Canada Plans Afghanistan Withdrawal

TORONTO — Canada has begun preparations to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2011.

Maj. Cindy Tessier said Friday that the chief of Defense staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, has ordered preparations to get under way that would see Canada's 2,800 troops removed from southern Afghanistan in the summer of 2011.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has said it will not extend Canada's military mission even if President Barack Obama asks.

Since 2002, 133 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died.

Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and increased its deployment after declining a U.S. request to dispatch troops to Iraq.

Parliament has mandated that the military mission must end in 2011.

Comments

[khanti]

The Canadians should not have been involved in the first place.

[AmandaBC]

True, but the pressure put on by the Bu$h administration must have been unbearable, even for a fairly reasonable guy like Chrétien.

[uneeda]

such a thing as a reasonable crook ?

[elatas]

20 countries joined the US in Afghanistan. Remember how we all felt compelled to act after 9/11? Bush had an easy job to convince us all. Not so with Irak.

[Horst]

Meanwhile Obama is sending in more troops..........what a bunch of morons.

[wildedge]

Another good reason to move to Canada - their abilty to say enough is enough, and their excellent healthcare system

[GravitonX]

Canada excels in many respect, but their military, is not one of them.

[taptaptap]

All troops deserve our gratitude, not your arrogant post.

[valkyrie7514]

No problem with them withdrawing then - they can be replaceed by you and your contingent of wobbly jelly bellies

[canuck59]

Of course, your military is perfect?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident

[barrista]

Fort Hood?

[AmandaBC]

"I think when the Canadians came in, they encountered a really difficult situation, they were challenged very hard, and the Canadians really did a great job"

-- Maj.-Gen. Ton Van Loon, NATO Commander, South Afghanistan

P.S. Your x.enophobia is showing...

[GravitonX]

The token 2800-troop contribution to the war effort is getting too expensive to handle.

[Furby2]

It was a stupid war. What do you expect, more blood for no reason?

[Horst]

Would you sacrifice a member of your family to keep the Karzai brothers in power??

[AmandaBC]

Just for the record, the "token" contingent as compared to population (1/10 of the US) is the equivalent of 28000 US troops.

[StephenJK]

I knew there was a smart government somewhere on this continent. I knew damn well it wasn't here in the US.

[canadiansoccermom]

Finally someone telling it like it is. This is why I have been so interested in the U.S. bringing in affordable health care. I feel if they don't, then we don't have a chance of keeping ours. As soon as Harper started talking about a "two-tier" system, I knew what he was up to. They say it will help with wait times but private clinics and services are popping up everywhere and wait times continue to increase. We had a great system but it is very easy to see that the insurance industry has their foot in the door and Harper has opened up for them.

[canadiansoccermom]

This was actually a reply to nexxtep54

[khanti]

What happens if US withdraws now? The Afghan Government will continue to receive air support and US financial backing. Corruption will continue to litter the Government bolstering Taliban support and influence. As before, the Taliban will contninue to hold large swath of the country ceating strongholds. Pakistan will have their hands full with their local Taliban insurgency and support from Afghan Talibans. Al Qaeda will declare victory.
If only US had not been involved with this karmic equation in the first pace by supporting the insurgency against the USSR in Afghan 9/11 would not have happened. US will not be in this quadmire. Geting involved with the problems in the Middle East in the first place created another long lasting pain in the ass problem.
Now the US Government spend half of their time and resources in these conflicts. All these could have been used for the betterment of the country.

[valkyrie7514]

Typical of the US to always look at things in the short term - that's why they worshipped the resistance to the soviets

[tucsoncindy]

hoo rah for Canada...I hope we follow suit sooner than later...

[thrdr]

Seconded.

[noweknow]

Canada asks: "What's in it for me?"

[thrdr]

Canada asks: What the hell are we doing here? Back bacon and Moosehead are both prohibited!

[canadiansoccermom]

What?

[Furby2]

Answer: there was nothing in it for anyone except Halliburton, Blackwater et al.

[AmandaBC]

Yep. OUR troops are guarding THEIR pipe line...

[Nonamnesiac]

Maybe NATO will put in 30, maybe even 40 more troops to replace the 2800 Canadians. The Europeans understand this is not a war worth the costs and that Afghanistan, whether run by the Taliban or the drug pusherocrcacy we support is no threat to Europe or the United States. But the depression-sustaining costs and astronomical debt the Iraq and Afghan wars/occupations are causing are a threat to Europe and the United States.

It's time for the adults to take over foreigh policy -- no more Hillary stupidly telling off those who control Pakistani nukes -- and immediately and safely withdraw all US troops and contractors from Afghanistan and Iraq. Just like health care, Canada has gotten this right, except they're taking too long to get out, eh?

The new domino theory -- if the drug pusheroceracy loses to the Taliban because the US doesn't escalate then al Qaeda will get Pakinstan's nukes -- is as phony as the Vietnam domino theory -- if South Vietnam fell then Japan, Thailand and all of Southeast Asia would turn red (which of course never happened and was never possible). Out now (including the contractors) safely.

[CologneCitizen]

your comment is spot on.

I hope some European nations like Germany draw their troops out as well.

[CanadianBeef]

It's about time. Canada is not in the empire-building business, or the aggression business. We havé always used our troops for peacekeeping missions. There is no peace to keep in Afghanistan, and not much hope of one in the future. Ten years and 134 lives are enough.

[elatas]

Canada and 20 other countries went to fight in Afghanistan after 9/11 because we wanted to get Bin Laden and Al-Quaeda. Unfortunately, Bush decided to go to Irak. Except for the UK, no other country thought it was a good idea to evade Irak. If the focus had stayed on Afghanistan, could have had success. The timing is not the same anymore since there is only about 100 Al-Quaeda members left, having moved to Pakistan. I am glad we are leaving.

[rissole]

As soon as I read about the cover up of Pat Tillman's death I knew we were finished. And the icing on the cake is General McChrystal who led the cover up.

[biwee]

Correct! Obama's greatest mistake with the US military is not flushing all the Bush generals and admirals.

[valkyrie7514]

Yep - Just further proof that Obama is just Bush with different pigmentation

[Two Cents]

. . . don't blame 'em. (And I've *no* idea why we're (most likely) sending in more troops . . . )

[Citizen54]

Once again, our brothers and sisters to the north prove they are so much wiser than we United Staters.

Where, oh where is the middle-aged single Canadian woman who yearns for an American expatriate husband??? I'll do the housework, I'll cook, chop the firewood, I'll do whatever it takes.....

[elatas]

That's me! I am looking for a warmer climate..:)

[Furby2]

No honey, he wants out. He's willing to come up here and freeze to be with you and only you:)

[AmandaBC]

Because of a strange weather phenomenon in the so-called "Banana Belt", the climate here on Vancouver Island is on average milder than places like WA and OR... Climate change is making it even more dramatic. Some people here say: "Vancouver Island is the new California, and California is the new heII." :)

[S1m0n]

You're illustrating a story about a war in a landlocked desert with a photo of a soldiers staring at either the ocean or a large lake?

[JustADumbFireman]

That's the river Styx.

[Pilate]

"Afghanistan’s drainage system is essentially landlocked. Most of the rivers and streams end in shallow desert lakes or oases inside or outside the country’s boundaries. Nearly half of the country’s total area is drained by watercourses south of the Hindu Kush–Safid ridge line, and half of this area is drained by the Helmand and its tributaries alone. The Amu Dar'ya on the northern border, the country’s other major river, has the next largest drainage area."

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Afghanistan

I'm not denying this might be a stock photo, but they do have water in Afghanistan. The poppy fields are irrigated, after all.