Canadian military members that, at some point, entered the country—often several times—this operation constitutes the largest military deployment of the Canadian Forces since World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)</span> Afghan government ministry responsible for military and national defense matters

The Ministry of Defense is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for overseeing the military of Afghanistan. The ministry is located in Kabul.

Canada's role in the Afghanistan War began in late 2001. Canada sent its first element of soldiers secretly in October 2001 from Joint Task Force 2, and the first contingents of regular Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) troops arrived in Afghanistan in January–February 2002. The operations were aimed at identifying and neutralizing Al-Qaeda members in that country and toppling the Taliban regime which was supporting international terrorism. Canada's role in the Afghan conflict grew in 2006 when Canadian troops relieved US forces in Kandahar province, taking command of the multinational brigade in the region during a major Taliban offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mummering</span> British, Irish, and Canadian folk custom

Mummering is a Christmas-time house-visiting tradition practiced in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland, City of Philadelphia, and parts of the United Kingdom.

The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.

The year 2021 in Afghanistan was marked by a major offensive from the Taliban beginning in May and the Taliban capturing Kabul in August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan</span> End of the 2001–21 war; second beginning of Taliban rule

The United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021, marking the end of the 2001–2021 war. In February 2020, the Trump administration and the Taliban signed the United States–Taliban deal in Doha, Qatar, which stipulated fighting restrictions for both the US and the Taliban, and in return for the Taliban's counter-terrorism commitments, provided for the withdrawal of all NATO forces from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks on the Taliban at the detriment of the ANSF fighting the Taliban insurgency. The Biden administration's final decision in April 2021 to begin the withdrawal as planned on May 1, 2021, but delay the final pull-out of all US troops until September 2021, triggered the start of the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). This collapse led to the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kandahar (2021)</span> 2021 conflict in Kandahar

The Battle of Kandahar began on 9 July 2021, as Taliban insurgents assaulted the city to capture it from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). After heavy fighting for weeks the city's defenses had started to dissolve in August. This allowed the Taliban to enter and overrun most of the city on 12 August 2021, including the Sarposa prison, which included the release of over 1,000 prisoners, and ultimately the capture of the city. However, the siege for the nearby airport continued, where government loyalists held out until being evacuated on 16 August.

Operation Devi Shakti was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, the capital city, to the Taliban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Kabul airlift</span> Military evacuation following the Fall of Kabul

Large-scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces at the end of the 2001–2021 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of Kabul and declared victory on 15 August 2021, and the NATO-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed. With the Taliban controlling the whole city except Hamid Karzai International Airport, hostilities ceased and the Taliban assisted in the evacuation effort by providing security and screening evacuees.

Comedy Night with Rick Mercer is a Canadian television comedy series, which premiered on CBC Television in September 2022. Hosted by Rick Mercer and produced by Just for Laughs, the series consists of stand-up comedy performances by Canadian comedians recorded in various locations across the country on a national comedy tour.

On 17 August 2022, the Abu Bakr al Sadiq Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan was bombed. Many were reported killed in the explosion. Residents nearby also heard gunshots after the explosion occurred. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although it was almost surely perpetrated by ISIS–K, which has stepped up attacks targeting the Taliban and Afghan civilians since the former insurgents’ takeover of the country in August 2021, as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their withdrawal. The previous week, ISIS–K claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul.