canada to pay for wake

Canadians to improve warning signs
March 15, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The shooting death of an unarmed civilian at an Afghan police checkpoint has given Canadian soldiers a glimpse of the misery U.S. troops have routinely faced in Iraq, and left them struggling for solutions on how to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

Aside from tarnishing the good-guy image Canadians try to project, the incident Tuesday night four kilometres outside this volatile community has the potential of turning the local population against the security and reconstruction effort.

"This is a big setback from our point of view," said Maj. Erik Liebert, deputy commander of the provincial reconstruction team.

"This isn't what we're here in Afghanistan to do. We're going to study this in detail and minimize the risk of this ever happening again."

The soldier who fired the shots that killed Nasratali Hassan was relieved of duty until military and local police finish their investigation. His identity was not released.

Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, many Canadians routinely watched in dismay the shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach of American troops when it came to civilian checkpoints.

With three dead and 25 injured in a string of accidents, roadside bombs and suicide attacks this year, Canadian commanders say the safety of troops is paramount.

As a three-wheeled motorized rickshaw blew past an Afghan police checkpoint, hurtling towards a Canadian convoy, the soldier who fired the lethal volley had a terrible decision to make, Liebert said.

But local residents say they're increasingly frustrated with Canadians - who appear to them to be quick on the trigger.

There have been at least 10 incidents over the last 7 1/2 months where Canadian troops have fired into the hoods of vehicles they considered to be a threat.

Much of the mayhem - and now bloodshed - could have been avoided, says a local taxi driver who claims to have been routinely run off the road by coalition convoys.

"We are poor, uneducated people," said Zulmair Gan, 33, who drives one of the three-wheeled tuk-tuks that scoot along Kandahar's dusty streets.

"We are often surprised by the trucks, don't know which way to turn and can't read their signs," he said through a translator.

Other residents have complained that night-time police checkpoints are often not well lit, making them hard to spot until the last minute.

There are indications that Canadian commanders were aware of the concerns even before Tuesday's shooting.

Liebert said he was in the process of producing new signs for all vehicles in order to "make warning signs clear and easier to understand."

In addition, the Canadians have been running convoy non-interference program ads through the local radio stations.

"I've reviewed those messages and ask that they provide clearer messages to the public to try to educate them about the risks associated with approaching our convoys," Liebert said.

Printing bigger signs is one thing; dealing with distraught relatives and potential mistrust of residents is another.

Col. Hussain Andiwal of Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said officials will have to move quickly to prevent an escalation of tensions.

"We want to talk with religious leaders, elder tribesmen and representatives of civilians and explain to them that this kind of thing will not happen in the future on the side of the Canadian Forces," he said.

Liebert said the Canadian government will also look at compensating the victim's family if the investigation finds fault with the army's actions.

Meanwhile, the family has asked that Canada pay for a wake in Hassan's honour - a mourning ritual in rural Afghanistan.

Liebert said it's not an unreasonable request.