Source:
Globe and MailOTTAWA — A top U.S. military official cautioned yesterday, on the eve of a parliamentary debate on Canada's military mission to Afghanistan, that soldiers cannot separate the jobs of fighting Taliban insurgents, training Afghan soldiers and reconstructing the country.
Admiral William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command and the officer responsible for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, would not say whether Canada's target of withdrawing from Afghanistan by 2011 was realistic. He did caution that the Taliban "pays close attention" to what happens in countries that supply troops to Afghanistan and gain confidence "if they perceive there's little commitment - or it's words and not a lot of action to back it up."
... Late last week, General Hillier called on Parliament to show its support "overwhelmingly" to soldiers in Afghanistan, and implied that waffling on the issue could cost Canadian lives.
... Some opposition MPs suggested that the general overstepped his bounds by making demands of elected officials.
"It is Parliament's determination to decide whether or not Canada engages in combat or war, and then the military follows the decisions of Parliament," NDP Leader Jack Layton said on Question Period yesterday. "That's fundamental in a democracy and I think Canadians hold that value very tenaciously."Read more:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080225.wafghan25/BNStory/Afghanistan/home
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
