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| Afghanistan |
| Canadian troops head out in force to show their presence in Taliban country |
| 2006-03-09 |
| KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Canadian troops have launched a major operation deep into insurgent country in southern Afghanistan, where local authorities fear to tread and Canadians have already come under attack. Hundreds of troops from two companies of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry moved out this week by air and road, supported by armoured vehicles, helicopter gunships and artillery. The aim of the mission, which will last for much of the rest of March, is to show local residents and insurgents that Afghan authorities and Canadian troops can control the rural, isolated area despite the presence of Taliban insurgents. Over the last month, Canadian troops have encountered ambushes, including rockets, roadside bombs and an axe attack that left a Canadian in critical condition, in the mountainous region north of Kandahar city. The ongoing violence here has forced Canadians back home to pay attention to their country's beefed up mission in Afghanistan, says Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff. "Last week they really did wake up to this mission and what you are doing here," Hillier said during a chat with troops at the Canadian-run provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar. "I've been telling them for some time, but people don't really listen to words." Canada's top soldier paid a visit to the team after meeting with Kandahar's governor and used the opportunity to rally the troops. "You've had a tough week or so, I know. You have a tough mission, I know that too," he said, referring to the overall mission in Afghanistan. Several small pockets of insurgents, numbering in the dozens according to departing U.S. commanders, still operate in the area. In the spring, they often gather and organize larger offensives. Six U.S. soldiers and 18 Afghans, including police, soldiers and civilian leaders, died in operations in the area last year. "If we meet these bad guys, we destroy them. Simple as that," said Capt. Martin Larose, the acting commander of Company A, during a briefing for platoon commanders. Larose warned his troops to watch out for the commonly known arsenal used by insurgents: roadside bombs, AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.It's the biggest mission so far for the Canadian contingent of 2,200 troops based in Kandahar who have arrived in the region over the past month. Smaller units have patrolled in the northern part of the province since they started arriving in early February. The mission coincided with a big anti-narcotics operation in neighbouring Helmond province, where hundreds of Afghan police and soldiers backed up by coalition troops have been plowing under illicit poppy fields. Canadians moved into a forward operating base near Gumbad, 60 kilometres north of Kandahar, several weeks ago. They almost immediately came under rocket-propelled grenade attack, which was answered by a barrage of Canadian howitzers. Most recently, Capt. Trevor Greene, a civil-military co-operation officer, was attacked by an axe-wielding youth while on a visit with local elders in Shingai village. Capt. Kevin Schamuhn, Greene's platoon commander who was among three soldiers who killed the attacker and repelled a subsequent ambush, briefed his troops for their return to the region to again meet elders and collect intelligence. "The locals might feed you a bunch of bullshit," Schamuhn told soldiers in a briefing. "We're spending a lot of time trying to sort out the truth. Call them on it directly, it seems to get much better information." The push into rural areas comes one week after a spate of suicide bombings and ambushes in Kandahar that injured eight Canadian soldiers. Two others were killed and six injured in vehicle accidents around the same time. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #6 always has been, Raphael :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-03-09 23:40 |
| #5 Hundreds of troops from two companies of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry moved out this week by air and road, supported by armoured vehicles, helicopter gunships and artillery. British Harriers on CAP, American helos, Canadian boots on the ground...it's a team effort :-) |
| Posted by: Rafael 2006-03-09 23:29 |
| #4 The Canadian military have never needed to be conviced. The Canadian government has. I say good on the CAF. |
| Posted by: SPoD 2006-03-09 20:36 |
| #3 Ditto. Perhaps Canada can be turned around, which would be a real victory in the long war. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-09 16:47 |
| #2 Good luck chaps. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2006-03-09 16:42 |
| #1 Good fightin', Canucks, and God speed. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-03-09 16:34 |