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This version was saved 13 years, 11 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by milnewstbay@yahoo.ca
on April 28, 2010 at 10:51:22 am
 

 

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Canada Putting Money into Counter-Narcotics Work, Holds Back on Contributing to Taliban Reintegration/Reconciliation 

 

1 Feb 10 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Taliban Says PayPal Site Isn’t Theirs

 

26 Jan 10 - For more, click to the MILNEWS.ca blog.


 

IED Kills 1 PPCLI Soldier on Panjwai Dismounted Patrol

 

16 Jan 10 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Four Soldiers, One Reporter Killed in 30 Dec 09 Kandahar IED Blast

 

31 Dec 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Latest Taliban Fundraising Tool:  PayPal

 

13 Dec 09 - For more, click to the MILNEWS.ca blog


Post-2011 AFG Mission: Civilian Contractors Helping Hunt IEDs?

 

11 Dec 09 - For more, click to the MILNEWS.ca blog


 

Chief of Defence Staff:  "Outta Kandahar" Means "Outta Afghanistan"

 

9 Dec 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Pentagon Official Says Discussions Still Under Way About CAN's Post-2011 Mission

 

7 Dec 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Troops Get Responsibility of Arghandab Suburb North of Kandahar City; Won't Change Post-2011 Mission

 

2 Dec 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 

Calls for Public Inquiry into Afghan Detainees:  Some useful links

 

2 Dec 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca blog


CAN Pushing Taliban Out of Panjwai Villages

 

1 Dec 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Former DM Says AFG Prison Claims Known in 2006 but Denies Coverup

 

26 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Head of CAN Army Quoted Saying Tribal Militias Should be Part of Security Picture in AFG

 

24 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


New CAN TF Commander NOT Just Focussing on K'Har City

 

22 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


More U.S. Troops to K'Har=More Pressure for CAN to Stay Longer?

 

20 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Former Diplomat Tells Committee "we detained, and handed over for severe torture, a lot of innocent people"

 

19 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN TF Kandahar Officer:  Newest Tactics=Undecided Afghans Not Joining Taliban

 

17 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Outgoing CAN TF AFG Commander: "I would say we are at a turning point in the mission"

 

16 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Army Commander: "Counter-insurgency operations will eventually displace the army's traditional peacemaking capabilities as it prepares for life after the Afghan mission"

 

15 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


PAK Seeking Canadian Border Surveillance, Bomb Sniffing Hardware for Tribal Areas

 

14 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Canadian Triple Amputee Saved Five Lives Getting Wounded

 

13 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Outgoing CAN TF Commander's Assessment of Taliban:  "They're crappy insurgents .... They offer no viable alternative. They've performed too many heinous acts to become a political force."

 

12 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"I don't think anybody who watches a soldier disappear on an IED can not be affected"

10 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN  TF Commander, Troops in Cameo Appearance in Taliban Propaganda Video

 

9 Nov 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca Blog


Outgoing Canadian Commander: "The international community is going to demand honesty, integrity and good performance from all levels of government or we won't stay"

 

9 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Canadian PRT Boss: "Canadians need to temper their expectations" as CDS gives orders to start packing ahead of a planned pullout for 2011

 

7 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Next Commander JTF-Afghanistan Headed Downrange This Weekend

 

5 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN BG Commander Would Love to See More U.S. Troops in K'Har

 

4 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


DND Beefing Up LAV II’s Belly Armour

 

3 Nov 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca Blog


AFG President's Brother Denies Bankrolling by CIA, Says He Shared IED Int with Canadians

 

2 Nov 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


1 CER Sapper Killed in IED Blast During Panjwai Foot Patrol

 

31 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Vendor (Urgently) Sought to Install Anti-IED System for Testing

 

30 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


3PPCLI Officer Killed by Blast During Panjwai Foot Patrol

 

28 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CF: "Show Support By Writing To The Troops - But No Packages, Please"

 

27 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


New CAN Training & Mentoring Team Boss

 

24 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


About Half Canadians Polled Back Civilian Mission

 

23 Oct 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca Blog.


Canada Denies "Bribing the Tribes" - Taliban Propaganda?

 

17 Oct 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca Blog.


"Afghan's model village will work as long as Canadian forces stay put"

 

15 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 

UK  Parliament Hears How Busy it is in Helmand

15 Oct 09 - For more, click to MILNEWS.ca blog.


 

Next JTF Afghanistan HQ Heading Downrange While Some National Support Element Folks Returning

 

14 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Chinook Boss Pleased with Unit's Progress

 

11 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


PM's Spokesperson:  Post-2011, CAN Troops to Train, But Not Mentor, AFG Security Forces

 

10 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page or the MILNEWS.ca Blog.


U.N. Security Council Unanimously Extends AFG Mission Mandate

 

9 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page, or the MILNEWS.ca blog.


CAN BG Commander: "Canadian troops are getting dramatically better intelligence from villagers"

 

8 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN TF Commander: "I am convinced that our greatest strategic asset is that smiling Canadian soldier who walks into an Afghan town and shakes hands with an elder and says, 'How can I help you?' "

 

7 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Afghan translators who work for the military and other federal agencies at Camp Nathan Smith are divided about the prospect of fast-track immigration to Canada."

 

6 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN TF Commander Joins AFG-CAN-USA Patrol

 

2 Oct 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 

DND Seeking Solution to CF Troops Talking to Afghans (Without Interpreters)

 

1 Oct 09 - For more, check the MILNEWS.ca blog.

 

CAN DefMin Drops a Few Hints About Keeping Troops in AFG Post-2011 (And Where Would Those Troops Be Stationed?)

 

30 Sept 09 - For more, check the MILNEWS.ca blog.


Exactly WHAT is a “Non-Combat” Mission?

 

29 Sept 09 - For more, check the MILNEWS.ca blog.


CAN Def Min Stands Behind TF Commander Telling Afghans Development Stops if No Info about Taliban Forthcoming

 

29 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page



Message Bitch Fight =/= Debate on Afghanistan

 

25 Sept 09 - For more, check the MILNEWS.ca blog.



MCPL Paul Franklin Leaves Military to Continue Advocacy for the Wounded

 

25 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Research into "Reading" Faces for Signs of Fatigue, Hostile Intent

 

24 Sept 09 - For more, check the MILNEWS.ca blog.


Injured CAN Officer Returns to AFG with Artificial Leg

 

24 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


How do we Deal with AFG Cops, Troops Raping Young Boys?

 

23 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN to Ease Immigration of Some Afghans Helping Canadians in Kandahar

 

16 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


R22eR Soldier Killed, Four Injured in Panjwai IED Blast

 

14 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN CDS: "Soldiers in the Kandahar area have gone from being run ragged to being firmly in control"

 

13 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Canada's task force in Kandahar is to grow by nearly 1,000 soldiers .... as U.S. troops pour into the provincial capital to work alongside Canadians mentoring Afghan police"

 

11 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"The Canadian air force is taking steps to handle "dust ball" landings differently in the aftermath of a helicopter crash .... in Afghanistan."

 

10 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Former DND DM, Hostage of AQ in Africa:  To Win in Afghanistan "We will have to do some unpleasant things. I mean some deeply hard, this isn't — this is not a nice war."

 

9 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Two CF Engineers Killed, Five Injured, in IED Dand District IED Blast

 

7 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Drops Plans to Use Donkeys for Hauling

 

3 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN "Stabilization Company" for Kandahar PRT

 

1 Sept 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN SF Not Part of AFG Drug-Lord Hunting Teams

 

31 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Police Mentors in Kandahar City to Get U.S. Army MP Help

 

27 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"MacKay to NATO allies: Don't look to Canada for more troops"

 

26 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Injured RCMP Officer Back in Hospital in Ottawa

 

24 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


One of CAN's Wounded Prepares for First Half-Marathon Since Double Amputation

 

13 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


NATO Sec-Gen Hopes CAN'll Stick Around Past 2011; Canada's Says We're Sticking by The Resolution of March 2008

 

7 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Two CF Engineers Killed in Zhari IED Blast

 

2 Aug 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Reportedly Taking Kandahar City, Environs While USA Covers Rest of K'Har Province

 

28 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Taliban Accuses CAN Troops of Mowing Down Grape Vines in K'Har Province

 

21 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


R22eR Soldier Killed During Operation in Panjwai

 

17 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Bad Guys Attack CAN "Model Village"

 

15 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Special Forces Reportedly Working on IED Networks

 

14 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN TF Commander:  Taliban "In Disarray"

 

13 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Canadian, American Wounded Warriors Heal in Northwestern Ontario

 

9 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Fatal CF Griffon Crash Reportedly Happened at Romanian FOB, With Dust Clouds Contributing

 

8 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Helicopter Crash Kills Two CAN Troops, One Coalition Soldier, Injures Three

 

7 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


2e R22eR Soldier Dies of Injuries

 

5 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 


3 PPCLI  Soldier Killed in Zhari IED  Blast

 

4 Jul 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Shootout in K'Har Between "Friendlies" Kills Police Chief, Deputy

 

30 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


USA Wants to Twist Canada's Arm to Stay in Afghanistan

 

29 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


AFG Media:  CAN "Special Forces" Dismantle Suicide-Bomber-Wannabe and Arrest Him

27 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Government Admits Mistake in Denying Release of Projected Costs of CAN's Mission in AFG

 

25 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Canada debuts Afghan 'model village' amid raised expectations"

24 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Letter to Security Council: "ISAF intends to maintain a high operational tempo throughout the winter months."

 

 

22 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Private security called a boon to Canadian bases in Afghanistan"

 

19 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"(CF) secretly armed security guards at Afghan base with rifles and uniforms"

 

18 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Reportedly Signs Agreement Keeping Tighter Grips on Private Security Contractors

 

17 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Sapper Killed Working on Kandahar IED

 

15 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Troops Helping Ensure a More Secure Election

 

14 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Foreign Affairs Mininster Announces $ for AFG Cop Salaries

 

13 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Latest Fallen Home

 

12 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


April 2006 Incident Board of Inquiry states "detainees were handled professionally and humanly by CF members (who) acted consistently beyond reproach"

 

 

10 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


R22eR Soldier Killed on Panjwai Foot Patrol by IED Blast

 

8 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Sending Motion Detectors to Defeat AFG IEDs

 

7 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


ISAF Spokesperson: "Insurgent use of roadside bombs in Afghanistan has surged 80 percent this year, remaining the No. 1 killer of foreign troops"

 

6 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN, USA Declare Progress in AFG (Security Issues Notwithstanding)

 

5 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan, Report to Parliament, March 2009" Released

 

4 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Coming CAN ROTO Training Hard

 

3 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"Canadians deep in Taliban territory brace for 'fighting season' "

 

2 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Hires Company to Play the Bad Guy During Training for AFG

 

1 Jun 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Google Earth Mapping of the Fallen

 

30 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Lew-Mac: "We can't answer the battle cry: Our infantry ranks are so diminished that Canada's combat role in Afghanistan has to end"

 

29 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Troops Nab Taliban in OP Green Viper

 

28 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Projects, Work May Need American or Private Sector Protection Post-2011?

 

27 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CF Looking At Light Tank to Upgrade from LAV III in AFG?

 

26 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN, Allies Should Expect Obama to Ask for Continued Military Help in AFG

 

25 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


More Agreements to Ensure Wounded CF Members Heal Closer to Home

 

24 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Signature Project Under Way (Slower than Planned)

 

23 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Whether AFG Detainees in CAN Control Under Charter

 

22 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Ordering Fewer Chinooks Because of Cash Crunch?

 

21 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Rewarming Military Ties with PAK

 

20 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Tanker Describes IED Incident

 

19 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Def Min Drops By, Says LOTS Still to be Done in AFG Past 2011

 

18 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


No Combat Badge Coming for CF

 

17 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Helicopter Sqn Troops Back Home

 

16 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Seriously Injured CAN Officer:  "We must not give up on Afghanistan."

 

15 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Asked to Crank Up Aid to PAK, End Ban on Mil Supply Sales

 

 

14 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Air in AFG Saves Lives

 

13 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


USA Appoints New Commander in AFG

 

 

12 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN CDS Calls PAK Insurgency "Worrisome"

 

 

11 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Returning CAN Troops Get Big Red Welcome

 

 

10 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Auroras Headed to AFG to Map

 

9 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN PM Drops By

 

8 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


More Valcarter Troops Head Downrange

 

7 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN R22eR Company Tasked with Keeping K'Har City Safe

 

6 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Army Boss:  AFG Mission Leaving Army Short o' Officers, Senior NCOs

 

5 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Troops Injured in pre-AFG Training Road Accident (Thanks, muzz47)

 

4 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


"(CAN)  Forces dismantle police substation in Afghanistan ‘drawback’"

 

3 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Playing Role in New KAF Security Unit

2 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


It'll Soon Be Easier for AFGs Helping the Troops to Get into CAN

 

1 May 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN DefMin Says Second Look Being Taken at NATO Media Rules

 

30 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Cops Mentoring AFG Cops Learning About Multicultural Policing

 

29 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


No Evidence of CAN MP Abuse of Detainess (But Calls for More Study of MP System)

 

28 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Van Doos commander message for Canadians: the threat is real

 

27 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN DefMin:  PAK's Gotta Get a Grip on Border Areas

 

26 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Officer Found Dead in Her Room in K'Har

 

24 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


ISAF Deputy COS of Ops:  "U.S. Troop Focus on Southern Afghanistan"

 

23 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Les funérailles de Karine Blais auront lieu vendredi, à 10 h 30, à l'église de Les Méchins

 

22 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN, USA Forces in AFG Sorting Out New Turf, Roles with Surge

 

21 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Allies Pushing CAN to Send CF-18's to AFG?

 

19 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Envoy Pledges to Help AFG Schools

 

19 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page 


"Neither Afghans nor coalition want to pay for Kandahar airport renovations"

 

18 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Latest Fallen Home

 

17 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN Trying "Ink Blot" Approach Starting in Town in Dand

 

16 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page 


Latest Fallen Expected Home 16 Apr 09

 

15 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN  Armoured Trooper Killed in Shah Wali  Kot IED  Blast

14 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 


"Combat operations will soon be ramped up in the hotly contested region of Afghanistan where Canadian troops play a major role."

 

13 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 


K'Har Air Traffic Controllers Bracing for LOTS More Traffic

 

12 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


CAN General Reaching Out to Afghans via Talk Radio

 

11 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page

 


CIDA Official:  "Tangible Progress" on CAN's Signature Projects

 

10 Apr 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar page


Survey Says AFG Family Law Sapping CAN Support for Mission

 

9 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


CAN's Former RoCK:  "We have a lot of strengths that the Americans understand. They’re not going to completely overwhelm us from that perspective."

 

8 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Air Force to Map AFG

 

7 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Psychiatrist Helping Hearts, Souls of Troops

 

6 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN PM Says He Worries Recession Could Mean More Casualties in AFG

 

4 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CEFCOM Commander:  Expect More Violence with More Troops on Ground

 

3 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


Returning CAN Convoy Driver Reminds Us It's Dangerous for Them, Too

 

2 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Brokers Deal to Calm AFG-PAK Border

 

1 Apr 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


NGO Suggests Eliminating PRT's?

 

31 Mar 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN PM Says USA Strategy "almost a mirror image of the Manley report"

30 Mar 09- For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Reportedly Upgrading New Tanks in Europe to Replace Tired Ones in AFG Quicker

 

29 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN on New USA Plan:  "There are many elements of the plan set out in the review that Canada and Canadians would recognize from our own transformation of the mission in the past year"

 

28 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN Mission to Focus on K'Har City, Agricultural Areas West of City, telegraphed by CEFCOM in December?

 

27 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Canadian focus to narrow as U.S. joins mission in Kandahar?

 

26 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar 


Former RoCK speaking to Der Spiegel:  "Can you have a government that is viable, that can protect its borders, protect its people and deliver basic services? Yes."

 

 

25 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


UN Security Council Extends Mandate of AFG Mission Until March 2010

 

24 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Four Latest Fallen Arriving Home Today

 

23 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Latest CAN Fallen On Their Way Home

22 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 


Four CAN Soldiers Killed in Two Bombing Incidents

 

21 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


CAN Ops Boss in AFG:  More Boots On Ground Needed

 

20 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Blimps + Towers = CAN IED System (Almost) Good to Go

 

19 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Embed Learns the Value of Looking More Like the Others

18 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Military Engineer Creates Small Robot to Help Inspect Suspicious Areas

 

17 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Could CAN Learn from NLD's Example in Uruzgan?  

 

16 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar 


CAN Head of NATO Military Committee Accuses Other Countries of Letting CAN Down 

 

15 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Former CAN CDS:  Job of Stabilizing AFG Won't Be Over by 2011

 

14 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest Fallen Home

 

13 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Tells USA to Bring Tanks to AFG Because They Can Be Handy

 

12 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Latest Fallen Arriving Home Thursday Afternoon

 

11 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


CAN Army Boss:  Army May Need Break After AFG?

 

10 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


More on Latest Fallen, Injured in IED Blast

 

9 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Royal Canadian Dragoon Killed in IED  Incident NE  of Kandahar

 

8 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Making Progress with Elders in Panjwai

 

7 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest Fallen Arriving Home Today

 

6 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN's Third Quarterly Progress Report on AFG Mission Released

 

5 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Three CAN Troops Killed, Two Injured in 3 Mar 09 IED Blast in Arghandab

 

4 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF Investigation:  It Wasn't CAN Munitions that Killed Kids

 

3 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


CAN General: New Manual Will "shape the future of Afghan war"

 

2 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar 


 

CAN Troops Prepare as AFG Pres Seeks Early (April, Not August) Election

 

1 Mar 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

 AFG Asking NATO to Avoid Using Artillery, Airstrikes Against Taliban?

 

27 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN Foreign Minister, on Visit to USA, "reinforced the need for additional civilians in the field as key to Afghanistan achieving its goals of good governance and self-reliance."

 

26 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Third Child Dies in K'har UXO Incident

 

25 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF Investigators Looking Into Whether UXO  Killed Two Kids in K'Har

 

24 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Choppers Start Hunting IED Planters at Night

 

23 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN CDS:  USA Surge=More Security in More of AFG

 

22 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Incoming CAN Commander:  Mission at "Crossroads"

 

21 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


USA Pres Not Expected to Ask CAN for More AFG Mission Extension

 

18 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Army Boss:  "We are at the limit"

 

17 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Nobody Speaking to Media Expects Obama to Ask CAN to Extend AFG Mission

 

16 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Provides Professional Development to K'Har Media

 

15 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Spending Big Money on Fuel for TF AFG

 

14 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Father of One of the Fallen:  Finish the Job in AFG

 

13 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Senators Not Answering Questions about Troop Increases for AFG

 

12 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


USA  Chair of Joint Chiefs Didn't Ask for CAN Mission Extension, Says USA  Will Adjust when CAN Leaves

 

11 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Def Min Defends Cost of AFG Mission (Even in Tough Economic Times)

 

10 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Radical Haqqani Network Moving into Kandahar Province?

 

9 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Troops Exploing K'Har Province Seeking Info, Disrupting Taliban Ops

 

8 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Def Min:  "We would go after proven drug traffickers with operations linked to the terrorists"

 

7 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Two CAN Soldiers Injured in 5 Feb 09 Shah Wali Kot IED Blast

 

6 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Troops Do Gas Station Recce in Zhari

 

5 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Troops Waiting for NATO Guidance on Hunting, Killing Drug Lords

 

4 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Fallen CAN Engineer Expected Home This Afternoon

 

3 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Fallen CAN Engineer On His Way Home

 

2 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar 


CAN Engineer Killed 31 Jan 09 in Zharey IED Blast

 

1 Feb 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Parents of One of the Fallen  Want New Investigation into Death

 

31 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Company Recruiting AFG Security for Major Dam Work

 

30 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Doc Fined for Releasing Info About Dying CAN Soldier in AFG

 

29 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Troops Moving into K'Har City Soon?

 

28 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN CDS Meets with PAK Counterpart

 

27 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN PM on AFG Mission:  “I will certainly not be making any commitments without the consent of the Parliament of Canada.

 

26 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


UN:  215K Kids Missed in RC-South Polio Vaccine Campaign Because of Security/Taliban

 

25 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


RC-South Commander Happy to See Surge Coming

 

24 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


USA Def Sec:  No Final Decision on USA "Surge" Yet

 

23 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Def Min:  USA'll Look For Mo' Troops Elsewhere

 

22 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


WAY More IEDs Spotted than Blowing Up

 

21 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Soldier Seriously Injured in Panjwaii IED Blast

 

20 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Ambassador Refuses to Predict Future CAN Cas in AFG

 

19 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Will CAN PM Have to Rethink 2011 End of AFG Mission Until USA Approach Clearer?

 

18 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Short-term Deployments of CAN Troops Being Limited by CAN PM's Office, Cabinet Office?

 

17 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF:  Taliban Planting More, Bigger IEDs, but More Being Neutralized

 

16 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CEFCOM Boss, USA Veep-Elect:  It Could Get Hotter in AFG

 

15 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Analysis: "The creation last year of a senior diplomatic post in Kandahar to provide increased civilian leadership to Canadian efforts in the province has had a positive impact on the mission as a whole"

 

14 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Major IED Supply Cache Seized in AFG-CAN-UK Operation

 

13 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest Phase of Dahla Dam Project Announced

 

12 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


New Senior CAN Rep for K'Har Takes Over

 

11 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Contractor Named for CAN Dam Project in AFG

 

10 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest CAN Fallen On His Way Home 

 

9 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Captain Charged with Murder Freed on Conditions; Trial Not Expected Until Autumn

 

8 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

RCD Trooper Killed, Three Soldiers Injured, in Shah Wali Khot IED Blast

 

7 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN Member of Parliament:  Leaving Before 2011 "would be irresponsible .... We'd be generations recouping our reputations"

 

6 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Worries About Taliban Shadow Gov't in Some Parts of Kandahar Province

 

5 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Survey Says "53 per cent of respondents believe the bulk of Canadian troops in Afghanistan should be withdrawn before 2011"

 

4 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Officer Charged with Second Degree Murder in AFG Helmand Battle Investigation

 

3 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


AFG General:  "I don't know of any inappropriate way that Taliban were killed" in Helmand Fighting Under Investigation

 

2 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF Investigative Service Probing Death of "Presumed" Insurgent in Helmand

 

1 Jan 09 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Envoy to AFG:   "I don't see in 2009 much realistic prospect of movement in some kind of settlement" with Taliban 

 

31 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN General:  Latest Run of CAN Deaths Part of "Spikes and Valleys" of Campaign

 

30 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest Three CAN Fallen Expected Home 30 Dec 08

 

29 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Two More CAN Soldiers Killed in 27 Dec 08 IED Blast in Panjwai

 

28 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest CAN Casualty Identified

 

27 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Soldier Killed, Three Injured in Zharei IED Blast

 

26 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Troops Celebrate Xmas in AFG

 

25 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


AFG Rights Group:  Taliban Waging "Campaign of Intimidation and Murder....contrary to Islamic law, domestic law, and international law"

 

24 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


AFG Media:  Elections to be Delayed?!?

 

23 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Defence Minister Says CAN  "Not On Board" With Plan to Arm AFG Militias

 

22 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


First of Armed CF Helicopters Arrive in AFG

 

21 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn't protect Afghan prisoners: court

 

20 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Afghan University of British Columbia Alumnus New Governor of Kandahar

 

19 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF Ombudsman:  Stress Casualties Slipping Through Cracks?

 

17 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN (Finally) Gets (Used) NLD Leopards

 

17 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Commander of CF Expeditionary Command Predicts Peak in AFG Action 2009, followed by Tapering Off in 2010

 

16 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Three More CF Soldiers Killed, One Injured in IED Blast in Arghandab District

 

14 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN "Donkey Brigade" Coming Next Summer?

 

13 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN TF AFG Commander Lays Out Winter Game Plan

 

12 Dec 08 - "We’re going to deepen the level of security in key areas in Kandahar Province, where the majority of the population resides – Kandahar City, the districts of Dand, Daman and Arghandab, and portions of Zharey and Panjwayi (and) we’re going to take the fight to the insurgents in areas they consider to be “safe havens”."  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Top CAN Civvy in K'Har:  Aid Delivery Is Improving

 

11 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Bracing for Surge, More Construction and Backlash from Taliban

 

10 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Latest CAN Fallen On Their Way Home

 

7 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Demetrios Diplaros, Mark Robert McLaren, Robert John Wilson, R.I.P.

 

6 Dec 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


Three CF Troops Killed in IED Blast

 

5 Dec 08 - "Three more Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, pushing to 100 the total number of troops Canada has lost..."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

What's Bugging CF Troops in AFG?

 

5 Dec 08 - One thing, according to the Chief of Defence Staff, is boots.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN New Democratic Party Says They'll Stop Opposing AFG Mission if in Coalition Government

 

4 Dec 08 - "New Democrats will stop opposing Canada's war in Afghanistan while the party is in league with the Liberals, the NDP's deputy leader declared Wednesday."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Getting Own Chopper Fleet in AFG

 

18 Nov 08 - "Six leased Russian helicopters and six Chinooks will carry cargo and personnel so troops won't have to rely on dangerous road convoys ."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CBC/BBC:  Your Tax/License Dollars Helping Share the Taliban's Message

 

13 Nov 08 - Taliban Spokespersons Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Muhammad Yousuf chat up CBC's "As It Happens" and BBC Radio call-in show. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN JTF-2 Ready to Rescue Kidnapped CAN Journalist

 

8 Nov 08 - "Three days after CBC reporter Mellissa Fung was kidnapped, Canadian intelligence agents and elite commandos were confident they knew where she was being held and planned a rescue.  But as so often happens in clandestine operations, the plan to free the Canadian journalist in a lightning raid went awry..."  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


 

CAN Deploys Pashtun "Cultural Translation" Team

 

7 Nov 08 - "With a mysterious-sounding name and a shadowy profile, the "white situational awareness team" has been tasked with deciphering the sometimes impenetrable Pashtun culture of the region."For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CF Finally Gets Own Chinooks in AFG

 

31 Oct 08 - "The Canadian Air Force is confirming that the first of six Chinook helicopters to be purchased from the United States are now at the Kandahar Airfield base. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CF Soldier Injured in IED Blast

 

26 Oct 08 - "A Canadian soldier was seriously injured (25 Oct 08) when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device northwest of Kandahar city.  The soldier was taking part in an early-afternoon security patrol in Arghandab district at the time."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


Sudbury Reservist Injured in AFG Now in Germany, Still in Critical Condition

 

21 Oct 08 - "Cpl. Bill Kerr, the critically injured Sudbury reservist, was flown from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to Germany on Monday for medical treatment and assessment."His condition is still critical," said Lt.-Col. John Valtonen, the commanding officer of the Sudbury-based 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada. "His next of kin is now by his side." "For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Sudbury Reservist One of Three Latest Injured in AFG

 

 

18 Oct 08 - "Sudbury's 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment has released the name of it's member hurt this week in the line of duty.  Corporal Bill Kerr was on his second tour of duty as an infantry soldier when he was critically injured in Afghanistan earlier this week."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Three CAN Troops Injured in Zhari IED Blast

 

16 Oct 08 - "Three Canadian soldiers have been wounded in an improvised explosive device blast during a foot patrol in a volatile district of Afghanistan west of Kandahar City."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Manslaughter Charges Against CF Soldier Dropped

 

14 Oct 08 - "A Canadian soldier who spent more than two years trying to clear his name in the shooting death of a colleague in Afghanistan says having the charges against him dropped is bittersweet."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

More on Taliban Cache Seized by CAN Troops

 

13 Oct 08 - "Within hours, the troops had found an 82 mm recoilless rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a PKM machine gun, two AK-47 rifles and several anti-personnel mines. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

"Taliban leader killed by SAS (in Helmand) was Pakistan officer"

 

12 Oct 08 - "British officials covered up evidence that a Taliban commander killed by special forces in Helmand last year was in fact a Pakistani military officer, according to highly placed Afghan officials."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN's Effort in AFG Could Cost (At Least) $18B to 2011

 

10 Oct 08 - "The total projected mission cost of up to $18.1 billion over the 2001-02 to 2010-11 period represents close to $1,500 per Canadian household."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Cost of CAN's Effort in AFG Coming Out

 

8 Oct 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Taliban Envoy:  UN Too American, Let's Use OIC as Go Between

 

7 Oct 08 - For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CF Soldier Recovering from IED Injuries in Maywand

 

6 Oct 08 - "A Canadian soldier was injured in southern Afghanistan on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near an armoured vehicle carrying troops. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CF Looking into Claims of AFG Troops Raping Boys

 

4 Oct 08 - "The Canadian Forces will launch a board of inquiry to look into allegations that soldiers' complaints about Afghan troops and police raping boys were ignored by the military leadership."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN PM:  NATO Can't Be in AFG Forever

 

3 Oct 08 - "Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has committed to pulling out Canadian troops from Afghanistan in 2011, said on Thursday some other Western leaders wrongly believed NATO forces could stay there forever." For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

ISAF Commander:  "I think we are in a tough fight"

 

2 Oct 08 - "In the East and the South, we are seeing a greater amount of insecurity in certain areas. So I won't say that things are all on the right track especially in the South and the East."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN DefMin (Again) Says It Ain't Over When Troops Come Home in 2011

 

1 Oct 08:  "Defence Minister Peter MacKay dismissed the suggestion that the decision to pull out of Afghanistan by 2011 is akin to cutting and running. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Kandahar Gov'r to CAN:  Please Don't Go in 2011

 

30 Sept 08:  "As he readies for a possible Taliban offensive this week with "dozens" of suicide bombers, the new governor of Kandahar province is urging Canadian politicians to rethink the planned 2011 pullout of troops." For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN Troops Injured in Attack on Outpost

 

28 Sept 08: "Two Canadian soldiers were hurt, one of them seriously, when Taliban insurgents attacked an outpost west of Kandahar City on (27 Sept 08) with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN Troops Distribute Food to Poor After Ramadan

 

27 Sept 08: "Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan handed out food to some of Kandahar's poorest families on Friday to help them celebrate the Islamic festival of Eid."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CAN DefMin Says It Ain't Over When Troops Come Home in 2011

 

26 Sept 08:  "Contributions to development and reconstruction will still continue past 2011."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Where do CAN's Political Parties Stand on AFG Mission?

 

25 Sept 08:  "The Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan is to either end, or change dramatically, by 2011. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

US Has Troops to Send to AFG, But...

 

24 Sept 08:  "Up to three additional brigade combat teams will likely be available for deployment to Afghanistan next spring and summer, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said (yesterday)"  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

UN Security Council Extends ISAF Mandate

 

23 Sept 08:  "The United Nations Security Council .... unanimously extended the mission of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan for another year and called for it to be strengthened in the face of increased violence and terrorism from the Taliban, Al-Qaida and drug smugglers."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


Taliban Breaks Peace Day Promise

 

 

22 Sept 08:  "Regrettably but not unsurprisingly, the criminal insurgents did not honour their own declaration of support for the Day of Peace, given in a statement on Friday September, 19 and instead chose to show their contempt for peace by attacking and killing ANP and ANA members, and kidnapping innocent Afghan civilians."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

ISAF Holds Fire (Taliban Promises, Too) For UN Peace Day

 

21 Sept 08:  "Following President Karzai’s announcement that in honour of the UNAMA Peace day, he has ordered the Afghan National Army to refrain from offensive operations against insurgents, General David McKiernan, Commander ISAF, has also instructed all ISAF forces in Afghanistan to do the same...."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

2 PPCLI NCO Killed in Panjwai IED Blast

 

Sergeant Scott Shipley of 2PPCLI was killed, and seven injured, on 7 Sept 08 when a vehicle was hit by an IED blast in Panjwai District.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Three CAN Troops Killed in Firefight in Zhari

 

CTV.ca reports that three soldiers - Corporal Andrew Grenon, Corporal Mike Seggie and Private Chad Horn - with the PPCLI were killed on a security patrol in a light armoured vehicle (LAV) when they came under attack 3 Sept 08 in Zhari District. Five others were reportedly injured - one is in critical condition, one is in serious but stable condition, two are considered to be in good condition and one has been treated and released.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Three CAN Troops Killed by IED in Zhari

 

Three Canadian soldiers were killed 21 Aug 08 in southern Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle Wednesday morning, the Canadian military said Thursday.  A fourth soldier was also reportedly injured and is in serious but stable condition. For more, click to CANinKandahar


One CF Soldier Killed, One Injured at Combat Outpost Incident

 

One Canadian soldier was killed 11 Aug 08 and another was injured in the Panjwayi District at about 0530 Kandahar time. The soldiers were protecting their combat outpost at the time of the incident when insurgents attacked them with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.  The fallen soldier is Master Corporal Erin Doyle of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta, and attached to the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


2 PPCLI NCO Killed in Zharey Firefight

 

A Canadian soldier died of his injuries following an engagement involving coalition forces, insurgents and security personnel from a civilian convoy in the Zharey District around 0900 (Kandahar time) on 9 Aug 08. An investigation is being conducted to determine the details surrounding this incident and further information will be made public as it becomes available.  The fallen soldier is Master Corporal Joshua Brian Roberts of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


2 PPCLI Soldier Killed in Panjwai IED Attack


From CF statement:  "On 18 Jul 08, a Canadian soldier was killed just before midnight Kandahar time. The soldier was killed by an IED while on a foot patrol in Panjwayi District. The fallen soldier is Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba."  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF Medic Killed on Foot Patrol in Panjwai

 

According to Canadian Press, a Canadian military medic lauded by peers for his quick smile, sharp intellect, and generous heart has been killed by an explosion during an early morning foot patrol in Afghanistan.  Pte. Colin William Wilmot died 6 Jul 08 in the Panjwaii district near Kandahar city.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CF MP Found Dead @ Mirage

 

A Canadian military policeman was found dead 4 Jul 08 in the sleeping area of Camp Mirage. Canadian Press reports, "the death of Cpl. Brendan Anthony Downey, a military policeman based in Dundurn, Sask., has been declared non-combat-related even before investigators arrived at the base." To date, 86 soldiers and one diplomat have died in the Afghanistan mission. His death is the 11th non-combat fatality.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN Announces "Signature Projects", New Focus in AFG

 

On 10 Jun 08, the Government of Canada announced clear priorities and three “signature projects” related to Canada’s future engagement in Afghanistan. This new direction will ensure a measurable improvement in the lives of citizens living in Kandahar province between now and 2011.  “Our ultimate goal remains the same—to leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful, and more secure,” said Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister David Emerson. “What is new is that we will significantly concentrate Canadian efforts and resources on the areas most likely to help us reach that goal.”  The announcement responds directly to recommendations outlined in the report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


1 PPCLI Officer Killed on Patrol with AFG Forces in Zhari District

 

From the Canadian Press:  "A Canadian soldier died after falling into a well during a night-time patrol Saturday west of Kandahar.  Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder, of Penticton, B.C., was a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.  Snyder, who was helping mentor Afghan soldiers, was on foot patrol in a field in Zhari district when he tumbled into an open well (8 Jun 08) that the Afghans call a 'kariz.'  Those kinds of wells dot the countryside. They are often unmarked and connect to a series of underground irrigation ditches used to soothe the parched landscape in river valleys.  Thompson estimates the well Snyder was trapped in may have been as much as 20 metres deep." For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Officer from 2 PPCLI Killed in Panjwayi Firefight

From Canadian Forces statement:  "One Canadian soldier was killed (3 Jun 08) at approximately 9:30 a.m., Kandahar time. The Canadian soldier was killed by direct fire when a joint Afghan-Canadian dismounted security patrol came under small arms fire from insurgents in the Panjwayi District.  The fallen soldier is Captain Richard (Steve) Leary of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry, from Shilo, Manitoba.  During their patrol, the soldiers encountered insurgents who attacked with small arms fire. Capt Leary was struck while the soldiers were returning fire and repositioning. Close air support was called in and the enemy was defeated."  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Four Canadian Troops Injured in Homicide Bomb Blast

 

From CanWest News Service:  "Four Canadian soldiers were injured in Afghanistan by a suicide blast on their convoy (25 May 08).  The Canadian Forces convoy was patrolling through the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan when a car bomb exploded nearby, killing one Afghan child and injuring two others. The wounded soldiers were airlifted to Kandahar Airfield where they were treated for their injuries. Officials said the soldiers were in good condition and should be able to return to duty shortly. The attack occurred near the house of former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, which has since been converted to a base for NATO and ISAF troops."  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


15 Fd Amb Medic Killed Under Fire in Pashmul

 

Corporal Michael Starker, a Reservist with 15 Field Ambulance, was killed 6 May 08, and another soldier was injured, when they came under enemy fire during a patrol in the Pashmul region of the Zharey district. The soldiers were immediately evacuated by helicopter to the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield, where one soldier was pronounced dead. The other soldier is in fair condition and stable. The incident occurred at about 1145 Kandahar time.  At the time of the incident, the soldiers, their colleagues and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were conducting a civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) patrol in the area. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


"Soldiers' Soldier", CF Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier Leaving Post 1 Jul 08

 

From 15 Apr 08 CDS Statement:  "I have chosen to retire from the Canadian Forces and end my tenure as your Chief of the Defence Staff in July of this year.  I accepted the leadership of the Canadian Forces in February 2005. My goal was to set the conditions for our sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen to succeed in our critical and often dangerous tasks in defence of Canada, Canadians, and Canadian interests and values. We have achieved those key objectives, and reached the critical milestones I originally set out for us to reach by the end of my time as CDS ...." - Prime Minister Statement - Defence Minister Statement - 16 Apr 08 Media clippings (.pdf) - 17 Apr 08 Clippings (.pdf) - Army.ca discussion on CDS departure - Army.ca discussion on next incumbent

 


2 PPCLI Private Killed in Panjwayi IED Strike

 

Private Terry John Street, from 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was killed 4 Apr 08 when his armoured vehicle struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during operations at approximately 1815 local time in Panjwaiyi district. For more, click to CANinKandahar 

 


2 PPCLI NCO Killed Stepping on IED

 

A Canadian soldier was killed 17 Mar 08 by an explosive device while participating in a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol in the Zangabad region, in the District of Panjwayi, approximately 35 km South-West of Kandahar City.  The soldier, identified as 32-year-old Sergeant Jason Boyes of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, was immediately evacuated by helicopter to the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield, where he later succumbed to his wounds. The incident occurred at approximately 8:20 p.m. Kandahar time.  At the time of the incident, the soldier’s unit was conducting a dismounted presence patrol in the area with Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


July 2006 Cormorant Crash Report Released

 

"The environmental conditions (darkness, distant dim horizon and calm water) were not suitable for continued flight using outside references only. The nose down attitude and descent was not noticed by any of the three pilots in the low visual cueing environment because they did not adequately reference their flight instruments.  The investigation also found that prolonged training restrictions imposed due to on-going tail-rotor half-hub cracking had a serious detrimental effect on overall CH149 aircrew proficiency ...."  For more details, click here.


LDSH Soldier Killed in Panjawayi IED Blast

 

At approximately 15:45 Kandahar time on 2 Mar 08, Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, age 25, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), based out of Edmonton, Alberta, was killed when his armoured vehicle hit a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Mushan region, located in the District of Panjawayi, 45 km West of Kandahar City.   For more, click to CANinKandahar 

 


CAN Government Introduces Confidence Motion to Extend AFG Mission

 

Bloomberg:  "Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government is seeking approval from Parliament to extend Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan in a so-called confidence motion that would force an election if defeated.  ``Canada does not walk away from its commitments. That is not in the Canadian tradition,'' Peter Van Loan, leader of the Conservative Party government's daily operations in the House of Commons, said at a news conference today in Ottawa. The government wants the mission, now scheduled to end in February 2009, to continue through the end of 2011."  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Death of Canadian UN Observer in Lebanon "Preventable"

 

From Canadian Press:  "The decision had been made to evacuate a Canadian military officer and three other United Nations observers shortly before they were killed by an Israeli air strike in South Lebanon nearly two years ago, a Canadian Forces board of inquiry has found.  The deaths of Canadian Maj. Paeta Hess-Von Kruedener and three other UN observers were "tragic and preventable" and were the result of errors by the Israeli Defence Force, the board said.  The UN observers died when their compound was hit by a 500-kilogram bomb delivered by an Israeli aircraft. The compound was also hit by four 155-mm artillery shells fired by the Israelis during clashes with Hezbollah, the report says."  For more, click here.

 


CF Member Killed, Two Injured, in IED Strike in Panjwai

 

A Canadian soldier was killed and two others were slightly injured when their light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on 23 Jan 08.  The soldiers were on a clearance operation in Panjawii district when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. The incident, which occurred about 35 kms southeast of Kandahar City, happened at 1340 local time (0500 Eastern, 1000 UTC).  Both of the injured soldiers were later released from hospital.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Manley Panel:  Shift Focus of CAN Mission in AFG

 

Canada’s future role in Afghanistan must place greater emphasis on diplomacy and reconstruction and the Canadian military focus must shift gradually from combat to training Afghan national security forces, an expert panel report today recommended to the federal government.  “We are recommending a Canadian commitment to Afghanistan that is neither open-ended nor faint-hearted,” says the report by the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan.  “We owe it to the Afghans, to our allies and to our own future security needs to give this mission every possible chance to succeed,” says John Manley, Chair of the Panel. “What is evident is that the commitment to Afghanistan made by successive Canadian governments has not yet been completed. The ultimate objective is to enable the Afghans to manage their own security.”  For more, click to CANinKandahar


One CF Member Killed, Another Injured in IED incident north of Kandahar

 

At approximately 07:15 Kandhar time on 15 Jan 08 (02:45 UTC, 142145 Jan 08 EST), one Canadian soldier was killed when the armoured vehicle he was in struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED). One Canadian soldier was also injured. The identity of the deceased soldier is Trooper Richard Renaud, 26 years old, of the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada based in Valcartier, Québec. The incident occurred during a presence patrol in the Arghandab District, approximately 10 km north of Kandahar city.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Two CF Members Killed in LAV Accident

 

A pair of Canadian soldiers returning to establish camp for the night part way through an operation in southern Afghanistan were killed in a vehicle roll-over on the evening of  6 Jan 08.  Cpl. Eric Labbe, a 31-year-old Van Doo from Rimouski, Que., and an unidentified comrade died when their light armoured vehicle flipped over on rough terrain around 1830 local time (1400 UTC, 0900EST) in the region of Nalgham, about 40 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.  The soldiers were involved in a multiday operation in the volatile Zhari district of Kandahar province at the time.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Quebec Gunner Killed in IED Blast

 

A Canadian soldier is dead and four others are recovering from injuries suffered when their light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb 30 Dec 07  in southern Afghanistan.  The soldier has been identified as Jonathan Dion, 27, a gunner with the 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada from Val-d'Or, Que.  The explosion happened shortly after 0900 local (0430UTC, 292330EDec07) about 20 km west of Kandahar city, during a routine patrol.   For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


 Two CF Troops, Interpreter Killed in IED Attack 

Canadian Forces spokesperson Col. Christian Juneau said Corp. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp of the 5th Field Ambulance in Valcartier and Pte. Michel Levesque of the Royal 22nd died early on the morning of 17 Nov 07. They were riding in a LAV that hit an IED on a road north of a Canadian Forward Operating Base near Bazar-e Panjwaii. An Afghan interpreter also died in the blast. Three Canadian soldiers were transported to hospital at Kandahar Air Field with non-life threatening injuries.  For more, click to CANinKandahar


CAN PM Appoints Panel to Assess Future AFG Mission Options

 

On 12 Oct 07, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the creation of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan. The panel’s role will be to advise Parliament on options for the mission after the current mandate ends in February, 2009.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


MILNEWS.ca Exclusive:  Who to Kill?  Who To Arrest?

 

This is just one of Tony's Top Ten Highlights from the latest United Nations report on Afghanistan here.

 


Calgary  Reservist Killed in AFG

 

A Canadian soldier was killed, and four others, wounded while on patrol in southern Afghanistan 24 Sept 07.  Twenty-four year old Cpl. Nathan Hornburg of the King's Own Calgary Regiment in Calgary, was killed in a mortar attack after he stepped outside his tank to repair a broken track.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


UN Renews Mandate for AFG Mission

 

United Nations Security Council extended the NATO mission in Afghanistan for another year on 19 Sept 07, with Moscow abstaining and fourteen other countries voting in favour.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


MILNEWS.ca Exclusive:  Tony's "Top Ten"

from NATO Parliamentary Assembly Visit & Report, 2-7 Sept 07

 

A delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Defence and Security Committee visited Afghanistan, as well as neighbouring Tajikistan, on September 2-7, 2007.  The group spent time speaking to NATO, ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom commanders, visited Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT's) in Panjsher (US) and Lashkar Gah (UK), and spoke to Afghan politicians and officials.  Read some of the highlights here.

 

 


 

MILNEWS.ca Exclusive:  Updated Media Summary Report, Pte. Robert Costall fratricide

 

This Media Summary Report has been updated as of 15 Sept 07 (.pdf).

 


CF Member Found Shot in Secure Compound in Kabul

 

A member of the Canadian Forces has died from a gunshot wound inflicted inside a secure compound in Kabul, the Afghan capital.  A military statement said the soldier, serving at the headquarters of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, died shortly after 0730 local time on 29 Aug 07 (282300EDT Aug 07).  The victim had been found seriously injured in his room an hour earlier and doctors were unable to save him.  Military officials have ruled out enemy action, saying the shooting occurred within the NATO compound in Kabul.  For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Two Vandoos, AFG Interpreter Killed in Suspected Mine Strike

 

Two Canadian soldiers, and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 1819 Kandahar time 22 Aug 07 (220949EDT Aug 07) when their LAV III struck a suspected mine approximately 50 kms West of Kandahar City. One Canadian soldier and two Canadian journalists were also injured at the time of the explosion and have been evacuated by helicopter to the Multinational Hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The incident occurred during Operation EAGLE EYE, a joint Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) and ISAF operation aimed at further stabilizing the District of Zharey. The fallen have been identified as Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 2e Bn, Royal 22e Régiment, and Master Corporal Christian Duchesne, 5e Ambulance de campagne. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Canadian Soldier Killed in IED Attack on LAV

 

A Canadian soldier was killed 19 Aug 07 after the vehicle he was traveling in, a LAV III, struck an IED. The incident occurred roughly 0141 Kandahar time (1700 18 Aug 07 Eastern), approximately 20 km West of Kandahar City. Private Simon Longtin of the 3e Bn, Royal 22e Regiment,died of his injuries after his LAV III struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) roughly 1:41 am Kandahar time, approximately 20 kms West of Kandahar City. At the time of the incident, the Canadian convoy was returning from a Forward Operating Base following a re-supply mission from Kandahar Airfield. The soldier was immediately evacuated from the scene by helicopter for urgent medical attention, but later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon his arrival at the Multinational hospital located at Kandahar Airfield. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


No Charges in Costall Fratricide

 

After conducting a thorough investigation into the death of Private Robert Costall, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) has concluded that they will not be laying charges in relation to this matter. Pte Costall was killed on March 28, 2006 at the Forward Operating Base Robinson during an attack of Taliban insurgents. Based on all evidence collected, ballistic and forensic analysis completed by both the CFNIS and the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (USACID), it was concluded that Pte. Costall was killed by gun fire originating from a weapon manned by a US Army soldier. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Taliban Using SAMs?

 

The Daily Telegraph (UK) reports that Taliban attempted to bring down an American C-130 Hercules aircraft flying over the south-western province of Nimroz 22 Jul 07. The crew reported that a missile system locked on to their aircraft and that a missile was fired. It closed in on the large C-130 aircraft, pursuing it as the pilots launched a series of violent evasive manoeuvres and jettisoned flares to confuse the heat sensors in the nose of the missile. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


Close Call for CAN General in AFG During Homicide Bomb Attack

 

 

According to the Canadian Press, the commander of Canada's current mission in war-torn Afghanistan escaped unharmed Thursday when a convoy he was travelling in was attacked by a suicide bomber 26 Jul 07. Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant was riding in one of three vehicles in the convoy when a suicide bomber detonated a car nearby, military officials said. There were no reports of injuries in the attack southeast of Kandahar City. Maj. Chip Madic said the explosion happened at 5:30 p.m. when a convoy of three Canadian military vehicles - two RG-31 Nayala vehicles and one LAV-3 light armoured vehicle - was returning to Kandahar City from the town of Shur Andan, about 18 kilometres southeast of the Canadian base. For more, click to CANinKandahar

 


 

CF Board of Inquiry Issues Report on 4 Sept 06 Friendly Fire Death

"The A-10A friendly fire incident that occurred on 4 September 2006 was a result of the A-10A pilot losing his situational awareness in the changing light conditions in the transition between night and day and his failure to check his targeting pod and heads-up display to verify target location." For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Six CF Members Killed 4 Jul 07 in Panjwai Blast

Six more Canadian lives have been lost to the blast of a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan which happened just before 1100 local time 4 Jul 07. The soldiers were killed when their RG-31 vehicle struck a suspected improvised explosive device approximately 20 km southwest of Kandahar City. An Afghan interpreter was also killed in the blast. The incident occurred while the soldiers were returning from conducting joint patrol operations with the Afghan National Army. The soldiers were due to end their tour of duty in Afghanistan at the end of this month. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

 

US Military Reports: Pte. Robert Costall Killed via Fratricide

Special thanks to Associated Press for sharing the reports

Canadian Pte. Robert Costall and an American soldier were shot from behind by bursts from a machine-gun fired from a compound manned by U.S. special forces last year in Afghanistan during an insurgent attack, a U.S. army report says. One account in the report released 2 Jul 07 says the gunner shot at two friendly positions in quick succession during the fierce battle early on 29 Mar 06. The friendly fire killed Pte. Costall and US Sgt. John Stone, and wounded a number of others at Forward Operating Base Robinson in Afghanistan's Helmand province. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

PPCLI Troops Killed on ATV by IED

 

A roadside bomb killed three Canadian soldiers in southern Afghanistan on 20 Jun 07, bringing the death toll for the Canadian military in the country to 60. Military officials say the blast hit the all-terrain vehicle carrying the soldiers on a resupply operation between two check points near a forward base. They say it's an open-top, unamoured vehicle. Two of the fallen have been identified as Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Private Joel Vincent Wiebe, both with 3 PPCLI. For more, click to CANinKandahar


RCD Trooper Killed by IED

 

A Canadian soldier was killed 11 Jun 07 when a roadside bomb detonated near the vehicle he was travelling in, about 40 km north of Kandahar City. The incident occurred at approximately 6:25 p.m. Kandahar time (10:05 a.m. EST). Two Canadian soldiers suffered non-life threatening injuries from the blast. Killed was Trooper Darryl Caswell of The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD), based at Petawawa, Ont. Trooper Caswell was deployed in the south of Afghanistan with the RCD Reconnaissance Squadron as part of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) Battle Group. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

CF Army News Videographer Killed in Chinook Crash in South AFG

Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, a military Imagery Technician serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command (South) Headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, was killed when the helicopter in which he was a passenger went down at approximately 2100 Kandahar time on 30 May 07, near the town of Kajaki, Helmand Province, about 95 kms northwest of Kandahar City. MCPL Priede was a member of the Army News Team from 3 Area Support Group, based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick. Initial reports suggested the helicopter was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade, said a U.S. official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because the crash was still under investigation. Along with MCPL Priede, five Americans, and one soldier from Britain who had been passengers were also killed. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Cdn Killed in IED Blast

A Canadian soldier was killed 25 May 07 when an improvised explosive device detonated in Afghanistan's volatile Zhari district. One other soldier has suffered non-life-threatening injuries and an Afghan interpreter has also been wounded, said Col. Mike Cessford, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan. The wounded soldier has injuries describe by Cessford as non-life threatening. The interpreter remained in the field. The dead soldier, identified as Cpl. Matthew McCully, based at CFB Petawawa, is the 55th Canadian serviceman to die in Afghanistan. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

OP Hoover: New CAN-AFG Push Against Taliban

A towering column of Leopard tanks and armoured vehicles rumbled into position in the volatile Zhari district of Afghanistan early 25 May 07 as Canadian soldiers prepared for their largest offensive against the Taliban in nearly two months. Operation Hoover began under cover of darkness, amid the thunder of Canada's mighty guns, as illumination rounds cast an eerie orange glow over the rocky barrens beneath a star-studded Afghan night. As the sun peeked over distant foothills, a squadron from the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) tank regiment barrelled past grape huts and mud-walled compounds before marshalling in a dusty tract of land near the edge of the Registan desert. Behind them, Afghan National Army soldiers - trained and mentored by their Canadian counterparts - flashed confident grins and thumbs-up signs from the backs of their vulnerable pickup trucks as they prepared to lead the attack. For more, click to CANinKandahar


 

Snowbird Pilot Killed in Montana Crash

A Canadian Forces Snowbird pilot from Quebec was killed Friday afternoon when his jet crashed while doing practice manoeuvres near Great Falls, Montana on 18 May 07. The pilot was identified by the air force as Captain Shawn McCaughey, 30, of Candiac, Que., south of Montreal. Capt. McCaughey was in his second year with the Snowbirds, according to his biography on the group's website. Eyewitnesses said the aerial team was flying in formation before one jet left the group and fell to the earth around 4 p.m. Central Time.

 

USAF Promotion of Event - Initial CF Statement - Great Falls Tribune (Mont.) - CanWest News - Canadian Press/Associated Press - CBC News - Clippings, 19 May 07 (.pdf) - Official Bio of Fallen Pilot - Army.ca Condolences - CF Investigation Underway - Fiancee Learns of Death Before Birthday, Bridal Shower - Clippings, 20 May 07 (.pdf) - CF Investigation to take a Year

 

Commander in Chief Statement - PM Statement - Def Min Statement


 

CAN National Nabbed in Waziristan Terr Training Camp?

An Alberta man arrested in Kabul and under investigation for possible ties to terrorism could face trial in Afghanistan depending on the outcome of a police probe, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada said 11 May 07. Sohail Qureshi, 24, who graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Calgary last year, was taken into custody in the Afghan capital this week because of suspicions he had attended militant training camps in Pakistan. A Canadian citizen of Pakistani heritage, Qureshi reportedly left the country three months ago and did not return as planned in April. Omar Samad, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, cautioned that his government was still trying to confirm the identity of the man arrested by Afghan police. For more, check CANinKandahar


 

CDN Peacekeeper Confirmed Dead in Military Plane Crash in Egypt

An official with a multi-national peacekeeping force have confirmed a Canadian was among nine peacekeepers who were killed when a French military plane crashed in Egypt 6 May 07. An official at the peacekeeping force's headquarters in Cairo, Normand St. Pierre, says the other eight killed were French. Corporal Benoit Chevalier, an Aerospace Control Operator from 3 Wing Bagotville (Quebec) assigned to Task Force El Gorah (TFEG) was killed in the crash. The plane, a Canadian-made DeHavilland Twin Otter, crashed in a remote area of the Sinai desert. The peacekeeping force, officially called the Multinational Force and Observers, is an independent international organization created by Egypt and Israel to monitor their border in the Sinai after a 1979 peace deal.

Associated Press (USA) - Agence France Presse (FRA) - Reuters (UK) - CF Statement

!

JTF-2 Member Killed in Non-Combat Accident in AFG

A Canadian soldier working with Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan died in a non-combat related incident 18 Apr 07. The soldier was working on a communications tower when the accident occurred. An investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances of the accident. For more, check CANinKandahar


 

Two More CAN Troops Killed, Three Injured in AFG

Two Canadians have been killed and three injured in Afghanistan in two separate attacks, a military official says in Kandahar. Col. Mike Cessford, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, says the two roadside bomb explosions happened 11 Apr 07 west of Kandahar City. The names of the two Canadian soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan are as follows: Master Corporal Allan Stewart, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.; and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont. For more, check CANinKandahar


 

Six CAN Troops Killed, Two Injured, in IED Strike

A devastating roadside-bomb explosion killed six Canadian soldiers 8 Apr 07 in the worst single-day toll for the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, military officials said. The explosion west of Kandahar city also caused serious but non-life-threatening injuries to one Canadian soldier and light injuries to another, said Col. Mike Cessford, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Kandahar. Two other soldiers were examined in hospital and released, he told reporters at Kandahar Airfield. The soldiers were in a moving vehicle when the blast occurred around 1 p.m., Cessford said. For more, check CANinKandahar


 

US Close to Releasing Report on Possible 2006 AFG Friendly Fire Deaths

The U.S. Army has completed a probe into whether a Vermont National Guardsman and a Canadian soldier were killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan during a fierce night-time battle just over a year ago, a Guard official said 6 Apr 07. But the results of the investigation into the 29 Mar 06 death of Master Sgt. Tom Stone and Canadian soldier Pte. Robert Costall won't be released until Stone's family has been briefed about the findings.

CANinKandahar - MILNEWS.ca Media Summary Report on Pte. Costall's Death


 

Royal Navy, Marine Hostages Freed by IRN

News and analysis highlights here.


 

CF Reservist Killed in Shooting at K'Har Air Base

A young Canadian soldier has been killed in a shooting at the Canadian base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a family member said 6 Mar 07. Cpl. Kevin Megeney was apparently in his tent when he was shot, his sister Lisa told The Canadian Press from the family home in Stellarton, in the eastern province of Nova Scotia. For more, check CANinKandahar

 


 

OP Achilles Under Way in S. AFG

At the request of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) launched Operation Achilles earlier today (6 Mar 07), an effort concentrated on the northern region of Helmand Province. “Our first manoeuvre elements reached their positions at approximately 05h00 this morning and at it’s peek, Operation Achilles will eventually involve over 4500 NATO troops and close to 1000 ANSF personnel,” said Major-General Ton van Loon, Commander of Regional Command (South). “This is the largest multi-national combined ANSF and ISAF operation launched to date and it signifies the beginning of a planned offensive to bring security to northern Helmand and set the conditions for meaningful development that will fundamentally improve the quality of life for Afghans in the area,” he added. For more, check CANinKandahar


 

CAN Anti-Terr Measures Not Extended

"Opposition parties joined forces (27 Feb 07) to vote down the extension of two controversial anti-terrorism measures, ending an acrimonious political battle rife with accusations of dirty politics. But the debate over national security vs. civil liberties is sure to continue into the next election campaign. A Conservative government motion seeking to extend the security measures for three years was defeated by a vote of 159 to 124. Most Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs voted against extending the provisions, which expire automatically (1 Mar 07) without parliamentary approval to renew them."

More on Canada Terror Page


 

Think Tank: Taliban Can Take On CF Leopards

'The Department of National Defence was wrong to deploy Leopard 1 C2 tanks to the battlefield in Afghanistan, says a study released 26 Feb 07 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The study was written by Michael D. Wallace, Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and Senior Advisor to the newly established Rideau Institute on International Affairs.'

More on CANinKandahar page


 

CAN Supreme Court Says Security Certificates Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the security certificate system used by the federal government to detain and deport foreign-born terrorist suspects. In a 9-0 judgment delivered on 23 Feb 07, the court found that the system, described by government officials as a key tool for safeguarding national security, violates the Charter of Rights. But the court suspended the judgment from taking legal effect for a year, giving Parliament time to write a new law complying with constitutional principles.

More on Canada Terror Page


 

Could Military, Interrogators Get "24" to Lighten Up?

What happens when the Dean of West Point and a couple of senior interrogators try to convince the producers of "24" that torture doesn't work in the long run to get useful information? One quote from Tony Lagouranis, a former Army interrogator in the war in Iraq: “People watch the shows, and then walk into the interrogation booths and do the same things they’ve just seen.”

New Yorker article


 

CAN to Lease Leopard 2's from Germany for AFG?

Keen spotter on Army.ca found German media reporting that Canada is ready to lease Leopard 2's for use in Afghanistan, with the possibility of buying another 80.

More on CANinKandahar Page

 


 

Military, CF MP Watchdog Looking into Prisoner Handling in AFG

Three investigations are under way looking into prisoner handling by Canadian troops in Afghanistan. The Canadian military has announced an investigation, as well as a Board of Inquiry, while Canada's Military Police Complaints Commission is conducting a parallel, independent investigation. Media reports indicate aat least one, and perhaps three, Afghan detainees “taken captive by the Canadian Forces appears to have been beaten while detained and interrogated by them,” according to Amir Attaran, a University of Ottawa law professor, in a letter sent to the commission. The allegations are based on documents obtained by Mr. Attaran under the Access to Information Act outlining injuries in the cases.

CANinKandahar


 

Rescue Ops (2): Evacuating Non-Military Nationals

Another manual, courtesy of the Federation of American Scientists Secrecy News, this time about military run evacuations of civilians (think Lebanon last summer). Another big .pdf file, but again with interesting content.

'Noncombatant Evacuation Operations', Joint Publication 3-68 (USA), 22 Jan 07 (169 pg, 1.75MB .pdf)


 

Rescue Ops (1): Saving the Captured: Two Manuals

Two manuals on doctrine behind rescuing captured troops. Thanks to the Federation of American Scientists Secrecy News for the American pam, and "Good2Golf", directing staff with Army.ca. Both pretty big .pdf files, but interesting content and level of detail.

'Joint Personnel Recovery', Joint Warfare Publication 3-66 (UK), April 2003 - 'Personnel Recovery', Joint Publication 3-50 (USA), January 5, 2007


 

USA SF Accuse CAN Troops of Not Patrolling Dismounted in AFG?

From the Baltimore Sun: 'A senior U.S. Special Forces officer said the Canadians, even though they have tanks and light armored vehicles, refuse to dismount on foot patrols, which are considered more risky but more productive in establishing relationships with the local population .... One Special Forces officer, an adviser with the Afghan army, told of asking the Canadians for help in regaining the initiative in battle. "They refused to cross the river" to help, the officer said in a cold fury. "It is disturbing." .... John Morris, a spokesman for Canada's Expeditionary Forces Command in Ottawa, said it is "absolutely not true" that Canadians do not patrol on foot. He could not comment on any specific cases but insisted that Canadian forces operating in Afghanistan "are not subject to any geographic or movement restrictions." ....'

CANinKandahar


 

More on "Twenty Eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company-level Counterinsurgency"

An Aussie officer, former platoon commander in E. Timor and currently on secodment to the U.S. State Department, lays out 28 rules for company level counterinsurgency ops, based on input from company grade commanders working in Iraq here. Well, it took a platoon commander who'd been to IRQ recently to flesh things out here.


 

AFG Fight Canadian Press-Broadcast News Story of 2006

Canadians made a spectacular switch from Liberal to Conservative governing regimes in 2006, but a gritty little war half a world away was the overwhelming choice as the top Canadian news story of the year. The war in Afghanistan started in 2001 and steadily faded from the world's headlines as the focus shifted to Iraq, but five years later Canada's small part in the fight to calm the country hit home with bloody clarity. Newspaper editors and broadcasters left no doubt that Canada's mission in Afghanistan was the top news story of the year. In the annual poll by The Canadian Press and Broadcast News, the war in Afghanistan easily outranked the Conservatives' electoral victory by a margin of 91-44.

CANinKandahar


 

Saddam Dead

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at a secure facility in northern Baghdad for crimes against humanity. Iraqi TV said the execution took place 29 Dec 06 just before 0600 local time (0300GMT, 2200EST). A representative of the prime minister and a Sunni Muslim cleric were present. Footage of him being led to the gallows was later shown on Iraqi state TV.

BBC News - Google News 'Saddam'


 

CF Soldier Canadian Press/Broadcast News Newsmaker of the Year

'The men and women of the Canadian Forces have dominated news coverage in 2006 and as such, editors and broadcasters across the country have chosen the Canadian Soldier as Canada's Newsmaker of the Year in the annual poll by The Canadian Press and Broadcast News. "The issue of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan has been on the lips, and in the hearts, of Canadians all year," said Gary Mac Dougall, managing editor of the Charlottetown Guardian, in explaining his newsmaker choice.'

Story - News of CAN in K'Har


 

'Thanks Jack' T-Shirt

Don't like how 'Taliban Jack' Layton wants us to talk to the Taliban? Buy a t-shirt, and upset a NDP member. Check the MILNEWS.ca Swag Shop here.

 


 

CF Soldier Macleans Newsmaker of the Year

'Every day for the past year, Canadian soldiers have been on the front lines of Afghanistan, bearing the brunt of Canada's war on terror, with courage and anonymity, no less. Right now, dozens of allied countries have troops operating in the former Taliban stronghold, but in 2006, none did more heavy lifting - or endured heavier losses - than Canada .... Every person in uniform, from sniper to recruiter to medic, will tell you the same thing: I can't walk into a Tim Hortons without somebody saying thanks. Indeed, 2006 belonged to the Canadian soldier.'

News Release - News of CAN in K'Har


 

MILNEWS Exclusive: UN Security Council Team Says ISAF Needed, Wanted in Afghanistan

A report from a United Nations Security Council team says there is "overwhelming support for the presence of international security forces inside Afghanistan."

More - News of CAN in K'Har


 

RCMP Commish Resigns Over Testimony on Arar Case

CAN - Terror Tgt


 

Two Canadians Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack on Convoy

Two Canadian soldiers were killed on November 27 at approximately 8:35 am local time when their Bison Light Armoured Vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber driving a car laden with explosives. The incident occurred on Highway 4 between Kandahar Airfield and Kandahar City. There were no other Canadian casualties.

CANinKandahar


 

 

CF Edmonton Garrison Collecting Direct Aid Money for Kandahar PRT

Eliminate the middleman - you can send donations that will be sent straight to the PRT commander in Kandahar, allowing him to spend on priorities determined by area residents.

Permalink


 

 

CAN Hostage in IRQ, Rescued by SAS, Won't Wear Poppy

'Despite his gratitude to elite British troops for rescuing him from his captors in Iraq, James Loney says he can't wear a poppy on Remembrance Day. "They (military forces) believe in what they're doing, and more than that, they're risking their lives. . . . That is an amazing gift," he told a University

of Guelph audience (November 10). "And that's what we are trying to remember and think about on Nov. 11. "But having said that, I still can't wear a poppy." '

Guelph Mercury - MILNEWS Media Summary Report (113KB .pdf)

(updated 10 Dec 06)


 

 

Remembrance Day Messages 2006

Governor General - Prime Minister - Defence Minister - Chief of Defence Staff


 

 

'From Vimy Ridge to Kandahar'

'For more than half a century following the Korean war, Canada was blessed not to be involved in major armed conflict. In recent years the face of Remembrance Day was, typically, that of an older man clad in navy blazer and beret, marching stiffly but proudly in the annual parade of veterans.'

Editorial - CANinKandahar


 

 

Remembrance Day, or Veteran's Day?

Do we commemorate the dead, or do we think of the vets?

Column


 

 

Army Times Editorial: 'Rumsfeld Must Go'

'Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large. His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt.'

Army Times - Permalink


 

 

Hang' Em High: Saddam, Two Others Sentenced to Death

Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti were sentenced to death by hanging Sunday after being convicted by the Iraqi criminal court of crimes against humanity. Saddam and six of his former top government aides were found guilty of ordering the killing of 148 Shias in the town of Dujail in 1982 in retaliation to an attempt on Saddam's life.

Included in 5 Nov 06 Edition of MILNEWS


 

 

'What to say to a veteran'

As Remembrance Day approaches, with Canadian troops fighting and working to help Afghanistan, you may be wondering what to say to any veteran who has been through so much, as well as to men and women who continue to serve.

Column - Chronicle-Journal Letter (371KB .pdf)


 

 

CAN CDS on CF Re-Roling, Deployment Lengths

General Rick Hillier explains, in one column, all about how sailors aren't going to be trained as infanteers, and what will happen to deployment lengths to deal with the AFG campaign.

Halifax Chronicle-Herald - Permalink


 

First CF Valour Medals in AFG Campaign Awarded

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, announced 27 Oct 06 the awarding of the first four Military Valour Decorations to members of the Canadian Forces who have displayed gallantry and devotion to duty in combat. The recipients will be invited to receive their decoration from the Governor General at a presentation ceremony to be held at a later date. This marks the first time that these decorations, which were created in 1993, have been awarded.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Free Parcels to Overseas Troops

Canada Post will provide free regular parcel service to families and friends of deployed Canadian Forces members for the holiday season. From October 26, 2006 to January 15, 2007, parcels will be delivered free of charge from any Canada Post retail outlet to designated Canadian Forces Bases, where they will be forwarded through the CF postal system to members overseas and aboard deployed Canadian ships.

CF Web Page on Free Postage


 

 

One Injured Soldier's Story

One of Canada's soldiers injured in Afghanistan shares his pain, his frustration, and his desire to be back with his comrades.

'Dealing with being home from Kandahar' - CANinKandahar


 

 

Two Canadians Killed in AFG RPG, Small Arms Ambush

At approximately 1510 local (0615 EDT) on 14 Oct 06, two Canadians soldiers were killed when their unit was ambushed near the new Panjwayi development road. Two other soldiers were wounded. Other Canadian units quickly responded to the attack and became involved in a three-hour battle with insurgents. The dead are identified as Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson, both of Charles Company, 1 RCR, based in Petawawa.

CANinKandahar


 

 

UN Security Council Agrees to Sanctions Against North Korea

Following intensive negotiations triggered earlier this month when the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) claimed to have conducted a nuclear test, the United Nations Security Council on 14 Oct 06 imposed sanctions against the country as well as individuals supporting its military programme and demanded that Pyongyang cease its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

PRK Nuke Test 9Oct06


 

 

North Korea Reports Nuclear Test

North Korea faced global condemnation and calls for harsh sanctions 9 Oct 06 after it announced that it had set off an atomic explosion underground, a test that thrusts the secretive communist state into the elite club of nuclear-armed countries. The United States, Japan, China and Britain led a united chorus of criticism, with U.S. President George W. Bush saying the reported test poses a threat to global peace and security, and "deserves an immediate response" by the UN Security Council, which met to discuss the crisis.

PRK Nuke Test 9Oct06


 

 

One Thunder Bay Soldier Dies, Another Thunder Bay Soldier Attends His Funeral, Then He Dies Too

AbthorpeOpEd - CANinKandahar


 

 

RCD Trooper Killed in Explosion

A 40th Canadian soldier has died in Afghanistan. Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson of the Royal Canadian Dragoons of CFB Petawawa was on a pre-dawn patrol 7 Oct 06 when either a roadside bomb or a landmine detonated. The explosion penetrated the vehicle and the soldier later died from his injuries.

CANinKandahar


 

 

2 RCD's Killed in Action in AFG

Two Canadian soldiers were killed 3 Oct 06 when ISAF forces operating in the Panjwayi area were attacked by mortars, rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. The attack occurred at approximately 1650 Kandahar time (0820EDT), about 20 km west of Kandahar City as ISAF forces worked to clear a route of mines and improvised explosive devices for a future road construction project. The Canadian soldiers killed in today's attack in Afghanistan are Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam and Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell, both members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ontario.

CANinKandahar


 

 

CAN Soldier Killed in Explosion in S. AFG

Pte. Josh Klukie, 1 RCR, was killed 29 Sept 06 by an improvised explosive device, while he was conducting a foot patrol in the Panjwayi district, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The incident occurred at approximately 1300 Kandahar time (0430 EDT) about 25 km west of Kandahar City. A second soldier suffered minor hearing loss as a result of the blast.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Some Answers, More Questions in Killing of CAN Peacekeeper in LBN

A United Nations board of inquiry into an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed four United Nations military observers in July had no access to the commanders involved and was therefore unable to determine why the attacks were not halted despite repeated appeals from UN personnel, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s spokesman annonced 29 Sept 06.

IDF Into LBN


 

 

Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182

A public inquiry into the 1985 bombing of an Air India plane off the coast of Ireland started hearing testimony 25 Sept 06 in Ottawa. The bombing of Flight 182, which left from Montreal, was carried out by Sikh extremists campaigning for a homeland in northern India. The 329 dead included 280 Canadians, many of them of Indian descent. Only one person has ever been convicted of the plot, and the trial of two main suspects ended in 2005 with acquittals.

Canada Terror


 

 

CAN Troops Meeting Kids Killed by Suicide Bomber

Four Canadian soldiers were killed and a number of others injured when a suicide bomber, travelling on a bicycle, detonated himself near Canadian troops conducting a foot patrol in the Panjwayi district, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The attack occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. Kandahar time, 28 Sept 06, about 30 km west of Kandahar City. An unknown number of civilians, including children, were also injured in the explosion.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Arar Commission Report Coming Out Monday

Justice Dennis O'Connor should conclude that Canada ran its own "extraordinary rendition" program or willingly participated in the CIA scheme that shipped terror suspects to countries that practise torture, say intervenors in the Maher Arar inquiry. The government is expected to announce today that O'Connor's commission of inquiry report will be tabled 18 Sept 06.

Canada Terror


 

 

Tanks, Vandoos, More Headed to Beef Up CAN Presence in AFG

Canada will send between 200 and 500 additional soldiers and a squadron of Leopard tanks to Afghanistan to battle resurgent Taliban fighters, the Canadian government said 15 Sept 06. The extra soldiers and equipment are "a necessary response to the Taliban," the Department of National Defence said in a release. The department said it will add an infantry company from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos, 15 Leopard tanks based in Edmonton and armoured engineering vehicles called Badgers to help with rebuilding projects.

CANinKandahar


 

 

IDF: Bad Maps Led to Strike Killing CAN Officer in LBN

On 14 Sept 06, Israel released details of its report on the killing of four UN peacekeepers in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon, saying their position, close to a Hezbollah rocket launch-site, was erroneously targeted because of flawed Israeli military maps. Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener of Kingston, Ont., a 20-year veteran, was one of the peacekeepers killed in the attack. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the findings were handed to diplomats from Canada, China, Finland and Austria, which each had a peacekeeper killed in the July 25 strike on the UN post at Khiam, southern Lebanon, about 180 metres from a position manned by Hezbollah, which at the time was firing salvos of rockets into Israel, where they killed 39 civilians.

IDF Into LBN


 

 

Cormorant crash investigation focuses on human error

Military investigators focused Monday on human error as the possible cause of the crash of a Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopter that killed three airmen off eastern Nova Scotia in July. An interim flight safety report, which formally ruled out mechanical trouble, said “several human factors” will need further investigation, including the fact that one of the pilots at the controls was being trained when the helicopter plunged into the ocean off Canso, N.S. during a night exercise.

Cormorant Crash


 

 

Will New CF Recuiting Ads Highlight Fighting Terror?

In a bid to attract new recruits, the Canadian Forces are developing an aggressive new advertising campaign that characterizes a military career as an exciting chance to "fight terror."

CF Fighting Terror Ads


 

 

One Cdn Killed, Five Seriously Wounded in AFG Fratricide

A NATO A-10 Warthog accidentally strafed Canadian troops on 4 Sept 06, killing one soldier and wounding dozens others during Operation Medusa. The identity of the soldier killed in the friendly fire incident has not been released yet.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Four Cdns Killed, nine injured, in OP Medusa

Four Canadian soldiers were killed during a major NATO offensive involving air strikes and artillery barrages against insurgents in the Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan, Canadian military officials said 3 Sept 06. Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Fraser announced the deaths during a briefing with reporters. In addition, up to nine Canadians were reported wounded. Injuries to two of them apparently were light enough for them to stay on in the combat area.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Operation Medusa Under Way in Southern AFG

Hundreds of Canadian soldiers backed by coalition troops and their Afghan allies launched a major offensive 2 Sept 06 to drive Taliban insurgents from a stronghold west Kandahar. Operation Medusa, a month in the planning, seeks to drive insurgents away from the volatile Taliban hotbeds of Zhari, Panjwaii and Pashmul near the lush fields lining the dry Arghandab River so that civilians who have fled their homes over the past four months can return.

CANinKandahar


 

 

IRN Refuses to Stop Processing Uranium

On 31 Aug 06, Iran's hard-line President claimed that the Islamic country was "united" behind its nuclear programme, on the day that the United Nations' deadline arrived for it to be halted or for Iran to face possible sanctions.

IRN: Mil Options


 

 

MILNEWS Focus: Tamil Terrs Working, Fundraising in Canada

A look at recent developments, as well as some background and history, of Tamil separatists fundraising in Canada for fighting back in the old country.

TamilTerrs.htm


 

 

Fifth Canadian Terror Suspect Released on Bail

A 19-year old Toronto-area man charged in connection with an alleged bomb plot targeting several locations in Ontario was granted bail Friday, the fifth of 18 accused in the case to be released from custody.

Canada Terror


 

 

Canadian Killed in Suicide Bomber Attack on K'Har Convoy

Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are preparing for a potential backlash after shooting dead a 10-year-old Afghan boy and injuring a teenager 22 Aug 06. The shooting took place after a Canadian soldier was killed and three others injured in a suicide attack in Kandahar City. Cpl. David Braun, based at CFB Shilo, Man., died when a Canadian resupply convoy was struck by a vehicle packed with explosives. At approximately 1515 local time, a Canadian re-supply convoy traveling in Kandahar City was struck by a suicide bomber, killing one soldier and wounding three others. ISAF air assets evacuated the injured soldiers to the Canadian-led multinational hospital at the Kandahar Airfield. All three are in good condition with non-life threatening injuries. A fire that resulted from the suicide bombing destroyed two Canadian vehicles in the convoy.

CANinKandahar


 

 

IRN: Let's Talk (But We Still Wanna Keep Processing Nuclear Material)

On 22 Aug 06, Iran formally delivered its much-anticipated reply to a six-nation proposal to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis, rejecting a demand to suspend its uranium enrichment activities before resuming any negotiations.

IRN: Mil Options


 

 

Lebanon Cease Fire Takes Effect

Guns fell silent across south Lebanon 14 Aug 06 shortly after a United Nations-brokered truce to end more than a month of fighting went into effect at 8 a.m. local time (0100 EDT). As the deadline passed, reports say Israeli planes disappeared from the sky, and Hizballah was holding fire.

IDF Into LBN


 

 

Fiery suicide attack kills Canadian soldier as convoy returns to Kandahar

A horrific suicide attack 11 Aug 06 claimed the life of another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. The soldier died when the suicide bomber plowed his explosives-laden vehicle into a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. Witnesses said there was a giant blast from the bomb, followed by a huge fire. It took several hours to extract the dead soldier's body from the burned vehicle. "The soldier was travelling in an armoured G-Wagon light utility vehicle as part of a resupply convoy heading north from Spin Boldak to Kandahar Air Field," said Col. Tom Putt, deputy commander of Task Force Afghanistan.

CANinKandahar


 

 

One Cdn Killed, Three Injured in Accident Enroute to Spin Boldak Area

An accident on 5 Aug 06 claimed the life of another Canadian soldier, just as the bodies of four others killed this week in Afghanistan were being flown home. Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, died after a large truck collided head-on with a Canadian G-Wagon, about 35 kilometres southeast of Kandahar. Arndt's age and home town were not immediately available. Three other soldiers in the vehicle were injured in the accident, two of them being flown to a hospital in Germany for further treatment.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Four More Cdns Killed in IED, RPG Attacks in K'Har

Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid was killed 3 Aug 06 in an area where Canadian soldiers have been advancing on Taliban insurgents, said Col. Tom Putt, deputy commander of Task Force Afghanistan. Reid was the 20th soldier to be killed since Canadians moved into Afghanistan in 2002, and the 12th to die in the last six months. Meanwhile, Three NATO soldiers killed 3 Aug 06 in a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades in southern Afghanistan have been identified as Canadian. Six other NATO soldiers were injured in the attack, but there was no immediate confirmation that Canadians were among them.

CANinKandahar


 

 

Canadian UN Observer Killed: Deliberate, Accident or Hezbollah Using UN as Screen?

A range of debate on how ISR nailed a UN observer post in LBN on 25 Jul 06, as well as the latest on what's happening in the area.

IDF into Lebanon


 

 

Two Cdns Killed in K'Har IED Attack

Two Canadian soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded Saturday in two suicide bombing attacks in Afghanistan near the coalition base in Kandahar on 22 Jul 06. Cpl. Francisco Gomez of the Lord Strathcona's Horse of Edmonton and Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren of Montreal's Black Watch Royal Highland Regiment were killed, CBC News reports. Gomez and Warren were injured early Saturday in the bombings, which also killed six Afghan civilians in downtown Kandahar, it was reported. Eight soldiers were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a coalition vehicle, Maj. Scott Lundy, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition forces, said earlier.

CANinKandahar


 

 

IDF Into Lebanon

Some of the latest on the campaign, and the evacuation.

News - Background


 

 

IDF Discusses Deja Vu Rules of Engagement with CAN Lawyer

Interesting summary of an exchange regarding ROE in a situation pretty similar to what we're seeing now.

"Two years ago, over lunch, I debated self-defence with the lawyer who advises the Israeli Defence Force. The lawyer in question is a colonel with a Harvard doctorate; the invitation came while I was a visiting professor at the University of Tel Aviv."

Toronto Star - MILNEWS IDF into LBN Page

(Updated 16 Jul 06)


 

 

US Government Watchdogs Sneak Enough Radioactive Material into America for Two Dirty Bombs

I guess this one slid in under the radar - apparently, the bad stuff was snuck in through the Canadian and Mexican borders ino the Unites States.

"The radiation portal monitors properly signaled the presence of radioactive material when our two teams of investigators conducted simultaneous border crossings. Our investigators’ vehicles were inspected in accordance with most of the (Customs and Border Protection) policy at both the northern and southern borders. However, GAO’s investigators, using counterfeit documents, were able to enter the United States with enough radioactive sources in the trunks of their vehicles to make two dirty bombs."

General Accounting Office Report # GAO-06-939T, July 5, 2006 - July 7, 2006 Report (both .pdf)

(Updated 15 Jul 06)


 

 

CF Cormorant Crashes, Killing Three

Three Canadian military personnel were killed and four others injured on Thursday after an early morning helicopter crash during a Canadian Forces training exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia. The Canadian Forces said the CH149 Cormorant helicopter from the 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Canso, Nova Scotia.

Cormorant Crash 13-08-06

(Updated 16 Jul 06)


 

 

Thunder Bay Reservist Anthony Joseph Boneca Killed in AFG Firefight

A Canadian soldier was killed today during an engagement with Taliban insurgents approximately 25 kilometres west of Kandahar. The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. Kandahar time (12:00 a.m. EDT). Killed was Corporal Anthony Joseph Boneca who was serving with Task Force Afghanistan as part of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) Battle Group. Cpl. Boneca was a member of the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, which is based in Thunder Bay, Ontario; his next-of-kin have been notified. Cpl. Boneca was evacuated by helicopter to the coalition medical facility at Kandahar Airfield where he was pronounced dead.

News on Boneca Death

(Updated 16 Jul 06)


 

 

Paq of Iraq Reports

Almost back-to-back release of three interesting US Congressional Research Service reports on Iraq: One on the recent elections and government, another on the security situation and a third on Iran's influence in Iraq. Detailed, good background and as balanced as you'll ever see in any government publication.

IRN in IRQ.pdf - IRQ Elections-Govt.pdf - IRQ Security.pdf

(Updated 27 Jun 06)


 

 

Canada - Terror Target

"Police say they've foiled a series of terrorist attacks against targets in southern Ontario. The RCMP have arrested and charged 12 male adults while five youths face a host of terrorism-related charges including training and recruitment, firearms and explosives offences and providing property for terrorist purposes. The announcement came at a news conference following a series of arrests Friday night on a group the Mounties say posed a "real and serious threat." In addition to the arrests, police recovered three tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a commonly used fertilizer used in the making of explosives. The RCMP says this is three time the amount used in the Oklahoma City bombing in the 1990s. "

News, Background


 

 

Time to Change Who Provides Air Support in AFG?

MILNEWS family member Lorne Warawa

An Afghan vet says a recent U.S. air strike could be hurting Canadian efforts in Afghanistan more than it's helping.

Time to change the Piper - Army.ca Debate of Article

(Updated 29 May 06)


 

 

CF Forward Observation Officer Killed in AFG

Various news services

A Canadian soldier was killed during a firefight with insurgents that occurred approximately 24 kilometres west of Kandahar. The incident occurred at approximately 6:55 p.m. Kandahar time (10: 25 a.m. EDT) on 17 May. Killed was Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard who was serving with Task Force Afghanistan as part of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) Battle Group. Captain Goddard was stationed with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Shilo, Manitoba.

MILNEWS - CAN in K'Har

(Updated 19 May 06)


 

 

Four Cdns Killed in IED Attack in AFG

Various news services

Four Canadian soldiers have been killed in an attack in the Gumbad region of Afghanistan. The men were travelling in a G-wagon about 75 kilometres north of Kandahar when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.

Killed in the incident were:

- Corporal Matthew Dinning, born in Richmond Hill, Ontario, stationed at 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters, Petawawa, Ontario;

- Bombardier Myles Mansell, born in Victoria, British Columbia, of 5th (British Columbia) Field Regiment, stationed at Victoria, B.C.;

- Lieutenant William Turner, born in Toronto, of Land Force Western Area Headquarters, stationed at Edmonton;

- The identity of the fourth soldier is being withheld at the request of the next-of-kin.

MILNEWS - CAN in K'Har

(Updated 22 Apr 06)


 

 

Counterinsurgency: A Six Paragraph Primer

William Christie, Defense and the National Interest, 31 Jan 06

Short, sweet, to the point....

Link

(Updated 20 Apr 06)

 


 

UPDATE: Brit Critique of USA Planning for IRQ Refuted

"OIF Phase IV: A Planner's Reply to Brigadier Aylwin-Foster"

Colonel Kevin C.M. Benson, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centre Military Review, Mar-Apr 2006

Remember this (MILNEWS copy of .pdf) from last year?:

"In spite of COIN and S&R operations having occupied the majority of the Army's operational time since the Cold War, and their being an inevitable consequence of the (Global War on Terror), these roles have not been considered core Army activities... the Army has consistently seen itself more or less exclusively as a conventional warfighting organization, and prepared for operations accordingly."

Well, an American officer gives his side of the story here:

"Aylwin-Foster, among others, asserts that the U.S. Army paid inadequate attention to planning for Phase IV of the campaign in Iraq. He also asserts that our Army is at a pivotal moment in its history and has been too slow to recognize the type of war we are fighting and what we need to do to set conditions for victory. I disagree with both assertions and offer a two-part counterpoint."

(Updated 18 Apr 06)


 

 

"Twenty Eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company-level Counterinsurgency"

located on various web sites, dated 29 Mar 06

An Aussie officer, former platoon commander in E. Timor and currently on secodment to the U.S. State Department, lays out 28 rules for company level counterinsurgency ops, based on input from company grade commanders working in Iraq. Good read, interesting advice - for example:

"#7. Train the squad leaders - then trust them. Counterinsurgency is a squad and platoon leader's war, and often a private soldier's war. Battles are won or lost in moments: whoever can bring combat power to bear in seconds, on a street corner, will win. The commander on the spot controls the fight. You must train the squad leaders to act intelligently and independently without orders. If your squad leaders are competent, you can get away with average company or platoon staffs. The reverse is not the case. Training should focus on basic skills: marksmanship, patrolling, security on the move and at the halt, basic drills. When in doubt, spend less time on company and platoon training, and more time on squads."

File (.pdf) - Permalink thru MILNEWS

(Updated 17 Apr 06)


 

 

Iran - Military Options?

16 Apr 06

A summary of the latest news regarding Iran, it's nuclear program, and possible plans for a military strike - includes open source information on the facilities highlighted in media coverage of the issue.

Iran - Military Options?

(Updated 17 Apr 06)


 

 

Friendly Fire?: Patricia Killed in Taliban Firefight

29 Mar 06

"One Canadian soldier was killed, and three others injured when insurgents attacked them with mortars, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire in northern Helmand province, approximately 110 km northwest of Kandahar. One other coalition soldier was also killed. Wounded in the same incident were another coalition soldier, and a soldier from the Afghan National Army. Initial reports indicate that coalition forces killed an unconfirmed number of insurgents in this action. The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. local time (5:15 p.m. March 28, EST). Private Robert Costall, born in Thunder Bay, Ontario was killed in the attack."

CAN in Kandahar

(Updated 17 Apr 06)


 

 

MILNEWS EXCLUSIVE: MEDIA ANALYSIS OF IRAQ HOSTAGE RESCUE

Tony Prudori, MILNEWS, 27 Mar 06

A summary of details of the March 23 rescue of Christian Peacemaker Teams members (including Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Sooden) in Iraq, as gleaned from media accounts.

.pdf file, 113 KB

(Updated 18 Nov 06)


 

 

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth: Christian Peacemaker Team Ingrates in Iraq

Tony Prudori, MILNEWS, 23 Mar 06

"When I first heard about the rescue of the Christian Peacemaker Team members held hostage in Iraq, part of me was very happy knowing there are people out there who will risk their lives to help other facing a bad situation far away. You didn't really think I'm talking about the hostages, do you?"

Column

(Updated 23 Mar 06)


 

 

Al Qaeda's Looking At Long War, Too

"Al-Qaeda's Insurgency Doctrine: Aiming for a 'Long War' ", Michael Scheuer, Terrorism Focus, 28 Feb, 14 Mar 06

It's NOT just the US getting ready for the long haul in the WOT. Good summary of open source int garnered from AQ web pages on AQ doctrine and strategy.

"In terms of fighting the U.S.-led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Muqrin spoke for each al-Qaeda strategist when he explained that Islamist forces must be prepared to fight a 'long war of attrition,' a struggle in which 'the enemy of God will feel that it is impossible to finish off the mujahideen's military power.'

Article - Part 2 - Permalink

(Updated 15 Mar 06)


 

 

On Cartoons and Putting Canadian Troops at Risk

Lorne Warawa, Robert Bonnett, 14-16 Feb 06

Both sides of the cartoon issue, passionately defended by MILNEWS family members. Agree or disagree, no punches pulled.

Point: "(The editor of Western Standard) waited nearly 3 weeks (to publish the cartoons) - he constantly made his point in his magazine, and the Calgary Sun, on the issue, yet never published the cartoons. He waited because Alberta-posted soldiers were 3 weeks away from coming home from Afghanistan, and he knew that he would face a backlash from the families if he had backstabbed the soldiers from his home province. But soldiers from Ontario and Quebec are obviously of less importance to him."

Counterpoint: "Why is it permissible for the Imams, presidents, press, and whoever else feels like fanning the flames of religious hatred in the Islamic world to call for the destruction of Christians, Jews, USA, the west, et al but "we" (for the most part) have the ability to accept that they don't really like us ... without resorting to riots, arson, bombings, murders, etc.?"

Editorial - MILNEWS: The Cartoons

(Updated 16 Feb 06)


 

 

"Three Pillars of Wisdom"

Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online, 3 Feb 06

Outlines three legs that should be the tripod of American policy and strategy - promote democracy, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, ensure nukes stay outta the hands of states like Iran. Simple idea, not easy to do.

"The only mystery is not how bizarre the news will be from the Middle East, but why the autocratic Middle Easterners feel so confident that any would pay their lunacy such attention. The answer? Oil and nukes — and sometimes the two in combination."

Article - Permalink

(Updated 11 Feb 06)


 

 

"One dead, three soldiers wounded in attack on Canadian convoy in Afghanistan"

Various wire services

"A car driven by an apparent suicide car bomber swerved into a military convoy and exploded 15 Jan 06 in the southern city of Kandahar, killing one Canadian and injuring three others. Officials in Afghanistan said two civilians were also killed and 10 others injured in the blast."

Permalink

(Updated 8 Feb 06)


 

 

MILNEWS: Conservative Defence Platform

In light of the election results, I thought you might find it useful to have all the news releases the Conservatives issued during the campaign dealing with defence to allow you to reach your own conclusions whether the promises have been kept (keeping in mind the platform was likely developed with a majority government in mind).

Permalink

(Updated 24 Jan 06)


 

 

U.S. Army Corrections System: Procedures for Military Executions

Army Regulation 190–55, updated 17 Jan 06

No more firing squads at dawn - the latest, freshened up regs on US Military executions indicate the method of choice to execute "condemned prisoners" is lethal injection, administered by a contracted execution team.

"The execution is conducted by means of continuous intravenous administration of a lethal substance, or substances, in a quantity sufficient to cause death. All lethal substances, or residue thereof, remaining after completion of

the execution will be disposed of appropriately."

.pdf file

(Updated 22 Jan 06)


 

 

"Changing the Army for Counterinsurgency Operations"

Brigadier General Nigel Aylwin-Foster, "Military Review", Nov-Dec 05

A Brit General goes into detail about what the US Army should be doing to have a better chance to win in Iraq, as well as do better in counterinsurgency (COIN) and stability/reconstruction (S&R) ops in general. General Aylwin-Foster worked with the Americans, and while respecting the American Army system, says it's too oriented towards conventional, Cold War-style offense, making it hard to reorient to a "hearts and minds" mode. Harshest criticism yet published in a US Army professional journal, especially from a coalition partner. Thanks to Don Strang for hooking me up with this one!

"In spite of COIN and S&R operations having occupied the majority of the Army's operational time since the Cold War, and their being an inevitable consequence of the (Global War on Terror), these roles have not been considered core Army activities... the Army has consistently seen itself more or less exclusively as a conventional warfighting organization, and prepared for operations accordingly."

Article - MILNEWS copy of .pdf - BBC Coverage of Report - Washington Post - Wash Post Login, if needed - Times of London - Christian Science Monitor - Daily Telegraph (UK) - Permalink

(updated 14 Jan 06)


 

 

MILNEWS Exclusive: Why Israel Ain't Gonna Bomb Iran

Contributed by Lorne Warawa, Dec 2005

While the pundits count down, some say you can't get there from here.

"Looking on a map like any good Infanteer, the distance round trip DIRECT ROUTE is nearly 3000 kilometres! There is no way this huge air package can traverse Jordan, or Syria, then the joint Brit/US controlled Iraqi airspace, then across the Arabian Gulf, hit deep into Iran and then return without the explicit permission of the US President. Tony Blair would be forced out of office over his nod to this, and Britain would face the worst relations with Europe since the 100 years war. There is no way that Turkey or Saudi Arabia are gonna let the package traverse their airspace."

Article

(updated 4 Jan 06)

 


 

Saddam: Hang 'Im High, Then What?

"On the Disposal of Dictators", Victorino Matus, Hoover Institution Policy Review, Dec 05/Jan 06

A study of what happened to other war criminals after they were shot, hung or whatever.

"Should the Iraqi government cremate Saddam’s body, scattering his ashes to the four winds, his name never to be uttered again? Perhaps the tribunal could simply bury Saddam intact but in an unmarked grave, his precise whereabouts kept a state secret. Or his corpse could be returned to his family and given a proper burial, turning his plot into a shrine for thousands of sympathizers. Then again, he could be both hanged and decapitated, his torso tossed into a ditch while his head is stuck on a spike in public view for the next several years. When it comes to dealing with an ex-dictator’s body (or that of a war criminal), at some point in time, men have done all of the above and more. But which methods have successfully closed dark chapters in history and which ones have led to public embarrassment or worse?"

Article - Permalink

(updated 24 Dec 05)

 


 

Ethics+Iraq+Contractors=Suicide?

"A Journey That Ended in Anguish", Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov 05

A former ethics professor at West Point goes to Iraq for a chance to put his ethics to use in war, and finds they're not always a good fit.

"In e-mails to his family, Westhusing seemed especially upset by one conclusion he had reached: that traditional military values such as duty, honor and country had been replaced by profit motives in Iraq, where the U.S. had come to rely heavily on contractors for jobs once done by the military."

Article - Permalink

(updated 15 Dec 05)


 

 

Air Marshal Shooting in Miami

"Rigoberto Alpizar (1961? - 2005) was a Costa Rican-born United States citizen who was fatally shot at Miami International Airport on December 7, 2005 in the jetway between the plane and concourse just after running off of his scheduled flight to Orlando, American Airlines Flight 924. He was killed by two United States federal air marshals. Officials claim he said he had a bomb and refused to remove his hands from a bag he carried, though witnesses inside the aircraft dispute the claim that Alpizar verbalized any such bomb threat." - News & Background

(Updated 10 Dec 05)


 

 

RCR LAV Rollover in AFG Kills One, Injures Four

"One Canadian soldier was killed and four others injured when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) rolled over approximately 45 km northeast of Kandahar. The accident occurred around 6 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. EST) on 24 November. The accident caused the death of 24-year-old Private Braun Scott Woodfield of Victoria, B.C., and serious injuries to Private Paul Schavo, 24,of London, Ont., Corporal Shane Dean Jones, 30, of Whiterock, B.C., and Sergeant Tony Nelson Mc Iver, 31, of Fredericton, N.B. Corporal James Edward Mc Donald, 32, of Pembroke, Ont, was also hurt, but his injuries have been classified as non-life threatening. All four injured soldiers are receiving medical care at a coalition hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The soldiers were conducting a vehicle-mounted patrol in the vicinity of the village of Lagman when the incident occurred. All five soldiers were part of Task Force Kabul, which had recently shifted operations to the Kandahar area. The soldiers were from Golf Company, 2 Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR), stationed in Gagetown, N.B." (Source: CF Combat Camera web page) - Permalink

(Updated 5 Dec 05)


 

CF Unification Booster Pushes for UFO Hearings

"Former Canadian Minister Of Defence Asks Canadian Parliament Asked To Hold Hearings On Relations With Alien 'ET' Civilizations", news release, 24 Nov 05

Former Canadian Defence Minister Paul Hellyer is calling (are you sitting down for this?) for public hearings into UFO encounters and contact with extra terrestrials. Riiiiiiight....

" By “ETs,” Mr. Hellyer and these organizations mean ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth. On September 25, 2005, in a startling speech at the University of Toronto that caught the attention of mainstream newspapers and magazines, Paul Hellyer, Canada’s Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prime Minister Lester Pearson, publicly stated: "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head." Mr. Hellyer went on to say, "I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something." Permalink

(updated 25 Nov 05)


 

!

CF's New Sci-Fi Colouring Book on Three Block War

"Crisis in Zefra", CF Directorate of Strategic Concepts, 2005 (.pdf, 2.61M)

A new CF publication aimed to promote discussion of Three Block War concepts, based on a fictitious scenario in "Zefra". Mmmmm, nice pictures, can colour.... Fave Image: pg. 41, buzz-cut woman, Starbucks next to her, at computer, captioned, "JIMP (joint, inter-agency, multinational, public) capabilities will feed directly into future operations. A strategic analyst assists front line troops in Zefra." I'm tempted to hold an "alternate caption" contest for some of the artwork. "Crisis in Zefra builds on the Army's strong tradition of looking and thinking ahead. Although this book is set in a fictional location ten to fifteen years from now, already we are witnessing the threads linking today to this fictional—yet possible—vision of tomorrow. I invite you to read Crisis in Zefra, debate its concepts, and participate in building the Army of the Future." Download 2.7MB .pdf (1) - Download 2.7MB .pdf (2) - Discussion on Army.ca - Permalink

(updated 2 Jul 07)

 


Heaven Praise the NCO

 

"In praise of the noncoms", Robert D. Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct 05

In the words of one former Sergeant Major of the US Army, NCO work is hard - if it was easy, officers would be doing it. Here here!

"WHETHER IN New Orleans or Baghdad, at home or abroad, the real workhorses of our post-9/11 military have not come from among the generals and colonels, or even the captains and lieutenants, but from the enlisted ranks of sergeants and corporals." Article - Permalink to Article Text - Permalink

(Updated 25 Oct 05)


Illegal Orders, Illegal War?

 

"Fighting war on new front", Claire Harvey, New Zealand Herald, 22 Oct 05

You know you can disobey illegal orders, but would your country back you if you were tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a war a lawyer can convince someone is illegal?

"Before the ICC, military personnel really only had to worry about whether any action on the battlefield (or refusal to fight) would be a breach of domestic military or civilian laws. Now, ICC prosecutors can go after individual combatants in countries which signed the ICC statute, including Australia, New Zealand and Britain - and that makes war a tricky legal situation for any thinking soldier..." Article - ICC Web Page - Yup, Canada Signed On - Permalink to article text and related links

(Updated 22 Oct 05)


CF Procurement Policy, System SUX!**

 

Rob Bonnett, Lorne Warawa, Hugh O'Donnell, recieved 12-13 Oct 05

MILNEWS familiy members give 'er about how the CF buys equipment. Needless to say, not entirely supportive....

"Sure the procurement will go less than spectacularly because of the governmental system. So long as the civvies, your parents and family, allow and even encourage it, and have no understanding of the way the military operates, you will have government meddling" The Rants - Permalink

(Updated 15 Oct 05)


 

Flower Power, Pray for Peace!

 

York University Excalibur, 5 Oct 05; U of Manitoba Manitoban, 10 Oct 05

It appears some universities are climbing aboard the "Keep the CF Off Campus" bandwagon. Happy to seek freedom of speech, EXCEPT when we don't like what we hear.....

From the Manitoban: "There is no shortage of evidence contradicting Canada’s lawful use of force and nearly pristine image of the blue berets; Canada’s military history is no more than the history of one state’s appeasement of the dominant Empire, whether British or American. .... Besides, Canada needs to keep some of its troops at home to suppress Indigenous resistance and protect golf courses, as it did with the 1990 dispute between the Mohawk people of the Kanesatake reserve and the town of Oka, Quebec.""We thought that it was important to go there and reclaim student space and ensure that the university understands that the students are the university," says Ahmed Habib, vice-president equity for the (York Federation of Students). "If they want to use that student space, they have to live up to particular standards of human rights and equity which we don't think the Canadian Department of Defense upholds," he adds." Excalibur - Permalink to Excalibur Article - Manitoban - Permalink to Manitoban Editorial

From the Excalibur

Army.ca Forum Discussion, Giving the Other Side - Permalink to Blog Entry

(updated 10 Oct 05) ''


 

Embassy Guards, Stand Fast, CF Troops Getting a Tax Break in Kabul, One Pace Forward, MARCH!

 

Chris Wattie, Windsor Star, 3 Oct 05

WTF? The CF troopie in the jeep driving by the Kabul embassy gets a tax break for being in a combat zone, but the troopie guarding the embassy doesn't? Only in Canada, eh? Pity...

"Military guards at Canada's heavily fortified embassy in Afghanistan have been denied the same tax-free status granted to their fellow soldiers in the Canadian headquarters in Kabul, just a few kilometres up the road. That has irked some of the members of the Military Security Guard Unit, a little-known elite unit that guards Canadian embassies around the world, who say they are doing a job that is at least as dangerous as those done by the regular forces."Article - Article from March 2004 announcing tax break - Permalink

(updated 4 Oct 05)


 

Suicide Bombers as Modern Divine Wind

 

"Sheftall's Paradigm", David Meadows, Military.com, 26 Sept 05

Someone compares today's "fighting by death" terrorists to "fighting to the death" Kamikazes of Japan.

"Despite the obvious differences between Islamic suicide bombers and Japanese kamikazes that I t ake pains to delineate and emphasize in my book , I do also think that there are crucial parallels between the Japanese and current Al Qaeda (et al) programs."Column - Book: "Blossoms in the Wind" - Permalink

(updated 3 Oct 05)


 

Is Selling "Brand America" in Mideast Backfiring?

 

"Bin Laden's little helper", Sidney Blumenthal, Guardian Unlimited, 30 Sept 05

Is Karen Hughes' flogging of how God-fearing US citizens are helping, or hurting?

" "Many people around the world do not understand the important role that faith plays in Americans' lives," she said. When an Egyptian opposition leader inquired why Mr Bush mentions God in his speeches, Hughes asked him whether he was aware that "previous American presidents have also cited God, and that our constitution cites 'one nation under God'." "Well, never mind," he said. With these well-meaning arguments, Hughes has provided the exact proofs for Bin Laden's claims about American motives. "It is stunning to the extent Hughes is helping bin Laden," says Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political scientist who has conducted extensive research into the motives of suicide terrorists and is the author of Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. "If you set out to help bin Laden," he says, "you could not have done it better than Hughes." "Article - "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism" - "How will the world ever learn to like America if it has to like Karen Hughes?" - "What on earth is she doing in the Middle East?" - What's Out There to Help Karen (Washington Post - try logging in as "infoshop@infoshop.org" and using "infoshop" as P/W) - Permalink

(updated 30 Sept 05)


 

"Terrorists - Criminals or Soldiers?"

 

Shawn Boyne, Michael German, Paul Pillar, Dallas Owens, US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, July 2005

Good question.

"The authors address one of the fundamental assumptions underlying the conduct of the War on Terrorism - the nature of our enemy, whether perpetrators of terrorist activities are criminals or soldiers (combatants). Although the United States recognizes that terrorist acts are certainly illegal, it has chosen to treat perpetrators as combatants; but much of the world, including many of our traditional allies, have opted for a purely legalistic approach. Disagreement about assumptions is not the only basis for divergent policies for confronting terrorism, but certainly explains much of our inability to agree on strategies to overcome what we recognize as a serious common and persistent international problem."Conference report (.pdf file, ~211KB) - Permalink

(updated 28 Sept 05)


 

Cry 'Katrina'and let slip the dolphins of War?

 

Mark Townsend Houston, the Observer (UK), 25 Sept 2005

I COULDN'T make this up...

"Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico. Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns."Observer article - Permalink

(Updated 26 Sept 05)


 

US Army Basic Training: Getting High Speed, or Getting Common Sense?

 

W. Thomas Smith Jr., Soldiers for the Truth web page, 15 Sept 2005

Interview with new commander of US Army Recruit School at Fort Jackson. He apparently wants to have the troops become more like Special Forces by training them to have their weapons with them at all times, and to be aware of their environment all the time. Wow, what a concept ... (sarcasm check, over!)

"SMITH: And the question of rifles, General; why don't you have your soldiers begin handling weapons all the time. GEN. SCHWITTERS: We may go to that soon. Very simply, we are trying to introduce them to the techniques and the principles of being able to live with and operate with the weapon all the time. That's kind of novel."Interview - Permalink

(Updated 23 Sept 05)


 

"The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012"

 

LCOL Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., Parameters, Winter 1992-93

An essay by an American Army officer dealing with a fictitious coup, caused by changes in the military and society. The essay is written from the point of view of a prisoner of the military coup. Interesting at the best of times, but worth revisiting in light of the massive military effort with Katrina and Canada's experience with "unification".

"A senior retired officer of the Unified Armed Forces, known here simply as Prisoner 222305759, is one of those arrested, having been convicted by court-martial for opposing the coup. Prior to his execution, he is able to smuggle out of prison a letter to an old War College classmate discussing the "Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012." In it, he argues that the coup was the outgrowth of trends visible as far back as 1992. These trends were the massive diversion of military forces to civilian uses, the monolithic unification of the armed forces, and the insularity of the military community."Article - Link to Journal - Blog Commentary - Column: Has It Begun? - TorStar: Mil Rescuing Politicians? - Permalink (Updated 13 Sept 05)


 

Coverage of Toronto Homeless Beating Death

 

"bossi", Army.ca, ongoing

Three members of the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto are charged in the beating death of a homeless man in Regent Park in Toronto. NONE OF THE CHARGES HAVE BEEN PROVEN IN COURT, but a member of the Army.ca directing staff is doing a great job keeping information on the "Current Affairs" forum. Because the courts are still involved, the forum thread is a "read only", to avoid prejudicial material from being posted.

"This thread is offered as a service to Army.ca members, as a convenient means to monitor media coverage of the Regent Park murder. Unfortunately, due to the tendency for overly emotional commentary, this thread will remain locked in order to avoid speculation, innuendo, rumour and misinformation."Forum

(Updated 8 Sept 05)


 

"Tribes"

 

Bill Whittle, posted to various web sites/blogs, downloaded 7 Sept 05

Are you a sheep, or are you a sheepdog? What tribe are you a member of? This essay considers self-sufficiency, selfishness and civic duty in light of 9-11 and Katrina. Intriguing analysis of where people stand in the spectrum of initiative and responsibility.

"My Tribe doesn’t fire on people risking their lives, coming to help us. My Tribe doesn’t curse such people because they arrived on Day Four, when we felt they should have been here before breakfast on Day One ... My Tribe can’t eat Nike’s and we don’t know how to feed seven by boiling a wide-screen TV. My Tribe doesn’t give a sweet God darn about what color the looters are, or what color the rescuers are, because we can plainly see before our very eyes that both those Tribes have colors enough to cover everyone in glory or in shame.""Tribes" - Permalink(Updated 7 Sept 05)

 


 

"Paul Williams details 'American Hiroshima': Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack with weapons already in U.S."

 

World Net Daily.com, 3 Sept 05

Does Al Queda already have nukes? Was a line crosser in Ramallah nabbed by the IDF with a tactical nuke? Interesting questions. Special thanks to "Pipewrench" for this one.

Q&A - Chronology of Khan Nuke Facility in PAK (.pdf) - Permalink(Updated 7 Sept 05)

 


 

"The Recruiters' War"

 

Michael Bronner, Vanity Fair, September 2005

When do combat veteran Marine senior NCO's get to drive through the night to get remedial PT and ranted at? If they don't "make mission" as a recruiter. When are teenagers told to not mention medical problems, only to be accused of lying on paperwork once in boot camp? When a recruiter is seeking to "make mission". Chilling. Article - Blog Commentary - Permalink

(Updated 28 Aug 05)


 

"Military struggles to control info. leaks"

 

Siri Agrell, National Post, August 27, 2005

"A paragraph was added to the wording of the operational-and communication-security guidelines -- or op-sec and com-sec -- (for troops in theatre) ordering soldiers not to include any sensitive information in Web logs, e-mails or in online chat groups. 'There are lists of things that soldiers are not allowed to talk about, whether it be in a crowded bar or in a blog, Lieutenant-Colonel Dave Anderson, chief of staff for Task Force Afghanistan, said from Kabul."More - Blog of CAN CIMIC Back from Afghanistan - US Army Worried About Pix - Permalink (Posted 27 Aug 05)

 


 

"Marketing: An Overlooked Aspect of Information Operations"

 

Captain Stoney Trent & Captain James L. Doty III, Military Review, July-August 2005

War College meets "Brand USA" promotion - VERY different information ops paradigm.

"An (information ops) campaign must begin with understanding the target market. Most parts of the world perceive the United States as headstrong, pro-big business, dangerous to local cultures, and pro-Israel. This reputation is not an insurmountable hurdle, but it must be taken into account. Recent history provides many examples of successful companies that had poor public images but still grew and succeeded (for example, Halliburton, R.J. Reynolds, and Wal-Mart)."Download .pdf in 692 KB .zip file - Permalink

(Posted 22 Aug 05)


 

"Breaking a Taboo, Army Confronts Guilt After Combat"

 

Greg Jaffe, Wall Street Journal, 17 Aug 05

An interesting exploration of West Point philosophy and ethics professor Major Pete Kilner's quest to have leaders talk to the troops about the guilt of killing before it happens. Thanks to cryptome.org for posting this!

"It is great to see the president telling us how just our cause is...But he is not doing the killing with us. Soldiers need to hear it from their immediate leaders, and those leaders need to understand why killing is right."Link - 2002 Journal Article - 2005 Essay - "Thoughts of a Soldier-Ethicist" blog by Maj. Kilner - Permalink

(Posted 18 Aug 05)


 

"Canada’s Position on the Use of Force Internationally (1)"

 

Major-General Andrew Leslie, Couchiching Summer Conference, August 2005

An interesting speech, part of a conference entitled "Handcuffs and Hand Grenades: The Use of Force Within and Between Nations", on the threats of the future, and how Canada's government and military can respond.

"Canadians, both uniformed and civilian, have historically proven themselves to be particularly good at the sorts of complex and dangerous stabilization missions that require superbly trained and robust ‘boots on the ground.’ In the absence of almost unlimited funding, it would seem to make sense to focus on an activity at which the nation excels, and for which there is an ever increasing demand."Link- Permalink

(Posted 13 Aug 05)


 

"Canada's Position on the Use of Force Internationally (2)"

 

Paul Heinbecker, Director of the Centre for Global Relations, Governance and Policy at Wilfrid Laurier University, Couchiching Summer Conference, August 2005

How the heck do we go our own way, while still backing our neighbour to the south?

"So, in acquitting ourselves of our responsibilities for defending North America in partnership with the US, we need to do everything reasonably possible to help safeguard American homeland security, and we need to do nothing to undermine our capacity to act, and be seen to act, independently abroad."

Link - Permalink (Posted 13 Aug 05)


 

"Two Soldiers: How the dead come home"

 

Dan Baum, The New Yorker, August 2004

This piece stood out, for me, because of the level of detail regarding the incident, the response of the troops, the response of the families, as well as how the dead are treated.

"In non-viewable cases, the Dover or Landstuhl morticians inject each body part individually with embalming fluid and gather the pieces in a sheet that has been impregnated with embalming chemicals. They wrap this in a second sheet, and finally in a standard-issue olive-green Army blanket. They fold the blanket in a distinctive cruciform fashion, secure it with large safety pins, and place the bundle in a casket. They arrange the decorated uniform on the bundle of remains, so that when the family looks inside the casket they see the correct uniform, more or less in the shape of a soldier."''

Link - Permalink

(Posted 13 Aug 05)

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