World Affairs Board - View Single Post - Tory defence critic blasts use of grenades in Afghanistan

troung · 11-01-2005, 23:41 PM

Tory defence critic blasts use of grenades in Afghanistan

Tue Oct 18 2005

By David Pugliese
OTTAWA -- Canada's commando force is violating the spirit of the landmine treaty brokered years ago by the Liberal government by using specialized explosives that could maim and kill innocent people on the battlefield, says the Conservatives' defence critic.

Conservative MP Gordon O'Connor said Joint Task Force 2 has purchased a new grenade launcher designed to offer the similar sort of protection once afforded by the now banned anti-personnel landmines. The 40-millimetre launcher is able to hurl grenades at a high rate, putting up a wall of shrapnel and explosives against approaching enemy troops.

However, O'Connor said the unit did not buy the kind of grenades that later self-destruct if they fail to explode on the battlefield -- a mistake that puts civilians at risk.

"Unexploded grenades can maim and kill innocent people just like mines," O'Connor, a retired brigadier general, said in the Commons yesterday.

O'Connor, who supports the purchase of the grenade launchers, blamed what he calls the government's poorly planned decision to commit troops to Kandahar, Afghanistan, next year to fight the Taliban.

"This is a pattern of rush, rush, rush and damn the consequences," he said of a series of emergency military equipment purchases approved by the Liberals.
"They're damn fine weapons," he said of the new grenade launchers bought by JTF2. "It's just they're going to be firing these grenades, all of them won't be going off, so they're going to be leaving these grenades around on the battlefield, which to me are the equivalent of anti-personnel landmines."

O'Connor also said the government has ordered additional protection for the army's light-armoured vehicles but those protection kits are older technology. He questioned why the latest armour-protection kits were not bought, again linking it to the government's quick decision to take on the riskier Kandahar mission next year.

The Defence Department has launched an emergency purchase program to buy everything from armoured-patrol vehicles to howitzers in preparation for the February mission. The estimated price tag is $170 million.

Defence officials did not respond to a request for comment on the JTF2 equipment.

-- CanWest News Service

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Well that means no Mk-19/CIS-40/whatever for the CF...

Idiots... outlaw bullets as well as the lead you know can run off into the water...

Hell just ban guns because they can hurt people... no pencils either... don't want someone to lose an eye...

11-01-2005, 23:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
troung A Self Important *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-03-03 Posts: 4,390 Country:	Tory defence critic blasts use of grenades in Afghanistan Tory defence critic blasts use of grenades in Afghanistan Tue Oct 18 2005 By David Pugliese OTTAWA -- Canada's commando force is violating the spirit of the landmine treaty brokered years ago by the Liberal government by using specialized explosives that could maim and kill innocent people on the battlefield, says the Conservatives' defence critic. Conservative MP Gordon O'Connor said Joint Task Force 2 has purchased a new grenade launcher designed to offer the similar sort of protection once afforded by the now banned anti-personnel landmines. The 40-millimetre launcher is able to hurl grenades at a high rate, putting up a wall of shrapnel and explosives against approaching enemy troops. However, O'Connor said the unit did not buy the kind of grenades that later self-destruct if they fail to explode on the battlefield -- a mistake that puts civilians at risk. "Unexploded grenades can maim and kill innocent people just like mines," O'Connor, a retired brigadier general, said in the Commons yesterday. O'Connor, who supports the purchase of the grenade launchers, blamed what he calls the government's poorly planned decision to commit troops to Kandahar, Afghanistan, next year to fight the Taliban. "This is a pattern of rush, rush, rush and damn the consequences," he said of a series of emergency military equipment purchases approved by the Liberals. "They're damn fine weapons," he said of the new grenade launchers bought by JTF2. "It's just they're going to be firing these grenades, all of them won't be going off, so they're going to be leaving these grenades around on the battlefield, which to me are the equivalent of anti-personnel landmines." O'Connor also said the government has ordered additional protection for the army's light-armoured vehicles but those protection kits are older technology. He questioned why the latest armour-protection kits were not bought, again linking it to the government's quick decision to take on the riskier Kandahar mission next year. The Defence Department has launched an emergency purchase program to buy everything from armoured-patrol vehicles to howitzers in preparation for the February mission. The estimated price tag is $170 million. Defence officials did not respond to a request for comment on the JTF2 equipment. -- CanWest News Service ---- Well that means no Mk-19/CIS-40/whatever for the CF... Idiots... outlaw bullets as well as the lead you know can run off into the water... Hell just ban guns because they can hurt people... no pencils either... don't want someone to lose an eye...