Sunday, December 13, 2009

Canada in Afstan: All the News That's Fit...

...to Ignore almost completely by our media. On Friday, Dec. 10, the government released its "sixth quarterly report on Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan" (see here for previous one).

CP ran this story. Meanwhile neither the Globe and Mail nor the Ottawa Citizen published a word--NOT ONE WORD--about the latest report in their Dec. 11 print editions. As for the rest of the major Canadian media, this is the result of a Google News search using "stockwell bloodiest afghanistan"; here are the results using "stockwell polio afghanistan". This is what appears from the CP story on the Toronto Star's website, no idea if it appeared in print.

What almost incomprehensibly irresponsible "journalism". It's all detainee all the time, all politics, and screw trying any longer even pretending to cover the subtance of this country's most important foreign and defence policy commitment. DISGRACEFUL. AND, NOW, ALL TOO TYPICAL.

From the original CP story:
Federal cabinet report says quarter ending Sept. 30 was Afghanistan's bloodiest

It was the bloodiest summer yet in Afghanistan's bloody, eight-year-old war, the federal cabinet said Friday as it declared military action alone will not solve the country's complex problems.

The government's sixth quarterly report on Canada's engagement in Afghanistan says 223 allied soldiers were killed during the three months ending Sept. 30, which included national elections.

Among the dead were 30 allied soldiers killed in combat in Kandahar, including 11 Canadians.

"No question about it ... there was an increase in incidents of violence and security-related matters," said Trade Minister Stockwell Day, who chairs the cabinet committee on Afghanistan...

"Eight years since the allied ouster of the Taliban regime, the Afghanistan balance sheet presents both pluses and minuses," the report says.

"The latest coalition analysis acknowledged that the insurgents have seized the initiative, both in the armed conflict and by creating a crisis of confidence among the populace through the equally important 'silent war' of fear, intimidation and persuasion.

"At the same time the widely acknowledged fraud in the landmark presidential election poses an equally serious crisis of credibility within Afghanistan and in nations whose soldiers are fighting and dying on Afghan soil."..

"Canada's approach recognizes that Afghanistan cannot create the conditions for sustainable peace through military means alone," the report said.

"An Afghan-led reconciliation process is needed to weaken the insurgency, heal communal divisions, and foster sustainable peace."..

The report also noted:

-The Afghan army assumed more responsibility for security in Kandahar City and surrounding villages, where Canadian troops train and mentor Afghan soldiers.

-Seven more schools were built under Canada's supervision, bringing the total number completed to 12, with another 21 under construction.

-More than 880,000 children were vaccinated against polio [in September alone, in Kandahar and two other provinces].

-More than 500 Afghans in key districts of Kandahar had received microfinance loans [in the quarter covered], already exceeding the program target.
Pretty decent bit of reporting on a fairly honest and balanced government report (full text here). Pity almost nobody had the chance to read the story. One does wish the story had carried some of these details, of which most Canadian remain sadly unaware:
...
A significant number of U.S. forces arrived in Kandahar province during this reporting quarter, vastly changing the environment in which many Canadians are working. Three extra infantry battalions were stationed in the province, more than doubling the number of coalition forces available for security-related tasks. In addition, a U.S. Military Police battalion arrived in Kandahar City to assist in mentoring ANP units in the region. This influx was accompanied by a concentration of Canadian Forces into a much smaller area of operations focused primarily on the major populated areas in and around Kandahar City [including Arghandab district after a short absence]. This vastly increased security presence, accompanied by a similar boost in American civilian efforts, will undoubtedly assist the Canadian-coordinated governance and development initiatives throughout Kandahar province and support moving Canadian priorities forward in the months to come.
This bit on the Dahla Dam [see also Upperdate here] is rather revealing in the minimal precision on real progress achieved:
...
The three-year, $50-million rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam with its canals and associated irrigation system is a second Canadian signature project and one of the highest development priorities of the Afghan government. Completion will mean reliable delivery of water to an area supporting four out of five Kandaharis, with the irrigation encouraging farmers to shift from opium poppies to legal high-value crops like pomegranates. In the quarter, Canadian project engineers tackled technical aspects of the project, and a manufacturer for the gates and weirs of the irrigation canals was identified...

5 Comments:

Blogger Anand said...

From http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/assets/pdfs/docs/r09_09_e.pdf

In pages 15-17, many of the data points are dated (2008 or early 2009), why is this?

In page 28, it lists 70% voter turnout in the last Presidential election (2004.)

Page 3: "opinion polling also found a continuing slide in the proportion of Kandaharis
expressing a favourable opinion of their government, from roughly 80 percent a year ago to
about 70 percent currently. The same poll reported favourable opinion of the Taliban at
about 30 percent, representing a modest but steady upward trend during the past two years."

"Canadian Forces, which are responsible for training and mentoring five of the six battalions (called kandaks) in the province and their Brigade Headquarters. Capacity building for the ANP in Kandahar is shared by Canadian civilian police and U.S. partners, supported by the Canadian Forces."

Which ANA bn has a US ETT versus a Canadian OMLT? Is there a way to find out the breakdown between Canadian POMLTs versus US mentors for the ANP?

The ANA allowed "polling centres to open and operate in all but two of the province’s 17 districts."

Nicely done ANA 1-205: "In Kandahar City and nearby villages the Afghan forces prevailed in every one of the more than 40 encounters with armed insurgents."

The ANA is "executing 80 percent of security operations on their own and leading more than 70 percent. Significant amounts of narcotics and explosives continue to be seized in operations now routinely planned and carried out by the ANA, ANP and other Afghan agencies with support from the Canadian Forces."

"Advancing the professionalism of the ANP suffered a setback in the current quarter after the Kandahar City chief of police and other senior officers died in a firefight on June 30, 2009." Sadly yes.

ANP training mentorship efforts in Kandahar are insufficient: "During the quarter, Canadian civilian and military police in Kandahar City provided basic training for 679 ANP
officers in preparation for the election. The arrival of the U.S. 97th Military Police battalion has also increased the availability of mentors to support the ANP. In the corrections sector, training began for a new group of women officers who guard female inmates at Kandahar City’s Sarpoza prison. . . . . Canada provided training in
computer use and case management for the ANP Prosecutor’s Office."

3:00 p.m., December 13, 2009  
Blogger milnews.ca said...

It's the sizzle, not the steak...

5:00 p.m., December 13, 2009  
Blogger vanDiemerbroucke said...

Well, I must say(or write): this is informative - and quite thorough.

Compare, if you will, with this:
Arghandab & The Battle for Kandahar

by Micheal Yon

........

"Since the 2001 invasion, U.S. soldiers have come and gone from the Arghandab, but we’ve never had enough soldiers to sit still. More recently, the Canadians made jabs at Arghandab but did not get far. Some people believe the Canadians have been militarily defeated in their battlespace. No US officer has told me that the Canadians have been defeated, and none have denied it. There is no doubt that Canadian troops earned much respect, and that more that more than 130 paid the ultimate price.

On current course, Canada will have fully retreated by 2011. This is crucial: the enemy realizes that our greatest weakness is Coalition cohesion and they have defeated what was an important partner.

Now it’s mostly down to the U.S. and Afghan forces to saddle Arghandab, or lose Kandahar."

........

This seems like an account of a different mission altogether.

-regards

8:05 p.m., December 13, 2009  
Blogger vanDiemerbroucke said...

Pardon me,

I should add that I don't post this quote by Mr. Yon as an endorsement of his views.

However, he seems to have quite a few followers.

-regards

8:17 p.m., December 13, 2009  
Blogger Mark, Ottawa said...

vanDiemerbroucke: a response by Brian Platt at "The Canada-Afhanistan Blog"--the last bit is quite telling:

Going BeYONd Reason

Mark
Ottawa

10:21 p.m., December 13, 2009  

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