CARE president says Canada has made a mistake mixing its military and aid

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Afghans aren't getting the necessary care

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (Nov 18, 2006)

Canada has made a fatal mistake by blurring the line between its military and humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, the chief executive of CARE Canada said yesterday.

John Watson said Canada has made it next to impossible for non-governmental organizations to help those desperately in need in the war-torn southern region, including Kandahar. snip

CARE Canada, established in 1946, is the country's leading non-sectarian international relief and development organization. It is spending some C$37.7 million in the embattled country this year. snip

He maintains Canada should have stayed with its traditional role as an international peacekeeper, leaving the actual fighting to the United States. Trying to take a role as both a military force and a giver of humanitarian aid is something that the Afghan people will view with suspicion, he said.