| 0 Members and 0 Guests are viewing this topic. |
 Author
|
Topic: ISAF Death rate proportions (Read 132 times)
|
Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
 Offline
Gender: 
Posts: 3376
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
|
Sombre figures.
Canadians at more risk than British, U.S. troops
Forces figures show death rate in Kandahar outpaces U.S. in Iraq
Tom Blackwell, with files from Allison Lampert, CanWest News Service
National Post; with files from CanWest News Service
Thursday, January 03, 2008
TORONTO - The death rate among Canadian soldiers fighting around Kandahar has outstripped not only that of U.S. and British troops in Afghanistan, but Americans in the bloody Iraq war as well, the forces' own figures indicate.
A Defence Department analysis of casualty rates in the first year of operations in and around Kandahar -- obtained by the National Post under Access to Information legislation -- confirms unofficial reports that Canada has suffered a lopsided toll in the conflict.
Canadian soldiers died at a rate 2.6 to four times higher than the British and Americans in Afghanistan and two to 2.6 times higher than U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the April 2007 number-crunching by Barbara Strauss, an official with the Forces' health services group.
The proportion of Canadian soldiers killed by enemy action is higher even than it was in all but one year of the Second World War, the government document indicates.
The numbers reflect that Canadians are operating in one of the most dangerous pockets of the country, Defence spokesman Lt.-Col. Jamie Robertson said in an interview yesterday.
"You can look at statistics, but that doesn't take into account that Kandahar province is very different from even Helmand province next door (where the British operate)," he said.
"It's a totally different threat environment. We are in the former heartland of the Taliban, and obviously they have resorted to tactics designed to force casualties among civilians and security forces whenever possible."
Some experts say another reason for the relative beating taken by Canadian soldiers may be that they have no heavy-transport helicopters, forcing them to rely more on ground transportation and face the threat of roadside bombs. Others disagree, noting that helicopters have crashed or been shot down in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Canadian deaths at the hands of the insurgents dipped somewhat in 2007, to 27 from 32 the year before, with the rate seeming to slow in the second half of the year especially. The total since Canada first got involved in Afghanistan is 74.
Brig.-Gen. Guy LaRoche, who heads the Canadian force in Afghanistan, attributed the recent drop in fatalities to new equipment, including the metal-detecting Husky vehicle, and a change in strategy toward more foot patrols. Afghan security forces are also helping coalition forces hold more ground won in battles, he said.
The report by Ms. Strauss, dated April 24, 2007, calculates "hostile" deaths during 2006 as a ratio of the total number of Canadian, American and British forces in Afghanistan.
For the Canadians, the death rate ranged from 1.3 to 1.6 per cent, compared to 0.3 to 0.6 per cent for their allies in Afghanistan, and 0.5 to 0.6 per cent for the U.S. forces in Iraq.
The Canadian rate is higher than the proportion of troops killed in action during all years of the Second World War other than 1944, when close to half Canada's 45,000 deaths occurred.
However, the numbers in Afghanistan are relatively small, which can skew statistics, and the comparison with the American allies may not be accurate, said Don Macnamara, a retired brigadier general and board member of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.
The U.S. forces typically have far more troops involved in support roles and therefore out of harm's way, which would lower their rate of fatalities, he noted.
"Let's not run off with any conclusions before we do further analysis," he said.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
