As I write this, word that two more Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan have been killed by roadside bombs, and several badly injured. This brings to eight the number of Canadians killed by “IED’s” in less than a week. In February I predicted that insurgent IED’s would lead to many casualties, just as they have among American forces in Iraq. I also tried to show that heavily armoured vehicles such as tanks are no less vulnerable to more spohisticated IED’s.

In a program recently broadcast on American Public Television, correspondant Sam Kiley showed how increasingly difficult military challenges faced by the Canadians in Afghanistan has hollowed out the attempts by the “Provincial Reconstruction Teams” to improve the lot of Afghani civilians. Not only are our soldiers dying; it is becoming increasingly evident they are dying in vain.

Mike