Afghan Mission: Tories accused of cover-up.

This is from the Star. It is a bit surprising that the governor himself would be involved in the torture but who knows he may enjoy it. Perhaps he is a General Dostum type. There are lots of violators of human rights in the Karzai government. There is a famous video The Convoy of Death that gives a good idea of the sort of thing that went on. The US knew about what was happening and were indirectly involved.



AFGHAN MISSION
TheStar.com Canada Tories accused of torture cover-up
Tories accused of torture cover-up
Canadians knew Kandahar governor played role, MP says
Feb 02, 2008 04:30 AM Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau Chief
OTTAWA–The Conservatives are facing fresh accusations of cover-up after revelations that the governor of Kandahar was involved in the torture of Afghan prisoners – information Ottawa tried to keep secret.
"The government covered up the most heinous allegations, the spectre of the governor of Kandahar torturing detainees, and the government of Canada, the Prime Minister of Canada knew about it for almost a year and kept it secret," Liberal MP Ralph Goodale (Regina-Wascana) said yesterday during question period.
"Surely, barbaric behaviour is not a matter of operational security."
Asadullah Khalid, the senior political official in Kandahar, beat and electrically shocked at least one prisoner, according to allegations in a written report prepared by Canadian officials who spoke to the detainee during a prison visit.
Tory cabinet ministers and even Canada's top general yesterday rose to the defence of Khalid, a key ally of the Canadians in southern Afghanistan.
The governor of Kandahar is doing "phenomenal work," said Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff.
"We have seen some incredible changes in the province, and if there is an issue of any kind of impropriety whatsoever that's an issue for the Afghanistan government," Hillier told reporters after a speech in Ottawa.
"Allegations are just that, allegations. Governor Asadullah has been doing some phenomenal work in Kandahar province."
But the revelations surrounding Khalid, who has met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and senior cabinet ministers during their Kandahar visits, mark another black eye for the Conservatives on the detainee issue.
Bob Rae, the Liberals' foreign affairs critic, called for an investigation into the "enormously troubling" allegations against Khalid.
But he also called on Ottawa to be more open with Canadians about the mission and warned that Harper's penchant for secrecy is undermining public support.
"They really don't get it. They really just don't understand that you cannot, in a democracy like Canada and the kind of conflict we have in Afghanistan, you cannot conduct this thing in secret," Rae said yesterday.
This recent furor comes a little more than a week after it was revealed that the military had secretly stopped transferring detainees to the Afghan authorities Nov. 6 after finding evidence of abuse.
But a spokesperson for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Agency says they weren't told of that decision by Canadian officials.
Farid Hamidi says his agency has learned that Canadians have arrested between 18 to 20 people since that time. He says he assumes the prisoners are being held at Kandahar Airfield.
Yesterday, Hillier defended the secrecy that surrounds the prisoners taken by Canadian troops. He said any details about the number of detainees would help the Taliban.
"They find it very difficult to ... look at our tactics and therefore make us more predictable to them," Hillier said.
"It causes the Taliban great difficulties. We're comfortable in it because we have a responsibility to our soldiers and to their families."
With files from Allan Woods and The Canadian Press