Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan

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Canada did not have a significant role in the first few months of the invasion of Afghanistan that began on October 7, 2001, and the first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan only in January–February 2002. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the Canadian troops were redeployed to Kandahar province. Roughly 2,500-2,830 Canadian Forces personnel are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Contents 1 Military Operations 1.1 Background 1.2 2001–2002 initial deployment 1.3 2002–2005 1.4 2003–2005 Operation Athena 1.5 2006 renewed commitments: Operation Archer 1.6 2006-Present 2 Current Priorities 3 Provincial reconstruction team 4 "Signature" Projects 5 Other Operations 6 Opposition to war 7 Fatalities 7.1 Canadian military deaths in Afghanistan 7.2 Canadian non-military deaths in Afghanistan 8 Bravery awards 9 Controversies 9.1 Afghan detainee abuse scandal 9.2 Financial cost 10 Bases 11 Diplomatic ties 12 References 13 See also 14 External links

[edit] Military Operations

[edit] Background

In September 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Minister of National Defence Art Eggleton advised Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to authorize more than 100 Canadian Forces members serving on military exchange programs in the United States and other countries to participate in U.S. operations in Afghanistan.^{[citation needed]} The operations were aimed at identifying and neutralizing al-Qaeda members in that country, as well as toppling the Taliban regime, which was claimed to be supporting international terrorism.

At the time of the invasion, the Canadian government defined Canada's reasons for participating in the mission Afghanistan as follows:^{[citation needed]}

1. Defend Canada's national interests;
2. Ensure Canadian leadership in world affairs; and
3. Help Afghanistan rebuild.

[edit] 2001–2002 initial deployment

Although not participating at all in the opening days of the invasion, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced on October 7 that Canada would contribute forces to the international force being formed to conduct a campaign against terrorism. General Ray Henault, the Chief of the Defence Staff, issued preliminary orders to several CF units, as Operation Apollo was established. The Canadian commitment was originally planned to last to October 2003.

Forty Joint Task Force Two (JTF2) operators were sent to Afghanistan in December 2001, two months after then Minister of Defence, Art Eggleton, announced that Canada would be sending troops to Afghanistan to aid the removal of the Taliban.[1]

Once the regular forces were on the ground in January–February 2002 the Canadians were used supporting the war effort until Operation Anaconda began. During the operation, a Canadian sniper team broke, and re-broke, the kill record for a long distance sniper kill set in the Vietnam War by a U.S. Marine, Staff Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.^[1][2] Operation Anaconda was also the first time since the Korean War that Canadian soldiers relieved American soldiers in a combat operation.

[edit] 2002–2005

In March 2002, three Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry snipers fought alongside U.S. Army units during Operation Anaconda. Canadian forces also undertook Operation Harpoon in the Shah-i-Kot Valley. Other forces in the country provided garrison and security troops.

On April 18, 2002, a friendly fire incident caused Canadian casualties when an American F-16 jet dropped a laser-guided bomb on a group of Canadian soldiers. The PPCLI soldiers were conducting night-time training on a designated live-fire range, and the American pilots claim they mistook their gunfire for a Taliban insurgent attack. Four Canadians were killed and eight were wounded in the bombing (see Tarnak Farm incident).

In 2003, the Canadian Forces moved to the northern city of Kabul where it became the commanding nation of the newly formed International Security Assistance Force. In spring 2005 it was announced that the Canadian Forces would move back to the volatile Kandahar Province as the U.S. forces handed command to the Canadians in the region.

[edit] 2003–2005 Operation Athena

In August 2003, Operation Athena began outside Kabul as part of ISAF, with a 1,900-strong Canadian task force providing assistance to civilian infrastructure such as well-digging and repair of local buildings.

In March 2004, Canada committed $250 million in aid to Afghanistan, and $5 million to support the 2004 Afghan election.^[3]

On 13 February 2005, Defence Minister Bill Graham announced Canada was doubling the number of troops in Afghanistan by the coming summer, from 600 troops in Kabul to 1200.^[4]

Operation Athena ended in December 2005 and the fulfillment of the stated aim of "rebuilding the democratic process" in Afghanistan.^[5]

[edit] 2006 renewed commitments: Operation Archer

Operation Archer followed Athena beginning in February 2006. By the spring of 2006, Canada had a major role in southern Afghanistan, with Task Force Afghanistan being a battle group of 2,300 soldiers based at Kandahar. Canada also commanded the Multi-National Brigade for Command South, a main military force in the region. In May 2006, the Canadian government extended Canadian military commitments to Afghanistan by two years, replacing earlier plans to withdraw soldiers in 2006.

Additionally, Foreign Affairs Canada stated that the commitment was more than just military, employing a "whole of government approach", in which a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), utilizing personnel from the military, Foreign Affairs, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, would provide a dual role of security as well as reconstruction of the country and political structure.^[5]

On 28 February 2006, command of the forces in southern Afghanistan transferred from U.S. Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry to Canadian Brigadier-General David Fraser in a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield.

[edit] 2006-Present

When the Canadian Forces returned to Kandahar after being deployed to Kabul in 2003, the Taliban began a major offensive, and the Canadians were caught in the middle. After a spring in which a record number of attacks against Canadian soldiers had been set, which included six deaths to the CF, the Taliban in Kandahar and Helmand provinces were massing.

Operation Mountain Thrust was launched in the beginning of the summer in 2006. Canadians of the 1 PPCLI Battle Group were one of the leading combatants and the first fighting when the Battle of Panjwaii took place. Complex mud-walled compounds made the rural Panjwaii District take on an almost urban style of fighting in some places. Daily firefights, artillery bombardments, and allied airstrikes turned the tides of the battle in favour of the Canadians. After Operation Mountain Thrust came to an end, Taliban fighters flooded back into the Panjwaii District in numbers that had not been seen yet in a single area in the "post Anaconda" war.

The Canadian Forces came under NATO command at the end of July, and the 1 RCR Battle Group replaced the PPCLI. Canadians launched Operation Medusa in September in an attempt to clear the areas of Taliban fighters from Panjwaii once and for all. The fighting of Operation Medusa led the way to the second, and most fierce Battle of Panjwaii in which daily gun-battles, ambushes, and mortar and rocket attacks were targeting the Canadian troops. The Taliban had massed with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 fighters. The Taliban were reluctant to give up the area, and after being surrounded by the Canadian Forces, they dug in and fought a more conventional style battle. After weeks of fighting, the Taliban had been cleared from the Panjwaii area and Canadian reconstruction efforts in the area began.

On 15 September 2006, the Canadian government committed a squadron of Leopard tanks from Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), and an additional 200 to 500 troops to Afghanistan. Canada was the first nation to deploy armour to Afghanistan.^[6]

On 1 November 2006, Dutch Major-General Ton van Loon succeeded Brigadier-General David Fraser as head of NATO Regional Command South in Afghanistan, a post which he will retain for a six month period. [2]

On 15 December 2006, the Canadians launched Operation Falcon Summit into Zhari District, to the north of Panjwaii. The operation was the Canadian involvement in the NATO-led Operation Mountain Fury. During Operation Falcon Summit, the Canadians gained control of several key villages and towns that were former Taliban havens, such as Howz-E Madad. During the first week of the operation, massive Canadian artillery and tank barrages were carried out in a successful attempt to clear pockets of Taliban resistance. The operation concluded with plans to build a new road linking Panjwaii with Kandahar's Highway 1 that runs east-west through Zhari.

In February 2007, the 2 RCR Battle Group took over to carry on with combat operations in several districts in Kandahar Province.

From 15 July 2007 to February 2008, units from CFB Valcartier near Quebec City served in Kandahar filling most positions in the OMLT and providing the protective company for the PRT. The 3rd Battalion Royal 22^e Régiment Battle Group, with supporting troops from 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and a composite tank squadron from Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) conducted operations on the ground. This rotation reflected a change in Canadian tactics, with emphasis on systematically clearing-holding-building in the districts of Panjwaii and Zhari, while also protecting Arghandab District and the Afghan–Pakistan border in the area of Spin Boldak. The focus was on intimately working with the Afghan army, police and civil administration to hold cleared areas rather than subsequently lose them to returning Taliban, as had previously occurred throughout the South and East.

In February 2008, the Van Doos contingent was replaced by force centred on a PPCLI battle group.

On 29 January 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would extend its military mission in Afghanistan to 2011 only if another NATO country puts at least 1,000 soldiers in the dangerous southern province of Kandahar, echoing the recommendation made in the week before by the panel that he had appointed.^[7]

On March 13, 2008, the Harper Conservative government's motion to extend the military mission past February 2009 into 2011 was approved in a parliamentary vote with the support of the Liberal opposition. The Conservative government had made their motion a confidence vote that threatened the triggering of an election unless passed. Revised followed consultations with the Liberal party, the extension of almost another three years is to have a focus on reconstruction and training of Afghan troops, and sets a firm pullout date, calling for Canadian troops to leave Afghanistan by December 2011. While the Liberals voted in favour of the Conservatives' confidence motion, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois voted against it, having consistently rejected any extension of the military mission. NDP leader Jack Layton said "There are millions of Canadians who don't want this strategy to continue. The population prefers a road to peace."^[8]

On March 26, 2009, it was announced that Canada's area of responsibility in Kandahar province would be cut by nearly half in the summer of 2009 as part of the U.S. administration's new Afghan strategy. With about one-third of the planned 17,000 U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan to be based in Kandahar province, the Canadian combat mission will reduce its focus to the major population centres in and around Kandahar City.^[9]

[edit] Current Priorities

As of January 2009, the government of Canada's special website on Afghanistan states six primary priorities:^[10]

• Stability, by training the Afghan National Army and Police as well as members of the government and judicial system;
• Development, by providing education, basic services and employment opportunities;
• Humanitarian assistance and services for refugees;
• Security along the border with Pakistan, particularly the Federally Administered Tribal Areas which are regarded by the military as a base of operations for the Afghan insurgency;
• Democracy, by supporting democratic institutions and processes; and
• Political reconciliation with former insurgents.

[edit] Provincial reconstruction team

A key element of Canadian operations in Afghanistan is the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT), one of 25 provincial reconstruction teams throughout the country. A Provincial Reconstruction Team(PRT) is a unit introduced by the United States government to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states, performing duties ranging from humanitarian work to the training of police and the military. Following NATO's involvement, command of some PRTs was transferred from the US to other nations under ISAF.

The Kandahar PRT is composed of around 330-335 personnel composed largely of Canadian Forces elements (315), but also of a few diplomats, correctional officers, development specialists, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).^[11][12][13] The Kandahar PRT also includes one U.S. State Department official, one U.S. development official, and several U.S. police mentors.^[12]

The PRT is about one-eighth the size of the overall 2,830 Canadian military forces in Afghanistan. The 2008 Manley Report recommended that the KPRT be given more funding and attention and be placed under civilian leadership instead.^[12]

[edit] "Signature" Projects

Following the recommendations of the Manley report, the Canadian government has sought to highlight several so-called "signature" projects in Kandahar Province.^[12] The government of Canada's communications on Afghanistan website highlights:^[14]

• Dahla Dam and irrigation system: Canada will put $50 million over three years toward this project to assist with irrigation and basic services across the region. It is believed that it will create 10,000 seasonal jobs.
• Education: Canada will put $12 million over three years into improving the education system across Kandahar.
• Polio eradication: Canada will put up to $60 million over three years toward this project to see the immunization of an estimated seven million children across Afghanistan, including 350,000 in the province of Kandahar.

[edit] Other Operations

• The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has increased activities abroad, including in support of Canada's participation in the war in Afghanistan. The executive director of its civilian oversight committee noted in January 2009 that this has noticeably altered the spy agency and urged policy improvements to manage its growing operations overseas.^[15]
• Canada has assisted in the collection, storage and decommissioning of 10,000 heavy weapons left in Afghanistan including artillery, tanks and rocket launchers, used in decades of conflict in the country.^[5]
• Canada has helped clear about one third of the estimated 10 to 15 million mines in Afghanistan.^[5]
• Canada has loaned money to over 140,000 people in Afghanistan.^[5]
• Canada has helped train the Afghan police and army.^[5][16]
• Since December 2001, Canada has been an active participant in the civilian-led United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. The Canadian military terms it Operation ACCIUS.
• In 2005 Canada initiated the Strategic Advisory Team – Afghanistan (SAT-A), known as Operation ARGUS, to mentor aspects of the Afghani government on defense issues. It usually contains around fifteen personnel and one CIDA official.^[17][18]
• Canada is a member of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), termed Operation Altair, that is used for maritime patrol and enforcement near Afghanistan.^[19]
• Since early 2006, the Canadian Operational Mentor Liaison Team (OMLT) has helped to train and equip the Afghan National Army to take over security when the coalition pulls out. Currently the OMLT consists of around 200 personnel training 1,000 Afghan soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 205th Corps. The OMLT also has a subgroup that mentors the Afghan National Police.^[20][21]

[edit] Opposition to war

Although the leaders of Canada's two largest political parties agree on the necessity of the mission to Afghanistan, it is politically controversial with the Canadian public, with the three other main political parties, with activist groups, and within the Liberal party. On August 31, 2006, New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton called for the withdrawal of Canadian troops from the south of Afghanistan, to begin immediately and soon afterwards pursue peace negotiations with the Taliban insurgents. He argued that the mission lacked clear objectives and measures of success, and that the counter-insurgency operation was undermining reconstruction in Afghanistan.^[22]

Current Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper's support of the Afghanistan mission has been repeatedly criticized by other political players. In September 2006, CBC columnist Larry Zolf discussed the oft-repeated accusation that Harper is a "puppet" of Bush:

"Linking Harper to Bush has been a staple of the NDP and the left of the Liberal party since the Harper mission in Afghanistan started. Harper's defence of his war in Afghanistan is that he's not a prisoner of Bush but is simply carrying on a mission started by the Liberals. And he's right. Still, the charge that Harper is a Bush puppet is sticking, and it's hurting Harper as both he and Bush are dropping in the polls. Afghanistan is not only stopping Harper's quest for a majority government—it could even cost him the next election."

While the Liberals now support the Conservative-proposed extension of the mission to 2011, the New Democratic Party would make an immediate announcement of the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan, with the specific timing and speed of the actual withdrawal as deemed responsible by military commanders, whether within a few weeks or a couple of months. An October 9, 2008 NDP release^[23] stated:

"Jack Layton and the NDP want to bring our troops home from Afghanistan in six months, instead of spending $18.1 billion dollars on this war for three more years. Rather than spending this money on war, the NDP will invest in hiring more doctors and more skilled jobs training here in Canada."

The Green Party and the Bloc Québécois also oppose any extension beyond the previous 2009 withdrawal date.

[edit] Fatalities

[edit] Canadian military deaths in Afghanistan

Since February 2002, 125 Canadian soldiers have died in the war in Afghanistan or in support of the war in Afghanistan. Of these, 102 were due to hostile circumstances, including 69 due to improvised explosive devices (IED) or landmines, 22 due to rocket-propelled grenade, small arms or mortar fire, 11 due to suicide bomb attacks, and one died falling from a high ground position on a cliff during a combat operation that involved firefight. An additional 22 soldiers have died in accidents or other non-combat circumstances; 6 due to "friendly fire", 6 in vehicle accidents, two in an accidental helicopter crash, 2 from accidental falls, 2 from accidental gunshots, 1 suicide death and 3 unspecified non-combat-related deaths including 1 at a support base in the Persian Gulf. Canada has suffered the third-highest absolute number of deaths of any nation among the foreign military participants.

[edit] Canadian non-military deaths in Afghanistan

One senior Foreign Affairs official and three Canadian civilians have also been killed in Afghanistan due to hostile circumstances.

Name	Hometown	Employment	Date	Circumstance	References
Glyn Berry	United Kingdom	Senior Foreign Affairs officer	15 January 2006	Died in a suicide attack while travelling in an armoured G-wagon.	[3]
Mike Frastacky	Vancouver, British Columbia	Civilian carpenter	23 July 2006	Murdered in Nahrin.	[4][5][6]
Jacqueline Kirk	Montreal, Quebec	Civilian Aid Worker	14 August 2008	Killed along with an American aid worker and their Afghan driver when the vehicle they were riding in was ambushed by gunmen while travelling between Gardez and Kabul.	[7]
Shirley Case	Williams Lake, British Columbia	Civilian Aid Worker

[edit] Bravery awards

In December 2003, PPCLI snipers Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale, Master Corporal Tim McMeekin, Corporal Dennis Eason, Corporal Rob Furlong and Master Corporal Arron Perry were awarded the Bronze Star by the U.S. Army for their actions in combat during Operation Anaconda, March 2–11, 2002.^[24]

On October 27, 2006, Sergeant Patrick Tower of the PPCLI became the first ever recipient of the Canadian Star of Military Valour. It came as a result of actions on August 3, 2006, where he assumed command of his platoon under fire, and escorted them to safety.^[25]

Sergeant Michael Thomas Victor Denine, PPCLI, was awarded the Medal of Military Valour for his actions as part of Operation Archer. On May 17, 2006, though under intense rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun and small arms fire, Sergeant Denine exited a light armoured vehicle and manned the pintle-mounted machine gun. In spite of being completely exposed to enemy fire, Sergeant Denine laid down such a volume of suppressive fire that he forced the enemy to withdraw.^[25]

On May 24, 2006, while under intense enemy fire, Master Corporal Collin Ryan Fitzgerald, PPCLI, entered and re-entered a burning platoon vehicle, driving it off the roadway and allowing the other vehicles trapped in the enemy's kill zone to break free, for which he was awarded the Medal of Military Valour.^[25]

On July 13, during Operation Archer Private Jason Lamont, PPCLI, ran across open ground through concentrated enemy fire in order to deliver first aid to a wounded comrade, for which he was also awarded the Medal of Military Valour.^[25]

Major William Hilton Fletcher, PPCLI, received the Star of Military Valour ^[26]. He was recognized for demonstrating extraordinary bravery during his service in Afghanistan from January to August 2006. He repeatedly exposed himself to intense fire while leading C Company, 1 PPCLI Battle Group, on foot, to assault heavily defended enemy positions.

Captain Derek Prohar, PPCLI, received the Medal of Military Valour. Assigned as liaison officer with the U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan during the battle at Sperwan Ghar, from September 5 to 12, 2006, Captain Prohar operated as the rear machine gunner on the battalion commander's vehicle. He was wounded by an improvised explosive device during an intense enemy ambush. Despite his injuries, he continued returning fire and assisted the commander with the control of the attack, which resulted in the successful seizing of key terrain.^{[citation needed]}

Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Chris Hasler, a Canadian, was invested with the Distinguished Flying Cross personally by Queen Elizabeth II on 23 May 2007 for flying resupply missions under fire in Chinook helicopters in Afghanistan in 2006. He is the first Canadian to be decorated for bravery in the air since the Korean War.^[27]

At the end of 2006, every Canadian soldier was selected by the Canadian Press as the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year due to the war in Afghanistan.^[28]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Afghan detainee abuse scandal

In 2007 allegations arose that the Canadian military was handing detainees over to the Afghan military without first making sure that they would not be abused. This evolved into a political scandal in Canada that eventually saw defense minister Gordon O'Connor become demoted.

[edit] Financial cost

The estimated cost of continuing Canadian operations in Afghanistan is the subject of considerable debate. Initial government estimates for the period 2001 to 2009 were as low as CAD$3.5 billion according to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay in June 2006,^[29][30] but later government estimates of the incremental cost of the conflict (as distinct from the fixed cost of DND operations unrelated to Afghanistan) increased to CAD$5 billion in March 2008 due to equipment purchases.^[31]

Independent estimates of the total cost of the conflict range as high as CAD$18.5 billion by 2011, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.^[32] The discrepancy between this and government estimates lies in the difficulty in distinguishing between routine military costs and those dedicated specifically to the Afghan conflict, as well as the inclusion of long term costs relating to injured soldiers and estimated lost productivity caused by personnel afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder.

[edit] Bases

• Camp Julien in Kabul
• Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar
• Camp Mirage airbase, a logistics base outside of Afghanistan

[edit] Diplomatic ties

On January 25, 2002, Canada officially re-established diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. This was followed by the opening of Canada's embassy in Kabul in September 2003. Canada's current serving representative is Ambassador Ron Hoffmann ^[33].

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Military history of Canada: Wars since Confederation

Boer War

First World War

Russian Civil War

Spanish Civil War

Second World War

Korean War

Cold War

Vietnam War

Invasion of Afghanistan

Iraq War

• Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal
• Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan
• Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
• International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan
• Protests against the invasion of Afghanistan
• Financial cost of Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan
• Afghanistan War order of battle
• Britain's role in the 2001-present Afghan war
• Criticism of the War on Terrorism
• Afghanada

[edit] External links

• Canada in Afghanistan: Military & Development Roles | Mapleleafweb.com
• Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan
• Canadian American Strategic Review
• Peace Operations Monitor- Afghanistan
• Casualties in Afghanistan & Iraq
• The Reality Page

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