troung

Canada's soldiers use lethal force
Commandos target Afghanistan rebels

Sat Sep 17 2005

By Stephen Thorne
OTTAWA -- Canadian special forces soldiers in southern Afghanistan have killed Taliban and al-Qaida rebels over multiple operations in recent months as they work secretly in small units, military sources say.

The modest contingent of troops from Joint Task Force 2 is an integral part of coalition efforts to stem the tide of insurgency that has risen since campaigning began for tomorrow's parliamentary elections.

JTF2 commandos have joined counterparts from the United States and some British Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, in fighting that has claimed more than 1,200 lives in six months, say the Canadian defence sources.

Authorities wouldn't -- or couldn't -- put numbers on the dead.

Some engagements are long-range; others are close-in. Some involve a degree of infiltration into enemy compounds and "behind enemy lines" -- though no lines really exist in the mountainous and desert terrain where they operate.

The commandos, some of whom speak a smattering of area dialects, often work in collaboration with locals who know the lay of the land.
Deadly games

Using specialized weapons and equipment, Canadian snipers have played their deadly cat-and-mouse games at night and in the 50-degree heat of Afghan summer days.

Many of their victims, whom the chief of defence staff recently called "murderers and scumbags," never knew what hit them, one source told The Canadian Press.

Beyond acknowledging that JTF2 is in Afghanistan, defence officials and the federal government have maintained their usual strict silence about the unit's exploits.

They plan a briefing on Tuesday in which Defence Minister Bill Graham has promised military authorities will provide a few more details about what JTF2 has been up to since it deployed to Kandahar earlier this summer.

Defence sources who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the highly trained commandos are bringing their full repertoire to bear in Afghanistan.
Canadian special forces have maintained an almost-constant presence in Afghanistan since Ottawa first sent troops to the former terrorist haven in early 2002.

-- Canadian Press

Leader

Great work

WTF? Victims? No.

__________________

smilingassassin

When they meet average westerners they are scumbags....when they meet our military forces they are very much victims...of a severe asswoopin.

Leader

LOL If only that was the author's meaning.

giggs88

Usage of the world "victim" doesn't have to be a sympathetic one.

smilingassassin

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/A...efing_20050920

JTF2 captured, killed enemies in Afghanistan: DND
CTV.ca News Staff

The Chief of Staff for Canadian Forces operations confirmed that Canadian soldiers have engaged Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, in an unprecedented look at the secretive commando unit.

At a briefing in Ottawa on Tuesday, Brig.-Gen. Mike Ward told reporters that members of Joint Task Force 2 have the authority to exercise deadly force on their missions throughout the war-torn country.

As such, Ward said enemy fighters have been both captured and killed in the course of Canadian forces doing their job.

"Yes, we've detained people," he explained, without specifying exact numbers. "Our aim in all of these operations is to capture where possible in order to use the intelligence value that any of these detainees may have for us."

Canadian troops hold detainees only long enough to process them and obtain any valuable intelligence before turning them over to the appropriate authorities, said Ward, who commanded Canadian troop as a colonel in Kosovo six years ago.

He explained that detainees are handed over to allies once transfer conditions are accepted and the International Committee of the Red Cross is informed.

The United States is the detainee authority in the coalition, he said, adding that Washington has agreed to Canada's conditions, including requirements of humane treatment and third-party monitoring.

Ward added that, in some circumstances, capture proved impossible.

"We have to expect that in those circumstances casualties do occur," he said. "We have not suffered any casualties at this point, but casualties occurred on the other side."

The military only recently acknowledged that JTF2 commandos are working with their American and Commonwealth counterparts in Afghanistan. A total of approximately 20,000 U.S.-led coalition troops are currently hunting for Taliban and al Qaeda insurgents throughout Afghanistan.

While Canadian operations are usually shrouded in secrecy, observers are saying Tuesday's rare admission is part of a new transparency on the part of the military.

"It's part of a new effort by the military and the government to be a little more open of what our forces are doing abroad," CTV's Roger Smith reported from Ottawa.

"I think the government wants to make it clear to people that these are dangerous missions partly so that Canadians can be prepared if Canadians themselves are killed."

One defence analyst says this candour is long overdue.

"The difference, and this is a significant difference, is the willingness of the political elite to talk about what they're using the military for and share that with the Canadian public," said Rob Huebert, a political scientist in Calgary.