American Lieutenant-General Stanley McChrystal admitted Wednesday “the Taliban had made significant gains in Afghanistan over the past two years” and warned “casualties will likely increase” as troop numbers are ramped up. As the new top commander in Afghanistan, McChrystal will be setting the tone as “a veteran of covert operations in Iraq who is considered an […]
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RSS feed for this sectionA path to peace in Afghanistan?
As the violence in Afghanistan increases, some NATO members are considering a new path to peace in the troubled country: supporting government talks with Taliban insurgents. While negotiations would be restricted to insurgents who have abandoned their ranks; nonetheless, this new strategy, backed by the UK, signals a shift in the tide. “Peace and security […]
An Additional Billion for Afghanistan
Federal budget documents reveal over $1.1 billion of new funding is needed by the Canadian Armed Forces, in order to fulfill conditions placed on the Afghan mission extension. With Parliament’s extension of the current mission contingent on the implementation of recommendations from the 2008 Manley commission report, an extra $822 million will be needed for […]
Bomb first, ask questions later
U.S. Report Finds Errors in Afghan Airstrikes By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER Published: June 2, 2009, The New York Times WASHINGTON – A military investigation has concluded that American personnel made significant errors in carrying out some of the airstrikes in western Afghanistan on May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, according to […]
Roleplay- Canada's future in Afghanistan
Defence Minister Peter MacKay recently travelled to Afghanistan and made a number of statements regarding Canada’s future role in the conflict. MacKay’s comments reflect a changing role for Canada beyond 2011 and allude to a bigger role in delivering aid, retreating from the rural regions and focusing on population centres. MacKay believes that the Canadian […]
Military Spending Unaffected by Recession
Despite the dismal economic climate and an impending $50 billion deficit, the Canadian government is intent on increasing current levels of defence spending. Speaking to an audience of industry and military representatives at a security and defence trade show, Defence Minister Peter MacKay assured attendees “the funding will be there…it’s locked in.” Much of the […]