senate report on afghanistan ....

let's face it, the way it stands right now, afghanistan is bound to fail. other counteries are still reluctant to become more involved or committed (Doubt over Afghan commitment of Gulf & European countries) and canada's Afghan aid an exercise in 'feeling good'. how much money are we willing to sink in, before we see no way out of the situation? call it nato if you will, but it is a u.s. led mission, regardless. and given how many lies, deception, corruption, and failed strategies in iraq by the U.S.; ... thus, i question our role in afghanistan, and so should everyone else. and probably the time is right to look seriously at the direction of our foreign policy, so we are not riding on the coat tails of the U.S. i was no fan of Joe Clarke, but he has this right: he finds “troubling” the Conservative government’s “closeness to the foreign policies of the United States administration” to the exclusion of Canada’s interests in the rest of the world.

Senate report blasts mission
STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR / Feb 12

OTTAWA–Canada must send more than 300 additional police and military trainers to Kandahar to help turn around a mission beset by "formidable obstacles" – everything from local corruption to a lack of "visible" development, according to a new hard-hitting Senate report.

And Ottawa needs to serve notice on reluctant NATO allies that unless they quickly send badly needed reinforcements to the volatile Kandahar region, Canada will rethink its own military commitment, it says.

As Canada's dangerous mission in southern Afghanistan marks its one-year anniversary this month, members of the Senate defence committee today will unveil an 11-point strategy they say is needed for "improving the odds."

Even then, the report notes that Taliban fighters have "time and geography on their side.

"Are Canadians willing to commit themselves to decades of involvement in Afghanistan, which could cost hundreds of Canadian lives and billions of dollars ...?" it reads.

The report, titled "Taking a Hard Look at a Hard Mission," is short – just 16 pages – but blunt and stands in stark contrast to the more rosy assessments touted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet ministers.

"Our troops need more than patriotic bumper stickers. They deserve thoughtful assessments," reads the report, obtained by the Toronto Star.

Canada has about 2,600 soldiers in Afghanistan, most based in the Kandahar region. Since the mission began in 2002, 44 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.

"There are all kinds of problems to be solved if the Canadian deployment to Afghanistan is to achieve what any reasonable person would define as `success,'" the report says.

For starters, it says Canada's effort to win the "hearts and minds" of the local population has been badly undermined by civilian casualties caused by NATO air strikes and a development program that has little to show for its big budget.

"The combination of too many lives being lost and too little development assistance ... contributes to making life bleak and dangerous in the Kandahar region," it reads. For that reason, it says development dollars should be given to the Canadian military – $20 million a year – to make progress quickly until aid organizations are able to function safely in the region.

"We may have something more and better to offer than the Taliban, but we don't have much time to prove it," the report says.

The report takes aim at NATO allies for doing more "saluting" than "marching." If more troops and equipment aren't delivered – as repeatedly demanded by local commanders – Canada should rethink its promise to stay in Kandahar until February 2009, it says.

"It is ... doubtful that the mission can be accomplished given the limited resources that NATO is currently investing," it says.

Canada has placed significant political and military pressure on other NATO nations to help bolster the mission in southern Afghanistan but with little success.

The report also pokes at the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, for the systemic corruption it says runs rampant through the country's institutions. It says the Karzai government should be pressed to develop a "comprehensive, transparent and effective plan" to reduce corruption as a condition of Canada's long-term commitment.

The report is based on the testimony of dozens of witnesses to the Senate committee as well as their own visits to Afghanistan, most recently in December. The report, which was unanimously adopted by the Liberal and Conservative senators on the committee, was tabled Thursday.

The report praises soldiers for their bravery, commitment and optimism.

"Like other Canadians, we want our troops to succeed and we want them to return home safely," it says.

While federal New Democrats have called for troops to be withdrawn, the Senate defence committee says there are good humanitarian and strategic reasons for Canada to remain there.

Noting that "venomous" extremists still make their base in Afghanistan, the report says "neither Canada nor its allies should acquiesce to that threat."

But the report says the key to lasting stability in the troubled nation is the ability of the Afghan National Army and police forces taking on more of the security role for themselves.

That's why the report's key recommendations urge NATO nations to provide additional troops to help train the Afghan army. As well, Canada should send 250 more of its own troops to serve as trainers, it says.

The report also says Ottawa should dispatch 60 more Canadian police officers – up from the 10 now there – to boost training of Afghan police. It also suggests the federal government "significantly augment" the $10 million contribution already made to provide uniforms and in the future improve benefits and salaries.

"Most police are untrained, illiterate and don't even know what the law is," the report says in a bleak assessment of Afghan officers.

The report also suggests Canada, along with NATO and the Afghan government, establish a "defensible" buffer zone along the Pakistan border to stop the infiltration of Taliban fighters.

"As long as the Taliban have access to hideouts beyond the reach of our forces, our mission has little hope of success," the senators say, urging "robust action" to save the Canadian mission from being undermined.

However, the report also cautions that superior military technology "does not always win the day" in an era of suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices, both of which have been especially deadly for Canadian troops.

While the Conservative government has cheered elections in Afghanistan as one sign of progress, the report bluntly states that anyone expecting a modern democracy that can deliver justice and amenities to residents is "dreaming in Technicolor."