Unfortunately this opportunity was squandered. Once it appeared that the Taliban had been routed and the terrorist training facilities overrun, victory was declared, a sham government was installed and a token number of multinational troops was left behind to enforce the peace. It was a situation that cried out for long-term aid and direct involvement by the parties involved in assisting with the rebuilding of the country.
Unfortunately token involvement was all that was considered necessary and the new government was left to fend for itself in a country that had nothing and was being offered little. It only took a couple of years and the Taliban is now back as strong as ever, with the support and backing of people through out the countryside. Troops that were supposed to be overseeing the rebuilding of a country have all of a sudden found themselves in the midst of a full-scale guerrilla war.
When Canada became part of the multinational force involved with the invasion of Afghanistan it was with the understanding that the services of our troops would be best utilized in support positions. They would see some combat, but most of their work would really begin when the major hostilities were ended.
The training our troops have received for the last quarter century or more has been geared towards peacekeeping missions that involve trying to ensure that cease fires are obeyed and truces kept. It's highly specialized and dangerous work for which they have been recognized the world over as being some of the best men and women to place in those situations.
Canadians have had every reason to be proud of the men and women who have done this difficult work in some of the world's hot spots. The Golan Heights, Cyprus, Beirut, Rwanda, and Bosnia have all seen Canadian troops within the last twenty years in the blue hats of the United Nations. We have come to accept that casualties are part of the deal and we mourn each soldier lost as if they were members of our own family. Perhaps because of the rarity of the event we feel it that much more when one is lost, and their lives are not taken for granted or part of a parade of statistics.
For the first time since the Korean War a Canadian government has placed our troops into a full combat situation in a ground war. No one under the age of sixty or seventy in this country has ever experienced the reality of soldiers dying on a weekly basis, and casualties almost daily. It's not something we were prepared for, if you can ever be prepared for it, and we are not liking it.
Article comments
1 - sfontaine
I cannot begin to count the ways that this article has it wrong. Maybe by declaring that Canadians are trained for peacekeeping (as someone who has gone through the training, and will be doing so more in the future I can tell Mr. Marcus that the training is centered on killing the enemies of Canada first and foremost) or by declaring that our Defence Minister knows nothing of the soldiers in the field, or of service and duty (Minister O'Connor is a former Brigadier General in the Canadian Forces, starting off as a Lieutenant in the Armour Branch).
To debunk this entire flawed article would demand an article all itself, and this isn't coming from a partisan supporter of the war, but a Canadian who has found many right out factual faults with this article.
2 - Perry
ya know, having been in Afghanistan for two years you would think i could just ignore this type of journalism. I've been here as part of both the presidential and parliamentary elections, neither of which were 'shams'. The work of dedicated international staff with local counterparts and most importantly the people of Afghanistan made both elections possible while meeting international standards.
our military was never 'trained for peacekeeping', our soldiers are trained to kill and fight wars, always have been. they are doing lots of killing right now so that development and infrastructure building can proceed safely. how else can that happen but with a secure stable environment? (you must have really cringed when i said 'killing'..)
try coming here to get an idea of what is really happening and then you might have something interesting to write. as a proud ex-soldier, i am here contributing to a better Afghanistan for the sake of the good people here and for the safety of all Canadians, you should try it sometime.
3 - SphinxMontreal
Funn how not one Canadian politician has explained to the public what exactly it is that Canadian troops are doing in Afghanistan. Yeah, they all use the feel good catch phrases like protecting democracy and buliding a better world, but this provides no specific information.
This article sheds some light on a multibillion dollar industry in Afghanistan that may play a role in what is going on there globalresearch.ca
4 - Kel
I have to agree with the first 2 post, I am not sure where Mr. Marcus get's his facts but I think most Canadians back this mission. I am far from a Conservative supporter but on this issue I do back them. Canada is apart of NATO and this is a NATO mission, and for anyone that calls for us to pull our troops out is crazy. Instead of showing no support it's time that all show them the support they need to help them finish this mission. When family's of the fallen soldiers public say that their son/daughter knew full well what their mission was and ask the rest of Canada to support the troops only goes to show that it is people such as yourself that dis-respect the rest. When you write your next article it should be what your views are not what you think the rest of us are thinking.