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The Canadian Forces is looking at buying laser weapons designed to temporarily blind individuals as part of its efforts to reduce the number of innocent Afghans killed or wounded by troops for failing to heed warnings not to approach military convoys.
The systems, generally referred to as laser dazzlers, are capable of "disrupting" the vision of a person 50 to 500 metres away, depending on the specific type of model used.
The military wants to mount the dazzlers on rifles and vehicles, mainly for use in protecting convoys. It's hoped the systems might reduce the number of Afghan civilians killed or injured by soldiers after failing to heed commands to stop at checkpoints or not approach convoys.
At least 22 Afghans have been wounded and another nine killed in such incidents.
Military officials worry such incidents are harming efforts to win over people in Kandahar.
The laser systems are considered non-lethal weapons by Defence officials, although some in the military prefer to refer to them as warning devices as opposed to weapons. Being hit by a dazzler is akin to looking directly into the sun. Other systems on the market make use of a light emitting diode, or LED, to project an intense beam to disorient an individual.
Dazzlers from two companies are being considered by the Canadian Forces but military officials declined to provide details.
"The Department of National Defence always considers ways to protect our Forces and reduce the potential of causing unintended harm to civilians,"said spokesman Maj. Norbert Cyr. He noted while the military is aware of such technology it does not currently use the systems.
Last year the Pentagon acknowledged its troops in Iraq were using such devices on their rifles. A Pentagon official said the systems were designed to cut down on the number of shooting of Iraqis at checkpoints.
Canada has ratified a treaty that prevents the use of weapons that cause permanent blindness. The manufacturers of the dazzlers, however, acknowledge they can damage a person's eyes if improperly used at close ranges.
What isn't clear, however, are the steps Ottawa has taken to test such systems in preparation for acquiring them and then sending them to Afghanistan.
In meetings in 2003 and 2005, Defence and Foreign Affairs officials met with the Red Cross to discuss improving procedures for examining the capabilities of weapons at the time of purchase. This was being done to comply with a protocol of the Geneva Conventions and ensure a nation has detailed information in place to show any new weapon does not violate various treaties the country has signed.
Foreign Affairs and Defence Department officials were not available to discuss the issue.
Isabelle Daoust, an Ottawa-based lawyer with the Canadian Red Cross, said technical and legal experts, as well as doctors are needed to analyze information about any new weapon. "The lawyer is there to lay out the legal standards, but someone needs to make that assessment whether the weapon is up to scratch with the standards that are there," said Daoust.
"It would be a tough call to make in isolation," she added. "I would think you would need to have a few people around the table to make a serious assessment."
There are already number of portable laser dazzlers out on the market.
LE Technologies of the U.S. sells a compact hand-held dazzler "specifically designed for applications where subject vision impairment must be achieved at distance, in very bright ambient conditions including clear sunny daylight," according to the company's promotional material.
The firm states tests show there is no damage to an individual's eyes after repeated exposure to the dazzler.
In August, it was reported India's army planned to acquire dazzlers.
An Indian government defence research centre had developed two such systems for use in counter-insurgency operations, according to media reports.
Those systems have ranges of between 50 and 500 metres. They use intense visible light and produce a flickering green laser beam that is enough to temporarily blind or disorient a person.
China has also equipped its security forces with laser dazzling weapons for riot control.
