Senate Report Questions Canada's Mission in Afghanistan

 
The Canadian Senate Defence Committee has just issued a report on Afghanistan. I haven't seen the original but here are some comments from an article in today's Toronto Star [Senate report blasts mission].

The report, titled "Taking a Hard Look at a Hard Mission," is short – just 16 pages – but blunt and stands in stark contrast to the more rosy assessments touted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet ministers.

"Our troops need more than patriotic bumper stickers. They deserve thoughtful assessments," reads the report, obtained by the Toronto Star.

Canada has about 2,600 soldiers in Afghanistan, most based in the Kandahar region. Since the mission began in 2002, 44 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.

"There are all kinds of problems to be solved if the Canadian deployment to Afghanistan is to achieve what any reasonable person would define as `success,'" the report says.

For starters, it says Canada's effort to win the "hearts and minds" of the local population has been badly undermined by civilian casualties caused by NATO air strikes and a development program that has little to show for its big budget.

"The combination of too many lives being lost and too little development assistance ... contributes to making life bleak and dangerous in the Kandahar region," it reads. For that reason, it says development dollars should be given to the Canadian military – $20 million a year – to make progress quickly until aid organizations are able to function safely in the region.

"We may have something more and better to offer than the Taliban, but we don't have much time to prove it," the report says.

Sounds okay up to here. Things are going badly and we're not winning the hearts and minds of the people. I agree with that. The obvious conclusion is to get the hell out and let Afghanistan solve its own problems.

But that's not what the report says. Instead it advocates escalation. More troops and more money—that's the ticket.

The report takes aim at NATO allies for doing more "saluting" than "marching." If more troops and equipment aren't delivered – as repeatedly demanded by local commanders – Canada should rethink its promise to stay in Kandahar until February 2009, it says.

"It is ... doubtful that the mission can be accomplished given the limited resources that NATO is currently investing," it says.

Canada has placed significant political and military pressure on other NATO nations to help bolster the mission in southern Afghanistan but with little success.

The report also pokes at the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, for the systemic corruption it says runs rampant through the country's institutions. It says the Karzai government should be pressed to develop a "comprehensive, transparent and effective plan" to reduce corruption as a condition of Canada's long-term commitment.

Hmmm ... we're not succeeding and the government we support is corrupt and ineffectual. What should we do? I know, let's send in more troops and give them more money. Ridiculous.

The report is based on the testimony of dozens of witnesses to the Senate committee as well as their own visits to Afghanistan, most recently in December. The report, which was unanimously adopted by the Liberal and Conservative senators on the committee, was tabled Thursday.

The report praises soldiers for their bravery, commitment and optimism.

"Like other Canadians, we want our troops to succeed and we want them to return home safely," it says.

Oh yes, the obligatory praise for the troops. We certainly can't have anyone thinking that we don't support the troops, can we?

Look, it's time we left. The soldiers who have died already have died in vain. More of them are going to die before we realize that we're wasting our time. You don't support our troops by getting them killed in a hopeless cause.

While federal New Democrats have called for troops to be withdrawn, the Senate defence committee says there are good humanitarian and strategic reasons for Canada to remain there.

Noting that "venomous" extremists still make their base in Afghanistan, the report says "neither Canada nor its allies should acquiesce to that threat."

Most of the extremists are based in Pakistan. Should we continue to acquiesce to that threat?

But the report says the key to lasting stability in the troubled nation is the ability of the Afghan National Army and police forces taking on more of the security role for themselves.

That's why the report's key recommendations urge NATO nations to provide additional troops to help train the Afghan army. As well, Canada should send 250 more of its own troops to serve as trainers, it says.

The report also says Ottawa should dispatch 60 more Canadian police officers – up from the 10 now there – to boost training of Afghan police. It also suggests the federal government "significantly augment" the $10 million contribution already made to provide uniforms and in the future improve benefits and salaries.

"Most police are untrained, illiterate and don't even know what the law is," the report says in a bleak assessment of Afghan officers.

We've been "training" these police for five years now and they don't know what the law is? What does that tell us?

The report also suggests Canada, along with NATO and the Afghan government, establish a "defensible" buffer zone along the Pakistan border to stop the infiltration of Taliban fighters.

"As long as the Taliban have access to hideouts beyond the reach of our forces, our mission has little hope of success," the senators say, urging "robust action" to save the Canadian mission from being undermined.

Translation from political doublespeak: the mission is hopeless as long as the government of Pakistan refuses to cooperate against terrorists and the government of Afghanistan is too corrupt to care. However, we should continue to sacrifice Canadian soldiers because if we don't we might have to admit that we've lost. It's much better to admit defeat five years from now when things are much worse.