Afstan: Scott Taylor blows it on the "exit strategy", training ANA

A letter just sent to the Halifax Chronicle Herald:

Scott Taylor, in his piece "Hillier, MacKenzie lend power to PM’s Afghan about-face" (July 16), writes that the "exit strategy" of training the Afghan Army--so that it can take over more and more of our combat role--is something new. He suggests it is a response to public unease with our combat mission and fatalities.

It would seem that Mr Taylor missed what Minister of National Defence O'Connor said on April 10: "Our exit strategy is to try to get Afghan governance, development and security to such a level that they can look after themselves...If the Afghan army and police can get to some reasonable level -- in their value system, not ours -- that will allow NATO to withdraw."

So, contrary to Mr Taylor, the "exit strategy" has been around for several months. Our media have simply overlooked it.

Reference:
http://communities.canada.com/shareit/forums/thread/64778.aspx

More on what the minister said in April is here.

Mr Taylor also writes, implying that Afghan National Army training is not being taken seriously:

(We presently have 2,500 troops employed on combat operations in Kandahar and just a couple of dozen instructors in Kabul helping to train the Afghan army)

Wrong. This is what we are doing in Kabul:

The Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) (formerly the Office of Security Cooperation - Afghanistan) is currently re-forming and building both the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). The Canadian Forces currently has Brigadier General Greg Young and 12 other Canadian officers with CSTC-A in Kabul.

The CF also contributes 15 personnel to act as instructors involved in the training of the Afghan National Army at the Canadian Afghan National Training Centre Detachment (C ANTC Det) in Kabul...

Mr Taylor is wrong because the CF have also taken over (from the U.S) the training of formed Afghan units, in Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces, in the actual conduct of operations:

About 100 Canadian senior military professionals will act as mentors, teaching Afghan soldiers discipline, how to engage in combat, and how to operate as a large-sized army....

As in this action.

What a rotten effort to commit journalism. Yet it gets printed.