Number 84

[Kip Powick]

KANDAHAR - A Canadian platoon commander was shot and killed this morning during a firefight with insurgents in the Panjwayi District of southern Afghanistan.

Capt. Richard (Steve) Leary, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, became the country's 84th military death in Afghanistan.

Medics fought desperately to save the captain's life but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Kandahar Air Field.

"On behalf of the entire Task Force, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Capt. Leary,'' a somber Col. Jamie Cade, deputy commander of Task Force Afghanistan, told reporters this evening.

"Capt. Leary was what we in uniform are expected to be - he was a soldier and he was a leader.''

Those under his command were stricken by the loss, added Maj. Jay Janzen.

"It's a very difficult time. When you lose a leader that was as effective as Capt. Leary, as personable, it is difficult. And so there's no question that the military family is grieving this loss. We're just thinking about the family at this time and the grief they must be under.

"Our hearts go out to them. Our prayers go out to them.''

The Brantford, Ont. native was married but had no children.

According to the website of the Brantford Expositor newspaper, Leary is survived by his wife, Rachel, of Shilo, Man., sister, Brandi Leary of Princeton, Ont., a small community west of Paris, Ont., and parents Richard and Gail Leary of Brantford. It said he graduated from McMaster University in history, and completed basic officer training in September 2006.

The firefight started early in the morning and continued, sporadically, for a "prolonged'' time. Leary was shot around 9:30 a.m., Janzen said, but the engagement continued for quite some time after that.

Officials here could not or would not clarify whether the platoon was withdrawing its position, may even have considered the firefight over, when Leary was hit.

The patrol had come under small arms fire.

"The soldiers returned fire and, under Capt. Leary's leadership, repositioned, when he was struck,'' said Cade.

As a public affairs officer later told reporters, "they were making their way to a safer position.''

Close air support was called in to help repel the insurgents' attack. The coalition air strikes "defeated'' the enemy, said Janzen, though he didn't provide more details.

"I don't have any figures in terms of how many insurgents were killed. Really, we don't like to brag about that or even talk about that. That's not how we measure success.

"We measure success by improving the security situation. When we start to hear that people are feeling safer in the area, that reconstruction is going on, that the economy is growing, that's how we measure success.''

This was the second Canadian soldier killed in a gun battle while on foot patrol in the last month. Canadians have been increasingly going into villages and hamlets on foot, leaving their vehicles behind, in part to avoid the constant threat of improvised explosive devices.

It is possible the Taliban are reacting to this shift in tactics, prepared to ambush troops with small arms fire rather than relying almost exclusively on roadside bombs.

"We have had some very successful operations of late and we are maintaining the initiative in Kandahar Province,'' Janzen countered. "That reason that we're doing that is because we want to set the conditions for security to increase so that reconstruction and development can take place.

"That's our goal.

"It's a dangerous business, there's no question about that. But if we're not out there doing our jobs, we'll never be successful.''

Added Cade: "Every death or injury is deeply painful to us but it is a risk that we - as members of the armed forces - understand and assume as we work to bring peace and stability to a country torn apart by decades of war.''

[Moon The Loon]

This does not need to go unnoticed, again.

Kip, our folks are becoming de-sensitized.

Anybody have any thoughts on our new CDS?

Big shoes to fill, me thinks...

Oh yeah, in the words of David Clayton Thomas and Billie Holliday before him, God Bless The Child.

Maybe the numbers will stop getting bigger...

[Guest rattler]

US, NATO deaths in Afghanistan pass Iraq toll By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer

25 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in June than in Iraq for the second straight month, a grim milestone capping a run of headline-grabbing insurgent attacks that analysts say underscore the Taliban's growing strength.

The fundamentalist militia in June staged a sophisticated jailbreak that freed 886 prisoners, then briefly infiltrated a strategic valley outside Kandahar. Last week, a Pentagon report forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase its pace of attacks, which are already up 40 percent this year from 2007 where U.S. troops operate along the Pakistan border

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_...an_deadly_month

[DEFCON]

It bothers me immensely to see our people being killed needlessly. Western soldiers look like friggin targets to an enemy that hides within the civilian crowd.

In my opinion, when we of the west decide it’s necessary to send our people into harms way and we should do so sparingly, it should be done with overwhelming and unmistakable force.

War is the nasty extension of a failed political process. Sparring the women & kids of the “enemy” while sacrificing your own is a notion contrary to common sense.

A clear message when delivered through military action has always garnered the undivided attention of the enemy. Waffling leadership at the political level leads to police and other nonsensical military actions that consistently produce very undesirable results.

More Napalm & less political BS please! Get the job done & get out!

[UpperDeck]

Defcon....

Sorry but you have absolutely no idea. If it was soooooo easy, it would have been done.

Personally? I confess...I know nothing but what I read. However---I'm presumptive enough to think I know that there is a realpolitick which requires consideration of the civilian population both before and following initiation of conflict. Ignoring that reality has resulted in the post-war Iraq we now know.

[conehead]

More Napalm & less political BS please! Get the job done & get out!

DEFCON; I have a friend who works here in Canada as a bricklayer. He is currently "over there" teaching those people how to build things. It's a little different when you are at ground zero. The people become real, just like you and me.

If you made the quoted statement in his presence, I wouldn't be surprised if he broke your neck.

[DEFCON]

"DEFCON; I have a friend who works here in Canada as a bricklayer. He is currently "over there" teaching those people how to build things. It's a little different when you are at ground zero. The people become real, just like you and me.

If you made the quoted statement in his presence, I wouldn't be surprised if he broke your neck."

Conehead

The implied threat contained within the above to my personal well-being is noted. My first impression; it has the ring of criminality?

[DEFCON]

"I'm presumptive enough to think I know that there is a realpolitick which requires consideration of the civilian population both before and following initiation of conflict. Ignoring that reality has resulted in the post-war Iraq we now know."

Iraq is a good case in point UD.

There is no “reality” such as a "post war Iraq". Unlike post war Japan, Iraq remains a battlefield on which, people of all points of view are continuing to die.

If in fact there was a need to have commenced hostilities in the first place, GHB discontinued the first "war" without achieving the necessary objective. The “real politick” of the day formed the basis of his decision to discontinue. Doing so ultimately produced Gulf War II. The real politick today’s American faces is; how many Iraqis will die if we remain for the next hundred years vs how many will die if we turn tail and run leaving nature to have its way.

My point; the military might of a nation intending to emphasize its point of view through the use of force must be feared for its potential. If the opposition believes you to be incompetent, he will be sure to capitulate on peace.

Viet Nam is another of several post WW II American failures in the art of foreign policy implementation. As is typical with the recipe, misguided politicians attempt to exert their version of foreign policy on one region of the world or another by initiating an “action” or “operation” of some sort that soon becomes known to us as a “war”.

The US has failed to achieve their stated objective in virtually every action they’ve involved themselves in since WWII. The responsibility for those failures has never been of military making and properly rests with the politician, his alleged interest in the real politick and his improper use of military force as a political enforcement tool. Like others, the cause in Viet Nam was unjust and the military goal undefined.

Japan on the other hand, was the decisive loser in a political war of wills. The method employed to end the war was absolutely indiscriminate and completely determining. Importantly, use of the device saved the lives of thousands of allied servicemen and women not to mention the Japanese themselves. The US immediately occupied & ruled post war Japan with a fair but firm hand. The cause was just, the results were good and the people regained a revitalized Japan.

Far too much "real politicking" goes on in these more modern situations. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, our “true” objective for being there appears to be hopelessly lost? This is the real politicks of the street and it produces what I think, is the needless deaths of our military people.

Laying bricks and the like doesn't mix at all with ongoing military combat operations. Only when the fighting ends can true order be restored to the population and brick laying begin.

[Moon The Loon]

Japan on the other hand, was the decisive loser in a political war of wills. The method employed to end the war was absolutely indiscriminate and completely determining. Importantly, use of the device saved the lives of thousands of allied servicemen and women not to mention the Japanese themselves.

Taken in the context of the ongoing nightly fire-bombings of Japan prior to 6 August, a point missed by the anti-nuclear lobby, this is a very accurate statement. Those two devices, like it or not, cut the war short by years. Japan would never have capitualated otherwise and no occupation (such as in Iraq, Viet Nam) would have produced the Japan we witness today.

Having said that, nuclear weapons are horrific and should never, EVER be used again. Unfortunately, I believe they will become the weapon of choice for very small and extreme groups within all our societies.

[Super 80]

More Napalm & less political BS please! Get the job done & get out!

The Soviets put up a decade of unrestricted warfare against these characters and didn't make a dent, what the hell are we going to do?

[conehead]

The implied threat contained within the above to my personal well-being is noted. My first impression; it has the ring of criminality?

DEFCON; Sorry, I didn't mean to imply any threat. I only meant that my friend over there is trying to help the people, and would be very upset to hear someone wishing to "napalm" them. I should have chosen other words.

[DEFCON]

"The Soviets put up a decade of unrestricted warfare against these characters and didn't make a dent, what the hell are we going to do?"

I believe we need to examine the rational for our being there in the first place.

The Soviets came close to achieving their military objective however; their fortunes were reversed when the US stuck its covert nose into the fight. It’s my understanding; through its secret involvement, the US intention was to provide the Soviets with a subversive “pay back" for its equally covert and subversive anti American operations in Viet Nam.

Today, the failed policy objectives of both governments has produced a new, expanded and far more dangerous Iranian / Afghanistan / Pakistan / India situation.

Remember the pre 911 world. Our media gave us the “Chechen Freedom Fighter”. In the post 911 geopolitical climate, “real politick” necessitated a change in media handles. The Chechen came to be known to us as a “terrorist”?

[Lakelad]

Laying bricks and the like doesn't mix at all with ongoing military combat operations.

Yet another from deep within the belly of beast would say:

"Serve the population: give them respect: gain their support."

"Live among the people: you can't commute to this fight."

"Walk: stop by, don't drive by: patrol on foot and engage the population."

"Promote reconciliation: we cannot kill our way out of this endeavour."

[DEFCON]

Conehead

Thanks for your consideration.

Moon commented above on what I would describe as the apathetic attitude of Canadian’s with regard to the continuing military death notices returned from Afghanistan.

I share his regret in that respect and attempted to raise the temperature accordingly.

I do have the utmost regard for those that are attempting to assist the unfortunate living in these areas and I do not wish to see anyone “napalmed” in the strict sense.

As a people, I wish we could find a way to manage our politicians and prevent them from entering these international geo political military follies for any reason not absolutely essential to the defense or security of Canada. Ironically, both Japan & Germany seemed to be on the right track with respect to their policy of reserving their military for national defense purposes only.

Although our military is a volunteer organization, I believe the lives of its members are every bit as precious and important to them, their families and friends as are our own.

[conehead]

As a people, I wish we could find a way to manage our politicians and prevent them from entering these international geo political military follies for any reason not absolutely essential to the defense or security of Canada.

I agree whole-heartedly. Thanks for your response.

[Fido]

"The Soviets put up a decade of unrestricted warfare against these characters and didn't make a dent, what the hell are we going to do?"

The Soviets came close to achieving their military objective however; their fortunes were reversed when the US stuck its covert nose into the fight.

Some recent writings by real journalists in books such as "Ghost Wars" and "Charlie Wilson's War" tracks the US involvment.

The Russians had all but beaten the 'Freedom Fighters' until the US, through the CIA, stepped up their side with the intro of Stinger missles that all but grounded the Russian Air Force.

[Guest rattler]

Seems that others think the mission is impossible unless.....

Drop combat 'caveats' in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme commander urges

Mark Heinrich, Reuters

Published: Wednesday, July 02, 2008

VIENNA - U.S. allies in NATO must provide better equipment and drop many restrictions on how their forces are used to help defeat Afghanistan's resilient Taliban insurgency, the alliance's supreme commander said on Wednesday.

Gen. John Craddock said additions to the 50,000-strong NATO-led contingent would be welcome but improved hardware and more flexible fighting rules were key to turning the tide of chronic conflict plaguing the nation.

"Too often, forces there now are relatively fixed because we don't have adequate tactical mobility to move them around to be able to do the jobs we need them to do," he said.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...fc-f71a506d17aa

[Guest rattler]

Since Kip's last post, sadly we have now lost 88 soldiers in Afghanistan.

Canadian soldier among two dozen killed in Afghanistan

1 day ago

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Canadian soldier was among two dozen people killed in new Taliban-linked violence in Afghanistan, authorities said Saturday, as US presidential hopeful Barack Obama visited.

The soldier, the 88th fatality from Canada's military mission in Afghanistan since 2002, was killed when a bomb blew up a foot patrol in the southern province of Kandahar shortly before midnight Friday, the Canadian army said.

And our new Military Commander stated today:

Canada's defence chief acknowledges security eroding in Afghanistan1 hour ago

OTTAWA — Canada's top soldier admits the security situation in Afghanistan is worsening as Taliban insurgents cross the porous border with Pakistan at will.

Gen. Walter Natynczyk, chief of the defence staff, said more NATO troops are needed to address the "complex counterinsurgency" posing dangerous challenges for Canadian soldiers.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on CTV's Question Period, Natynczyk said security had eroded in the capital Kabul, eastern Afghanistan and the southern part of the country where Canadian troops are stationed.

Natynczyk said he agreed with the U.S. view "the porous border is such that the Taliban can cross with impunity from the tribal areas in Pakistan."

He said there's a sense that insurgents are doing everything they can to undermine the Afghan government and international forces in advance of elections slated for next year.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gseVfwvLTi73N6x8V4lfGuavgFdw

[Canus Chinookus]

It just occurred to me. I wonder how many of these soldiers were killed by under 18's?

[CD]

89th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan during firefight with insurgents

9 Aug, 12:01 PM

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan - A Canadian soldier has been killed in a firefight with insurgents in the volatile Zhari District, west of Kandahar city.

The soldier has been identified as Master Cpl. Josh Roberts of the Second Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based out of Shilo, Man.

The Saskatchewan native died as a result of a gunshot wound.

Roberts was involved in a joint operation aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in a rugged farming area when the incident occurred.

It's believed a private security company passing by in a convoy may have accidentally opened fire on Canadian troops.

An investigation into the incident is underway.

Roberts is the 89th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002. A Canadian diplomat has also died in the country.

[CD]

Canadian soldier killed in attack in Panjwaii; 90th death of Afghan mission

11 Aug, 5:04 PM

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are again mourning the loss of comrade in combat, just two days after another was killed in a skirmish with insurgents.

Master Cpl. Erin Doyle was killed early Monday when insurgents attacked a remote combat outpost in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province. He was the 90th Canadian soldier involved in the Afghan mission to die since the mission began in 2002.

A second soldier was seriously injured in Monday's attack and taken to the multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield for treatment.

"Erin was a big, tough, mountain of a man who enjoyed the outdoors," task force commander Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson told reporters.

"He was a true warrior and just the person you would want beside you in a firefight."

A member of the 3rd battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based out of Edmonton, this was Doyle's third tour in Afghanistan.

"To Master Cpl. Doyle's wife Nicole, to his daughter Zarine, to his family, friends and colleagues, I extend our sincere condolences," Thompson said.

"The loss of this excellent man and dedicated soldier is deeply painful to his military family and we share your grief."

After as many as 10 insurgents attacked the outpost just before 6 a.m.. Canadian soldiers returned fire and called for artillery and air support, Thompson said, adding the enemy was defeated.

"Master Cpl. Doyle was killed while he was protecting his position and his fellow soldiers," he said.

The attack happened just days after Master Cpl. Josh Roberts was killed in a firefight in neighbouring Zhari district.

Roberts, a crew commander with 9th platoon, C Company, was sitting in the turret of his LAV III when he was shot during a skirmish with insurgents early Saturday.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting death, however, are under investigation.

While Canadian and Afghan security forces were engaging a group of some 15 insurgents during an operation, it's believed a passing private security convoy may have also opened fire, accidentally killing Roberts.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, a branch of the military police which probes incidents involving Canadian military personnel and property, is looking into the incident.

It's not immediately clear which private security company was involved.

This, however, was not the first incident involving private security and Canadian Forces personnel.

Canadian troops fired on a private security vehicle in Kandahar City in April, killing one employee and injuring three others.

The shooting happened as a convoy from the Canadian-run Provincial Reconstruction Team was departing Kandahar Airfield and spotted a vehicle moving at high speed. Fearing a possible attack, soldiers issued several warnings to stop in accordance with standard procedure but the driver failed to pull over.

The incident involved a company called Compass Security.

Soldiers also opened fire on a Compass vehicle in October 2007, injuring seven Afghans and prompting a review of Canadian convoy protocols.

[Lakelad]

#'s 91,92,93

If there's not a collective will to go big, maybe it's time to go home.

Three Canadians killed in roadside bomb attack

Thu. Aug. 21 2008 - CTV News

Three Canadian soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan's Zhari district, Canadian military officials have confirmed.

Task force commander Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson made the announcement from Kandahar Thursday, adding that a fourth soldier was also injured by the blast.

The device detonated near the soldiers' vehicle at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, said Thompson.

"Afghan national police and Canadian Forces responded to the scene and medical evacuation was requested," he said.

"All four soldiers were evacuated to Kandahar Air Field. Sadly, three of the soldiers were confirmed dead by medical authorities."

father, on third tour

[Lakelad]

#'s 94, 95, 96

Three Canadian soldiers killed, 5 wounded in Zhari

Wed. Sep. 3 2008 - CTV.ca News Staff

Three Canadian soldiers have been killed and five wounded during an insurgent attack in Afghanistan Wednesday morning.

The soldiers from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were on a security patrol in a light armoured vehicle (LAV) when they came under attack, said Brig. Gen. Denis Thompson.

"It certainly says that we are not invulnerable," Thompson said. "We do not own a vehicle that's impervious... sometimes the insurgents get lucky."

At end of tour

[Guest rattler]

The cost in lives continues and it would seem that it is not paralleled with progress. Support our troops YES but should the support also include pulling out of a loosing proposition?

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...50-93abbaa3a657

Little progress in Afghanistan: NATO official

Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service

Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008

OTTAWA - Progress is not being made in Afghanistan, NATO's top commander there said Wednesday, pointing to the turbulent south where about 2,500 Canadian troops are deployed.

"In large parts of Afghanistan, we don't see progress. We're into a very tough counterinsurgency fight and will be for some time," said U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan.

In a conference call from Kabul, McKiernan said that although there are some signs of economic revitalization and improved security in some sectors of the country, more troops are needed, as many as three army brigades, as well as more "civilian resources" and economic aid.

'In large parts of Afghanistan, we don't see progress. We're into a very tough counterinsurgency fight and will be for some time,' said U.S. Gen. David McKiernan.

Doug Schmidt/Windsor Star

I won't say that things are all on the right track, especially in the south and the east," McKiernan said, referring to the southern region around Kandahar, as well as the American-led efforts in the east along the Pakistan border. "So the idea that it might get worse before it gets better is certainly a possibility in Afghanistan."

McKiernan's assessment came on the same day as a French newsmagazine and British newspapers published the contents of a leaked diplomatic memo in which Britain's ambassador to Kabul is quoted as saying the "American strategy is destined to fail" in Afghanistan.

The French weekly, Le Canard Enchaine, published what it said were direct quotes from a cable sent to Paris by the French deputy ambassador, Francois Fitou, reporting on his conversation with the British ambassador, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles.

Fitou quoted Cowper-Coles as saying: "The current situation is bad. The security situation is getting worse. So is corruption and the government has lost all trust. Our public statements should not delude us over the fact that the insurrection, while incapable of winning a military victory, nevertheless has the capacity to make life increasingly difficult, including in the capital. The presence - especially the military presence - of the coalition is part of the problem, not the solution."

According to Fitou, Cowper-Coles said an increased military commitment, supported by both presidential candidates in the United States, would be "counter-productive."

"It would identify us even more clearly as an occupying force and it would multiply the number of targets (for the insurgents)," he was quoted as saying.

The only realistic solution for Afghanistan, according to the Cowper-Coles assessment, was for the country to ruled by "an acceptable dictator."

The British government had no direct comment about the French report, but a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the remarks did "not accurately reflect" the views of the ambassador or his deputy.

As Canada's federal election unfolds, the country's participation in the war in Afghanistan has been largely pushed to the background, as the uncertain economic outlook has come to dominate.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said early in the campaign that Canada will leave Kandahar by 2011, when the current mandate granted by Parliament has expired.

He said Canada hopes to train enough Afghan forces by then.

But McKiernan suggested it could take longer than that to get enough Afghan army and police properly trained.

"We have, I think, a very good plan to grow the size and the capability of the Afghan army over the next four to five years," he said. "We know we need additional trainers and mentors for both the Afghan army and the Afghan police."

McKiernan said the level of violence is higher this year than at the same time one year ago, particularly in the last four months along the eastern frontier with Pakistan.

Although he said he was encouraged by recent efforts by the Pakistani army to engage the al-Qaida and Taliban militants on their side of the lawless, mountainous border where the insurgency has been able to revitalize itself, McKiernan again sounded the alarm over the foreign fighters that have found a safe haven there.

"They can range from Punjabi dialects, Uzbek, Chechen, Arab, sometimes European . . . Saudi Arabian," he said. "It's a significant increase from what we saw last year."

Canada, which currently holds the rotating ISAF command of the south, has suffered 97 military deaths in Afghanistan since 2002. A Canadian diplomat has also been killed.

Kandahar's new governor, Rahmatullah Raufi, has asked Canadian troops to stay beyond the 2011 deadline.

[Guest rattler]

So far holding firm on withdrawal date.

Minister says Canada won't extend Afghan commitment

Mon 10 Nov 2008, 2:46 GMT

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said on Sunday that a stepped-up emphasis by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on fighting terrorism in Afghanistan won't change Canada's plans to pull its military out of that country in 2011.

"While we welcome of course the Americans' renewed interest in Afghanistan, particularly President-elect Obama's position during the campaign ... the U.S. position will not change Canada's position as defined in our parliamentary resolution," Cannon said in an interview with CTV.

"We will be pulling out our military forces in 2011 and that is quite clear."

Canada has about 2,500 troops deployed in Afghanistan, mostly in the southern province of Kandahar. It has committed to extending its mission there until the end of 2011.

Since the Afghan deployment began in 2002, 97 members of the Canadian Forces have been reported killed there.

Cannon, who was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper after a Conservative minority government was returned to power in an October 15 federal election, also said he saw similarities between Obama's environmental policies and those of the Canadian government.

"We feel that this could eventually lead to a North American approach to the environment as well as finding ways to ... reduce greenhouse gases, Cannon said. "So we are quite enthusiastic about this."

(Reporting by Frank McGurty, Editing by Philip Barbara)

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