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Topic: Afghanistan - 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment - 2007 (Read 13749 times)
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Good report Mike, i wonder if they are just being a dangerous pain in the a**... maybe thats the best they can muster?? I hope... ranrad
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Father joins daughter in Afghanistan tour
By Sharon Boase
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 12, 2007)
Never in his wildest dreams did Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Smith imagine himself serving in Afghanistan -- and certainly not with his 24-year-old daughter.
While the two Smiths will be stationed some 500 kilometres apart -- Guy in Kabul and Stephanie in Kandahar -- they will be serving simultaneously in one of the most dangerous war zones in the world.
But dad, whose military career spans four decades, isn't afraid.
"Is it a dangerous environment? Of course," the elder Smith said yesterday.
"But we take great care in training our soldiers to mitigate the risks we're up against."
Smith, 55, who has served as commanding officer of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI) since 2003, handed over that role to Major Sean McKee in a colourful ceremony at the Lieutenant-Colonel John Foote Armoury yesterday.
Smith begins pre-deployment training for his Afghan posting next week. Smith may assume his duties as a senior liaison officer for the Commander of Regional Command South as early as April.
Stephanie is the first of three daughters for Smith and the only one in the military.
She studied nursing at the University of New Brunswick through the Regular Officer Training Plan. She is a nurse at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar, treating injured soldiers.
She was deployed last month.
A cadet in high school, the elder Smith joined the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment as a young officer in 1974.
He served in various regimental and staff positions in and outside of the RCR and completed a United Nations tour of duty in Cyprus.
In 1989, he was promoted to major and commanded the Combat Support Company of the RCR's 2nd Battalion at Ganesetake and Kahnawke.
He retired from the regular army in 1995 but continued in the supplementary reserve.
He returned to uniform in 2001 as deputy commanding officer of the RHLI.
Last fall, he served as a member of the Military Training Assistance Team, helping to teach Kenyan army officers battle procedures at the command post level.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Afghan soldier wounded by Canadian troops
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Mon. Feb. 12 2007 7:31 AM ET
The military has ordered an investigation into a shooting incident involving Canadian troops that left an Afghan army soldier wounded.
The shooting, which occurred on a road east of Kandahar city, involved soldiers in a Canadian re-supply convoy that was returning to the local airfield, NATO's main military base in the region.
Canadian Forces spokesman Lt.-Cmdr. Kris Phillips told The Canadian Press that military police have called for a probe.
"Incidents such as this are very regrettable and we try to take all reasonable steps to avoid them. However, they do, from time to time, occur,'' he said.
"We've also been in constant contact with the ANA (Afghan National Army) authorities and commanders in the local area. There will be further meetings and discussions with representatives of the ANA to determine how we can work together to prevent this from happening again.''
Phillips said the shooting happened when an Afghan army convoy of pickup trucks approached a security cordon set up around a disabled RG-31 Nyala patrol vehicle.
The driver of the lead pickup refused orders to stop, he said.
"I think naturally people would be a little bit upset with this sort of incident. I know we're upset. It's not the kind of thing we like to see happen,'' he said.
The wounded Afghan soldier was transported to a civilian hospital for treatment to what is believed to be injuries to his arm.
In other developments on Monday, gunbattles and ambushes left at least six Taliban fighters and five Afghan police dead in southern Afghanistan.
U.S.-led coalition forces reported that several other Taliban fighters died during an assault targeting a senior Taliban leader near the town of Gereshk in Helmand province.
The coalition said Taliban militants set off the fight by firing a rocket-propelled grenade at coalition and Afghan forces.
"Forces then engaged and killed the Taliban fighters,'' a coalition statement said.
Officials hadn't yet determined the number of militants killed, the statement said.
The offensive was launched based on information about a senior Taliban leader operating in Kandahar who has links to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, the coalition said.
Meanwhile in Uruzgan province, NATO forces and Afghan police and troops clashed with suspected Taliban militants near the town of Tirin Kot late Sunday.
The clashes left six Taliban fighters and three police dead, while another 12 suspected Taliban were arrested and several guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers were recovered, said Qayum Qayumi, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Also Sunday, two police officers died and a third was wounded in neighbouring Zabul province when suspected Taliban militants ambushed a police vehicle.
With files from The Canadian Press
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well, interesting to see two of a family in the same area...may all go well for both and they return safe and sound.....too bad about the Afghan being shot, but as they say, things do happen, and at least the cahp has survived to learn from it all....procedures are there to protec all and it is good to see they are adhered to no matter... one cannot know on a split second.. ergo, procedures.. and accidents will happen... great reports Mike , thanks for getting them up here for us all, ranrad
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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sit repppp...
NATO, Afghan troops secure southern Taliban stronghold
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 | 9:38 AM ET
The Associated Press
NATO and Afghan forces killed 22 Taliban fighters in separate clashes in a southern Afghan province where hundreds of militants have gathered, a police official said Tuesday.
More than 300 British marines cleared "a stronghold of Taliban extremists" around a hydroelectric dam in the Kajaki district of Helmand province, a region that has been the target of Taliban attacks, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
Provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhail said 15 Taliban fighters were killed in three days of fighting.
ISAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Angela Billings said there was an exchange of fire for much of the day Monday but she couldn't confirm the Taliban death toll.
Taliban fighters shot at the British troops with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades, ISAF said. Attack helicopters provided air support.
ISAF troops in the region have been clearing compounds for the past six weeks, ISAF said. Civilians have fled the area, forced from their homes by Taliban fighters, it said.
Elsewhere, fighting in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province killed seven Taliban militants, including a commander named Mullah Tohr Jan, Malakhail said. He said NATO and Afghan forces suffered no casualties.
Norway offers more troops
Also Tuesday, Norway said it would send an extra 150 soldiers to help secure Kabul following an appeal from the western alliance.
However, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the troops wouldn't be deployed to the violent south.
British, Canadian, American and Dutch troops, working under the NATO banner, have carried out most of the anti-Taliban operations in the southern provinces of Kandhar and Helmand. NATO leaders have repeatedly called on member nations to send more troops to help.
There are already about 550 Norwegian troops in northern Afghanistan.
"Norway received a specific request from NATO on Feb. 5 for an additional military contribution," including transport planes, fighter aircraft and special forces, Stoere said in Parliament.
"The special forces contingent will be in line with NATO's wishes and will be important to defending and maintaining security in the capital," he said.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well, looks like the "probing " may be beginning.. sort of makes one wonder if the Taliban is very unsure of themselves. I believe they are.. very unsure, very weakened and maybe even  wheether they should just go home and become real citizens again. Good report Mike, thanks , ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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I'm not sure I agree with your tactical assessment, brother.
My instincts tell me we haven't seen anything yet this year and won't until the land turns green enough for the buggers to move without getting vaporized by the Americans much vaunted air power. I suggest they will come in force when the weeds start growing again.
Hopefully, by then, our so called NATO allies will have found the nuggets to pull the thumb out of their collective , ah, ears (To those of you who know me, please feel free to insert the expected expletive), and support the mission with the manpower they pledged pledged in the aftermath of 911.
NATO seeks more troops in Afghanistan
By Associated Press
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - Updated: 03:46 PM EST
CASTEAU, Belgium - NATO’s top commander renewed an appeal Tuesday for allies to fill gaps in the international military force in Afghanistan, warning that failure to send reinforcements was weakening the mission and jeopardizing the lives of soldiers fighting the Taliban.
Taliban guerrillas have proven much tougher than the alliance expected in 2003 when its first contingent of peacekeepers deployed to Afghanistan. Last year, fighting surged and commanders have warned that even fiercer combat can be expected if the insurgents launch a spring offensive against the Kabul government.
”We do not have adequate forces,” Gen. John Craddock told reporters at NATO’s military headquarters in southern Belgium. ”It makes accomplishing the mission that more difficult,” he added. ”It places every NATO soldier there at greater risk.”
Politicians in Canada, Britain, the United States and other nations with troops in southern Afghanistan have been irked by the reluctance of some European allies to commit extra troops to the 35,500-strong NATO force, and in particular to allow their troops to be deployed to the Taliban’s heartland in the south and east.
In Afghanistan, a police official said Tuesday that NATO and Afghan forces killed 22 Taliban fighters in separate clashes over the past few days in a southern Afghan province where hundreds of militants have gathered.
Craddock said he was optimistic allies would come forward with additional contributions. However, a meeting of NATO defense ministers last week in Seville, Spain, produced only small offers.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Senate committee in Canada said the government should a consider withdrawing from Afghanistan unless NATO allies deliver additional troops.
Canada’s 2,500 troops play a key role in the front-line southern provinces and have suffered relatively high casualties. Craddock said any decision to pull them out would create a ”terrible situation.”
Craddock said securing the right sort of specialized troops and equipment was more important than simply pouring in manpower.
He said the decision last month by the United States to extend the tour of more than 3,000 of its soldiers has given the force a much-needed mobile reserve. However, he said the force was still about 7 percent short of full strength.
He declined to give exact numbers, saying that could give important information to the Taliban. But officials at the meeting in Seville said NATO was looking for up to 2,500 additional ground troops.
”There has to be a coherent, simultaneous effort to secure and stabilize,” Craddock said in reply to French and German doubts raised in Seville about the need for more troops. ”You can’t get long term development and reconstruction without security.”
Craddock said the high level of casualties sustained by the Taliban in clashes with NATO last year made it unlikely they would seek an all-out confrontation this spring. Instead, he noted they had returned to hit-and-run tactics with an increase in roadside bombs.
He said improvised explosive devices used by the insurgents were becoming more sophisticated, but were not yet as powerful as armor-piercing bombs used in Iraq which the U.S. military this week claimed to have traced to Iran.
Meanwhile, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said more than 300 British marines cleared ”a stronghold of Taliban extremists” around a hydroelectric dam in the Kajaki district of Helmand province _ a region that has been the target of Taliban attacks.
Provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhail said 15 Taliban fighters were killed in three days of fighting.
Elsewhere, fighting in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province killed seven Taliban militants, including a commander, Malakhail said. He said that NATO and Afghan forces suffered no casualties.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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Mike Blais
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February 13, 2007
Afghan villagers could face expulsion
By MURRAY BREWSTER
PANJWAII, Afghanistan (CP) - NATO commanders and the governor of Kandahar have warned Afghan villagers returning to their shattered homes west of the city that they may be expelled again if Canadian troops face renewed attacks this spring.
The warning does not sit well with refugees, many of whom believe they're being forced to account for the actions of insurgents they can't control - or for accidents which may be of the military allies own making. In being allowed to return to their villages throughout Panjwaii and Zhari districts, "the condition was the Canadians shouldn't be shot again; they shouldn't be attacked," said Haji Abdul Rahim, a village elder from Talukan, about 50 kilometres from the provincial capital.
NATO has set up a one-kilometre buffer zone around its bases and convoys, Rahim said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press, conducted through a translator.
Incidents within those areas, he said, could be used as justification to eject civilians.
A forced evacuation could not, however, take place without the consent of Kandahar Gov. Assadullah Khalid.
A senior Canadian officer, who was present at a recent district meeting where resettlement was discussed, said the policy is not meant to be punitive, but is intended for public safety.
"The point I expressed to the elders and the governor backed me up on it: This is very much for the sake of people returning," said Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, commander of the Canadian battle group.
"The last thing we would ever want to happen is to have them caught between insurgent forces and coalition -or Afghan national security forces."
But for Rahim, the people of his village are already caught in the middle even before another shot is fired, and it will only get worse with the approach of spring, when fighting traditionally escalates.
"The Taliban are going to pressure the civilians to be with (them)," he said waving his arms excitedly.
"And from the other respect, the government is going to pressure the civilians to be (with them). Of the course the civilians are with the government, but how could the civilians take the responsibility of those things which they are not aware of?"
Regardless of the claimed benign intent of the warning, many of those being resettled were worried about whether the policy will be arbitrarily enforced. That is a legitimate fear in a land where many dealings still take place at the end of a gun barrel, rather than by the rule of law.
"Everyone does cruel things to us," Aghagul Asha, a Zhari district resident, said with a weary shrug.
Rahim, 58, who is also a member of the provincial council, told of an incident about two weeks ago when an Afghan army unit swooped down on a farmer's field after someone in the area reportedly took pot shots at a patrol.
Up to 25 farmhands were apparently arrested and some were allegedly beaten as troops looked for the source of the shooting, which had injured no one. The Afghan army would not confirm the incident, but Rahim said all but two of the suspects have now been released.
That kind of drumhead justice is what people have come to expect in this war-torn region.
But Lavoie tried to ease fears by saying there would be no "knee jerk" reaction from Canadian commanders.
In Zhari district, he said, some Taliban fighters have re-entered the village of Pasab and taken the occasional shots at them "and we certainly haven't gone in and evicted" any locals.
Throughout much of last summer and fall, Canadian troops led NATO in a string of engagements throughout this bone-dry, rock-ribbed farmland.
Taliban guerrillas were dug into fortified positions, mingled with the fields of marijuana and mined pathways. It produced a conventional battle the likes of which the Canadian army hadn't fought in nearly half a century. For weeks the countryside was churned with the grinding fire of heavy artillery and cratered by the burst of bombs.
Defeated by better trained and equipped western troops, the insurgents have since reverted to the guerrilla-style tactics of roadside bombings and mine-based booby traps.
Roughly 80,000 people were displaced by the fighting, many fleeing to either Kandahar city or squalid refugee camps. The process to repatriate them and deliver aid to the homeless began in early January, but it's been plagued with inaptitude and in some cases local corruption.
"The people of these villages have requested the governor that the areas be cleaned (of mines and other debris)," said Rahim.
While demining and explosive clearance has been underway for weeks, there is concern, particularly in Zhari district, that in the haste to get people back into their homes not all of unexploded munitions and leftover Taliban booby traps have been removed.
Those charges could still be out there waiting for a NATO soldier to step on, said Rahim.
"If they cannot clean it up, what could the civilian do?" asked Asha.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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Taliban leader killed in airstrike
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- A NATO airstrike destroyed a compound housing a Taliban leader responsible for a wave of violence across southern Afghanistan, killing the commander and at least 10 other suspected militants, the Western alliance said.
NATO meanwhile said militants continued to cross into Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan "in fairly substantial numbers."
NATO spokesman, Col. Tom Collins, said on Wednesday that insurgents from North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia have been captured in Afghanistan. However, he said their presence wasn't "overly significant" and that most Taliban fighters are ethnic Pashtuns from southern Afghanistan.
Provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi identified the Taliban leader targeted in the airstrike early on Wednesday as Mullah Manan. NATO said he was linked to an uprising in the town of Musa Qala, which the Taliban overran on February 1, and to an attack on Tuesday against a dam in nearby Kajaki.
NATO said it observed people removing the bodies of 11 "fighting-age males" from the compound.
Other estimates of the death toll from the remote region varied widely. Malakhail said nine people were killed, while Wali Mohammad, a Musa Qala resident, said by phone that 20 had died.
Malakhail reported no civilian casualties, but Abdul Ali, a tribal elder from Musa Qala, said some family members who lived at the compound were also killed.
NATO said it had observed no women or children being brought out of the targeted compound.
"ISAF takes allegations of civilian casualties very seriously and we do everything in our power to prevent them," Collins said. "In this morning's attack, we remain confident that only enemy forces were killed."
NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan have taken heavy criticism in the past for the deaths of civilians killed in airstrikes.
Collins claimed that Taliban fighters had adopted a new tactic that put civilians at risk -- using children as human shields during recent fighting near Kajaki.
A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, denied that its fighters use children as cover or fight from civilian homes.
Afghanistan last year suffered its worst bout of violence since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001. Some 4,000 people died in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press count based on numbers from U.S., NATO and Afghan officials.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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South Asia News
NATO names Taliban leader killed in southern Afghanistan
By DPA
Feb 15, 2007, 12:23 GMT
Kabul - NATO forces identified a senior Taliban leader as Mullah Manan, who was killed in the alliance's airstrike in southern province on Wednesday, the military said on Thursday.
Manan was killed along with ten other militants in a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in volatile Musa Qala district which under control of the Taliban for the past two weeks.
'Manan was a Taliban extremist leader who played an instrumental part in the seizure of Musa Qala district centre,' ISAF said in a statement, adding that he was also coordinated the attack against the joint forces in the province and was personally responsible for the attack on hydroelectric dam in the adjoining district Kajaki.
'This violent and ruthless extremist leader will no longer intimidate the people of Afghanistan and undermine their legitimate government,' Lieutenant Colonel Angela Billings was quoted in the statement as saying.
Afghan local media reported on Wednesday that dozens of civilians including women and children were killed in a NATO pre-dawn air raid in Musa Qala district of volatile Helmand province.
However, ISAF disputed the reports and called it a 'well-known enemy tactic to try to blame civilian casualties on ISAF forces.'
Musa Qala district has been overrun by Taliban and being under the control of Taliban militants for the past two weeks, after the breaching of a controversial truce between the militants and the Afghan government supported by British forces in the province.
ISAF spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that Afghan forces retook Washer district, another district of the same Helmand province on Wednesday morning, which fell into the hands of the Taliban on Tuesday.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Dang good shots people.. dang good shot...will do a lot of damage to their command structure,i am sure.. ranrad
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Afghan general says Canadian who shot convoy driver should be punished
Murray Brewster
Canadian Press
Thursday, February 15, 2007
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) — A Canadian soldier who opened fire on an Afghan National Army convoy wounding a military driver should face some kind of discipline in his own country, a senior Afghan commander said Thursday.
Lt.-Gen. Rahmatullah Raoufi said he understood the mistakes that led up to the incident, which has increased strain between the allies since it happened east of Kandahar on Monday.
The 23-year-old Afghan officer driving the lead vehicle missed the warning sign demanding that he stop, the general said. The Afghan vehicle was peppered with a blast of 7.62-millimetre machine-gun fire from the turret of a Canadian RG-31 Nyala vehicle.
“The incident was a mistake,” Raoufi, the commander of all Afghan forces in the south, said in an interview with The Canadian Press through a translator.
“(But) the Canadian who shot our man must be punished according to Canadian army law.”
The Canadians have apologized three times, he said.
There was some confusion about the wounds the man received. The adjutant at the Afghan army hospital where the soldier was first treated said Monday the victim was hit in the arm and leg and suffered a series of cuts from flying glass. But the Canadian army, who gave him further treatment at the Kandahar Airfield hospital, described the injuries on Tuesday as less serious, saying doctors only operated on a leg wound.
The injured officer, Lt. Abdul Hadi, was reported in stable condition Thursday and seemed well enough to be taken outside for some late morning sun.
Raoufi said he was pleased and grateful for the medical treatment Hadi was receiving at the NATO base.
A series of unintentional civilian shootings over the last year has increased tension between Canadian troops and the Afghan population, who have taken to complaining openly about the violence.
Just after sunrise Monday, a convoy of Afghan army pickup trucks — the primary means of transportation for this emerging military force — approached a security cordon around a disabled Canadian Nyala.
The line of vehicles was waved through an initial checkpoint by a Canadian light armoured vehicle crew but came under fire when it approached the inner defensive perimeter.
Raoufi said Hadi, who as an officer was not a regular driver, mistook some hand signals as he tried to pass around the cordon.
A spokesman for the Canadian Forces would not comment on where the investigation stands.
“We’re in the middle of an ongoing investigation and hopefully that investigation will bring to light what happened,” said Lt. (Navy) John Nethercott.
“At this point, I’m not allowed to talk about anything to do with the investigation. There is a process that has to be followed.”
Nethercott did confirm the Canadian soldier involved in the shooting remains on duty and was new to the theatre and convoy duty. At the moment, soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment are being replaced with fresh troops from Atlantic Canada.
Meanwhile, a village shura — or meeting — in neighbouring Helmand province, involving NATO and Afghan army forces and village elders in Haji Amin Kalay, was hit with extremist mortar fire. One woman was killed and her child suffered shrapnel wounds.
The village is located west of the town of Garmsir.
NATO and Afghan troops immediately started to evacuate the village and returned fire, said an alliance statement.
The child and his father were evacuated to the nearest NATO medical facility for treatment. The child’s condition was not immediately known.
“Once again, this demonstrates the complete disregard the enemy has for lives of local people,” said Lt.-Col. Rory Bruce, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well ,Sir, yes you the Afghan General, please show discipline and deportment and await the investigation before pronouncing sentencing, otherwise you may upset things more than they now are, and that will be almost irreperable damage..in Canada people are presumed innocent UNTIL proven otherwise....ranrad
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New Afghan offensive will be tough, Bush warns
Canadians expected to see more action as U.S. redirects 3,200-strong army brigade
PAUL KORING
From Friday's Globe and Mail
WASHINGTON — NATO troops, including Canadians, will face more tough combat this spring as a new offensive is launched against the Taliban in Afghanistan, U.S. President George W. Bush warned yesterday.
In anticipation, Mr. Bush ordered an army brigade of 3,200 soldiers bound for Iraq to deploy instead to southern Afghanistan where Canadian, U.S., British and Dutch troops fought a resurgent Taliban last year.
"The Taliban and al-Qaeda are preparing to launch new attacks," Mr. Bush said. "Our strategy is not to be on the defence, but to go on the offence. This spring there is going to be a new offensive in Afghanistan, and it's going to be a NATO offensive."
In a speech to the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Mr. Bush also implored NATO allies to send more forces to Afghanistan. But that plea is likely to fall on deaf ears in some capitals.
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France, Germany, Italy and Spain have all rejected previous calls to unleash their sizable contingents for combat in the south, rather than keep them far from the fray in the more peaceful areas of Afghanistan.
Mr. Bush didn't name names, but others in Washington were more blunt.
Tom Lantos, a California Democrat, and the new chairman of the House of Representatives foreign relations committee, denounced those "so-called allies [for taking] advantage of American generosity and courage."
"It is an outrage that only troops from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom are deployed to the most hazardous spots," Mr. Lantos said.
Canadian, British and U.S. troops did most of the fighting and dying last year in the toughest combat in Afghanistan since early 2002. Canadian Forces moved south into Kandahar province -- once the Taliban heartland -- early last year and faced unexpected, fierce resistance.
Yesterday, in a hearing on Capitol Hill, the top former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General Karl Eikenberry said a lack of planning had reduced the success of Canadian-led combat operations. Operation Medusa, he said, referring to the major fall offensive that was claimed to have killed hundreds of Taliban, "a Canadian-U.S.-Afghan National Army-police operation in southern Afghanistan [was a] successful combat operation, but there was an inadequate plan to maintain security after the operation had conducted," he told the House foreign relations committee.
Mr. Bush warned that last year's attacks by the Taliban as they sought to re-establish control over southern Afghanistan would be followed by new attacks as soon as the snow melts.
"Across Afghanistan last year, the number of roadside-bomb attacks doubled, direct-fire attacks on international forces almost tripled and suicide bombings grew nearly fivefold," Mr. Bush said.
Britain has increased its combat commitment, already the second-largest in Afghanistan, in anticipation of new fighting.
Canada sent some aging Leopard tanks, but its small army is stretched thin by the existing 2,000-soldier commitment. Ottawa has rejected deploying CF-18 warplanes to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Canada's military helicopters can't be sent because they are either too old or ill-suited to the rugged and high-altitude flying in Afghanistan.
The latest U.S. troop increase brings to 27,000 the number of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, the highest since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda suicide hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people in attacks in New York and Washington.
More than 40,000 foreign troops are now deployed in Afghanistan but most of the contingents from 37 countries are either too small to be militarily effective or deployed far from the fighting.
Mr. Bush also announced that he was seeking an additional $10.6-billion (U.S.) during the next two years for Afghanistan, most of it for training and equipping Afghan police and security forces. The Afghan army, currently about 32,000 soldiers, is poorly equipped and having trouble retaining soldiers. The police are widely regarded as corrupt and ineffective.
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