Afgan mission becoming controversial

National doubt seems to be playing a large role in the Canadian occupancy of Afghanistan and it only seems to increase as the death toll rises.

On Friday, September 29th, Col. Fred Lewis addressed the death of Pte. Josh Klukie, Canada's 37th soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002, 10 of which have died just in the past month alone.

Pte. Klukie, a Thunder Bay-native and a member of First Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, in Petawawa, was on foot patrol Friday in the Panjwaii district, west Kandahar, when he was killed after stepping over an insurgent's explosive booby trap.

Cpl. James Miller was also injured in the attack and suffered deafness in his left ear and a possible concussion.

Wide spacing of the patrolling unit prevented any other injuries. A military official confirmed the explosive was an anti-tank mine.

Incidentally, a suicide bomber on a bicycle killed Cpl. Glen Arnold, Cpl. Shane Keating. Cpl. Keith Morley and Pte. David Byers on foot in the same area just weeks previous.

Southern Afghanistan has proven to be a daunting area to secure from the insurgents. The Canadian public is divided on the issue and as casualties increase support decreases. A study, published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, recently said Canadian soldiers are experiencing a “disproportionately heavy burden of casualties” compared to other coalition troops in Afghanistan.

The report stated that Canada has incurred more casualties than any other U.S. ally. Some critics believe that Canada's high death toll could be due to the high number of troops stationed in Kandahar, a southern province in Afghanistan, where in lies a high concentration of Taliban insurgents.

According to an extensive study by Decima Reasearch, of which more than 2,000 Canadians were polled last month, 59 per cent of respondents believe that Canadian soldiers are “dying for a cause we cannot win”, while only 34 per cent disagred with that statement.

Although the purpose of Canadian troops being stationed in Afghanistan is to help rebuild the war-torn country, heavy fighting has demonstrated that the Canadian mission has strayed from hopes of reconstruction to prayers of survival.

At the heart of the Canadian mission is the military's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Lt.-Col. Simon Hetherington, who is in-charge of the PRT, admits that its sluggish pace is mainly a result of heavy fighting and the losses of expertise. Soldiers dedicated to the PRT have turned to combat because of the rise of insurgent violence resulting in the loss of some of its members.

“We have had a lull, we need to get moving, I recognize that," Hetherington said in response to the progress or lack there of since the reconstruction team based themselves in the province of Kandahar one year ago.

One of Canada's most vocal opponant to the troops being stationed in Kandahar is NDP leader, Jack Layton.

"This is not the right mission for Canada,'' Layton said. "There is no balance. In particular, it lacks a comprehensive rebuilding plan and commensurate development assistance.''

The NDP has called for Canadian soldiers to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by February 2007. However, Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has rejected any notion of withdrawal.

The House of Commons voted last spring to extend the Afghan mission to 2009, and as a result, Harper continues to support the deployment of more troops. He has even suggested lengthening the mission to 2010.

Canada's military currently has more than 2,000 troops in Afganistan and is leading the NATO forces in the southern provinces. It is still unclear on how many more troops are needed to defeat the Tailban.

"Did we see a resurgent Taliban this spring that has slowed some of the development, particularly in the south? Yes," said Canadian general, Rick Hillier, Chief of Defence Staff. Even though Hillier admits to the recent increase of insurgent backlash, he is looking into sending replacements faster than the current 20-30 day custom.

With the majority of Canadians believing the war is a lost cause, Stephen Harper, continues to defend and promote the mission, welcoming new recruits with open arms. “We will not, and nor would any responsible Canadian Prime Minister, ever leave this mission until we are successful" said Harper in response to criticisms of the mission. Canada has recently sent 200 troops and a squadron of Leopard tanks to reinforce its mission and we can expect further troop deployment in the near future.