BEST COMMENT:
Clint is right. Remember, the oil pipleline to Russia runs through Damascus, and that's why we must be prudent and not be too hasty to support any military retaliation or aggressiveness. While we might have good intentions, we could stir up a hornets nest and that wouldn't be a good thing
SERIOUSLY AUSTRALIA???? .... these NewAgeNazi Muslim killing Muslim monsters- in a hard assed war zone in Afghanistan- WHY DO THE MONSTERS HAVE NO RULES??? Why does Islamic nations continue 2 generate this cesspool of hate against the planet and Nato must toe the Rules of Engagement whilst thousands and thousands of our Nations children die and over a million innocent Muslims ???
The world's 7 billion people are so sick of this deliberate hate being catered 2 in a world where these NewAgeNazi Muslim Monsters HAVE NO RULES.... it's like Rwanda all over again....
THE IDEA IS 2 GET FINGERPRINTS- IN A ZONE WHERE FREAKSHOWS ARE KILLING INNOCENT MUSLIMS AND OUR PRECIOUS NATO TROOPS- Please stop putting rules where Muslim Monsters don't play by them
Australian Troops In Afghanistan Investigated Over 'Misconduct' Report
Troops from Australian special forces are being probed over an incident involving severed hands. (file photo)
August 30, 2013
Soldiers from Australia's special forces are under investigation amid allegations that they cut off the hands of at least one dead insurgent in Afghanistan.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the incident allegedly took place after a fierce battle in April in the southern province of Zabul. Four insurgents were killed in the fighting.
The Australian broadcaster said severed hands were brought to an Australian base in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province after the soldiers were instructed to collect fingerprints and eye scans from dead insurgents whenever possible.
The military confirmed it was investigating "an incident of potential misconduct" alleged to have occurred during an April 28 operation.
It did not provide further details, saying the investigation was ongoing.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has expressed confidence the military will carry out a proper investigation.
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Reality check folks- 7 billion people live on this planet- it's time Muslims looked after Muslims.... there is enormous poverty in the nations who have participated in Nato Nations fight 4 freedom of Muslims who continually allow NewAgeNazi Muslim killing monsters 2 slither amongst them and Islamic countries fighting their personal religious wars gleefully murdering innocent Muslims... come on ...imho
CANADA'S PM HARPER GETS IT RIGHT ON SYRIA- Muslim NewAgeNazi Monsters -who live by NO laws- butchering innocent Muslims in the hard part of the world- it's time the free world simply moved on.... and let Muslim fix the Muslim inter-religious mess they created..... which is eating them alive...imho....
- the NewAgeNazi Muslim butchers- have butchered more innocent Muslims, ruined Islam's Allah-Mohammed's precious artifacts and historical documents and building treasures (Only Isreal State has protected Islam's Allah- Mohammed gloriies)- the NewAgeNazi Muslim butchers live by no laws, no country- no rules- just destruction of our planet and Muslim's humanity..... no more Nato troops die 4 f**king oil......imho
CANADA PM: No strikes on Syria planned
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Canada has no plans for a military intervention in Syria but supp or ts its allies who are contemplating forceful action against that country’s regime, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.
Harper admitted that lack of international action in light o f the apparent use of chemical weapons would set an "extremely dangerous precedent," but added his government has been reluctant to the idea of a western strike.
"Our government has been a very reluctant convert to the idea that there needs to be some western military action regarding the Syrian situation," he told reporters at an event in Toronto on Thursday.
"At the present time the government of Canada has no plans, we have no plans of our own to have a Canadian military mission ."
Harper said the conflict in Syria is "overwhelmingly sectarian in nature" and doesn’t appear to have any "ideal or obvious outcomes" for a solution at present.
He added, however, that Canada stood behind other western powers weighing the possibility of a mission involving Syria.
"We do support our allies who are contemplating forceful action to deal with this."
Syrian President Bashar Assad has said his country "will defend itself against any aggression," signalling defiance to mounting Western warnings of a possible punitive strike.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack on its own people, laying the groundwork for an expected U.S. military strike.
Obama said the U.S. has concluded that Assad’s regime perpetrated an Aug. 21 attack near Damascus, which killed at least 100 Syrians.
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UNITED NATIONS GREATEST PEACEKEEPING HERO- CANADA'S ROMEO DALLAIRE- THE SAVIOUR OF RWANDA- the world's compassionate folks will never 4get the great hero of Rwanda whom United Nations and global media betrayed in 100 days of silence- NEVA AGAIN-RULES OF ENGAGEMENT-
We love u Romeo Dallaire- 4ever and 4always
Shake Hands With the Devil - Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaHAXnOGj9k
COMMENT:
Roméo Dallaire is probably our greatest living hero, but this isn't the first time he got mixed up with organizations with duplicitous motives. The United Nations sent him to Africa to save people from genocide, but they effectively tied his hands, made him watch, and then blamed him for the failure.
Roméo Dallaire 'embarrassed' over mix-up with fringe group
Lack of due diligence sees senator hired to lecture by organization accused of anti-Semitism
CBC News
Posted: Aug 26, 2013 8:55 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 26, 2013 10:49 PM ET
Senator Roméo Dallaire was being promoted as a speaker at a conference organized by the Fatima Centre, a fringe Catholic group accused of anti-Semitism. Dallaire has since pulled out of the engagement. Senator Roméo Dallaire was being promoted as a speaker at a conference organized by the Fatima Centre, a fringe Catholic group accused of anti-Semitism. Dallaire has since pulled out of the engagement. (Pawel Dwulit/The Canadian Press)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/08/26/dallaire-fatima-conference.html
External Links
The Fatima Centre's conference website
(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)
Senator Roméo Dallaire has pulled out of a speaking engagement organized by a fringe Catholic group accused of anti-Semitism, but his name is still being promoted alongside those of anti-abortionists, conspiracy theorists and former U.S. presidential candidate Ron Paul.
A Dallaire aide said Monday that the retired Canadian Forces general was "embarrassed" and "really unhappy" to have been accidentally mixed up with a southern Ontario group called the Fatima Centre, which is organizing a conference next month in Niagara Falls, Ont.
The Fatima Centre is a Catholic organization whose publications include references to "the duty incumbent upon Catholics of... opposing Jewish Naturalism" and to "Satan's plans against the Church," which include "the granting of full citizenship to the Jews." The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit that lists organizations it deems to be hate groups, says the Fatima Centre is part of a movement that is "perhaps the single largest group of hard-core anti-Semites in North America."
Other speakers scheduled for the conference include the president of the U.S.-based John Birch Society, a right-wing American group that campaigns against the U.S. Federal Reserve, says the UN is trying to control "all human activity" and claims Nelson Mandela is "carrying forward a communist program of terrorism and genocide."
The conference's keynote speaker is Paul, the former U.S. congressman and three-time candidate for president. Photos of Paul and Dallaire feature in ads for the conference on the internet and on a billboard near the Peace Bridge to the U.S.
"There is absolutely no way that General Dallaire would be associated with these speakers," his personal secretary, David Hyman, said in an interview Monday.
Hyman said it stemmed from an oversight. The senator's appearance at the conference was booked last March through the agency that arranges his speaking engagements, the National Speakers Bureau.
But when the agency called, they named a different group that was seeking to have the former lieutenant-general come and speak about the Rwandan genocide.
"It was called the National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada. We didn't have a clue that this other organization that were sponsoring his talk had anything to do with Fatima," Hyman said.
In fact, National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada is the official name for the Fatima Centre.
Dallaire's staff only found out last week through a civil rights lawyer.
"He said, 'Do you know who this group is? I'm really disappointed that the senator is going to this conference,' " Hyman said. "And I looked, I went to their site, I downloaded the list of other speakers and started to look at them."
Hyman blames himself for the lack of due diligence.
"I should have Googled."
'Not against the Jews'
A conference organizer said there was absolutely no intent to deceive because "everybody knows us as the Fatima Centre."
Coralie Graham, who is also one of the centre's directors, said they've been assured they will be refunded Dallaire's appearance fee, but they're still out the cost of their Dallaire advertising, which they will have to scotch.
Graham also affirmed that the Fatima Centre is in no way anti-Semitic and has been the victim of smear campaigns and guilt by association.
"We are not against the Jews and never have been and never will be," she said by phone.
"It doesn't matter whether it's Jewish, it's Catholics, it's politics: There's always good guys and a couple bad guys, so when you're speaking about some wrongs, you're not painting the whole race with the same brush."
As for the conference speakers from the John Birch Society, Graham said the Fatima Centre isn't affiliated with the group, but just booked lectures on the conference theme of peace.
"It's just a case of our speakers have been selected that have something to say to the people that this is happening in the world, and take off your rose-coloured glasses and see it, people. Because we have a crisis in the world. I've heard that all the generals are saying there's going to be World War III."
Responding to the incident, the Toronto-based Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a statement that it was "concerned by anti-Jewish content" on some websites affiliated with the Fatima Centre and that "it’s important that people of good will — particularly public officeholders — distance themselves from such extremism."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/08/26/dallaire-fatima-conference.html
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Ombudsman to probe ‘failing’ military support for injured war vets
By Chris Cobb, OTTAWA CITIZEN August 26, 2013
http://www.canada.com/news/Ombudsman+probe+failing+military+support+injured+vets/8835654/story.html
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HUMOUR.... MIND U A FEW YEARS BACK... MILLIONS WATCHING THE BACKS OF OUR TROOPS WERE VERY ANGRY....
A Canadian female libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the Canadian government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. She demanded a response to her letter. She received back the following reply:
National Defense Headquarters
M Gen George R. Pearkes Bldg.,
15 NT 101 Colonel By Drive Ottawa , ON
K1A 0K2
Canada Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces, who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here in Ottawa . You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Department of National Defense, to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short.
In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided, on a trial basis, to divert several terrorists and place them in homes of concerned citizens such as yourself, around the country, under those citizen's personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in Toronto next Monday.
Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is your detainee, and is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint. You will be pleased to know that we will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with your recommendations.
Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome those character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling, however, we strongly recommend that you hire some assistant caretakers.
Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless in your opinion, this might offend him. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills either in your home or wherever you choose to take him while helping him adjust to life in our country.
Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters except sexually, since he views females as a form of property, thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him.
You also should know that he has shown violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of 'respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter.
You take good care of Ahmed and remember that we will try to have a counselor available to help you over any difficulties you encounter while Ahmed is adjusting to Canadian culture.
Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. Good luck and God bless you.
Cordially,
Gordon O'Connor
Minister of National Defense
------------------------------------
Hackers tackle foreign aid data in Canada’s first international development hackathon
The Canadian International Development Agency started publishing aid data in IATI format in 2012 and government has said the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to publish quarterly spending in this format.
http://o.canada.com/2013/08/25/hackers-tackle-foreign-aid-data-in-canadas-first-international-development-hackathon/
===============
One Pissed off Canadian Housewife
This is very good PLEASE read....
Thought you might like to read this letter
to the editor.
Ever notice how some people
just seem to know how to write a letter?
This one surely does!
This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how
it also applies to the U.S.A., U.K. and Australia .
THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH
Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to
her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady...
"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was
it or was it not, started by Islamic people who
brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001
and have continually threatened to do so since?
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered
that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from
the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines urinating on some dead Taliban insurgents?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle
East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief
of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are
sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg
screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called insurgents
in Afghanistan , come out and fight like men,
instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow
themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the
innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.
I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that
their freedom of Speech on stories, is more important than
the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting
at home, to hear about them when something happens.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a
CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent
terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the
head when he is told not to move because he
might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don't care. Shoot him again.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:
I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes
it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.'
Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it.
I don't care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to
all your E-mail Friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to
the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if
during their life on earth, they made a difference in
the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.
I have another quote that I would like to
share AND...I hope you forward All this.
One last thought for the day:
Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The British Soldier.
3. The Canadian Soldier.
4. The US Soldier, and
5. The Australian Soldier
One died for your soul,
the other four, for you and your children's Freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,
AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET!
----------------------
Canada Reveille
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXNuwZLkliQ
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CANADA
Vets' support system reviewed
By Chris Cobb, Postmedia News
Pierre Daigle, ombudsman for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, has launched a probe into the national network of support centres created to help mentally and physically injured troops.
Photograph by: Pawel Dwulit, The Canadian Press File Photo , Postmedia News
Canada's military ombudsman has launched a probe into the national network of support units created almost five years ago to help mentally and physically injured troops.
The probe comes less than a month after Postmedia News reported that the network of 24 support platoons have deteriorated due to overcrowding, chronic staff shortages, staff burnout and the filling of key positions with unqualified personnel, many of whom are on the eve of retirement.
Ombudsman Pier re Daigle decided to launch a review following Postmedia's coverage and a specific complaint sent to his office, spokesman Jamie Robertson said Monday.
Investigators plan to contact all the units and if they find a pattern of systemic failure, could launch a fullfledged investigation, Robertson said.
"We will be trying to find from the people who work there what is happening on the ground," Robertson said. "We want to get good information from all levels."
Investigators typically interview less senior staff away from their units and keep their identities secret, he added.
The support units operate under the umbrella of regional Integrated Personnel Support Centres and are intended to help the ill and injured troops - mostly Afghan war veterans - either reintegrate into the armed forces or be prepared for civilian life, which is most often the case.
A key requirement introduced in 2006 is that all troops, irrespective of their military job, meet the "Universality of Service" standard, which in effect means being fit enough to fight.
The Opposition NDP have said that the "Universality of Service" introduced by the Conservative government is unfairly restricting many war veterans from resuming their military careers and leaving the service with a pension.
While posted into a support unit, troops will either work on base, learn trades with local businesses or take college courses. Most receive some form of mental or physical therapy and all are supposed to report regularly to their supervisors, who in turn are required to produce regular reports on the ill and injured under their supervision.
According to the DND, the Joint Personnel Support Unit is currently "offering direct assistance" to about 5,500 ill and injured Forces members and 533 families of soldiers killed while on duty.
Ombudsman spokesman Robertson says the JPSU review should be complete by early fall.
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Vets+support+system+reviewed/8836613/story.html
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Canadian Armed Forces End Annual Northern Operation
August 26, 2013 --
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/26/13 -- More than 1 000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel took part in Operation Nanook, the premier annual CAF operation held in Canada's North, from August 2 to 23. Operation Nanook 2013 showcased CAF personnel working in close partnership with many federal, territorial, and municipal agencies in a collaborative whole-of-government approach.
"The unique training, knowledge, and experience gained by each participant of Operation Nanook 2013 strengthens the capacity of the Department of National Defence to exercise control over, and defend, Canada's sovereignty in the North," said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence. "Operations like this are of great importance as they strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces' ability to work with all Northern partners in the interest of all Canadians, and provide a visible presence in the Arctic."
This year, Operation Nanook took place in four separate areas of the North; each location chosen for its particular geographical and topographical challenges to benefit CAF training. The areas were: Whitehorse, Yukon; Cornwallis Island, King William Island, and Resolution Island, all in Nunavut. The scenarios that unfolded at these locations exercised CAF support to civil emergency management in confronting threats to public safety, and assistance to law enforcement agencies.
"Operation Nanook reflects the Canadian Armed Forces' commitment to a team approach in the North. Exercising alongside our federal, territorial and local partners ensures that we are ready to respond to the security needs of Canadians," said General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff. "Operation Nanook 2013 was a resounding success in cooperation and collaboration, clearly demonstrating the Canadian Armed Forces' capability to operate effectively on land, at sea, and in the air across this austere region."
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Some pictures 4 u folks
Afghan Customs Uniform Handover Ceremony | Cérémonie de remise d’uniformes pour les agents des...
Canada in Afghanistan / Canada en Afghanistan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camafghanistancam/sets/72157635035292497/with/9495087600/
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God bless our troops n God bless our Nato troops- luv ya
Canadian Major General Andr Viens and Russian General Major Dmitry Gomenkov to hold Exercise VIGILANT EAGLE
http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=canadian-major-general-andre-viens-and-russian-general-major-dmitry-gomenkov-to-hold-exercise-vigilant-eagle-teleconference/hkwoyjph
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The pure joy these NewAgeNazi Muslims take killing innocent Muslims of their own nations just doesn't change does it- why would they care about the rest of the world- when they hate their own worlds so much? ...seriously... frankly... am so tired of it all... why do we still care... and since United Nations is now despots and thieves instead of the saviours they were created to be of this world- let's disband them... like we did with Leage of Nations in 1945- remember Nazis??? well Syria is going to be UN's Nazi war.... just watch and see.... 10 million died and 6 million Jewish- Holocaust.....
REMEMBER- NEWAGENAZI MUSLIMS KILLERS OF MUSLIMS - live by no rules and no laws- SO WHY 4 OUR TROOPS AND INNOCENTS SACRIFICED PLAYING BY UN- INTERNATIONAL RULES that Muslim butchers scoff at??
REMEMBER... those of us who survived and were born of WWII victory and our Canada in ruins 4 over 20 years after winning freedom..sure do...
I felt nothing for them’: Canadian faces the men accused of killing his brother on 9/11
'I wanted to see these people. I wanted to see the people that were responsible for taking Ralph from us'
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/27/i-felt-nothing-for-them-canadian-faces-the-men-accused-of-killing-his-brother-on-911/
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AFGHANISTAN- Dr. Abdullah Abdullah- the next President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan- Dr. Abdullah is the Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan- youth and elders love him.... his bloodlines bleed throughout all of Afghanistan's remarkable history
TRUTH BE TOLD- by troops and everyday Afghans- Dr. Abdullah Abdullah won 2009 election which was hijacked by United Nations and USA.... BUT NOT THIS TIME.... April 5 2014
asia:
Karzai calls for head-to-head race in Afghan election
AFP
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday called for next year's crucial election to be a US-style head-to-head contest between two candidates, and named three possible runners in the wide-open race.
The April 5 election to succeed Karzai, who has ruled since the Taliban hardliners were ousted in 2001, is seen as the key test whether 12 years of massive international military and aid intervention has been worthwhile.
"My desire is that we should have a limited number of candidates as this is good for the country," Karzai told a press conference in his palace gardens. "In the United States there were only two candidates.
"If we have two presidential candidates, it would be better, but if we had four that is also not a problem."
After serving two terms, Karzai must stand down next year for an election that will be the first ever democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan. But there is widespread uncertainty over who and how many people will run.
More than 40 candidates stood in the chaotic 2009 election, which was marred by massive fraud and delays until Karzai emerged triumphant.
Karzai named controversial former warlord Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, 2009 runner-up Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani as possible candidates.
"There are others as well, I don't want to leave any names unmentioned but it is not possible for me to mention them all," he said.
Other potential runners include Qayum Karzai, the president's brother, Omar Daudzai, the ambassador to Pakistan, and former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali.
Karzai appealed to all Afghans to register to vote and repeated his call for the insurgent fighters who wage a guerilla war against international and Afghan soldiers to participate in the election.
"Even the Taliban can join this process," he said. "If they use voting cards, they would be able to prove their power more effectively than they do today."
The Taliban have vowed to step up attacks ahead of the withdrawal of NATO-led coalition forces by the end of next year, and their leader Mullah Omar last month dismissed the elections as "a waste of time".
Karzai rejected Omar's claim said that Afghan elections were decided in Washington, saying "that's not right, the White House tried in 2009 but it failed" -- a reference to alleged US interference in the vote.
Karzai has pledged to work to ensure the election is credible, but international donors have expressed concern about whether the vote will produce a transparent result accepted by defeated candidates.
"If we have good elections that would be good for my legacy," Karzai said.
"I will definitely help the process and not interfere. I will try to provide grounds for free and democratic elections and will allow no one to interfere or use governmental power in favour of any presidential candidates."
The president also said that Afghanistan would not be rushed over negotiations for a security agreement on the United States' military presence in the country after 2014.
"We are not in a hurry, if it happens in my government it will be good, if not, the new president can discuss it and either accept or reject it," he said.
Washington is pushing hard for the pact to be signed by October, but Karzai suspended talks in June in fury at the Taliban opening a liaison office in Qatar that was presented as an embassy for a government in waiting.
On Saturday he said that only "technical level" negotiations had ever been suspended, but that other talks had continued and a new draft document was now being examined.
Karzai plans to put the proposed Bilateral Security Agreement before a Loya Jirga (grand assembly) for public approval before signing it.
In previous elections, the Taliban called on Afghans to boycott voting, sent fighters to block roads to polling stations and targeted candidates and activists.
and..
http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=25-08-2013&type=Karzai-calls-for-head-to-head-race-in-Afghan-election&pub_no=595&cat_id=1&menu_id=15&news_type_id=1&index=4
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News - Afghanistan
"Afghanistan Electoral Alliance" Officially Announced for Presidential Vote
Friday, 30 August 2013 17:58 Last Updated on Friday, 30 August 2013 18:30 Written by Saleha Soadat
alt
A number of political leaders gathered on Thursday to announce the formation of a new electoral alliance. The coalition of major political parties has been named as the "Afghanistan Electoral Alliance (AEA)."
The alliance has been formed by the Islamic People's Party (IPP), Wahdat-e-Islami Party, National Movement of Afghanistan (NMA), National Coalition of Afghanistan (NCA), National Front Party (NFP), Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT), Afghanistan Naween (AN), Hezb-e-Wahdat, Iqtidar-e-Millie, Itehad-i-Aqwam and Coordination Council of Arab People (CCAP).
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, leader of the NCA; Atta Muhammad Noor, Governor of Balkh province; Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq, leader of the IPP; Abdul Rasheed Dostum, head of the Junbesh Milli Party (JMP); Salahuddin Rabbani, acting head of the Jameyat Party (JP); Amrullah Saleh, former Director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS); Ahmad Zia Massood, head of the NFP; and Muhammad Younus Qanooni, a member of the JP, were some of the prominent political leaders who attended the meeting and signed a political agreement for the newly formed alliance.
The AEA announced that soon it will nominate a candidate for the Presidential elections, which is scheduled to take place on April 5, 2014.
The agreement states that steps would be taken in order to ensure reforms take place in the current political system; there is increased participation of people in the political, social and economic arena; there is balanced development and fair distribution of power.
"Signatories of this agreement, predict clear written commitment with regard to the rights and functioning of the parties and groups who are a part of the Electoral Alliance.
The signatories of this agreement will be the key players in selecting the Presidential candidate and the Vice- Presidents. Decisions would be based on unanimous votes," said Abdul Sata Murad, a member of the IPP.
It is being reportedly said that Mr. Khalilzad, Mr. Jalali, Qayoum Karzai and the Haq-o-Adalat Party did not agree to become a part of the AEA. However, the leaders of the Alliance are putting in efforts to get them on board.
In light of the latest announcement about the AEA, a number of political analysts expressed scepticism over its success. According to the analysts, such alliances are temporary and show no sign of stability, which could act as an anchor for the political system of Afghanistan.
After the alliance was announced, Mr. Jalali stated that this coalition must try to meet all the ideals and aspirations of the Afghans. He emphasized that this coalition should include other groups as well, otherwise it would be considered as a tribal and regional coalition.
Prior to Thursday's meeting, Mr. Jalali, Mr. Khalilzad and Mr. Atmar had meetings with the heads of the AEA, but it seems that these political figures will form another coalition.
"I believe every political or non-political institution that is being created or was created, must pay attention to the aspirations and demands of the people. Otherwise, the party will have a negative image in the minds of the people. I would like to repeat that discussions with political parties and the Alliance are ongoing," Mr. Khalizad told the media.
According to the political analysts, there is no long term guarantee on the survival of these coalitions. They feel that due to difference of opinion among the members it is unlikely that these alliances would make it even to the Election Day.
Simultaneously, with the formation of the political coalition, a number of political commentators also expressed doubts over its sustainability and called them "temporary alliances."
Talking about the rumoured nomination of Dr. Abdullah as the Presidential candidate, Mr. Noor stated that nothing has been decided as of now and discussions are on-going.
"Nothing has been decided about the Presidential candidate yet, but discussions are on-going between the political wings. This alliance will choose someone who can tackle the current challenges and maintain the achievements of the past ten years," said Mr. Noor.
Throwing some light on the probable Presidential candidate, Mr. Mohaqeq said, "The political leaders of this country have formed this alliance, in order to find a solution for the current challenges of the country through understandable ways. We hope that this alliance will nominate someone who is worth the peoples' vote."
However, the participants of the previous meetings- Zalmai Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to the United Nations; Ali Ahmad Jalali, former Afghan Interior Minister; and Qayoum Karzai, the elder brother of President Karzai and Mohammad Hanif Atmar, former Afghan Interior Minister, were not present in the Thursday's meeting.
"Discussions are on-going with Mr. Khalilzad and Mr. Jalali urging them to join the alliance. Since they were out of country, they could not be present in today's (Thursday) meeting; we hope to have further discussions in the future," said Dr. Abdullah.
In the list of political parties that have extended their support for the AEA, the Justice and Development Party's (JDP) name also appeared, but the coalition clearly stated that JDP is not a part of the alliance.
As the timeline for the Presidential and Provincial Councils' elections draws near, several political parties trying to join hands in an effort to form coalitions and contest the upcoming elections.
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News - Afghanistan
Six Million Dollars Donated to Help Female Participation in 2014 Elections
Wednesday, 28 August 2013 19:50 Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 August 2013 20:51 Written by Aazem Arash
alt
The Asia Foundation and UK's Department for International Development (DFID) on Wednesday pledged $6 million to help the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) prepare a plan to fuel female participation in the upcoming elections.
Female voter turnout has been one the most hot-button issues in the discourse surrounding next year's elections. Early on in the voter registration process back in June, many women's rights advocates and even a female Commissioner of the IEC, Rida Azimi, spoke out about the low number of women receiving voter cards. Although reports have indicated the rate of female registration has increased since then, the most recent IEC figures still put the number of voter cards held by women at around 152,000 out of the 627,000 total cards that have been issued.
In a statement it released to announce the grant, the Asia Foundation called women's participation in the spring elections crucial and urged the Afghan government to develop a full-fledged plan to increase female turnout.
Dr. Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani, the head of the IEC, noted that nearly 50 percent of eligible voters are women, which meant their participation was critical to ensuring the election on April 5 was truly representative of the Afghan people.
"Increased women's participation in the electoral process will ensure legitimacy and transparency of the elections," Mr. Nuristani said.
The financial assistance provided by the Asia Foundation and DFID was assigned broadly to making the elections a success and help Afghanistan in its political transition.
However, the institutions' officials echoed the IEC head's comments by stating clearly that without a rise in women's participation, the elections could not be a success.
"Our project will ensure that women have visibility and a voice in the electoral process and the number of women candidates hopefully will increase," said Mark Kryzer, the Asia Foundation's representative to Afghanistan. "Enhancing their access to justice and supporting their participation in elections is fundamental to Afghanistan's future prosperity and democratic freedoms."
While garnering as high voter turnout is a priority of the IEC at the moment, security concerns are said to be the major challenge facing the elections. According to the IEC, voter registration in 10 districts across the country remained unopened due to security threats.
In addition to security and registration, however, other issues present obstacles yet to be surmounted by the IEC. The lack of a sufficient monitoring system for campaigns, the regulations on candidate campaign expenditures and the nominations of Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) members are all still matters waiting to be sorted out.
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Up to 34 million textbooks to be distributed to Afghan students
Posted by wadsam | August 30, 2013 | 0
textbookFunded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), up to 34 million textbooks would be distributed to primary schools students across the country this year.
Afghan Education Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak told a press conference in Kabul that 10 million of the books had been printed in Afghanistan and the rest in Indonesia at ac sot of USD 20mn with financial support from the USAID.
Minister Wardak said the government has been able to reopen 700 out of a total 1,100 schools that had remained closed due to insecurity in different provinces of Afghanistan, adding that the efforts would be continued to reopen the rest of 400 schools with the cooperation of the local people.
Over the past decades, as many as 213 million textbooks for different classes at a cost of USD 119million, provided by the US, Denmark and the World Bank.
Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding worth one million dollars was signed between a representative of USAID and the ministry. The money will be spent on transferring and distributing books to different parts of the country
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Obama awards Ty Carter Medal of Honor for Afghan battle
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23843629
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INDIA
Commandos to be deployed to Indian bases in Afghanistan
New Delhi,Aug 29, 2013, DH News Service
Following attacks on its facilities in Afghanistan, India is now enhancing the presence of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in the war-ravaged country to protect five of the country’s facilities including the embassy in Kabul.
The ITBP will be sending 79 more personnel to Afghanistan in addition to the already deployed 219 commandos.
ITBP Director General Ajay Chadha said the decision to send more personnel came after analysing the security situation in the country and the need for enhancing security for Indian installations.
On August 3, a suicide-bomber attack near the main consulate complex in Jalalabad killed 12 civilians.
"Twice a week, we get intelligence inputs about an attack on our facilities," Chadha told a select group of journalists. Chadha is retiring from service on Friday.
At present, ITBP personnel are on duty at the Indian embassy in Kabul and the consulate offices in Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat."We are deploying a fresh contingent of our boys for security duties at all vital Indian facilities in Afghanistan," he said.
An analysis of the intelligence inputs reveal that apart from Al Qaeda and the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, the threat to Indian assets in Afghanistan also emanates from smaller militant groups based in Pakistan.
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Meeting in Gen. Dostum’s residence focus on Afghan elections
Khaama Press By Ghanizada Aug 27, 2013
Various political parties, political coalitions and prominent political leaders of the country have boosted their efforts, as the next presidential elections of the country is getting closer.
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Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan cherish Afghanistan memories
By GHANIZADA - Tue Aug 27, 2:34 pm Khaama Press
The Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan who appeared in the Bollywood movie ‘Khuda Gawah’, on Tuesday a memoir about his trip to Afghanistan, where the movie was produced.
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Herat Airport to be Reconstructed
TOLOnews.com By Shahla Murtazaie 26 August 2013
Fazlullah Wahidi, the Governor of western Herat province, announced on Monday that the province's main airport would be reconstructed with financial support from Italy and Spain.
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Afghan Law Enforcement Sees Progress
TOLOnews.com By Jawed Stanikzai Friday, 23 August 2013
In preparation for the withdraw of foreign forces in 2014, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are said to have developed in leaps and bounds and already assumed the lion's share of operational responsibilities throughout the country. While the law enforcement arms of the ANSF have often played second-fiddle to their more heavily
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Afghans Rally Against Iranian Interference In Herat
RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan August 23, 2013
HERAT, Afghanistan - Activists in Afghanistan's western province of Herat have protested against what they see as the Iranian interference in the region.
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CANADA: Truth Duty Valour - Afghanistan Training
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3naFmcjL69k
Published on Mar 23, 2012
The Canadian Forces is a special national institution. In every generation, Canadians have served with great distinction, in peace and in war, at home and around the world. Whether the mission is disaster relief or peace support, environmental protection or nation building, Canadian Forces personnel stand ready. Find out what it takes to be a member at the Canada's largest team of professionals.
www.recruiting.forces.gc.ca
1 800 856-8488
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CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Aug 29- Muslims killing Muslims- Come on Canada- Leave Middle East, Persia, Africas, Asias clean up their own messes- let's fix Canada now- it's time- no more Canadian/Nato troops dying 4 oil
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/08/canada-military-news-aug-27-muslims.html
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Canadian Forces steal the show at Calgary Stampede
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBlKbiD8mA
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History takes wing: Cadets soar on vintage planes
August 17, 2013 - 12:00am By RYAN TAPLIN
http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1148168-history-takes-wing-cadets-soar-on-vintage-planes
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IT'S TIME 4 CIVILIZED NATIONS 2 STEP AWAY FROM MIDDLE EAST, PERSIA AND THE ASIAS- LET THEM FIGHT THEIR OWN BATTLES- NONE HONOUR UNITED NATIONS DESPOTS AND THIEVES- AND MOST HAVE SIGNED NO AGREEMENTS-
We care about the poor, the innocent and the everyday people- BUT THIS HARD PART OF WORLD DOES NOT.... let's move on.... Afghanistan - we gave all..... and paid dearly and won major daily victories..... but NO MORE
Assignment Afghanistan: Go Down Nightmare
January 1, 2011 by Adam Day
Oscar Company just after dawn, crossing a field near Chalghowr. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
They knew there would be bombs buried in the dirt. They knew their metal detectors probably wouldn’t detect the bombs’ wooden pressure plates. They knew that after the bombs they would be ambushed and the air would zing with high-velocity metal.
The Canadians knew they were advancing to detonation, that some of them were going down, that it was unlikely they’d all make it back to base.
They knew there would be mayhem and nightmare explosions and the dirty fear of dying.
They went anyway.
They walked across the field and into the war, and everything that they knew, happened.
It’s August 2010 and the war in Kandahar is shifting into a gear so high it’s not clear what’s going to come apart first. The allied airbase just outside Kandahar City is city-sized already and the Americans keep coming. Thousands upon thousands of clear-eyed, rifle-carrying Western youths are piling into southern Afghanistan, looking for action.
From inside the base’s safety the war out there in the districts seemed to be constructed mainly of far-off explosions and other people’s fables. The conflict felt so vague and had so many angles that straight information seemed impossible—NATO was either about to win or the insurgents were about to overrun the airfield, or both, strangely—the war was the same as it ever was: progress in one sector, total chaos five kilometres away. Anything looked possible and the only way to get a grip on the puzzle was by charting the rumours that swirled across the base and hung in the air like the scent of something difficult.
This year in Kandahar the rumour’s smell was all blood and malice, as if doom itself had a flavour. Louie Palu says it’s "the summer of the IED" and if anyone would know it’s him. Palu, an amusingly rebellious and war-battered Canadian photo-journalist, says the kids in Panjwai are greeting Canadian patrols by building piles of dirt with their hands to mimic IED emplacements and then jubilantly yelling "boom," teasing the soldiers about their impending detonation.
No evidence of this was ever seen.
Palu has likely spent more time in Panjwai than just about any other Canadian and his appreciation of the war’s insanity approaches artistry. He tells stories of a Canadian outpost so deep in the shit that their base gets shot up every day and they can’t even go 100 metres outside the wire without getting ambushed and torn apart by IEDs, which are everywhere—in the trees, in the walls, in the fields—all hidden and made of wood and plastic and essentially undetectable. But still, Palu said, the soldiers keep going out. He said he attributes this to their unit’s almost suicidal machismo. Any other unit would stop, he said, but these guys keep walking into the bombs, as if to say: "Go ahead and blow our legs off, we’ll keep coming back."
Like all the worst rumours, this one turned out to be pretty much true.
The gun battle rages. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
The gun battle rages.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
Combat Outpost PANJSHIR
The only road to the most embattled little base in Canada’s whole war is called Route Nightmare and nobody really wants to go down it.
At first I wasn’t allowed to go there at all—too dangerous for media. Then things changed and became even more dangerous and I definitely wasn’t allowed to go. Then a compromise was reached and I was allowed to go, but not allowed to leave the outpost. While that compromise was itself eventually compromised, I first had to get to the base, which was not easy because the place was almost constantly under fire.
After a few days of playing a fairly intense game of standby to standby, the time came to make the actual move. Slowly.
Waiting, the big green armoured convoy had been bursting idle diesel fumes all over Forward Operating Base Masum Ghar for a good couple hours already and the delays seemed set to increase. Combat Outpost Panjshir was currently taking fire and visitors were being discouraged. The trip was in danger of being postponed because it was getting late and getting down Nightmare could take a long time, an unforeseeable amount of time. It could take forever—or at least the rest of the afternoon.
As it turned out, the convoy made the trip in one mad sprint and we were in Panjshir before anyone knew it.
Not that there was much to look at. Panjshir is a small square little outpost stuck in the middle of a disused field dead in the heart of the Panjwai district. It is an austere position, a collection of tents and sand and weapons and not much else.
Nestled in the razor wire at the base’s entrance is a plywood board declaring ‘Keep Out’ in sloppily spray-painted English. It’s safe to say the Afghans in the town of Chalghowr, whom the Canadians are theoretically here to protect from the enemy, do not speak English. But that’s really the least of the problems.
The town of Chalghowr is a couple of hundred metres south, but beyond inaccessible to the soldiers at the base. Every time they go toward the village something catastrophic happens. Not like once, either, but again and again over weeks of patrols until the unit was scorched and visibly reduced.
Every soldier at Combat Outpost Panjshir deserves a medal, their company commander would later say. These are the soldiers who walk knowingly into undetectable minefields, who play an almost inexplicable game of advance to detonation—these were Palu’s reputedly suicidally-machismoed soldiers, the men and women of 7 Platoon, Oscar Company, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment.
The story of their unit at Panjshir is all about life on the front lines of a difficult war; where not everything makes sense and where the tactical problems aren’t necessarily solvable. It is a harsh situation, but life on the front lines for soldiers is harsh, it always was. Out there the enemy attacks in ways they sometimes can’t do much about and it seems like there’s nothing to be done but to keep going.
We Get Exploded
So far, keeping going had cost a lot. The platoon and all their various supporters had taken a hell of a beating at Panjshir. Many had been wounded, but the toll among their leadership was especially heavy—first they lost one section commander (shot in the chest at close range) and then another (foot blown off), then they lost their engineer detachment commander (leg blown off), they lost their canine handler (arm and leg blown off) and they lost their platoon commander and platoon warrant officer (relieved of command and sent home after the company commander lost confidence in them).
Twenty-seven-year-old Lieutenant Stephen Martin is the replacement platoon commander. He’s been in the army for about three years and until a few weeks ago he was in Petawawa, never really believing he’d be plucked from the battalion’s replacement pool and dropped in a place like Panjshir.
Despite his predicament, Martin is calm and thoughtful and, while he’s currently being a little bit careful, he has come to terms with the tactical situation at the little base. The keyword for Panjshir is stalemate: both the enemy and the Canadians are too strong to lose and too weak to win. Meanwhile the basic counter-insurgency strategy of clearing the enemy out, holding the ground and then building something better clearly can’t happen now in Chalghowr. "Well," Martin said with a laugh, looking around the base, "we’re holding Panjshir pretty good."
Stalemate was a fairly agreeable term for the soldiers—they were proud of their hold on this small patch of ground in such a rough place. There hadn’t been more than a few days in the last two months that anyone can remember the outpost not being shot up, but the enemy had no chance of taking their base. Going anywhere south of Panjshir, on the other hand, well, that was like walking into the enemy’s base.
"New guys come in and say ‘it’s not so bad’ but they don’t know," a soldier told me shortly after I arrived. "We just have to go out there," he said, nodding south, "and entire sections can disappear."
Another soldier was listening. He looked south too. "We go down there, we get exploded," he said distantly.
In the tower for a sniper duel. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
In the tower for a sniper duel.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
Sniper Duel At Noon, Every Day
The sniper is hardcore in the quiet way snipers tend to be hardcore. He looks like a cross between a surfer and a bodybuilder and, while he seems friendly and quiet, I suspect he is not really that friendly or that quiet. In any case, the sniper is currently distracted and not saying much because he’s in a tower nine metres off the ground, staring into enemy territory and in a duel with an enemy marksman.
The sniper’s been up in the tower crouched over his massive C-14 rifle for hours, scanning Chalghowr and hoping his opponent makes even the slightest error so he can shoot him in the head.
The sniper and the spotter are patient, mapping out the terrain and village with memorable names—pizza hut, sketchy mosque, open gate, spotter tree, whoop-de-doos, closed gate, and on and on. This is basic, classic warfare—a couple of humans patiently trying to kill each other with all the skill and ingenuity they can muster.
"This guy is not easy to get," said the sniper, who doesn’t want you to know his name, which is understandable, because he pretty much kills people for a living. "I could sit up here for hours, which I have, and nothing."
The sniper doesn’t like calling his opponent a sniper; doesn’t think the enemy shooter has earned the title, even though he almost killed him once—the enemy marksman once planted a round about 12 inches above the Canadian’s head from over 800 metres away. "He’s smart. He’s been trained well. He knows what he’s doing," the Canadian said grudgingly. "Yeah, I’d call him a marksman."
These insurgent marksmen are a recent development in southern Afghanistan. While the shooter firing at Panjshir hasn’t hit anyone yet, there have been stories of similar shooters at other bases in the south and eventually it seems many of them get a lucky hit.
The enemy marksman hides in Chalghowr and only takes single shots, maybe only once an hour or so, and according to the sniper, the enemy shoots from deep within buildings, with the bullets exiting through windows and doors. Or at the very least, that’s one theory—all the sniper really knows is that despite being in the tower and on the scope for dozens of inbound shots, he’s never seen any flash or dust from his opponent’s firing position.
"He’s got to make a mistake sometime. It’s all about whether we’re here to pick that mistake up," said the sniper.
In this particular duel, the enemy shooter hadn’t fired a round in hours, ever since the sniper and the spotter climbed the tower, in fact. So the enemy shooter was watching.
The sniper decided that enough was enough; he was done for the day. He pulled his big rifle down and set it on the floor, the large silencer sticking over the sandbags, visible to the enemy. "I’m going to leave my rifle up here as bait," said the sniper. "If he shoots off the can [silencer], I’ll upgrade him to sniper." He laughs.
Just then the enemy takes a shot and everyone ducks in unison.
Both guys immediately go back to their scopes. The spotter puts his helmet on. Everyone stays much lower. I get off the ammo box I’m sitting on and crouch on the floor.
Nobody heard the round, had no idea where it went actually, but that didn’t mean much.
The sniper was laughing quietly, eyes still glued to the scope. "We duck every time, but it’s always far too late by the time you hear the shot," he said, scanning for his kill.
Death mask in place, 7 Platoon advances. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
Death mask in place, 7 Platoon advances.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
Bring The Armour
Inside the sagging command tent, Lieut. Martin informally briefs a group of soldiers on tomorrow’s battle plan. Chalghowr is the target, but instead of going straight south they are going to do a flanking manoeuvre, head east about 800 metres across the barrens and then south into a part of town they call Little Chalghowr. They will set out early and on foot in an attempt to surprise the enemy.
A group of infantrymen sat quietly thinking about this. Martin had a tough position, he was new, he was fairly inexperienced and he was in command.
Master Corporal Colin Bridger, currently acting as a section commander, spoke up. "I think we should bring the [armoured vehicles]."
Martin didn’t like the idea. He thought an armoured column would tip off the enemy. Martin asked Bridger why they should bring the armour.
Bridger had been fighting this particular war for months. He refused to offer justification. It was a very delicate situation. "We should bring the [armoured vehicles]," he said.
Martin thought it over. While he may have lacked experience, he was not unwise. "OK."
Later Bridger explained what he was thinking. "I knew we were going to get hit; we always get hit there."
He was right.
Just after first light the next day Martin and Bridger and about 16 other Canadians piled into four armoured vehicles and drove the short distance to where the patrol would dismount and walk south across a field and into Little Chalghowr.
Just before the patrol stepped off the road and into the field, I asked the soldier behind me what he thought the chances were that we’d hit something. He grimaced like he just smelled something bad. "About 100 per cent," he grumbled before donning a black half-mask emblazoned with a human skull.
The IED explosion that wounded Corporal Troy Carleton. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
The IED explosion that wounded Corporal Troy Carleton.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
Replaced By A Shrieking Blast
Two engineers with mine detectors led the way into the field. There was a small bridge across an irrigation ditch about 100 metres away and we were going to cross there to go south.
The engineers, sweeping their detectors, left the field and joined a small path under a row of trees. The whole patrol was in the field now. The engineers had made it to the bridge. The quiet was early-morning serene; the only noise was of combat boots crunching dirt.
While I am substantially certain that what happened next had a sound, things as I saw them were silent.
Corporal Troy Carleton’s body arced skyward in a pillar of smoke and dirt, like a ragdoll punched from beneath by a malevolent geological force. It looked unnatural, reprehensible—the earth itself seemed to kick Carleton upwards until his body hit the tree, which smacked him back down with its branches. Carleton spiralled a bit and then crunched into the ground.
Everyone froze. It was hard to believe what just happened. Carleton yelled something. The patrol was strung out and at first no one moved and then soldiers started running to Carleton.
Carleton was fifth or sixth in the line of Canadians. The mine’s wooden pressure plates—besides being undetectable to the engineers’ metal detectors—were small and Carleton was the unlucky one who stepped on them in just the right way to complete the circuit.
Luckily enough, the bomb was constructed using home-made explosives and it had failed to explode entirely correctly. While still a heavy blast it had been a ‘low-order’ explosion.
Carleton was sitting on the path more or less where he’d landed. His leg was messed up, but he would turn out to be pretty much physically intact.
The interpreter was standing beside Carleton. A very slight and impossibly gentle Afghan who never had a bad word to say about anyone, he had been metres away from the blast. "F–k their mothers," he muttered toward Chalghowr with the kind of sincerity perhaps accessible only to those recently nearly killed.
In the blast’s aftermath, the enemy’s radio net sparked up and the talk was all about an imminent ambush. According to the translator and the few Afghan army soldiers accompanying 7 Platoon, several groups of insurgents were trying to manoeuvre into position to start shooting.
The First IED contact of the morning.
Meanwhile, a group of explosive ordnance disposal guys were inbound in order to examine the IED and check for secondary bombs.
Most of the platoon had taken cover in a ditch across the field from where Carleton blew up, but a few engineers were still over on the path, looking around.
M. Cpl. Ken Wilson was standing there on the path. And then he wasn’t.
He was replaced by a shrieking blast of rocks and shrapnel.
It wasn’t immediately explicable how a human body could be at the centre of such violence and not disintegrate. But it did not need to be understood, Wilson was there writhing on the ground, yelling sounds that didn’t form words, evidently deeply unhappy but miraculously alive.
This was not a low-order blast. From six metres away, where I was laying in the ditch, the blast felt like a body check and my ears seemed to momentarily stop working. Again.
Wilson was lying about three metres from the bomb’s epicentre and as the blast cloud cleared, soldiers began yelling and running towards him.
Things were about to get worse. The enemy radio chatter had reached some critical state and Martin began yelling that the guys in the field giving first aid to Wilson needed to right now get him back under cover.
The platoon was lined up on the berm of an irrigation ditch, weapons facing south, towards Little Chalghowr. The soldiers picked Wilson up and carried him behind the berm. He was on the ground covered in dirt, his mouth open. You could see that everybody was trying to stay calm.
Master Corporal Ken Wilson and the American medevac team that rescued him. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
Master Corporal Ken Wilson and the American medevac team that rescued him.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
The battle’s first shots were Canadian, an armoured-vehicle gunner opened up with his C-6 machine-gun at someone moving in the field a few hundred metres away.
The enemy began firing and then for a long time it was just all shooting. The enemy rounds were mostly zipping high over the Canadians’ heads, and the Canadians in turn were simply blasting bullets and grenades at the fields and whichever of the village’s compounds were in range. A few Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers appeared from wherever they had been sheltering and randomly fired a few rocket propelled grenades toward the town and then disappeared again.
Just after the first American helicopter gunship appeared overhead, the enemy stopped firing and so the Canadians stopped firing too.
The enemy generally know they will be killed if they shoot while the helicopters are around, so they don’t.
With the battle over, the soldiers stood up and began chattering in the way that people chatter when they have huge amounts of adrenaline in their veins.
"Two of our dudes got blown up today," said one of the soldiers, smiling as he watched six-metre-high flames burst out of a compound in the distance. "So let those f–kers burn."
The second IED contact.
Carleton and Wilson were now lying in the dirt behind an armoured vehicle. Wilson was strapped to a stretcher, his shattered rifle beside him.
Both were evacuated from the battlefield, Carleton for a long stay in Kandahar and Wilson for advanced care at the coalition hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
Just before Wilson was loaded on the helicopter I asked if it was all right to publish the pictures I’d taken of him. "Yeah," he said, "just don’t make me look like a whiney bitch." Strapped to the gurney, his combat helmet cinched down tight, the lower part of his fatigues shredded, his face etched with dirt and sweat, he looked about as far from that as possible.
Master Corporal Ken Wilson on a stretcher, a few minutes after being wounded. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
Master Corporal Ken Wilson on a stretcher, a few minutes after being wounded.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
An ambush and a long gunfight.
Lollipops For The Amputees
There’s a strange symmetry to the battle: we attack most convincingly from above the earth, the enemy attacks from beneath it. And in the middle there’s a war of some kind.
It’s a strange war. It’s a war where the soldiers’ mission is to protect the villagers of a village they can’t enter, and from an enemy that mostly attacks in ways they can’t do anything about.
To me it seems like a bewilderingly futile game of advance-to-IED-contact. I don’t know how they do it. I keep telling them this. They don’t care. They don’t really want to hear my ideas.
While we were waiting for the medevac, another soldier told me the story of the engineer at Panjshir who recently got his leg blown off.
Apparently, the medic fell into a stream while running across the battlefield. When he reached the stricken engineer, the medic unwisely complained about his fall.
As the soldier tells it, the engineer said: "Yeah, you fell down, but I got my leg blown off. Do I get a lollipop now?"
The storytelling soldier just laughed. "Yeah, we’re in the shit," he said.
But it feels worse than that.
Chalghowr burns after the battle. [PHOTO: ADAM DAY]
Chalghowr burns after the battle.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
No One Came Here To Kill Kids
The next day it doesn’t take long for the bad news rumours to start bouncing around the outpost—according to the ANA commander, his sources inside the village are reporting that a 10-year-old boy had been killed during the battle at Little Chalghowr.
The rumour was not entirely a surprise. During the battle a woman had come running up to the Canadian lines from the direction of the enemy. She was waving her arms and yelling. She was told to go back before anyone could hear what she wanted, but it wasn’t hard to see that she was beyond distressed.
Major Steve Brown is the Oscar Company commander and he’s thoroughly decent and hyper-smart and lacks any kind of pretence. Brown and his headquarters are based at Patrol Base Folad in Salavat, but he visits Panjshir as often as he can.
He didn’t know if a child was really killed during the battle. It would have been almost impossible to know for sure just a few days after it happened; but still, he was not taking it lightly. To say that the prospect of a child’s death at Canadian hands was a kind of torture for him would not be an exaggeration.
"Every report of civilian casualties, we take very seriously," he said, before proceeding to get just a little bit angry. "The insurgents have been using children in their operations, they use them at all levels. And they are active in the insurgency. They actively use children. And it is a huge issue for our soldiers because none of them came here to kill kids.
"In the past we have seen women and children put on rooftops," he pauses and considers what to say next. He sighs. "We may have hit a legitimate target who was a youth.
The Gap Of Known Futility
Seven Platoon has been hit hard but they won’t let go. The unit was offered a chance to rotate out of Panjshir but they refused. It’s hard to explain why they want to stay, but the story I heard was that if Canadians had to be in Panjshir, they wanted it to be them.
"Every one of them deserves a medal because each and everyone one of them goes out every day and takes the risk of getting brewed up," said Brown. "To know that one in four patrols is going to lead to serious injuries…."
He pauses.
"And that’s what frustrates them, because it feels like in order to kill the bad guys they have to trip these IEDs. And that is not the case, but it sure feels like that."
It does feel like that. It does feel like every time the soldiers go toward Chalghowr they blow up.
That said, the stalemate at Panjshir is nothing serious, in military terms. The insurgents in Chalghowr number in the dozens at most and their homemade bombs don’t pose a great threat to our strongest mine-clearance equipment. But the platoon at Panjshir doesn’t have this equipment; all they have are their metal detectors and their bodies.
If they had a robust route clearance capability—blast-resistant minesweepers—they could do daily sweeps down Route Nightmare and into Chalghowr, disrupting the insurgents and breaking the stalemate. But they don’t.
"It just comes down to resources," said Brown. "We can always talk about the things we’d like to have, but unless Canada is willing to make a more substantial commitment to Afghanistan…it’s just a limitation that they have to deal with."
There’s pressure at every level—on the soldiers to go out, on the commanders to show progress, on the Canadian task force to defeat the enemy in Panjwai and for the coalition to win the war.
"Who’s rushing to get to the end? It’s us," said Brown. "We have to satisfy certain yardsticks of progress at home. The Afghan security forces are going at a slow and steady pace. The insurgents say ‘we have the watches, but they have the time.’ If we rush to defeat them, we do so at our own peril. Do we need to rush? We need to kill insurgents, but do we need to rush to clear these IEDs?"
The pressure pushes down and it seems all that’s left is to advance despite the cost.
At Panjshir the enemy have successfully adapted their tactics to defeat our capabilities. The soldiers know this but they still persist. They are in a bad place; it is the gap between the time when their tactics have been defeated and when they are discarded. Call it the gap of known futility.
Which is to say: they keep going, even if their ideas have become the wrong ideas. Maybe that’s just how things are on the front lines, down in the nightmare.
Email the writer at: aday@legion.ca
Email a letter to the editor at: letters@legionmagazine.com
http://legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2011/01/assignment-afghanistan-go-down-nightmare/
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Urban warfare scenarios difficult for soldiers
Aug 23, 2013 |
Urban warfare scenarios difficult for soldiers
Chris Fell Photo
Troops approaching the building during a fire fight.
Meaford Express
ByChris Fell
One of the most dangerous scenarios a Canadian soldier can face is entering an urban area that could be filled with both hostile and friendly residents.
Canadian reservists in Meaford this week for Operation Stalwart Guardian were practicing urban scenarios at 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford.
The military base has a cluster of buildings used for training for urban scenarios.
On Tuesday, August 20 regular and reserve soldiers participating in Stalwart Guardian conducted several drills at the training facility.
At the urban training site multiple soldiers - dressed in civilian clothes - were playing the roles of local citizens. The small "town" set up included a café, church, auto body shop, Mayor's office and some homes.
Canadian forces entered the town to conduct a search for a possible weapons cache. Some of the residents were friendly to Canadian troops, but there were also suspected hostiles in the village.
The exercise includes scripts written by training officers for the "civilians" to use while encountering Canadian troops.
The drill is designed to force young platoon commanders to engage with the local population, speak to the Mayor, gather information about the village and clear the town of hostiles if necessary.
A platoon of Canadian soldiers entered the town, gathered information and quickly surrounded a house where a suspected bomb maker and his assistant were hiding. Attempts to communicate with the house were unsuccessful and Canadian soldiers entered the building forcefully.
That's when a firefight broke out.
All the soldiers involved in the drill wear precision laser equipment that simulates a live fire mission. During the firefight several troops were "hit" and the equipment told them if the shot from the enemy killed them, wounded them or was a near miss.
A few minutes after the firefight started Canadian troops swarmed into the building and cleared the entire structure after engaging the enemy. The drill was a costly one, as several "casualties" lay on the ground outside the building at its conclusion.
The entire drill happened under the watchful eye of the observers from the Canadian Maneuver Training Centre in Alberta. The observers graded the performance of the platoon and debriefed the troops afterwards.
Reserve soldier Lt. Cale Zavitz was the platoon commander during the drill. Unfortunately, during the exercise he was hit by a kill shot and was down.
"Overall it was a success. We had heavier opposition than expected and we had some casualties. But the mission was a success," he said. "We didn't know where the fire was coming from when we were 'killed'," he explains.
Lt. Zavitz is a reserve soldier and is a University of Toronto medical student. He says his experience in the reserves has been outstanding.
"It's the greatest leadership training you can get for the rest of your life," he said.
Reporters covering the drill watched about 40 minutes of action. However, the actual exercise took several hours to conduct.
Lt. Zavitz said his unit spent approximately nine hours preparing for the scenario.
"We spent about seven hours on procedure and two hours on the exercise. Every troop has to know exactly what's going on," he said.
http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/4046509-urban-warfare-scenarios-difficult-for-soldiers/
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press release
Aug. 23, 2013, 8:31 a.m. EDT
NORAD and Russian Federation Air Force to Participate in Joint Military Exercise VIGILANT EAGLE 13
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, COLORADO, Aug 23, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Russian Federation Air Force (RFAF) will conduct their third cooperative live-fly air defense exercise from August 26-30, 2013 over the Bering Sea.
The exercise, named Vigilant Eagle, began as a jointly pursued initiative between the United States and Russia to improve cooperation and response to a hijacking scenario involving commercial aircraft and involves RFAF, Royal Canadian Air Force and U.S. military personnel and aircraft operating in Russia and the United States.
This year's exercise will consist of aircraft simulating two international flights: one originating in Alaska and traveling into Russian airspace, followed by one originating in Russia and traveling into U.S. airspace.
In the exercise scenario, a foreign flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight has been seized by terrorists and is not responding to communications. This situation will require both the RFAF and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow the commercial carrier. The exercise will focus on the cooperative hand-off of the aircraft across boundaries by the participating nations.
The Vigilant Eagle exercise series has been conducted four times since its inception. It started in 2008 with a computer simulated exercise, followed by the first live-fly exercise in August 2010, which included interceptors, tankers and AWACS aircraft from both sides. This event marked a significant milestone in our continued cooperative efforts to keep our international boundaries safe. It was followed by another successful live-fly in 2011. In 2012, an additional computer simulated exercise was conducted at the request of the RFAF.
These exercises continue to foster the improved cooperation between the RFAF and NORAD in their ability to respond quickly to threats of air terrorism. Working side-by-side allows further opportunities for Russia, Canada and the U.S. to enhance their international partnership and to cooperatively detect, track, identify, intercept, and follow a simulated hijacked aircraft as it proceeds across international boundaries.
Note to editors: For additional information regarding this exercise in North America, please contact NORAD Public Affairs at 719-554-6889 or visit http://www.norad.mil.
Throughout the exercise, still imagery and video b-roll will be available for download from the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) at http://www.dvidshub.net/feature/VigilantEagle and Canadian Forces Combat Camera at http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca .
Contacts:
NORAD Public Affairs
719-554-6889
www.norad.mil
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Aug 23, 2013 |
It takes an army to support an army
It takes an army to support an army
Chris Fell Photo
Warrant Officer Turner tours reporters through the medical station set up for Operation Stalwart Guardian.
Meaford Express
ByChris Fell
For every soldier fighting in the field there are probably six or seven people behind the front lines providing essential support services to the troops.
Exercise Stalwart Guardian rolled into Meaford this week. A total of 1,400 regular and reserve troops participated in the massive training exercise.
Local reporters were given a close up glimpse of the exercise on Tuesday, August 20. Reporters had a chance to tour artillery and infantry units.
However, they were also given a behind the scenes look at the support troops that provide essential medical services, fix and maintain equipment and prepare food for the soldiers involved in the exercise.
Warrant Officer Turner gave the media a chance to see the front line medical station that would accompany any battle group into action.
WO Turner has been an advance care medic in the reserves for 13 years. During his day job he is a paramedic in Waterloo.
"It's the same kind of treatment you would get at the emergency room," he said of the medical station set up not far from the front lines. "We can be tactical if we have to be. If this was a real situation we'd be hidden in the bush and you wouldn't know we are here, but for this exercise we want everybody to know where we are," he said.
The front line medical station provides stabilization to wounded troops. It has defibrillator capability and can provide general triage. Medics are embedded with a fighting group and they bring casualties to a collection point, from where an ambulance transports the wounded troops to the medical station.
"It looks kind of austere, but it has the same capabilities as an ER department in a hospital," Turner explained. "We can have this unit set up in 10 or 15 minutes and then we flesh it out to make it more functional.
During Exercise Stalwart Guardian medical personnel were dealing with cases of dehydration, heat stress, sprains and knee and ankle injuries.
Next door to the medical centre is the "Flying Kitchen."
All meals for the troops participating in the training exercise were cooked in the "Flying Kitchen." It is a kitchen on wheels, fueled by propane from which a wide variety of meals are prepared. And nothing is deep fried! The unit does not have a fire suppression system.
Everybody has heard jokes about how bad the food is in the military, however, that is not the case in the Canadian Forces. Canadian troops are some of the best treated soldiers in the world in terms of what they eat.
On media day staff in the "Flying Kitchen" had prepared delicious chili dogs, pasta, potatoes and corn for lunch. The meal included plenty of fresh fruit, cold or hot drinks, a salad and multiple desserts.
For the soldiers in the field the fresh and hot food is a true moral boost during long hot days of hard work.
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Hyper-patriotic PM wears pride on his sleeve, chest, back …
Model citizens and a fashion statement: ‘CANADA’
by Emily Senger on Friday, August 23, 2013 5:17pm - 13 Comments
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WHAT IS THIS ?
On Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s annual tours of the North, like the one he undertook this week, photographers know to be quick with their cameras whenever Harper mounts an ATV or gets down on the ground to fire a .303 Lee Enfield rifle. Whatever the photo opportunity, though, one thing is constant—the big, blaring CANADA brand frequently emblazoned across his chest or back.
The patriotic clothing line, from the Bay’s Olympic Collection, has become a staple for Harper at events where his go-to sport jacket and open-collar shirt are still too formal. During his 2011 election campaign, Harper wore the jacket for many a stump speech and to photo-ops, sporting it as he posed with preschoolers and bowled with seniors.
Laureen Harper wears the Hudson’s Bay Olympic gear, too, and donned a red Canada jacket while boarding the plane bound for Hay River, Northwest Territories. In Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, she wore a white hoodie bearing the word ‘Canada’ in blue text as she was presented with a seal-skin purse this week.
GOD BLESS CANADA- and proud 2 be Canadians is cool
Prime Minister Stephen Harper shoots a .303 Lee Enfield rifle while taking part in demonstration from Canadian Rangers near the Artic community of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut on Tuesday, August 20, 2013. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
1 of 12 Photos
When it comes to world leaders, the Harpers seem to be alone in their overtly patriotic apparel. We don’t see U.S. President Barack Obama wearing a jacket emblazoned with a screaming bald eagle against a backdrop of stars and stripes (though, we wish he would). Instead, The U.S. president is known to clip a stars-and-stripes pin to his suit lapel. Likewise, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron keeps his sartorial patriotism subtle, and has been spotted wearing Union Jack cufflinks.
But really, what’s not to like about the Canada jacket? Harper’s version is a basic black, and the jacket itself connotes the national pride that swelled in Canada during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. If past behaviour is any predictor, we can expect to see Stephen Harper’s Canada jacket, and Laureen Harper’s Canada gear, make at least a few more public appearances in the months, and years, to come
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/08/23/stephen-harper-wears-his-pride-on-his-sleeve/
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2e Division du Canada / 2nd Canadian Division
Expo Québec – Le Caporal-chef Caroline Létourneau, de la 5e Ambulance de campagne du Canada, invite Mme Chantal Lortie (à gauche), Mme Josée Langlois et leurs enfants à visiter le poste de soins dentaires mobile. // Master Corporal Caroline Letourneau, of the 5th Field Ambulance Canada, invites Ms. Chantal Lortie (left) and Ms. Josée Langlois and their children to visit the mobile dental station.
Photo: Cplc Simon Duchesne, QG 2 Div CA
La 5e Ambulance de campagne (5 Amb de C) est une unité affiliée au 5e GBMC. Cette Compagnie médicale assure la puissance de combat en assurant d’excellents soins de santé et des évacuations promptes, en campagne et en garnison. Vous pourrez visiter un bison ambulance et un VLMR dentaire. //
The 5th Field Ambulance (5 Fd Amb) is an affiliate unit of the 5 CMBG. This Medical Company provides combat power by ensuring excellent care and prompt evacuation in the field and on garrison. You can visit a bison ambulance and a dental MLVW.
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God bless our Sons and Daughters wearing our flags and bringing honour 2 our nation
Training and mentoring in Africa
Updated 21 hours ago
Nine personnel from the Canadian Army completed their participation in the U.S.-led Exercise AFRICA ENDEAVOR, held this August in Zambia.
Exercise AFRICA ENDEAVOR is Africa Command's annual 10-day communications exercise, focusing on interoperability and information sharing among African partners.
Participants from various African, North American and European nations attended this training exercise, where Canadian Army members acted as training mentors, exercise observers and controllers.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.484814294943887.1073741883.230798677012118&type=3
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DC Comics to launch Justice League Canada in 2014
Justice League America is preparing for a northward migration, to be written by Toronto's Jeff Lemire, as DC will announce Friday at Fan Expo Canada.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2013/08/23/dc_comics_to_launch_justice_league_canada_in_2014.html
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Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Black Ribbon Day
August 23, 2013
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark Black Ribbon Day, the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe:
"Today, we pay tribute to the memory of the victims who suffered or lost their lives through unspeakable acts under Communist and Totalitarian regimes. We also express profound solidarity with the survivors and descendants.
"Canada has long been a beacon of hope and freedom for those escaping tyranny and oppression. Our country continues to be a land of promise for immigrants and refugees seeking peace, security, freedom, justice and respect.
"Black Ribbon Day marks the shameful anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Communist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, which directly led to the occupation of numerous European countries and to the slaughter and oppression of their citizens. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting democracy and freedom, and of educating current and future generations about the crimes against humanity that occurred during the darkest chapter of human history.
"As we mark this day in remembrance of the victims of Communist and Nazi tyranny, I encourage all Canadians to be mindful of the importance of the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law that we hold so dear here in Canada. We must never take them for granted.
________________________________________
Operation NANOOK 2013 / Opération Nanook 2013
By Joint Task Force (North)
112 photos
More than 1 000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel will take part in Operation NANOOK 13, the premier annual CAF operation held in Canada's North, from August 2 to 23. Operation NANOOK showcases CAF personnel working in close partnership with many federal, territorial, and municipal agencies in a collaborative whole-of-government approach.
Plus de 1 000 militaires des Forces armées canadiennes (FAC) prendront part à l’opération Nanook 2013, l’opération annuelle des FAC la plus importante à être menée dans le Nord du Canada du 2 au 23 août. L’opération Nanook met en valeur le travail effectué par les FAC en étroite collaboration avec des organismes fédéraux, territoriaux et municipaux, en utilisant une approche pangouvernementale axée sur la collaboration.
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Monument to honour soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Northwest Bureau
Friday, August 23, 2013 - 08:00
in News
The Thunder Bay Military History Society is to unveil a monument Sept. 14 in Waverley Park, honouring the memory of three local soldiers killed in the NATO campaign in Afghanistan.
Society chairman Ken MacAskill said Thursday that the monument dedication and unveiling will take place at 11 a.m.
Following the unveiling, the program will move to the Officers’ Mess in the Armoury where memorial toasts will be presented followed by light refreshments.
It is expected that the local military will perform the dedication service, but citizens of Thunder Bay as well as veterans and friends are encouraged to attend and pay their respects to the three men and show support for the surviving family members, said MacAskill.
The soldiers to be honoured are:
• Pte. Josh Klukie, 23, a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based at CFB Petawawa, died Sept. 29, 2006 after triggering what may have been an improvised explosive device on a road in Afghanistan’s Panjwaii district.
• Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca, 21, a reservist with the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, was killed July 9, 2006, as Canadian military and Afghan security forces were pushing through an area west of Kandahar City that had been a hotbed of Taliban activity.
• Pte. Robert Costall, 22, was killed March 28, 2006 in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in the desert north of Kandahar. Costall was a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. An American inquiry, made public in the summer of 2007, determined Costall was killed by friendly fire.
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Arctic tour: Franklin’s ships and vintage rifles highlight visit to Nunavut
Stephen Harper toured the Coast Guard light icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier and was briefed on the latest joint efforts of Parks Canada, Coast Guard and the Nunavut government to track Sir John Franklin’s ships.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper shoots a .303 Lee-Enfield rifle while taking part in a demonstration by the Canadian Rangers near Gjoa Haven, Nunavut on Tuesday. The army has been trying to replace the Lee Enfields for years because there are so few manufacturers left who make spare parts for the rifles.
By: Tonda MacCharles Ottawa Bureau reporter,
GJOA HAVEN, NUNAVUT—It’s one of the greatest mysteries of Canada’s North. What happened to the doomed ships of Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition to the Arctic.
"The modern age abhors a mystery," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Mysteries must be resolved."
In his last stop here, Harper toured the decks of the Coast Guard light icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier and was briefed on the latest joint efforts of Parks Canada, Coast Guard and the Nunavut government to track Franklins’ ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus.
Harper said while it is a "very small program at the federal level," it’s important because it’s a part of Canadian heritage — "history that makes Canada."
Photos View galleryPrime Minister Stephen Harper (left) roasts a hotdog with members of the Canadian Rangers at a camp near the Arctic community of Gjoa Haven on Tuesday night.zoom
Harper said the fate of Franklin — during the golden age of polar exploration in the 1800s — and the 128 other sailors aboard fascinates "actually because it was a failure."
"It’s been the search for Franklin that has been the real voyage of discovery," he said. And now the race is once again on during the short Arctic summer to find it. For five years, Parks Canada and a range of federal agencies and other partners have sounded the depths of cold ocean waters for any clues.
The ships were Royal British navy three-masted sailing vessels but carried early massive steam engines, which might be found — the best bet to track the wrecks’ location.
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Raw Video: Stephen Harper gets hugs from N.W.T. kids
PM says Parliament will be prorogued ahead of throne speech
Sen. James Cowan calls Wallin audit findings 'disturbing'
Committee reviewing Sen. Pamela Wallin's audit
The spoils of any discovery would be shared under a bilateral agreement with Britain, as it was the British navy that launched the original expedition, and dispatched two of their state of the art sailing ships to map the Arctic archipelago.
So far, no luck.
But it was a photo op that capped a day that cheered Harper and allowed him to show, once again, his efforts to stake Canada’s sovereignty over the North.
Earlier he was welcomed in the community of Gjoa Haven by enthusiastic dancers and singers.
But it was his foray with the Canadian Rangers that seemed to thrill the prime minister the most. He was made an honorary Ranger and given a red hoodie which he promptly donned.
Junior and senior Rangers were ramrod straight when they met Harper at the airport, but laughing and at ease demonstrating their ways of surviving on the unforgiving Arctic tundra.
The prime minister and newly minted Defence Minister Rob Nicholson tried their hand at shooting the Rangers’ vintage .303 Lee-Enfield rifles, in use by the aboriginal reservists since 1947. Despite their age, the guns work in brutal weather conditions and can stop a polar bear. Often Rangers, paid on a part-time basis, hunt with their government-issue weapons, providing food for people in their community.
Harper had earlier insisted there was no problem getting parts for the antique guns, which were due to be replaced "but this is a concern and we believe it is time," he said. "I expect that to happen over the next few years."
Harper and his wife Laureen all-terrain vehicles about an hour to get to the patrol camp, set up as part of Operation Nanook, the Canadian Forces annual military exercises in the North.
Harper has been a champion of the Rangers as guardians of Arctic sovereignty and the military’s eyes and ears in the North since he came to power. In 2007 he promised to boost their ranks by 900.
On Wednesday, after Harper spent the night camping in a tent on a military cot with his wife, and temperatures dropped to -1C, he celebrated a promise kept by bringing the 5,000th Ranger to be hired to Gjoa Haven as part of Operation Nanook exercises.
Pte. Nigel Nakoolak, of Coral Harbour, Nunavut, was a trophy for Harper to emphasize his government’s record, and to highlight his efforts to boost Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. It’s all part of his "use it or lose it" approach, but the tough talk and rhetorical emphasis on the military has been diminished since Harper began his annual trek north each summer.
This year, it’s all about "responsible" resource development on his eighth northern tour, which has been as carefully choreographed as an international visit would be in the nation’s capital.
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WOUNDED WARRIORS- THE SOUTH POLE CHALLENGE- 2013
WWTW South Pole Allied Challenge Launch 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viREfz5ysps
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Introducing the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dWYlgl_6x4
Published on May 20, 2013
PepperBelly brings you a unique video unrelated to gaming in any way. Created by the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), showcasing the units capabilities which is very, very rare to see. Taken from the CANSOFCOM website located here - http://www.cansofcom.forces.gc.ca/vid... which has the video, along with more information about the units in CANSOFCOM.
The video portrays units from the Canadian Special Forces, such as the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR), Joint Task Force 2 (JTF-2), and the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU
Video: Special Operations Forces
The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence and General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff observe more than 1 000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel participating in Operation NANOOK 13, the premier annual CAF operation held in Canada's North, from August 2 to 23. Operation NANOOK showcases CAF personnel working in close partnership with many federal, territorial, and municipal agencies in a collaborative whole-of-government approach.
An RCAF Search and Rescue Technician (left) and Flight Engineer observe a boat from the rescue door of a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter during a medevac of a fisher experiencing possible medical distress, Sunday evening, August 11, 2013.
Left to right: CWO Jules Moreau, Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre; Mike Kristjanson, a representative of Natural Resources Canada; Tabitha Mullin, Mayor of Resolute Bay; and Major-General Steve Bowes, Commander of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, cut a ribbon to officially open the Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Centre in Resolute Bay, Nunavut during a ceremony on 15 August, 2013. Photo by WO Mark Irvine, Canadian Army Public Affairs
Members of the Arctic Response Company Group return to Task Force Cornwallis Island Headquarters in Resolute Bay, Nunavut after completing an investigation with Environment Canada on 13 August 2013. Photo by: Corporal Dan Strohan, 8 Wing Imaging Trenton.
On Wednesday August 7th 2013, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence, announces infrastructure improvements for the Seaforth Armoury, and construction of the new Jericho Headquarters Building for 39 Canadian Brigade Group.
A member of Wildland Fire Management of Yukon and His Excellency David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, talk about forest fires in the area during Operation NANOOK 2013 in Carmacks, Yukon on August 6, 2013.
Ranger Bob Mantel, (left) Whitehorse Patrol, Ranger Sergeant Al Parker (centre) and Ranger Art Birss, (right) both members of Carmacks Patrol, 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, afix and prepare to erect the Ranger flag in preparation for and support of OPERATION NANOOK 2013 in Whitehorse, Yukon, on 04 August 2013. Photo by: Sergeant Vaughan Lightowler, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
The new Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson stands while receiving his parade salute during the Canadian Army Change of Command from Lieutenant-General (LGen) Peter Devlin CMM, MSC, CD to LGen Marquis Hainse CMM, MSC, CD on 18 July 2013 at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario.
Sentry guards, Master Corporal Douglas Laydon, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment Petawawa (left) and Corporal Judy Lai, Royal Canadian Dragoons Petawawa, stand guard in front of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France during a wreath laying ceremony held on the July 13, 2013. Photo: Corporal Anthony Laviolette, CFSU(O) Imaging Services
Commander Royal Canadian Air Force, Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin views the plaques of the fallen during the unveiling of the Afghanistan Memorial Vigil on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario July 8, 2013. Photo: Sergeant Matthew McGregor, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
Calgary, Alberta - Canadian Forces Chief of Defence Staff General Thomas J. Lawson and Canadian Forces Chief Warrant officer Kevin West pose with some members of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) atop a Leopard 2A4M one of the Military Displays at the 2013 Calgary Stampede. Photo: Master Corporal David L. McVeigh CAPA (Canadian Army Public Affairs).
Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson (right) and Commander Joint Task Force Nijmegen, Brigadier-General Kevin Cotten, Project Leader Military Personnel Management Capability Transformation inspect the Nijmegen contingent during Nijmegen send off parade held at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario on July 3, 2013. Photo: Corporal Anthony Laviolette, CFSU(O) Imaging Services
Members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and citizens pile sandbags to create a retaining wall around the city's water treatment facility during Operation LENTUS in Medicine Hat, Alberta on June 23, 2013. [High resolution picture] Photo: MCpl Patrick Blanchard
Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Kingston sails into the fjord of the Saguenay River 21 Jun, before docking at the Old Port of Chicoutimi for the weekend.
General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff (centre) presides over the Royal Canadian Navy Change of Command signing ceremony in Ottawa on June 20, 2013. Vice Admiral Mark Norman (left) assumed the duties of Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from Vice Admiral Paul Maddison (right) in a formal ceremony attended by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence.
On Friday March 29, 2013, Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Toronto successfully disrupted a massive narcotics shipment in the Indian Ocean as part of counter-terrorism operations.
Video: Special Operations Forces
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Molson Canadian | The Beer Fridge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gper3YkzMg
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GOD BLESS OUR MILITARY, MILITIA, RESERVISTS, RANGERS OF THE NORTH AND CADETS- we love ya
Life In The Canadian Forces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRhtwyzoCYM
comment:
They go to wars and protect our National Security and help prevent assault and rape of innocent civilians. They do alot of good things. They dont just go in there and kill. We have units that actually help communities build civilization with houses, businesses etc...
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THANKS RUSSIA 4 THE SHARE.... and respecting our troops like we respect yours :-)
????????? ?????? ? ??????????? Canadian troops in Afghanistan (Russian and Canadian translat.)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eyiIun4RNt0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyiIun4RNt0&feature=share
http://youtu.be/eyiIun4RNt0
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Heaven was needing a hero (Hommage Canadien 2012 Canadian Tribute)-Jo Dee Messina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAQzp3mOBgw
CANADA MILITARY- June 29- Thank u 4 serving our Canada and Nato and Afghanistan- God bless
Heaven was needing a hero (Hommage Canadien 2012 Canadian Tribute)-Jo Dee Messina
Un montage de photos en hommage à nos Soldats Canadiens décédé en service pour défendre notre pays et notre liberté.
A photos montage tribute to our Canadian Fallen Soldiers who died while serving our country and protect our freedom.
Merci à vous.
Thanks to you.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RAQzp3mOBgw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://youtu.be/RAQzp3mOBgw
Un montage de photos en hommage à nos Soldats Canadiens décédé en service pour défendre notre pays et notre liberté.
A photos montage tribute to our Canadian Fallen Soldiers who died while serving our country and protect our freedom.
Merci à vous.
Thanks to you.
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CANADA- SYRIA
comment:
Your comment Matty... shows us Canada can obviously walk the talk... BUT..
Oh Matthew- love u all so much and just sick 2 death of muslims killing muslims in that hard part of the world- don't cha think it's time we started fixing our own.... and let the hard part of the world with their NewAgeNazi Muslim killers of innocent Muslims- clean up their own mess.... frankly, so many of us have walked the talk over 12 years... and we're mighty tired.... so how are Nato troops feeling with the politicians and UN crapshoots who change their minds more than kids choosing penny candy... imho... love u baby... but God we want some healing time and the Muslim world must fix this horror they have all created .... seriously.... imho
mathew's comment:
Matthew Worth "While France, Britain and the U.S. appear to be readying for a potential military offensive against the Syrian government, Canada has resisted offering more than humanitarian help. But if that changes, here's what the Armed Forces could theoretically contribute:
HMCS Toronto, a navy frigate, is in the Gulf of Oman but could travel to the Mediterranean in several days. Its Harpoon missiles, normally for ship to ship combat, can be fired against shore targets.
C-17 transport aircraft — of which Canada has four, based at CFB Trenton in Ontario — could be used to ferry weapons and fuel to staging bases.
CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft, used in the Libya mission, have top-notch radar and surveillance capabilities to help ID potential targets.
The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit, a little-known special ops force, is trained specifically to capture and remove nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
JTF2, the military's elite counter-terrorism force, and other CANSOFCOM elements could help pinpoint targets from the ground.
FACEBOOK:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/08/27/syria-chemical-weapons-obama-harper-lawson-response.html
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REMEMBER RWANDA- and our hero- Romeo Dallaire- Shake Hands With The Devil- and what was done 2 him by Jean Chretien's government and United Nations and the world's media- 100 days of silence which cost 800,000 lives of the beautiful people of Rwanda- Dallaire 2da is called Rwanda's Saviour and rightfully so..... read his book and he heartache and hardship of PTSD AND THE BETRAYAL OF UR NATIONS- no more peacekeeping rules of engagement ever again.... we defend peace now- not stand by and watch 800,000 people slaughtered helplessly.... God bless our troops and let's step up 4 PTSD and Suicides and families and wounded ensureing $$$ and homes 4 heroes 4 ever is our motto-
Uncle Harold said in WWII- the promise was homes 4 our heroes..... instead they got put in heroes homes that rats wouldn't live in.... we remember... God bless..
- Watch the movie.... read the book- SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL- the real story of Peacekeeping betrayal by United Nations and global media of our beloved keepers of the peace...
Canadian corporal creates online forum for soldiers with PTSD
Angela Mulholland, CTVNews.ca
Last Updated Tuesday, August 27, 2013 11:45PM EDT
Soldiers who have seen combat are at a much higher risk than those who haven’t to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness. It can be a recipe for isolation and depression. But a Canadian soldier is gaining international attention for finding a way to reach military personnel who are quietly suffering.
Almost two years ago, Cpl. Chris Dupee of Barrie, Ont. released a gritty, personal video in which he opened up about his PTSD and mental anguish that began after serving in Afghanistan. The video seemed to strike a chord with other soldiers, receiving 1,000 hits in just one day.
"It changed my life, that one video," says Dupee.
Soldier reaches out to soldiers with PTSD
Cpl. Chris Dupee, founder of Military Minds, speaks to CTV News in Barrie, Ont.
Opening the door on PTSD (Military Minds website)
"I couldn't believe people were listening to me… I thought I was alone, that I was the only one having these thoughts," he says. "It was just a comfort (to realize) I am not alone. It lifts a whole burden off the shoulders."
Dupee served with the Royal Canadian Regiment from Petawawa, Ont. and was an LAV gunner in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009, before joining the Joint Personnel Support Unit in 2009, the Canadian Forces arm that coordinates mental health treatment.
His video turned out to be the beginning of a website he dubbed Military Minds. The site has become a forum for soldiers, veterans and their spouses to talk freely with other soldiers and vets about their mental suffering -- something that’s still considered taboo in the macho culture of the military. It’s also a connection point where soldiers and veterans can learn about where to find mental health help.
In the two years since its inception, the Military Minds’ Facebook page has amassed 60,000 followers in Canada, U.S. the U.K., Australia and 16 other countries. Like Dupee, many of the soldiers and vets have released their own online videos, documenting the horrors they witnessed.
Dupee has also launched another site for active soldiers who want to keep their identities and their comments private. And he’s been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Fellow soldier Mike Collins, who served 14 years in the army including a stint in Bosnia-Herzegovina, says he came forward for help after seeing Dupee’s first video.
"My immediate reaction was, 'Wow, that guy has a tremendous amount of strength and fortitude… to come out publicly and say he is struggling with mental health'," says Collins.
"Suddenly it was okay for me to talk about because someone else had talked about it first and I said, 'Yeah, you know what, I am struggling as well," he said.
It is shame and stigma that prevents so many from seeking help, says Dupee.
"Service members will keep everything inside, but when it starts to leak out, that's when you start seeing them drinking, doing drugs," he says.
Without help, suicide can be the tragic outcome.
"I know for a fact firsthand that we (Military Minds) have saved lives," he says.
Dupee’s aim is to shatter the silence that surrounds mental illness in the military. He plans to get the message out to reach more soldiers and their families, connecting them with agencies that can help.
"Letting as many people know we are out there… that's the biggest goal," says Dupee.
With a report from CTV medical producer Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canadian-corporal-creates-online-forum-for-soldiers-with-ptsd-1.1429445
comment:
This gentleman is once again showing us all how our finest Sons and Daughters are. There is great strength in asking for help for this affliction, not shame. Godspeed and Thank you Sir for your service.
comment;
Thank you for all that you do for the members and for Military Minds Spouses as well :)
comment:
We have family going through the same problems after tours in Afghanistan,Bosnia and Kosovo. The armed forces and the government want to give you a pittance as a payoff and hopes that you will go away silently. Get together and file a class action suit. Then, they will pay attention. The government prefers to deal with you guys one at a time without you having legal backup and advice. Don't let it happen. They give billions to the same countries who would kill us yet have no money for our own. Make them look after you. You deserve nothing less
comment:
As a proud Canadian, I am excited to learn that Canadian Veterans are finally able to open up and talk about their experiences. What you have done is nothing short of superb. I hope that every veteran gets to see this and hopefully get the help they may need. But as we all know, many other canadians suffer from PTSD in other forms such as child abuse, rape, assault, etc. Maybe this site can help people in those situations too. Thank you for bringing out what is so importantly necessary for Vets to come home to.
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IN CANADA IT'S ALWAYS BEEN CATHOLICS VERSUS PROTESTANTS..... 4-EVA..... France and England..... God bless Canada
When the Canadian Forces Used to Recruit Minorities
Posted: 08/27/2013 12:13 pm
Rachel Décoste.
There was a time when our Canadian Forces fought under the British Flag -- before Canada had its own flag, its own constitution, and its own uniquely-defined identity.
The Canadian Forces were mainly unilingual extensions of the British forces. They were even named as such: "Royal Canadian Navy" and "Royal Canadian Air Force" were clear references to one of the "two founding races".
There was a demographic forming 28 per cent of the Canadian population, which was said not to fit into the traditional military mould. They were seen as too "different", too "rebellious", too contrary to ever enter the fold of the military elite.
They were French-Canadians.
1914: WORLD WAR ONE
At the time of World War I, when French-Canadians where targeted by repressive laws, when their culture was denigrated, when their language was greeted like the plague, they were systematically kept out of all but a few lower ranking military units in the Land Forces.
The continuing colonial chokehold aggravated the cultural rift.
French-Canadians had every reason to distrust the British-lead Canadian Forces. Few French-Canadians had rallied to the British imperialism that had caused the South African War. For Henri Bourassa, a Quebec leader and defender, the "Great War" was no different from the Boer War: the British Government's motives were just as imperialistic, and no one could deny that the Brits treated Canada as a mere colony.
Then-Defence Minister Hughes wanted to make the rebellious French Canadians, who insisted on being different from other people, come to their senses. They had to become "plain Canadians" or become extinct. PM Robert Borden was more tactful: he appealed to their sense of duty through the intermediary of the Catholic Church.
Through this successful recruitment tactic, the legendary 22nd Battalion (the "Royal Van-Dooze") was formed in 1914, thus embracing the diversity that brought the Quebecers. French-Canadians raised 14 additional infantry battalions from 1915 to 1916, attracting Eastern-Ontarians, Acadians, French-speaking Western Canadians and Quebecers. French-speaking brigades consisted of Francophone units, but English was the language of command and administration... and the language of higher ranks. Of the 126 generals who served Canada during WWI, only four of them were French-Canadian.
1939: WORLD WAR TWO
For World War II, the cultural imbalance in Canadian troops barely budged. There was no structure or will to welcome Francophone recruits and train them, in French, into artillerymen, sailors or airmen. Post war, a series of studies on the treatment the three branches accorded to Francophones were commissioned. The findings were news to exactly no one. Anyone who spoke only French could envision no serious career in the Forces.
It wasn't until 1958 that J. Mackay Hitsman of the Army's Directorate of History wrote a study on the "problem" of French-Canadian representation in the Canadian Army. Hitsman addressed Francophone representation, the committee to Study "bilingual problems," the formation of new French-speaking units, the translation of battle honours, among other common claims. He cited General Guy Simonds' words: "We have gone as far as it is practicable to go in meeting the desires of French-speaking Canadians."
In the 1950s, feeble efforts were made to improve conditions for Francophones in the land army. The changes implemented were short-sighted, made without conviction, and amounted to very little.
1960: CONFLICT IN THE CONGO
When trouble broke out in the Belgian Congo, the Congolese asked the United Nations for help. The Government of Canada agreed to lend a hand. Canada was given an opportunity to shine on the global stage because our troops spoke the local language -- French. The collective consciousness of the Canadian public was raised: bilingualism wasn't a burden -- it was a boon. The military's unilingual policy no longer corresponded with the international outlook of a nation striving to come out from under the shadow of colonial Britain.
1964: INTEGRATION EFFORTS
From the mid-sixties onward, the Forces took a serious look at the place Francophones could occupy in the Canadian Forces. Successive Defence Ministers from 1964 to 1970 sought to improve the lot of Francophones, making it a priority issue. The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jean Allard, advanced on all fronts: setting ambitious objectives, creating more French-language units. The colonial "royal" designation was removed from the mostly-unilingual branches. The new names, Canadian "Maritime Command" and "Air Command", were a strong signal for inclusiveness of all Canadians.
THE NEXT PHASE OF INTEGRATION
Today, Francophone Canadians have made strides in accessing all military branches and rising among the military ranks. The significant changes implemented in the 1970s bore fruit: one of which is the international reputation Canada garnered through the end of the 20th century. As new challenges emerge in this millennium, the Canadian Forces must also adapt and prepare. The battles of yesteryear are vastly different than the forthcoming conflicts. By giving up on visible minority recruitment targets, the Canadian Forces are missing a golden opportunity to leverage the unique skills and assets which these troops would lend to future international missions. In the past, dual language skills made our troops stand out. In the future, both language skills and cultural awareness will be invaluable assets in winning the hearts and minds of new allies overseas. The Canadian military successfully integrated what was considered a "different race and culture", French-Canadians, into the fold. And we are all better for it. It behoves a forward-thinking world-class military to rise again to this challenge.
* Read about the detailed history of Francophones in the Canadian military: French Canadians and Bilingualism in the Canadian Forces, Volume I, 1763-1969.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/rachel-decoste/canadian-forces-and-minorities_b_3821098.html
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Canada's training mission in Afghanistan nearing an end
By Matt Dykstra ,Edmonton Sun
Saturday, October 06, 2012 06:31 PM MDT
Edmonton-based Brig.-Gen. Christian Juneau Edmonton-based Brig.-Gen. Christian Juneau visits the Edmonton Sun on Wednesday.
Canadian soldiers were among the first to set combat boots on the ground in Afghanistan in October of 2001.
Around 40 Canadian commandos from the highly secretive JTF-2 anti-terrorism unit were deployed after Sept. 11, 2001, with British, U.S. and Australian special forces troops around Kandahar.
By January 2002, the Canadian contingent was built around the Edmonton-based 3 Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI), but included troops from almost every unit at the Edmonton Garrison.
Now, over 10 years and 158 casualties later, troops from the Land Force Western Area and Joint Task Force West (LFWA-JTFW) are preparing to land in the desert of Afghanistan one final time.
By the time Canada’s final contribution to the NATO-led training mission of the Afghan National Security Forces ends in early 2014, Western troops will have been the first ones into the war-torn nation and the last ones out.
"Afghanistan is over," explained Brig.-Gen Christian Juneau, the newly-appointed commander of Western Canada’s 15,000 regular soldiers and reservists.
While as many as 900 soldiers from battalions based in Shilo, Man. and some from Edmonton’s 3PPCLI company prepare to be Canada’s last deployment to Afghanistan in July 2013, Juneau is looking to the future of LFWA-JTFW.
"We’re out of the actual combat mission in Afghanistan," he said. "We still have some folks deploying to train the Afghan security forces next year, but what does that mean for training?"
"Because for the last 10 years we’ve focused on counter-insurgency operations and really, getting ready for this (soldiers withdrawing from Afghanistan)."
Lessons learned in cities like Kabul and Kandahar will be brought home and shared, said Juneau, with a key focus placed on strengthening the readiness of LFWA-JTFW’s forces.
By the summer of 2013, Western command will be responsible for assembling and maintaining a task force of almost 1,000 individual soldiers on guard and ready to defend Canada and her interests abroad.
"There’s no mission assigned at this point in time, but this is the ready force for the army," explained Juneau.
"If the Canadian government should decide we need a contribution with a combat capacity somewhere in the world, they pull the trigger on us."
The readiness doesn’t just apply to international operations either. Troops also need to be prepared for the possibility of a natural disaster anywhere from the B.C. coastline across the Canadian Shield to Manitoba.
In the event of a disastrous emergency, the goal is to be able to mobilize an immediate response unit of 350 soldiers in less than 24 hours, with a battalion group joining them within 72 hours.
"For us, it’s a no-fail mission," Juneau says with an air of absolute confidence. "If there’s a drought or forest fire and we’re asked to go out, that’s our number one priority and we have to be ready."
Part of the plan involves beefing up the forces’ aging vehicles and equipment with modern technology.
The entire fleet of Light Armoured Vehicle III’s will receive a much needed upgrade, with improved protection, mobility and lethality.
By 2015, hundreds of new tactical armoured patrol and close combat vehicles in the army’s family of land combat vehicles will arrive at Western Canada’s largest army bases, including the Edmonton Garrison.
Juneau has also placed a priority on troop retention and recruitment post-war in Afghanistan, especially in the reserve force.
"How do we keep young soldiers interested in joining the Canadian Forces?" Juneau asks.
"What we have to do is provide them with some exciting opportunities and what I mean by that is provide them with training that’s exciting, demanding, realistic and also has some cool stuff.
"Soldiers like to ride in helicopters. Soldiers like to go on training camps. For them, these are adventures."
Training adventures this year were heavily concentrated in Canada’s north. Exercise Arctic Ram — the largest and most complex northern training mission in history — wrapped up near Yellowknife in February and was followed by Operation Nanook in August.
Juneau said Albertans can expect the army to have a larger presence in the north moving forward, including involving the 120-man Arctic Response Company Groups that conduct winter operations. Some partially planned in Edmonton, Canada’s "gateway to the north."
Canada’s defence and the protection of the nation is always at the top of Juneau’s mind.
"This is our bread and butter. This is our core business. This is what the Canadian taxpayer is paying us for at the end of the day."
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/10/06/canadas-training-mission-in-afghanistan-nearing-an-end
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HUMOUR.... MIND U A FEW YEARS BACK... MILLIONS WATCHING THE BACKS OF OUR TROOPS WERE VERY ANGRY....
A Canadian female libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the Canadian government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. She demanded a response to her letter. She received back the following reply:
National Defense Headquarters
M Gen George R. Pearkes Bldg.,
15 NT 101 Colonel By Drive Ottawa , ON
K1A 0K2
Canada Dear Concerned Citizen,
Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces, who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here in Ottawa . You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Department of National Defense, to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short.
In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided, on a trial basis, to divert several terrorists and place them in homes of concerned citizens such as yourself, around the country, under those citizen's personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in Toronto next Monday.
Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is your detainee, and is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint. You will be pleased to know that we will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with your recommendations.
Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome those character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling, however, we strongly recommend that you hire some assistant caretakers.
Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless in your opinion, this might offend him. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills either in your home or wherever you choose to take him while helping him adjust to life in our country.
Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters except sexually, since he views females as a form of property, thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him.
You also should know that he has shown violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of 'respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter.
You take good care of Ahmed and remember that we will try to have a counselor available to help you over any difficulties you encounter while Ahmed is adjusting to Canadian culture.
Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. Good luck and God bless you.
Cordially,
Gordon O'Connor
Minister of National Defense
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Hackers tackle foreign aid data in Canada’s first international development hackathon
The Canadian International Development Agency started publishing aid data in IATI format in 2012 and government has said the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to publish quarterly spending in this format.
http://o.canada.com/2013/08/25/hackers-tackle-foreign-aid-data-in-canadas-first-international-development-hackathon/
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PLS.- NO NATO TROOP BLOOD WASTED ANYMORE ON MUSLIMS KILLING MUSLIMS ANYMORE 4 useless UN despots and thieves and oil- come on now.... 7 billion people in this world deserve better 2day- and so do our own nations everyday folks- NO MORE! LET THE POLITICIANS AND UN DESPOTS WALK THE TALK.... and our troops take care of all of us- thank u very much.... please.
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Aug 28- Muslims killing Muslims- Come on Canada- Leave Middle East, Persia, Africas, Asias clean up their own messes- let's fix Canada now- it's time- no more Canadian/Nato troops dying 4 oil
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/08/canada-military-news-aug-27-muslims.html
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Russia Revives The Canadian Army Trophy
August 29, 2013: In August 2013, the Russian Army held its first tank gunnery competition. Tank crews competed by performing actual tasks a tank crew would be called on to carry out in combat. The competition is held on a course that is 20 kilometers long and the winners are those who get through it the quickest. Each time a tank goes through it they are called on to halt when a target appears and fire one of their three weapons (main gun, machine-gun, or long range missile fired from main gun barrel). Each time a tank misses a target it must hustle through a 500 meter penalty loop. Part of the course is an obstacle course where crews are graded on time and accuracy (not hitting certain obstacles). The crews are ranked according to their scores and those that do the best are rewarded in one way or another.
Such competitions are costly, especially when they involve all similar units in the army, navy, or air force. But in the West such competitions were found to be worth the additional cost and effort. They are a big boost to morale as well because of the competitive element, and this is especially true for the teams (and the unit they are from) who win overall. Russia has picked up on this and has made these elaborate and expensive training/testing methods part of their military reforms.
It’s unclear if Russia is seeking to revive a Cold War era tank competition held among NATO tank crews. From 1963 to 1991, Canadian forces in Europe sponsored a tank gunnery competition for NATO troops stationed in Europe. The competition ceased because the Cold War ended and Canadian forces withdrew from Europe in 1993. The most frequent competitors were Canada, Belgium, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United States. The winner got to keep the Canadian Army Trophy until the next competition. The competition evolved over the years and its final format was very similar to the one the Russians are now using.
Russia has invited other nations to compete. This includes nations that used to be part of the Soviet Union as well as China and NATO countries. The U.S. was also invited to compete but that would be expensive (moving American tanks to Russia for the competition) and in these times of shrinking military budgets, not likely to happen. This is a disappointment to tanks crews worldwide, who have a keen interest in knowing which nation does indeed have the most skilled crews. Then again, the Russians might be tempted to cheat (using specially selected and trained "competition crews" instead of having all crews on active service competing to select the best ones for the international competition).
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Canadian Forces help kids battling cancer
St. Albert Leader
Kids who have fought a battle against cancer got to be a soldier for a day. The Kids with Cancer Society paired with the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia's ...
http://orzongtm.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/canadian-forces-help-kids-battling-cancer-?-st-albert-leader/
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