Emerson says 200 more Canadians may go to Afghanistan

This is from Canada.com.
"that troubled country"= that occupied country, occupied by us together with the other junior partners NATO and the UN all coming to the rescue of U.S. imperialism to advance the cause of the New American Century. Bush, Obama, Canadian Liberals and Conservatives all united in this noble cause of rescuing the so-called failed state. The Taliban failed state by the way was able to mostly solve the opium problem and was rewarded with a check for several million dollars by Colin Powell. Of course that was before the Taliban became the bad guys. It is difficult to keep these bad guys and good guys straight. The Taliban types were great guys when they were blowing up Soviet convoys and creating widows in the USSR but now they are creating widows in Canada, the UK, US, etc. they are terrorists. Sunday » July 27 » 2008
It sounds as if in return for the helicopters we agreed to send more cannon fodder as well. Don't expect the Liberals to say too much about this. Perhaps a few faint bleats.
How many reporters have linked the recent deficit with our increased military spending? There seems to be no consumer slowdown in demand for military equipment and spending.

Emerson says 200 more Canadians may go to Afghanistan

Graham Thomson
Canwest News Service
Saturday, July 26, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - About 200 additional Canadian troops could be headed for Afghanistan to accompany the helicopters that the Armed Forces plans to deploy to that troubled country, Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson said Saturday at the end of a whirlwind visit.
"Canada has had 2,500 troops here in Afghanistan; that number could expand to 2,700 as we put more equipment here in theatre," he said, alluding to helicopters due to arrive by February.
Emerson said the pressure is also on Canada's NATO allies to send more troops. There has been talk of the U.S. sending more troops as early as this fall.
"We've been talking with our NATO allies and, in fact, we do now have commitments to increase the number of troops, particularly in the Kandahar region," the minister said. "And we're feeling more comfortable now that the troop support is being increased in an appropriate way and we see more troops on the way over the next year."
In his first comprehensive examination of Canada's activities in Afghanistan since being named to his portfolio, Emerson acknowledged "some disappointing aspects to the security situation." But he also promised to unveil benchmarks within weeks to allow Canadians to decide for themselves whether progress is being made in the war-torn country.
Emerson arrived at Kandahar Airfield on a Canadian military aircraft at 2 a.m. Friday and flew to Kabul the following morning, before leaving the country Saturday afternoon.
Packed into his 40-hour agenda was a visit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and a helicopter trip to the dilapidated 60-year-old Dhala Dam near Kandahar City. As one of its "signature" projects, Canada has promised to refurbish the dam to improve irrigation for local farmers at a cost of $50 million over three years.
"That was a very, very important eye-opener for me because I was able to see a dam that is repairable," said Emerson who toured the dam casually wearing his body armour draped over one shoulder. "I was able to see the Arghandab River valley where the lush vegetation indicates to me there's just tremendous potential to drive agriculture and to create a real economic base that will be of great benefit to the people of this region."
After a major combat operation with the Afghan National Army, supported by Canadian troops, the region is now relatively quiet. However, the neighbouring districts of Zhari and Panjwaii continue to be the site of daily attacks by insurgents against civilians and the military. Two Canadian soldiers have died in the Panjwaii district this month alone.
"We've seen some disappointing aspects to the security situation," said Emerson. "On the other hand, all the briefings that I'm getting, both from our civilian people and our military people, are that we're not going backwards."
Progress forward, though, is slow in a country that is plagued by violence, corruption and grinding poverty where most people in rural areas have no electricity, potable water or access to health care.
"It's going to be a difficult situation for a long time to come," said Emerson who is chair of the federal cabinet committee on Afghanistan.
Due to the resilient nature of insurgents and a burgeoning opium trade, Canada recently lowered its expectations on what can be accomplished in the troubled country before the military mission ends in 2011. Instead of hoping to dramatically reduce the capabilities of the Taliban and cut the size of the drug trade, Canada is now focused on six moderate goals, including the delivery of humanitarian assistance, enhancing border security with Pakistan, and promoting law and order.
"What we hope is that we can ensure that Afghanistan becomes - or continues to be - a viable state," said Emerson, "(so) that developmental initiatives, that initiatives of a humanitarian nature, of an educational nature, can take root. And that the people of Afghanistan will be better off, will be healthier, and will have a more robust democracy over time."
To measure the effectiveness of Canadian efforts, the federal government will be unveiling its long-awaited mission benchmarks in August.
"We want numbers that tell us when we're doing things right. We want numbers and benchmarks that will tell us when we're doing things not so well," said Emerson. "We'll be rolling that out with some serious technical briefings over the next few weeks."
"The Taliban is not going to go away, in my opinion, not in the near term. And it will be something that will have to be managed with great care and vigour for a long time to come."gthomsonthejournal.canwest.com
Edmonton Journal
© Canwest News Service 2008

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