Canada accuses Iran of being weapons pipeline

Montreal Gazette and CanWest News Service via National Post ^ | 2007-12-26 | Allison Lampert

[Clive]

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Canada has challenged the Iranian government over concerns that weapons and bomb-making equipment are slipping across the border to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Tuesday.

"We're very concerned that weapons are coming in from Iran," MacKay told reporters, while visiting Canadian troops with Gen. Rick Hillier in Kandahar province.

"We're very concerned that these weapons are going to the insurgents and are keeping this issue alive. We've certainly made our views to the Iranian government about this known."

Improvised explosive devices, responsible for the majority of the deaths of the 73 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, were particularly a concern, he said.

"It's so difficult to cut these supply lines when you have people from other countries giving out weapons that are being used against Canadian Forces and troops from other countries."

Mr. MacKay was echoing U.S. concerns that Iran is fuelling the war in Afghanistan by supplying weapons -- particularly parts for roadside bombs -- to insurgents. In April, the U.S. accused Iran of supplying contacts and weapons to the Taliban.

And in September, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Washington questioned Beijing over Chinese weapons shipments to Iran -- including a 10-tonne weapons cache found in Herat -- turning up in the hands of Afghan insurgents.

But in a June interview, ISAF commander Gen. Dan McNeill said that while Iranian mortars and other weapons have been discovered in Afghanistan, there is no proof Tehran is directly supplying the Taliban.

Insurgents' use of IEDs and other tactics has led to a record number of Canadian deaths in Afghanistan this year. Despite the bloodshed, Canada's soldiers are eager to continue the Afghan mission, said Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces.

"The soldiers that I talked to -- and I talked to most of them over the last 24 hours, as you can tell by my voice -- and they believe in the mission," said a hoarse Gen. Hillier.

"And they know it's going to take awhile. And they understand the characteristics of a counter-insurgency.

"And right now I would say the morale of the soldiers that I've spoken to is incredibly strong. They're not asking to come home. They believe in what they're doing."

Gen. Hillier, Mr. MacKay and U.S. ambassador to Canada David Wilkins served a Christmas dinner Tuesday of tourtiere and turkey to hundreds of troops stationed at the Kandahar Air Field. The two-day holiday visit went smoothly, unlike Mr. MacKay's last trip to Afghanistan in November which was marred by a rocket attack.

A rocket was fired later in the night at the sprawling base after the dignitaries left.

Dressed in a Canadian Forces camouflage, Mr. MacKay praised the soldiers, singling out Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, which accounts for the bulk of the troops serving on this rotation.

"The 22nd Regiment has distinguished itself again . . . and we in Canada are so very grateful," he said.

In Quebec, public sentiment is largely against having troops in Afghanistan, with a fall poll showing almost seven in 10 Quebecers oppose the Canadian mission.

U.S. ambassador Wilkins hailed Canada's "heavy lifting" in Kandahar as a model for other countries, such as Germany, that have been accused of shirking their duties in Afghanistan.

"It's a great example of what a freedom-loving country can do," Mr. Wilkins said of Canada.

He wouldn't say whether the U.S. is urging Canada to extend its mission in Canada past the country's February 2009 deadline. But Mr. MacKay reiterated his government's support for extending the mission to 2011.

"How confident am I that we're going to continue this progress? Extremely confident," he said of the mission. "The last thing that we want to see is slippage, or falling back, or a return of the Taliban. We do not want to leave work undone. We want to make sure that Afghanistan is a fully functional, secure, self-sustaining country. That's the mission and we want to complete that mission."

Montreal Gazette

[Clive]

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[Casaubon]

yah...we’ll just file this under “NO SH-T..really??”

/sarcasm

[Nextrush]

Don’t they do “National Intelligence Estimates” up there?

Heck, word came out on Christmas Eve that Iran was “helping” in Iraq.

This is the age of “containment” for Iran, of talking and getting along.

Just like we did while communism spread around the world in the 1950’s and 60’s.

[AmericaUnited]

Just wait till Ron Paul becomes POTUS. He’ll recall our ambassador to Canada to punish them for accusing those poor innocent Iranians... /sarc

[flowerplough]

Yeah, it’s like, “Well, DUH, eh?” It’s aboot time some Canuck cluck awoke and spoke up.

[period end of story]

It’s aboot time some Canuck cluck awoke and spoke up.

Alright, but....cluck off.

[Don W]

Here's a nickel , buy a clue.

We're on the same side, FRiends. Canada has had a CONSERVATIVE government for just over a year, and we've been kicking a** and taking names all over Ashcanistan since the games began.

Folks like you seem to enjoy complaining about how the USA has to do all this stuff alone, yet when your friend and neighbour is in the trenches with you eating the same dirt and killing the same sandmaggots, all you can do is denigrate and deride their contribution.

It's a small wonder why so few nations want to contribute when any effort to contribute to a common cause is belittled by the likes of you.

You should also know that there is a HUGE difference between knowing something is going on and lodging quiet diplomatic complaints and making a PUBLIC statement as Mr. MacKay did here. Often the backroom comment will get results, but this public comment is intended to provoke a reaction.

[SwinneySwitch]

Happy Boxing Day!

[Casaubon]

lighten up frenchy

I wouldnt call cana-duhs gov. conservitive by any stretch.

Canada does pull its weight when it comes to the war on terror. (sorta)

I am glad they spoke up about iran...but saying iran runs weps is about on par with saying the sky is up.

Its amazing that we somehow pat the backs of politicians for stating the obvious and politically easy.

[fanfan]

[flowerplough]

The New York Police Department, with approxilately 36,000 officers, measures up well ‘gainst Canada’s military. Canada has 62,000 military personnel including 9,500 sailors, 19,500 soldiers, 14,500 air force personnel and 20,000 administrative and support personnel, according to CBC news in July 2006.

Ain’t complainin’ ‘bout Canada’s own private slice of the war, yo, but I do contend that Canada and Europe have been cute little downy chicks hiding under Mother Hen America’s wings since the late 40’s.

[exg]

Some info and stats
http://www.sfu.ca/casr/ft-vehicle-casualties.htm

As of November 17, 2007, there have been 666 coalition deaths in Afghanistan as part of ongoing coalition operations (Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)): 398 American, 84 British, 73 Canadian, 28 German, 23 Spanish, 12 French, 12 Dutch, 11 Italian, 9 Danish, 5 Romanian, 4 Australian, 3 Norwegian, 2 Estonian, 2 Swedish, 1 Czech, 1 Finnish, 1
Polish, 1 Portuguese, 1 South Korean.

---

“Canada’s role in Afghanistan, consisting of operations against the Taliban and other insurgents in southern Afghanistan, has resulted in the largest number of fatal casualties for any single Canadian military mission since the Korean War. A reported total of 73 members of the Canadian Forces have died in Afghanistan between February 2002 and November 17, 2007. Of these, 65 were due to hostile circumstances, including 33 due to buried bombs[2], and eight were accidents or other non-hostile deaths.”

---

and from a 2006 article :

“Canadians are getting killed at a rate five times the average for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where _ Canada’s soldiers have suffered more than one-quarter of the combat deaths in Afghanistan this year...”Germany, with a contingent 400 soldiers larger than the 2,300 Canadians, hasn’t been involved in any fighting and has suffered no combat casualties.”
“http://techweb.rfa.org/pipermail/fbis/2006-November/131605.html——————————————————————————————————————————————————
*** it is not neccessarily the number of troops involved that counts...but the amount of sufferring—percentage of casualties according to the size of contingent—due to heavy fighting.

[exg]

ping

[fanfan]

Thanks for that post, exg.

[exg]

301,139,947 , population of United States
32,777,300, population of Canada

---

21,000—number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan
2,500—number of Canadian troops in Afghanistan

---

.02%-percentage of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan in accordance with number of U.S. troops on the ground(398/21000)
.03%-percentage of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan in accordance with number of Canadian troops on the ground.
(73/2500)

[exg]

Hi fanfan!
You’re very welcome.
ping

[exg]

“Canada does pull its weight when it comes to the war on terror. (sorta)”

---

301,139,947 , population of United States
32,777,300, population of Canada

---

21,000—number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan
2,500—number of Canadian troops in Afghanistan

---

.02%-percentage of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan in accordance with number of U.S. troops on the ground(398/21000)
.03%-percentage of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan in accordance with number of Canadian troops on the ground.
(73/2500)

[JasonC]

So declare war on Iran, Canada. Nobody is stopping you. But oh I forgot, you'd rather declare war on Mark Steyn.

[Catholic Canadian]

Hey, at least Peter Mackay hasn’t said that Islam is a religion of peace in several months..... ;)