Afghan troops carry the body of a colleague who was killed during a gun battle with Taliban militants in Kabul on Sept. 14. Canadian military trainers were involved in the operation.
Michael Byers, Toronto Star, 29 September 2011
Canadian “trainers” were involved in a firefight in Afghanistan earlier this month, according to Brig.-Gen. Craig King. The battle occurred when insurgents attacked the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, killing 16 people.
During the general’s testimony before a parliamentary committee last week, he also revealed that Canadian trainers are spread over a dozen locations in Kabul — a city that he described as an “extremely violent” environment.
It is hard to believe that just 10 months ago, then-Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was asking: “Can the Prime Minister guarantee that this (new engagement) is not going to involve combat, that it is going to be out of Kandahar and that the training will occur in safe conditions in Kabul?”
“The answer is yes to all those questions,” Stephen Harper replied. “As the minister of national defence, the minister of foreign affairs and others have said, we are looking at a noncombat mission that will occur. It will be a training mission that will occur in classrooms, behind the wire, in bases.”
Recent Comments