Afstan: Conference of Defence Associations on Senlis Council report

Text of CDA statement received by e-mail:

The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) would like to bring your attention to a report released yesterday by the Senlis Council. The report, entitled Canada in Kandahar: No Peace to Keep – A Case Study of the Military Coalitions in Southern Afghanistan (see link below), states that Canadian troops support narcotics eradication programs and military responses in southern Afghanistan at the expense of development initiatives. The Senlis Council believes that this “American” approach has increased support for the Taliban, decreased security, stymied development, and is ultimately endangering Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. The report also says that Canadian troops have accidentally killed Afghan civilians.

To present other points of view about the situation in Afghanistan, the CDA would like to bring comments from Colonel Mike Capstick, Brigadier General David Fraser, Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hope, and Brian Calver to your attention. Colonel Mike Capstick, who has been in Kabul for the last year advising the Karzai government, has forwarded the following comment to the CDA regarding the Senlis Council: “Senlis is an organization with a very specific agenda. They are the lead advocates of poppy legalization and they are known around Kabul for ‘skewing’ their research to support their ends. In addition they are not known for rigour in their research methods. Recently the [Afghan] Government has threatened them with expulsion because their advocacy has under-mined Afghan and international poppy control efforts.”

During a recent conference at Queen’s University (for a summary of BGen Fraser’s presentation, please see below [this text not included - MC]), BGen David Fraser said that the Canadian Forces is employing an “effects based” operational process in Afghanistan that focuses on both “kinetic” (use of military force) and “non-kinetic” means. This process attempts to identify effects which are needed to succeed in Afghanistan and determine which measures (whether kinetic or non-kinetic) will best bring about the desired outcomes. In order to work effectively, the effects-based approach requires the Canadian military to work closely with other government actors (such as the RCMP and CIDA), local Afghan leaders, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, and coalition members.

LCol Ian Hope, commanding officer of the PPCLI battle group in Kandahar, has made several comments regarding the Senlis report (see link to CBC and Canwest articles below). He stated that no Afghan civilians have been killed in firefights with Canadian troops in Afghanistan (see link to CBC article below). He also said that poppy eradication does not involve Canadians and has not had the negative impact described in the Senlis report. LCol Hope called the report a highly anti-American document developed for political purposes.

In an article appearing in the Christian Science Monitor (see link below), Brian Calver highlights the vital link between security and development in Afghanistan. It notes that development “is practically impossible without security from insurgents who target aid efforts.” The article also states that Afghan villagers are reluctant to provide information about the Taliban to coalition and Afghan National Army forces without security.

The CDA believes that Canada’s mission in southern Afghanistan is an honourable undertaking and is being conducted with utmost professionalism by the Canadian Forces. In order to ensure that Afghanistan becomes increasingly stable, prosperous, and democratic, Canada must continue to promote a mix of military operations and development initiatives in Afghanistan. However, development cannot proceed without stability, and providing stability requires robust military force. That being said, the establishment of stability and security in southern Afghanistan, after some twenty-five years of conflict, will not happen overnight. For more on the subject, please see General Paul Manson’s article entitled “A Rational Exit Strategy for Afghanistan.”

Alain Pellerin

Executive Director CDA

613-236-1252

Links:

The Senlis Council Security and Development Policy Group. Canada in Kandahar: No Peace to Keep – A Case Study of the Military Coalitions in Southern Afghanistan (June 2006)...

Calvert, Brian. “Afghan Tell Troops: ‘No Security, No Help.’” Christian Science Monitor (June 28, 2006)...

Weber, Bob. “U.S. Policy on Afghan Mission Costing Canadian Lives, Think-Tank Says.” CBC (June 28, 2006)...

General (Ret’d) Paul Manson, “A Rational Exit Strategy for Afghanistan.” Conference of Defence Associations...

CanWest News Service. "Canadian Commander Dismisses Report Criticizing Mission in Afghanistan." (June 28, 2006)...

“Defence, Development, and Diplomacy: The Canadian and US Military Perspectives”

22-23 June 2006

Queen's University/US Army War College/LFDTS, Kingston, Ont.