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Topic: Afghanistan - 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment - 08-09 (Read 5247 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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I am sure we have all seen the lads on the television news the past day or so in reference the deployment party at Pet and, sadly, news of three valiant sappers returning to Canada as I type.
The situation on the ground is clearly tense and our brothers, those brave soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, will certainly tread into Harm's Way.
Share a prayer with me, my brothers in arms, for their success and survival, that they will honour The Regiment and their nation through their service on behalf of the people Canada for the people of Afghanistan.
Pro Patria.
More soldiers to leave for Afghanistan
Canwest News Service
Friday, August 22, 2008
CFB PETAWAWA - The sounds of children playing provided the backdrop here Friday for a departure ceremony for about 2,500 Canadian soldiers who, planeload by planeload, are leaving for Afghanistan over the next five weeks.
The festive mood created by family activities such as pony rides and face-painting was in stark contrast to the grim news coming out of the war-torn country this week.
Three Canadian soldiers began their final journey home Friday after being killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.
Three Polish soldiers were also killed Wednesday in an attack on troops operating in Laghman province.
As well, 10 French paratroopers were killed Monday in an ambush on Kabul, one of the Taliban's most audacious attacks of the war.
But Brig.-Gen. Jean-Claude Collin, commander of the Land Force Central Area, said the Canadian soldiers' resolve had not been affected by the Taliban attacks.
"Every indication I have received is that the resolve is still there," he told reporters after giving a short address to the troops and their families.
"The reality is we know the people of Afghanistan need us, and we have a job to do that will make a difference each and every day. And therefore, the resolve is very strong."
The deaths of Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan John Stock and Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, all with Edmonton's 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, brought to 93 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission since 2002.
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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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Canadian troops bid their farewell
Petawawa Makes Third Major Deployment
Posted By SEAN CHASE, SUN MEDIA
The soldiers heading into the next phase of Canada's continuing combat mission in Afghanistan were given a formal send-off by family, friends and dignitaries Friday.
Over 2,500 personnel and their families gathered at Dundonald Hall to receive a pep talk from senior officers and Ontario's Lt.-Gov. David Onley, who told them that Canadians of all political stripes support them as they journey to the dangerous Kandahar theatre of operations.
In a week when NATO has lost 16 soldiers, including three Canadian combat engineers in a roadside bombing on Wednesday, Lt.-Gov. Onley said that Canada and her allies cannot stand by and leave the Afghan people in the face of the Taliban, "a vicious enemy who no level of violence is too extreme."
"The people of Afghanistan have been battered by war and tyranny. They've been oppressed and terrorized," Lt.-Gov. Onley told the soldiers, sailors and airmen, all clad is desert fatigues. "Your mission is complex, demanding and very dangerous. But you are the heirs of a great military tradition."
This will be Petawawa's third major deployment to Afghanistan since 2003. Personnel from Joint Task Force Rotation 6 beginning leaving the base next week for what could be a seven to eight month mission. They will be part of four units: 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR) Battle Group, Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, National Support Element and the Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams, lead mainly by officers and senior non-commissioned officers from 1 RCR. The Canadian task force comes under command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Noting that the troops have been training hard over the past year for the difficult mission, Col. Dean Milner, commander of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, said every one of them will make a difference no matter what their job over there will be.
"You'll do an outstanding job to help that poor country get back on its feet," said Col. Milner.
Advance teams have already flown out of CFB Trenton heading for southwest Asia. Col. Milner said the main body of troops are scheduled to leave next week. They will be replacing the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based out of Shilo, Manitoba. The entire contingent should be in Kandahar by late September or early October.
For 3 RCR, this will be the unit's first mission into Afghanistan since they deployed to Kabul in 2003. During that six-month assignment, the battalion provided security and assisted reconstruction efforts throughout the capital city. The bulk of their operations was conducting foot and vehicle patrols, meeting with local officials and overseeing reconstruction projects, including the construction of schools, bridges and water infrastructure.
This time around, the battalion will be engaged in a counter-insurgency with rifle companies and supporting sub-units stationed at Forward Operating Bases or FOBs throughout the Kandahar province, including the volatile Panjwayi and Zhari districts to the west of Kandahar City. For Maj. Rob McBride, commanding November Company, it's been a long time coming but his troops are anxious to get underway.
"It'll be the challenge and experience of a lifetime," said Maj. McBride, who'll be going on his fourth overseas deployment, but his first to Afghanistan.
Other soldiers, like Private Devin Quinlan, a rifleman with Mike Company, understand they are going into a combat situation and know they'll have tough days ahead.
"It's a two-way range," remarked Private Quinlan, 24. "We're going to have to dig down deep, but you just lean on your buddies."
During a vigorous training cycle that focus on specific skill sets needed in Afghanistan, the troops have learned how to conduct convoys, react to an attack from an Improvised Explosive Device or IED, and advanced first aid. They've also become familiar with Afghanistan's complex history and culture. Private Quinlan said he is aware of the strategic importance of their mission.
"You want to help these people out, but especially the kids," he added. "They are born into a country that is unstable and they should live without violence. That's what drives me.
For the families of deployed soldiers, it will mean an even longer wait. Kim Ballah, who is also a military medic, acknowledged there will be a period of adjustment once her husband, Paul, departs. However, she said her 11-month-old son, Henri, will keep her busy enough.
"There's always concerns and you're worried," said Ms. Ballah, who also has a sister deploying to Kandahar. "But day-to-day life will be hectic as it is."
Article ID# 1169346
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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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Buzz Gomes
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Excellent thread Mike. Our Prayers will be with Our Brothers In Arms. God Bless. Pro Patria.
Buzz
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1964-1968- 2 QOR Calgary, Cyprus
1968-1971- 2 CDO Edmonton
1971-1975- 3 Mech CDO Germany, A Coy Mor
1975-1983- 1 RCR London, Bn Tpt,C Coy, B Coy, Recce
1983-1985- RCR Battle School
1985-1990-1 RCR, B Coy, Dukes, Recce, Cyprus
1990-1992- OMD HQ Ottawa, G3 Trg
1992-1993- LMD HQ London, G3 Trg
1993-2007-4 RCR, RSM
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Amen!
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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We have a job to do'
For the 2,500 soldiers from CFB Petawawa who are about to leave for Afghanistan, the week's deadly toll is a sobering reminder of the dangers of the mission. But they won't be deterred. Soldiers promised 'utmost support' from military
Bruce Ward
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, August 23, 2008
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CFB PETAWAWA - The joyful sounds of children at play resounded here yesterday during the departure ceremony for about 2,500 soldiers who, planeload by planeload, are leaving for Afghanistan over the next five weeks.
But the holiday mood created by the family activities at the base -- pony rides, face-painting and clowns -- was undercut by the grim news coming out of Afghanistan this week.
Three Canadian soldiers began their final journey home yesterday after being killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.
Three Polish soldiers were also killed Wednesday in an attack on troops operating in Laghman province.
As well, 10 French paratroopers were killed Monday in an ambush in Sarobi, near Kabul, one of the Taliban's most audacious attacks of the war.
But Brig.-Gen. Jean-Claude Collin, commander of the Land Force Central Area, said the Canadian soldiers' resolve had not been affected by the Taliban's bold attacks.
"Every indication I have received is that the resolve is still there," he told reporters after giving a short address to the troops and their families. "The reality is we know the people of Afghanistan need us, and we have a job to do that will make a difference each and every day. And therefore the resolve is very strong."
The deaths of Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan John Stock and Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, all with Edmonton's 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, brought to 93 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission since 2002.
"As tragic as the events were this week, unfortunately this is nothing new," said Brig.-Gen. Collin. "Families, I will not for a moment say they have become accustomed to it, at least learn that they need to come to grips with this. We have all sorts of help for them to do that in terms of social workers, and other people trained in dealing with the issues surrounding the incredible stress that the families go through each and every time their loved ones go overseas."
In an interview, Cpl. Brian Harding, 21, a reservist with
Ottawa's Cameron Highlanders, said the deaths of the three Canadian soldiers brought home the realities of war.
"It's hard to put into words what I'm feeling. Maybe it will sink in once I get there," he said.
Cpl. Harding is scheduled to fly to Afghanistan near the end of September. It is his first deployment to Kandahar.
"I grew up in a military family, so I'm more used to this. We've just been bombarded by people showing their support and wishing us the best, and I know that it is sincere."
Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli of 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, is heading off on his third tour of Afghanistan as part of the battle group. His wife, Marcie Lane, who is expecting a baby in early September, wore a T-shirt that showed off her pregnancy and sported the slogan "My Daddy's A Hero."
The baby will be their first, said Master Cpl. Vernelli of Sault Ste. Marie.
"The news this week has been very bad but I'm more concerned about leaving her alone with the baby. Once you are there, you just get on with it and do the job."
Ms. Lane, who is from Petawawa, was reconciled to her husband's impending deployment. "I married a soldier and we decided to start a family," she said. "I knew what I was getting into. I just want to give him as much support as I can."
The battle group consists of about 1,200 soldiers among the 2,500 troops being deployed. There are about 500 reservists from Ontario being deployed, including about 50 Cameron Highlanders.
"Most are going for their second or third time," said Lieut. Andrew Hennessy, a public affairs officer. He said the departure ceremony was "a chance to show the soldiers and families we really care."
The family-friendly portion of the program began once the leaders delivered their speeches, praising the departing soldiers for their sacrifices and dedication.
"Some of the soldiers have already departed," said Col. Dean Milner, commander 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. "As a matter of fact we have soldiers en route to Afghanistan as we speak. A big flight is going on (Monday) and then every few days right to the end of September and into early October."
He said support for the soldiers has "grown exponentially" in Petawawa throughout the Ottawa Valley.
"We are one big family," added Col. Milner.
In his address to the soldiers, Brig.-Gen. Collin said the troops were well prepared for their mission.
"You are incredibly well trained, as well trained as any other nation over there. You are very well equipped, as well equipped as another nation over there. You have outstanding leadership.
"I cannot promise that every soldier, sailor and airman will come back from Afghanistan safe and sound. I wish I could, I obviously can't. We will do everything we can in that department. What I can promise you is the utmost support."[/b][b]
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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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Coalition forces claim success in major Afghan offensive
Scott Deveau, National Post Published: Saturday, August 23, 2008
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan -- Coalition forces and the Afghan National Army say they have struck a "major blow" against insurgents operating in Afghanistan's volatile Zhari district, west of Kandahar City.
In what is being hailed as the biggest show of force this year in the Taliban stronghold, Canadian and Afghan forces pushed through the central part of Zhari, battling with insurgents and confiscating weapons caches and a "significant amount" of materials used for building improvised explosive devices.
The three-day campaign, code-named Op Timis Preem, kicked off Thursday morning with a pre-emptive early-morning air strike on a known insurgent command-and-control centre in western Pashmul.
Two insurgent commanders were suspected to have been operating there and, while no confirmation has been made yet, they are believed to have been killed in the strike.
The operation comes at a time when attacks on coalition forces by insurgents are on the rise.
Earlier this week, three Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Zhari district, about 40 kilometres west of Kandahar Airfield, where the bulk of Canada's 2,500 troops in Afghanistan are stationed.
The deaths of Sgt. Shawn Eades, Cpl. Dustin Wasden, and Sapper Stephan Stock on Wednesday brings the total number of Canadian soldiers killed in the conflict in Afghanistan up to 93. The men's remains were expected to arrive back on Canadian soil at a repatriation ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., on Saturday evening.
Those losses followed a Taliban ambush Monday that resulted in the death of 10 French soldiers in the eastern part of the country, and another roadside bomb Wednesday that killed three Polish soldiers in the Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul.
Earlier this month, the Taliban ruthlessly gunned down three female aid workers, including two Canadians, and their Afghan driver in a brazen daylight attack south of Kabul. After the ambush, the Taliban issued an open letter to Canadians demanding they pull their troops out of Afghanistan or they will target "all" Canadians, including innocents, in the country in future attacks.
Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, who rolled in with the Canadian troops and their Afghan National Army counterparts as part of Op Timis Preem Thursday, said in an interview that the offensive was not aimed at reclaiming the Zhari district. Rather, it was intended to disrupt insurgent activity in the area, to neutralize their ability to mount further attacks, and to serve as a final show of force before the end of the fighting season next month.
"We're showing them we can go wherever we want, whenever we want," Brig.-Gen. Thompson said in an interview in the village of Namardzi, in western Zhari.
There were no coalition or Afghan security forces casualties during this latest offensive, and the number of insurgents killed in the operation has yet to be determined.
Just as the campaign was wrapping up Saturday afternoon, leaders of Afghanistan's most troubled provinces met with the new governor of Kandahar, Gen. Rahmatullah Raufi, at his palace in Kandahar City.
The meeting was aimed at establishing a regional approach to enhancing security, improving local governance, and facilitating development work in the area.
In attendance were Gen. Raufi's counterparts from Helmand, Urozgan, and Zabul provinces, along with several ministers from the Karzai government in Kabul.
"The main issue for me was about security," Raufi said after the meeting.
Earlier in the day, a high court judge was gunned down alongside his son in an area known as Karez Bazaar, south of Kandahar City. No one has yet been arrested in that attack.
Ten Afghan civilians were also killed and four others injured Saturday when their van struck a roadside bomb in Shawalikot, north of Kandahar. Local officials blamed the explosion on the Taliban.
Gen. Raufi, a former commander in the Afghan National Army, assumed the role of governor of Kandahar last Saturday. He has restored order in the province after it was widely held that the number of insurgent attacks rose under the watch of his predecessor, Asadullah Khalid, who was accused on several occasions of corruption.
[b][/b]
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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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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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I sure share the prayer with you Mike, and all brothers, may God speed and bless them all..come home safe lads...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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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Bodies of three Canadian soldiers arrive in Canada
Updated Sat. Aug. 23 2008 8:24 PM ET
The Canadian Press
CFB TRENTON, ONT. -- A plane carrying the remains of three Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan touched down at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon where it was met by family, dignitaries and a crowd of about 200 supporters.
Sapper Stephan Stock, Cpl. Dustin Wasden and Sgt. Shawn Eades died when a roadside bomb exploded outside their armoured vehicle.
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk were at CFB Trenton to pay their respects.
Also on hand, was a crowd of spectators who gathered at the fence surrounding the tarmac.
Colin Stillwell, a resident of Trenton, who served in the Canadian army from 1958 to 1988, said: "When you lose one, it's like we lost part of our family. It's (the military) a large extended family."
Stillwell was wearing his uniform and medals for the occasion.
Marlene Livingston of Richmond Hill, Ont., said: "We don't know what else to do. We'd like to reach out and hug them but we can't."
"This is our way of telling them that we love them and appreciate everything that they've done for us and the sacrifice that's been made for us here in Canada."
Also among the spectators were 80 members of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit.
All three fallen soldiers were with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton.
Their deaths bring to 93 the number of Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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On the NATO front...
August 24, 2008
Army deaths put Nicolas Sarkozy in line of fire
Matthew Campbell, Paris
FRENCH troops in Afghanistan suffered one of their worst military defeats since the Algerian war of independence, leaving President Nicolas Sarkozy facing one of the biggest crises of his political career as he came under attack for supporting Nato against the Taliban.
Amid an unprecedented display of national doubt and soul-searching, parliamentary hearings on the French role in Afghanistan were being scheduled to address growing public concern about young men being used as “cannon fodder” in a war against a seemingly invincible enemy.
On Thursday Sarkozy, visibly shaken as he stood before the flag-draped coffins of 10 soldiers killed in an ambush, praised the bravery of young men “cut down in the flower of youth” and insisted that France would continue to pull its weight in the multinational Nato force that is struggling to keep the Taliban, or “barbarians”, as he called them, from power.
It emerged on Friday that 55% of the public want French troops out of Afghanistan and Sarkozy was under attack for having broken the promise he made during his election campaign last year to bring the troops home. Instead, he agreed in April to send an extra 700 after pleas for more help from America.
Until recently most of the blood being spilt in an increasingly vicious conflict has been British and American, while the French were operating in what was a relatively peaceful area in and around Kabul, the capital.
The French losses in a single battle on Monday were almost as great as their total of 14 casualties since 2001 and shocked the nation into the realisation that, rather than just another peace-keeping mission, Afghanistan was a real war.
“The government must stop sending children to their deaths in this slaughterhouse,” said Joël le Pahun, father of Julien, who was shot dead by a sniper on his 20th birthday when he went to the aid of a friend who had been wounded in the ambush. The friend later died.
Another 21 soldiers were injured in the battle, an extraordinarily high toll, and French generals were under pressure to explain what had gone wrong.
Why, for example, had no aerial reconnaissance been conducted before the convoy of up to 100 men set off towards the Uzbin valley on Monday afternoon, when this was known to be a potentially dangerous route? And why, after the fighting broke out, did it take so long for help to arrive and for the injured to be evacuated?
Adding to public outrage were allegations that some troops had been killed and injured by “friendly fire” when US special forces called in air strikes against the attackers.
Most of the soldiers who died were from the Eighth Parachute Regiment, whose baptism of fire was at Dien Bien Phu, the battle in northern Vietnam in 1954 that has gone down in history as one of France’s worst military debacles. “The eight”, as the regiment has come to be known, was almost entirely wiped out.
It was reborn in time to fight the Algerian rebels in 1956 and its men were at the front of a column of armoured vehicles that set off on Monday afternoon from the French base along the road linking Kabul with the Pakistani border. They were backed by Afghan army troops and a unit of American special forces.
About 30 miles east of Kabul, the column halted at 1.30pm so that scouts on foot could patrol ahead, where the road climbed in a series of hairpin bends to an altitude of 6,500ft.
Choked by clouds of red dust and in blazing heat, the men walked into an ambush in which several were picked off by snipers, including the radio operator.
The commanding officer was killed and his deputy was shot in the arm. The latter managed to operate the radio, calling for help. There was little cover, leaving the survivors exposed to Taliban guns.
Their isolation increased when the Taliban cut off their retreat by encircling their armoured vehicles. Reinforcements were summoned, as well as American jets. At 5.50pm, two American helicopters tried to evacuate the wounded but could not land because of gun-fire. It was not until 8pm that French helicopters were able to evacuate the wounded.
At 4am a French armoured vehicle helping to evacuate troops plunged into a ravine, killing a soldier.
At 9am the Taliban were still lobbing the occasional mortar at French positions despite the thunderous fire being hurled at them by two American A-10 “tankbusters”.
An estimated 40 Taliban were killed.
Sarkozy, addressing the coffins of the dead soldiers and their grieving relatives, said: “I want us to learn everything that we can from what happened [so that] none of your colleagues will ever find themselves in such a situation.”
It was the first time he had addressed an assembly of grieving war widows. He hopes it will be the last. President Hamid Karzai criticised US forces for “unilateral operations” after an attack killed 78 mourners at a wake.
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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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Bletch.
U.S.-led coalition kills 76 Afghan civilians: ministry
Fri Aug 22, 12:28 PM
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition forces killed 76 Afghan civilians in western Afghanistan on Friday, most of them women and children, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.
"Seventy-six civilians, most of them women and children, were martyred today in a coalition forces operation in Herat province," the ministry said in a statement.
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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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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Oh my God....what the hey happened there?? Or need i ask??Doggone it , we cant be doing these things.. they will not help in any way.. may i send my condolences to all those people of the country , and likely relatives in Canada as well.. this should not happen.. we need those people there, in country to support us and our cause to get the job done.. we cannot be in advertently , or otherwise, killing them...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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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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The French look to... Canada...
Stay the course in Afghanistan?
Sunday 24 August 2008
France's role in the war in Afghanistan is again a subject for debate after the death of 10 French soldiers in an ambush near Kabul. The Canadian viewpoint may influence the French government's next moves in the conflict.
The loss of 10 French paratroopers during an ambush in the region of Kabul has sparked wide public debate over France’s involvement in Afghanistan. How will France react, especially given the nation’s reluctance to participate in what people consider an “American war”?
France might look for ideas across the Atlantic to its ally and US–neighbour, Canada, where public opinion has largely opposed the war.
“All the public debates taking place in Canada are premonitory,” according to Paul Vallet, researcher at the Paris based Institute of Political Studies (IEP), “since until now France has stayed away from the warfare perspective,” he added.
The Canadian experience could serve as a warning to France, which has now deployed 700 elite troops in one of Afghanistan’s most perilous areas.
In the spring of 2006, eager to mend ties with the US, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent 2500 Canadian troops to fight the Taliban in Kandahar, the militia’s stronghold in southern Afghanistan. Two years of fighting in extreme conditions has cost the lives of at least 80 Canadian soldiers. The extreme unpopularity of the Afghan war with Canadians has forced Harper’s government to use all means of diplomacy and persuasion to counter reticent public opinion.
Reacting to the French soldiers’ deaths in Afghanistan, France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner explained: “It’s important to understand that we are helping the Afghans fight against extremism, attacks, regression and to maintain the restored democracy.”
“Kouchner’s speech is similar to what was said in Canada a few years ago,” says Frédéric Mérand, a political science professor at the University of Montreal. “It’s an outdated speech, lost to a more pragmatic one about the impact of this region on world security.”
Clearly the Canadians didn’t fall for the humanist argument. Since 2007, 60 percent of the public has opposed Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan. The Canadian army, directly in the firing line in the fight against the Taliban, also expressed its unhappiness. One year on in 2008, the Canadian government, in a tricky position knowing it had to renew its military commitment to the NATO, threatened to leave Afghanistan unless other NATO allies sent in reinforcements to the “deadliest” zones in southern Afghanistan.
Following Canada’s threat, French President Nicolas Sarkozy took the decision to move the French army beyond the Afghan capital Kabul to Kapisa, a more dangerous area. “For the president, it was a way of showing solidarity with deployed troops from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada,” explains Paul Vallet.
So, like Harper, does Nicolas Sarkozy also risk weakening his position by leading French troops into combat in Afghanistan? In the short term, says Frédéric Mérand, the deaths of soldiers could give people a feeling of solidarity with the army especially as France, unlike Canada, is used to deadly combat. But, “in the long term”, he says, “people won’t want to keep seeing widows and orphans, they won’t accept that soldiers keep dying.”
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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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Soldier seriously hurt after IED attack
Linda Nguyen , Canwest News Service Published: Monday, August 25, 2008
Scott Deveau/National Post
One Canadian soldier was seriously injured and two embedded reporters were shaken up when the military vehicle they were riding in early Sunday hit a roadside bomb near the town of Salawat, southwest of Kandahar City.
Scott Deveau, who is covering the Afghanistan mission for Canwest News Service and the National Post, was sitting in the back of an armoured vehicle with a Canadian Press reporter and a group of soldiers when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) around 11:30 a.m. local time.
One of the two soldiers in the front of the armoured personnel vehicle, usually used to transport troops, was seriously injured during the blast.
"The strike hit about five feet from me," Mr. Deveau said in a telephone interview from the Kandahar Airfield military base. "It blew the [vehicle] on its side."
One soldier was airlifted to hospital for surgery. The soldier remains in hospital in serious condition. The extent of his injuries were not known.
Mr. Deveau, 30, the remaining six soldiers and the other reporter were also airlifted out of the area. None of them was seriously injured. Mr. Deveau says he's "pretty banged up" but his only injury is a minor scrape to the head.
Mr. Deveau and the other journalist, Canadian Press reporter Tobi Cohen, who also ironically was supposed to be celebrating her 30th birthday Sunday, had hitched a ride with the light armoured vehicle on its way back to Kandahar Airfield. The two had spent three days in the field in Zhari district with Canadian troops, following them as they confiscated weapons believed to be used by the Taliban.
"We had been living in mud hut with a bunch of stinky soldiers," Mr. Deveau said. "We were ready to get back and get back into a real bed. I had a bunch of stories I wanted to write on the campaign."
But half-an-hour into the ride, the vehicle had to pass through a road that was well-known for IEDs.
Two soldiers got out of the vehicle to do a foot patrol when the vehicle was hit, Mr. Deveau said.
"We were on a hairy stretch of road," he said. "The vehicle was crawling around at that point and then we struck it. It's not really a sound. A shock wave more than anything. You hear this pop, blast, pop, blast, basically that's it. Then you hear the sound of crunching metal when the [vehicle] rolls over."
The front of the vehicle was destroyed and burnt. All the soldiers in the vehicle were hanging from the ceiling from their seatbelts.
Mr. Deveau said upon impact, his helmet and ballastic glasses flew right off his head.
He credits the soldiers he was with for keeping himself and the other reporter calm.
"Basically they knew they had a couple of civilians so first protocol was to get everybody out of the vehicle," Mr. Deveau said. "There was gasoline dripping all over me. I was searching around for my helmet. The soldier had the composure to say, ‘Get out of the vehicle. Get out of the vehicle.' I was hesitant because I didn't have my helmet but he got us out."
The Taliban, who took credit for the attack, used a remote control charge to detonate the IED, Mr. Deveau said. A control wire has since been found.
"Basically we climbed out of the gunner hatch and we were exposed pretty much basically in the desert. Typically, what happens in these IED strikes is that it hits one of the cars, it'll pop and as the soldiers get out of the vehicle, they'll [Taliban] start hitting the soldiers with mortars and an AK-47 fire. We were kinda worried that it would happen again but it didn't. We were able to walk out of it."
Mr. Deveau, who is usually a business reporter in Toronto, says he didn't expect anything like this to happen to me during his short stint in Afghanistan -- let alone within a week and a half of arriving.
"I don't think you come into a situation thinking that you're walking into the safest place in the world. This isn't child games they're playing out here, it's serious stuff," he said. "I was prepared for what it was but you never quite expect that you're going to be stuck in an IED strike, inches away from death."
This isn't the first time a member of the media has been injured while reporting in Afghanistan on the Canadian mission.
Ayear ago, a reporter and cameraman with CBC's French-language network were also in a light armoured vehicle that was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Cameraman Charles Dubois underwent extensive surgery on a badly injured leg and reporter Patrice Roy was not injured but suffered shock from the attack.
So far, improvised explosive devices have claimed the lives of 44 Canadian soldiers this year, including three combat engineers on Wednesday. The incident, which left a fourth soldier badly injured, has been called the deadliest attack on Canadian troops this year.
The bodies of Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan Stock and Cpl. Dustin Wasden were returned to Canada on Saturday.
Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson told CTV's Question Period Sunday that a recent escalation in attacks on Canadian civilians and coalition troops in Afghanistan is not a sign the Taliban is gaining ground.
"I would say no they are not winning the war. I think what you're seeing though... is a substantial evolution in the nature of the terrorist threat globally," he said. "They're becoming much more sophisticated in terms of launching hit-and-run attacks that look very senstational but in fact do not fundamentally change the balance of security on the ground."
But Mr. Emerson acknowledged that with the U.S. presidential election looming in November and now a possible fall campaign in Canada, the Taliban is likely to try to exploit the policy debate surrounding the war in Afghanistan by ramping up their intimidation efforts.
"We know we've got our work cut out for us. We know that with a potential Canadian and American election in the works, the Taliban is going to be looking to sensationalize their agenda there," he said. "That's part of the terrorist playbook is to try and intimidate. Canadians are not going to be intimidated. We've got more grit than that.
"We're there for fundamentally sound and good reasons. We're not there because we want somebody's oil or natural resources. We're there because we believe in Canadian values of freedom, democracy, respect for women and human rights and we're going to fight for those rights because Canadians fundamentally believe in it. We're not going to be intimidated."
With files from National Post.[/b][b][b][/b]
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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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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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