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Topic: Afghanistan - 3rd Battalion, The Royal 22nd Regiment. 07-08 (Read 5521 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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An honour for Canadian troops at the Ex
Aug 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Rosie DiManno
One young man's shins are prosthetics, legs gone.
The other fellow's right calf is deeply gouged, flesh and muscle mutilated by shrapnel.
Master Cpl. Jody Mitic, stepped on a land mine. Sapper Mike McTeague, shredded by a suicide bomber.
Here is Canada's war in Afghanistan. This is what it looks like.
Don't look away. Understand it. That's what the soldiers want, as much as public support. Not tears, not pity, but comprehension, and maybe a little bit of the same fortitude they possess.
Mitic and McTeague, members of the Royal Canadian Regiment, are still standing and they are beautiful. The most heartfelt applause yesterday, during a troop rally at the Canadian National Exhibition, was for them, and Master Cpl. Dwayne Orvis, his right arm shattered by the same aforementioned bomber.
Some might say they were props, like that LAV III, marooned on a piece of macadam, for civilians to explore. But venturing into the vehicle, in the honky-tonk atmosphere of a summer carnival, in no way approximates the cramped confinement, the sweaty anxiety, of travelling through the Afghan desert on roads studded with improvised explosive devices.
Conveying the experience of frontline soldiers is a double-edged sword. Where some see valour and commitment, others see only waste and political folly.
Not the soldiers, of course, and not those who might want to become soldiers, although even that campaign has drawn sharp rebuke from anti-military elements. The mere fact recruiters have taken a quasi-booth at the CNE has been met with hostility, as if the Canadian Forces were a cult, gang-pressing impressionable young men and women into service for their country.
Toronto appears a hard sell on Afghanistan.
Most big cities are, at least relative to enlistment from small towns across Canada, most especially in the Maritimes, which gives proportionately a great deal more of its lifeblood to the service.
"We have met all of our goals that we set in Toronto," insisted Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's top soldier and a frequent participant at these events, some more rah-rah than others, certainly well-meant by organizers but not so poignant as spontaneous demonstrations of support and acknowledgment, like those who gather quietly to salute the fallen along Highway 401.
Hillier continued: "We have a challenge to communicate with Canadians, to have them consider the Canadian Forces as one of their options for the future. We are actually getting Canadians showing up in numbers that we've never seen before at our recruiting centres, meeting all of our targets."
In any case, yesterday's poorly attended event – no more than a thousand took the time to publicly show their rally red colours – would not have provided much human resources fodder for the cause.
The median age of the crowd was about 70. They heard brief speeches from police Chief Bill Blair, Don Cherry and former mayor Mel Lastman, weirdly morphed into a Borscht Belt comedian.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay, new and raw to the portfolio, could offer little more than platitudes. No matter how genuine, they always sound trite, but that's the nature of these affairs.
"A cheer heard all the way from Toronto to Afghanistan!" he urged, and the crowd did try.
"We're there because we care," he declared.
I'm not so sure Canadians do care, not about Afghanistan anyway.
The troops, yes, in their fashion, but the core purpose of the mission, I'm not confident about that at all.
Said Hillier: "What this does is convince them that, when they're 2,000 kilometres from home, when they're on a dusty, dirty trail, and when they're doing their mission, Canadians are walking with them."
If a shoutout was expected from this rally, Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan will need to strain their ears in order to hear it.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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Stable... at 51 percent. Nationally? Forgive me if i am not impressed....
Quebecers 'rally' around soldiers after Van Doos killed
Jack Aubry
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Canadian support for the military mission in Afghanistan remains surprisingly stable, including in Quebec, despite the loss of three soldiers from that province in the past week, a new CanWest News Service/Global National poll suggests.
Conducted by Ipsos Reid, the poll found 51 per cent of respondents across the country said they support the mission, while 45 per cent oppose it. The numbers remained virtually unchanged from a month ago.
In Quebec, support for the nation's overseas combat activities actually rose to 35 per cent this week from 30 per cent in July, while opposition dropped to 61 per cent from 65 per cent. The Ipsos Reid poll runs counter to a CROP survey, released earlier this week, which showed an 11 percentage-point increase, to 68 per cent, of Quebecers opposed to their compatriots being involved in the conflict.
The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted following the death of the first soldier from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment -- the Van Doos. Partway through the survey, which ran from Tuesday through Thursday of this week, two more Quebec soldiers were killed in action in Afghanistan. All were based at Quebec's CFB Valcartier. Moreover, a high-profile French-language TV personality was caught in an attack, which seriously injured his cameraman.
John Wright, senior vice-president of Ipsos Reid, said the slight increase in support for the mission in Quebec captured in his poll may be "a symptom of Quebecers rallying around their own troops in support of their efforts in Afghanistan." Quebec's Van Doos regiment took command of Canada's mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 1.
The four percentage-point drop in opposition in Quebec falls within the poll's margin of error of 6.2 percentage points for the province.
At a red rally for the troops held Friday at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canadian soldiers are involved in a "noble cause" in Afghanistan. Chief of Defence Gen. Rick Hillier told the crowd that Canadian troops believe in the mission in Afghanistan and that public support means a lot to them.
"From the soldiers' perspective, we do not believe a group of people who will whip women for (wearing) heels that will click on pavement should be allowed to resume control of their country and the lives of those people in it," said Gen. Hillier, referring to the Taliban enemy. Because of the "incredible work" of Canadian soldiers, there are now 6,000 Afghan women in training as school teachers, the general said.
The Red Friday campaign was started in April 2006 by Lisa Miller and Karen Boire, who both have ties to the military. The rallies were started to show support for the Canadian Forces, and encourage Canadians to wear a red article of clothing on Fridays to represent the blood that has been shed by soldiers. Since then, dozens of rallies have been held across the country and last September a massive crowd gathered for one on Parliament Hill. Some estimates put that crowd at 20,000 people. Ms. Boire and Ms. Miller made travelled to Toronto from their home at CFB Petawawa for yesterday's event.
Mr. Wright of Ipsos Reid said public opinion on the Afghan mission has held relatively stable, even during periods when Canada suffered serious casualties.
"There's 24.5 million adult Canadians in this country and we have found that about 12.25 million have supported the mission and 12.25 million have been against it from the beginning. There has not been any drastic swings in support and opposition against the effort," said Mr. Wright.
And, he added, about two-thirds of Quebecers have consistently opposed it. Through both world wars and in more recent history, Quebecers have been at odds with other Canadians over Canada's military engagements. When Quebecers are removed from the overall numbers, the majority of Canadians (56 per cent) continue to support the Afghan mission, the latest poll confirms.
In another indication of the continuing support for the Canadian Forces, the military exceeded its recruiting goals for the 12 months ending March 31, 2007.
A total of 6,547 Canadians signed up at one of the nation's 10 recruiting centres, and went through basic training.
That's 121 more than the target of 6,426, said Capt. Holly Brown, with Department of National Defence's Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.
"It's good to have a little extra," Capt. Brown said, "because you never know: someone may decide they don't want to do it after all, or might not make it through the (basic) training," Respondents in this week's poll may also have been influenced by U.S. President George W. Bush, who lavished praise on Canada's war effort following a summit meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and their Mexican counterpart.
The poll reveals that the strongest support for the mission is in Alberta (72 per cent), followed by Atlantic Canada (56 per cent), and Ontario (55 per cent). British Columbia is evenly split, with 49 per cent expressing support while 48 per cent oppose the mission.
Mr. Harper has pledged to withdraw Canada's combat troops from Afghanistan in February 2009, unless Parliament as a whole agrees to extend the mission. So far, 70 Canadians, including one diplomat, have died in that country since Canada's military involvement began in 2002.
The poll involved 1,000 interviews with adults. The results are considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Elsewhere in Astan...
Suicide bomber hits Western convoy in Kabul
RAHIM FAIEZ
Reuters
August 25, 2007 at 11:27 AM EDT
KABUL — A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of Western troops in the Afghan capital on Saturday and wounded two soldiers.
The attack happened on a road leading east from Kabul which is regularly used by NATO and U.S.-led troops.
Two foreign soldiers were taken to hospital after the blast, a spokesman for the NATO-led force said.
Violence has surged in Afghanistan in the past 19 months, the bloodiest period since U.S.-led troops toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
On Friday night, a rocket landed inside a hospital compound in Kabul but caused no casualties or damage, hospital officials said on Saturday.
Taliban insurgents occasionally fire rockets into Kabul although they rarely cause casualties. Friday's attack hit the Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul where many foreign embassies and aid organisations have their offices.
"It was 11 p.m. when a rocket hit inside the Wazir Akbar Khan compound," said a doctor who worked at the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital. "No one was wounded or killed, and the hospital received no damage. It hit a garden inside the hospital."
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afghan troops killed 19 Taliban insurgents in clashes in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, on Friday, the provincial governor told Reuters on Saturday.
Six more Taliban rebels were killed when they ambushed a police patrol in the southeastern province of Paktika on Friday, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Went to a Support the Troops Rally yesterday at a legion just outside of Niagara falls. Met some fine Royal Canadians in the process and spoke to a few civvies.... who do in fact support the troops but question the mission. Unfortunately, the local MP, the justice minister, was not present to rally the population... To busy, I guess... like always.
Families of fallen soldiers urge Quebeckers, Canadians to support troops
SIDHARTHA BANERJEE
Canadian Press
August 24, 2007 at 9:14 PM EDT
CFB VALCARTIER, Que. — The families of two slain Quebec-based soldiers remembered them and the passion they had for their chosen careers, emphasizing just how much they will be missed.
Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment and Master Corporal Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance, died Wednesday when their vehicle was hit by what appears to have been a roadside bomb.
In separate statements released Friday, the families recalled their bravery and their strength and urged Canadians and Quebecers to continue supporting the military effort in Afghanistan.
“Despite the tremendous pain we feel, Christian remains for us a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in a just cause: helping others. We want people to remember Christian's sacrifice,” the Duchesne family said in a statement from Montreal.
“We encourage Canadians and Quebeckers to continue supporting our soldiers, if only by putting a "Support our Troops" sticker on their vehicles. In our eyes, the best way to honour Christian's memory is to continue the mission with confidence and determination.”
The wife of slain Van Doo Mario Mercier says she hopes he's the last Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
Lucie Ardouin delivered the statement Friday at CFB Valcartier, Que., near Quebec City, where her husband was stationed.
Ms. Ardouin said in a statement her husband was and always will be a man of integrity, and that he believed firmly in the mission as he did in life.
“Faced with adversity, you have roll up your sleeves and continue to move forward,” Ms. Ardouin said.
Cpl. Duchesne is survived by his wife of 12 years Gina Bourque and his three “little princesses” — Camille, 9, Ariane, 5, and Justine, 3 — as well as his parents Danielle and Andre. They remembered the phone conversation they had with him just days before he was killed.
“Christian mentioned how much he loved his work as a medical technician. His desire was to lend a helping hand to a nation tormented by war and to support his brothers in arms,” the Duchesne family said.
“He passionately described his expeditions in villages near Kandahar to care for the locals. Watching the afghan children, he couldn't help but think of his three "poupounes" (little darlings), which he missed dearly.”
MWO Mercier was known as “Papa Bear” to his fellow soldiers and his collection of stuffed bears will remain in Afghanistan to make other people's lives better, Ms. Ardouin said.
“That is the image that I want people to remember him by,” Ms. Ardouin said.
Before he left for Afghanistan, Cpl. Duchesne bought his daughters a kitten which they named Moka to help offset his departure. Now, Moka has a new role, the statement says.
Cpl. Duchesne's eldest daughter, Camille, said that the kitten had become her "replacement daddy".
Cpl. Duchesne, described by his wife as affectionate and mild-mannered, dreamed of becoming a medical assistant or a search and rescue technician.
“Behind his shy grin and buried underneath his somewhat introverted personality, one could see a burning passion for his trade. Thirsty for adventure, travel and knowledge, he discovered a life filled with challenges,” Cpl. Duchesne's family wrote.
Meantime, a funeral will be held at Saint-Antoine de Padoue church in Longueuil, Que., on Monday for Private Simon Longtin, 23, who was killed earlier this week.
Sixty-nine Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2002.
II
Boosting morale, thousands of miles away
JOHN LAW
Local News - Saturday, August 25, 2007 Updated @ 5:02:44 PM
CHIPPAWA – He goes to bring peace and comfort to one of the most miserable countries on earth. And he knows he could get killed for it.
Yet, Rev. Felix Tache is okay with that. As the chaplain to the Royal Canadian Dragoons Petawawa, his life’s work seems to be surrounded by death.
But if that thought stopped him, he wouldn’t be worthy of the robe.
“It has to do with my understanding of life,” he explains. “It is fluid, it is transient.
“If (my death) happens, it happens. I’m prepared mentally and emotionally.”
Speaking at Saturday’s Support Our Troops fundraiser, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 396 Chippawa, Tache’s words seemed to strike a chord with a crowd gathered under the drizzle. After a lengthy ovation, several emotional women in the crowd came forward to hug him.
Tache recently returned from Afghanistan, where he says Canadian troops are making a profound difference under horrid conditions. They are helping lay the groundwork for the “critical components” the country needs, such as fresh water and education - all while evading bullets.
Weighing heavily over the event were the deaths this week of two more Canadian soldiers troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Tache said Canada’s troops “combine diplomacy with development … and at the same time, they have to protect themselves.”
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Hopefully, this money will be put to good use....
Canada boosts Afghanistan aid
CanWest News Service
Sunday, August 26, 2007
TORONTO -- Canada is boosting aid to Afghanistan by providing $45 million for five health and community development projects in Kandahar province.
Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, made the announcement Saturday while taking part in Afghanistan Independence Day Celebrations in Toronto.
The new projects build on major funding announced in February 2007 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to speed up reconstruction and development.
"Canada's new government is proud to stand beside the Afghan people as they strive to build better lives for themselves and secure a better future for their children," said Oda.
The funding is going to programs to fight polio and tuberculosis, build local governance and improve access to health services.
The $45 million announced Saturday is part of Canada's total contribution of more than $1 billion over 10 years aimed at governance, security and reconstruction in Afghanistan.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Funeral to be held Monday for fallen soldier
Canadian Press
August 27, 2007 at 8:53 AM EDT
LONGUEUIL, Que. — A funeral is being held today in Longueuil, Que., for Private Simon Longtin, who was killed in Afghanistan.
Pte. Longtin, 23, died Aug. 19 when his light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
He was the first member of Quebec's Van Doos regiment to be killed in the Afghan mission.
Pte. Longtin's funeral comes a day after the remains of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, also Van Doos, arrived at CFB Trenton, Ont.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Courageous' soldier remembered
Aug 27, 2007 01:32 PM
Canadian Press
A military rifle salute marked the end of a funeral today in Quebec for Pte. Simon Longtin, who died in Afghanistan.
Longtin was the first member of Quebec’s Royal 22nd Regiment to be killed in the Afghanistan.
He was described as a devoted soldier who was “courageous and professional” at his funeral in Longueuil, near Montreal.
Capt. Gilles Sanscartier says Longtin wanted to help those who were suffering and wanted to help bring them freedom.
Several hundred people, including a strong military contingent, came to the funeral for the twenty-three-year-old who died Aug. 19 when his light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Longtin’s funeral comes a day after the remains of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, both from CFB Valcartier, Que., arrived at CFB Trenton, Ont.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Elsewhere in Astan...
Six Western soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Updated Mon. Aug. 27 2007 1:33 PM ET
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Fighting between NATO troops and Taliban fighters killed eight soldiers -- including six Westerners --and 10 militants in eastern and southern Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks are running at their highest level since the U.S. invasion, officials said Monday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was adding 150 military trainers to a 1,000-person contingent in Afghanistan after months of speculation about his country's commitment to the international force.
"I decided to reinforce the presence of our trainers in the Afghan army, because it is (the Afghan army) that must first of all wage and win the fight against the Taliban," Sarkozy said in opening an annual conference of French ambassadors, his first as president.
Speculation that France could withdraw troops surfaced after it pulled out 200 special forces in December, and after Sarkozy said during the campaign that France had no reason to stay long-term.
There have been more insurgent attacks on Afghan and Western troops in recent months than at any time since U.S. forces invaded in 2001 to oust the Taliban government, which harbored al Qaeda before and after the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S.
In the Netherlands, defense chief Gen. Dick Berlijn said a Dutch sergeant was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan Sunday night near the town of Deh Rawod.
Gunmen shot and killed another NATO soldier during a foot patrol in eastern Afghanistan the same day, NATO said. On Monday, a third NATO soldier was killed and another wounded when insurgents ambushed them using rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said.
NATO did not release the soldiers' nationalities, but most NATO troops in the east are American.
Another ambush Monday killed three members of the U.S.-led coalition and two Afghan soldiers in eastern Kunar province, a statement from the coalition said. It said the coalition soldiers were advisers to the Afghan army, but did not identify them.
Abductions targeting Afghan officials and foreigners helping with reconstruction also have become a key insurgent tactic.
A purported Taliban spokesman said the militants will resume face-to-face talks with South Korean officials on Tuesday on the fate of 19 Korean church volunteers kidnapped as they traveled by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
The insurgents have demanded the withdrawal of around 200 South Korean troops currently in the country and the release of militant prisoners in exchange for the captives' freedom.
Two hostages have been killed and two released.
The spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said the fourth round of talks would be held in the central town of Ghazni under the mediation of the International Red Cross, which oversaw the previous negotiations.
Neither the Red Cross nor South Korean officials were available to confirm the planned talks.
Afghan police, meanwhile, killed six suspected militants during a one-hour gunbattle in Paktika province, which borders Pakistan, late on Sunday, said Ghamia Khan, a spokesman for the provincial governor. He gave no more details.
In the southern Zabul province, Afghan and coalition troops clashed with insurgents in Daychopan district Sunday, killing four suspected Taliban and wounding four others, said Fazel Bari, the Daychopan district chief.
Also Sunday, Afghan and coalition troops destroyed a heroin laboratory after battling Taliban fighters guarding the facility, a separate coalition statement said. The lab in Helmand contained large amounts of opium-processing chemicals as well as weapons, insurgent propaganda and explosive materials, it said.
Afghanistan accounts for more than 90 percent of the world's heroin supply, and a significant portion of the profits from the $3.1 billion trade are thought to flow to Taliban fighters who tax and protect poppy farmers and drug runners.
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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UN blames insurgency for record poppy crop
Updated Mon. Aug. 27 2007 7:14 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Afghanistan is the largest drug-producing region in the world, according to a UN report released Monday.
A record-number of opium crops have sprouted in Afghan fields this year, fuelling a multibillion-dollar trade.
"The situation is dramatic and getting worse by the day,'' said Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of UNODC.
"No other country in the world has ever had such a large amount of farmland used for illegal activity, beside China 100 years ago, '' when it was a major opium producer, Costa said in an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul on Monday
The amount of land dedicated to opium crops is already 17 per cent larger than last year's record number. The most recent figures show opium growing on 193,000 hectares of land. In 2006, opium was found on 165,000 hectares.
Opium production will rise 34 per cent over 2006. This year, 8,100 tonnes of opium is expected to be produced compared to 6,000 tonnes in 2006, according to the annual survey by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime.
While the crop's farm value is estimated to be about US$1 billion, the street value of the drug is much higher.
Afghanistan is responsible for 93 per cent of the world's opium production, which is the raw material for heroin. The country's opium output has doubled since two years ago.
An RCMP official said earlier this month that about 60 per cent of heroin on Canadian streets comes from Afghan opium.
The UN report does not discuss how much of the opium actually gets transformed into heroin in Afghanistan before it is smuggled out of the country.
In an effort to curb production, the U.S. had offered to spray this year's crop but Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said no. He feared the herbicides would have a negative effect on livestock, water and other crops. U.S. officials called those fears unfounded.
The crops are flourishing because of the Taliban insurgency and corrupt officials in Karzai's government, the report says. Opium production in the south, where provinces are hit hard by Taliban insurgency, has exploded into unprecedented numbers. Helmand province alone accounts for more than half of the national total of opium fields, with 103,000 hectares under cultivation.
"The government has lost control of this territory because of the presence of the insurgents, because of the presence of the terrorists, whether Taliban or splinter al Qaeda groups,'' Costa said.
Elsewhere, there has actually been an increase in the number of poppy-free provinces from six to 13 in the past year.
Costa said before the Taliban was ousted from power by the U.S. in 2001, they fought hard to curb opium cultivation. Now, the drug trade produces money to help fight the insurgency, she said.
"It is clearly documented now that insurgents actively promote or allow and then take advantage of the cultivation, refining and the trafficking of opium,'' Costa said.
According to the report, 3.3 million Afghans are believed to be involved in opium production. The Taliban is said to be protecting convoys smuggling drugs into neighbouring countries.
Costa said there was a "tremendous amount of collusion'' between traffickers and government officials.
A government official agreed the country's anti-narcotics policies have not worked in Afghanistan's south and western regions. Gen. Khodaidad, the country's acting counter-narcotics minister, blamed police failures, corrupt local officials, failure in eradication and open borders with Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east.
The minister, who goes by one name, said the government needs to review its policies at a national conference set to be held on Wednesday.
He also said he'd like to see the corrupt officials who have eased the way for drug traffickers punished and those who helped curb drug protection and trade rewarded.
With files from The Associated Press
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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
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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