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| Afghanistan |
| Canadian defense minister: 'Impossible to defeat Taliban militarily' |
| 2006-09-09 |
| Canadian Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor, speaking in an interview Thursday, said that it is "impossible to defeat the Taliban militarily." The Toronto Star reports that Mr. O'Connor's remarks were confirmed by Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Rick Hillier in Ottawa. The Star also reports that the comments are "are certain to stun Canadians who are increasingly concerned about the rising number of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan." Thirty-two Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan since Canada joined the NATO mission there in 2002. Reached by phone near Ottawa yesterday, Hillier told the Star he had no disagreement with his minister's statement out of Australia. "Not at all," Hillier said. "That's never been the strategy – to defeat them militarily." The general added, "We don't have to defeat them militarily. What we've got to do is build a country." Hillier said the surest path to success was the actual reconstruction of Afghanistan. That was what the Taliban feared most, he said. But he also conceded Taliban forces were waging battles that were slowing the reconstruction process. "Things are not moving as quickly as we want," Hillier said. "(There's) no question that the security situation has constrained that." The Globe and Mail reports that the Canadian defense secretary says Canada is shouldering an undue burden in Afghanistan, and that it is time for other countries to increase their troop levels. "All loads aren't equal, let's put it that way," he said, adding he would raise the issue at a NATO defence ministers meeting in Slovenia from Sept. 28. NATO's top commander, meanwhile, appears to support Mr. O'Connor's view that other countries must contribute more. General James Jones has asked that additional troops and weaponry from member nations be sent to Afghanistan. Canadian forces make up about 10 per cent of the 20,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, but along with British and Dutch forces, they are leading the fight against Taliban resistance in the south, which has proven to be more tenacious and determined than expected. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that while Gen. Jones did not name any countries who need to increase their troop levels, one defense analyst said it's not hard to guess who he is talking about. "He was really pointing his finger at the European states involved in the provincial reconstruction team in the north [of the Afghanistan, where there is less fighting]," retired colonel Brian MacDonald said in an interview with CBC News. MacDonald, said Jones was likely aiming his remarks at NATO members such as France, Germany and Italy, "the big powers that have a comparatively small commitment to an area that is relatively peaceful." Earlier in the week, the Guardian reported that General Sir Richard Dannatt, the new head of the British army, told the media that British troops are only just coping with the demands that are being made on them in Afghanistan. Other British defense officials admitted that the situation in Afghanistan was "worse than military commanders had anticipated." The Guardian also writes that although the Taliban have suffered heavy losses – NATO extimates it killed 200 Taliban fighters in a recent operation – the group is "being inspired" by lessons it learned during the 10-year battle against the former Soviet Union. "Strong religious or nationalist motivation means many are unafraid of dying." Defense Minister O'Connor's remarks about not defeating the Taliban militarily come only days after President Bush listed the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan as one of the successes in the war on terror. But in a speech Thursday, The Australian reports that Mr. Bush seemed to acknowledge the existence of a resurgent force when he commented that "the Taliban will not retake power in Afghanistan." "They will fail because the Afghan people have tasted freedom. They will fail because their vision is no match for a democracy accountable to its citizens. They will fail because they are no match for the military forces of a free Afghanistan, a NATO alliance and the United States of America," he said. |
| Posted by:john |
| #16 O'Connor and Hillier are both solid and the Canadian troops in Afghanistan are first rate. I suspect the O'Connor quote was taken out of context. (The quote comes from Reuters.) A couple of weeks ago O'Connor was lecturing his Pakistani counterpart on how they'd make a lot more progress if the Canadians were able to operate on the Pakistani side of the border--the Paks being incapable of patrolling it. |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2006-09-09 23:42 |
| #15 El Croat-etc, you write in your blog, "Jihad is much more brittle than everyone cares to admit. It's not just countering it with corecitive policies through the police and military but also the ideological and religious." I would love if you would be so kind as to expand on that thought. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-09-09 23:40 |
| #14 Aaaa guys: Take a look at this link by the Canadian commander Doesn't sound like a cut and runner. Well OK: the Canadians cut the Taliban; they run ;) |
| Posted by: el_croat_catalano-canadec 2006-09-09 20:17 |
| #13 Only if you've a very restricted definition of militarily. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-09-09 20:00 |
| #12 I have to agree that the Taliban will exist as long as they: have an infinite supply of Pakistanis willing to do Islamic terror, and NATO allows terror incitement in Aghanistan mosques. We HAD to contain the Warsaw Pact because they had a nuclear-counter. We have a free hand at annihilating the Pashto-Balochi enemy. Force soldiers to wage a frustrating, unwinnable war, and the inevitable result is: atrocities against civilians. Return Senator Santorum, and he will pressure implementation of a winning-strategy. And he is far from alone. |
| Posted by: Snease Shaiting3550 2006-09-09 19:43 |
| #11 Canadian defense minister: 'Impossible to defeat Taliban militarily' o So Minister O'Connor, what is the plan? Are you contemplating house-to-house conversions and the establishment of Lutheran communities? Recommend you stick with erradication. Their heats and minds are elsewhere. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-09-09 19:23 |
| #10 It's a quagmire I tell ya. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-09-09 19:16 |
| #9 "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right." — Henry Ford. |
| Posted by: GK 2006-09-09 15:25 |
| #8 Defeatism is such a self-fulfilling prophecy. Canada deserves sharia law. Sadly, we don't need such filth on our northern border. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-09 15:10 |
| #7 It is possible to defeat the Taliban militarily - but so far civilized peoples do not have the will to inflict the immense collateral damage involved. They still hope for a minimally-destructive solution. Nice thought, but probably just a dream. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-09-09 14:30 |
| #6 He is a total moron. Even if he believes this he should have never given voice to it. They both have no understanding of the tribalist/muslim mindset. two Morons. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-09-09 14:17 |
| #5 "Have the Canadian, Indian and Israeli defence ministers formed some sort of exclusive 'wimps only' club?" These douche nozzles have no fire in the belly, they're Nancy Boys®! I suppose they would rather give up and whine about coulda, shoulda & woulda the rest of their lives. In order to win against the Islamists, we'll need some hard core MF's willing to do the killing necessary. We don't have those folks, the system insures that they never get promoted. The LLL have been most complete in the spreading of their infection. It's a testament to their growing confidence and openness that they have let the mask slip. They are testing the level of resistance, and so far it has been widely lacking. Bad, bad times are over the horizon, get used to it. |
| Posted by: Texas Redneck 2006-09-09 11:58 |
| #4 he wouldn't be from the french speaking section of canada would he? |
| Posted by: problematic 2006-09-09 11:48 |
| #3 He's right I bet, I don't think Canada could defeat them. Certianly not with just 2000 troops in country. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2006-09-09 11:38 |
| #2 'Cause the message they're collectively sending the islamists is not pretty... |
| Posted by: john 2006-09-09 11:37 |
| #1 Have the Canadian, Indian and Israeli defence ministers formed some sort of exclusive 'wimps only' club? |
| Posted by: john 2006-09-09 11:35 |