Main website’s on the fritz, so I’m sharing some Canadian military news tidbits that catch my eye here – enjoy!
- CBC’s Brian Stewart asks a vital question: “With our exit in sight, how will we honour those who served?”
- If one believes in reading tea leaves about Canada’s future mission in Afghanistan, Canada’s Ambassador to AFG drops by a northern AFG training centre (with no reference of any any Canadians working there). Also note all the other police-y stuff on Canada’s AFG page this week:
– “Questions from a Seventh Grader” (answered by a police Sgt in AFG)
– “My Experience at a Forward Operating Base” (Attributed to an RCMP constable)
– “Chiefs of Police Get the Scoop on Canada’s Civilian Policing in Afghanistan.”
Whatever could it all mean? - Canada’s outgoing Commander-in-Chief announces bravery awards from action in Afghanistan , shortly before the new Commander-in-Chief is sworn in in Ottawa (text of his installation speech here).
- In Afghanistan, Canada’s TF Commander tells reporters the troops are “gaining momentum” in a push under way in Kandahar.
- Postmedia News’ Matt Fisher looks at Canada’s recent casualty stats: “While NATO has already suffered its worst year for deaths in Afghanistan, Canada’s fatality rate has dropped more than 40 per cent, according to calculations by Postmedia News. An analysis derived from statistics kept by iCasualties.org and other sources shows 14 Canadians have died so far this year, compared to 25 during the first nine months of last year, with the rate of decline accelerating throughout the so-called summer fighting season. Over the past four months, for example, six Canadians have died. There were 13 Canadian deaths during the same four months in 2009, when fighting usually peaks ….”
- Meanwhile, back home, an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for Global TV has this to say from Canadians who responded: “Most Canadians support Ottawa’s plan to pull out of Afghanistan next year, according to an exclusive poll for Global News. Sixty-one per cent of respondents to the TV network’s “Canada’s Pulse” poll say all Canadian troops need to come home, while 28 per cent think Canada should leave some troops behind to train Afghan police and soldiers. Just 11 per cent want to extend the mission. As Canada prepares for its 2011 exit, 38 per cent of those polled also say the 152 Canadian soldiers who died there did so in vain ….”
- Adrian MacNair, owner of the Unambiguously Ambidextrous blog, is in Afghanistan – looking forward to reading what he shares.
- Canadian Helicopters is getting a good chunk of business from flying people, beans and bullets around Afghanistan for U.S. Transport Command.
- The Taliban’s latest lies: Load’s o’ attacks alleged around Kandahar and they deny even tentative approaches to the Kabul regime and NATO (as alleged by some).
- Meanwhile, let’s not forget the work Canadian troops are doing in Darfur and Kosovo.
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