"Afghanistan: renewal"

Excerpts from Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up:

...
Canada in Afghanistan

Matthew Fisher for Canwest News Service and Omar El Akkad for the Globe and Mail reports on the new NATO secretary-general’s visit to Kandahar and his comments regarding Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. In an earlier article Jack Granatstein for the Globe and Mail discusses the possible future of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. A link to the March 2008 the House of Commons motion is provided below; on the subject of a 2011 ‘end-date’, it says: “the government of Canada notify NATO that Canada will end its presence in Kandahar as of July 2011, and, as of that date, the redeployment of Canadian Forces troops out of Kandahar and their replacement by Afghan forces start as soon as possible, so that it will have been completed by December 2011.”
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1866133
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/nato-chief-calls-on-canada-to-exten...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-afghan-mission-going-going-g...
http://www.cdaforumcad.ca/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1205501551

The Toronto Star in an editorial criticizes the Canadian government’s lack of high-level communication on Canada’s Afghan mission.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/674941

Alec Castonguay for Le Devoir writes on an interview with the commander of Task Force Afghanistan, Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance.
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/08/03/261445.html

Alec Castonguay for Le Devoir writes that Canada will not achieve its objective of having Afghan security forces take over security duties in Kandahar by 2011. The government has stated that, “Canada expects that by 2011 the ANA, with support from International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) allies, will demonstrate an increased capacity to conduct operations and sustain a more secure environment in key districts of the province of Kandahar. Progress will be measured using indicators such as the ANA’s ability to conduct security operations, its maintenance of effective brigade strength, and the number of key districts where it is responsible for security with minimal ISAF support.”
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/08/01/261300.html
http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/priorities-priorites/secure.a...

Paul Koring for the Globe and Mail reports on the US desire to increase international troop numbers in Afghanistan.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-military-seeks-more-troops-for-a...

Dene Moore for the Canadian Press reports on counter-IED efforts by Canadian troops in Kandahar.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iu9dT4GhbLFF_fsp...

Mercedes Stephenson for the National Post praises the work of Canada’s combat engineers in Afghanistan.
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=1856668

The government has released the June/July edition of “Focus Afghanistan”.
http://29711.vws.primus.ca/focus/7-july/7-eng.html ...

Canadian defence and security

Nigel Hannaford for the Calgary Herald writes on the recent announcement of funding to re-equip the Canadian Army [much more here] and its implications for the Canadian Forces and its mission in Afghanistan.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Somnia/1856900/story.html ...

Afghanistan and Pakistan

...The CDA would also like to direct your attention to Colonel Ian Hope’s articles on “Afghanistan: the next phase” and “Broken Command in Afghanistan,” [emphasis added] both in recent issues of the CDA Institute’s latest ON TRACK magazine...
http://www.cda-cdai.ca/cdai/uploads/cdai/2008/12/ontrack14no2.pdf
http://www.cda-cdai.ca/cdai/uploads/cdai/2008/12/ontrack13n4.pdf ...