Posted on 03/14/2002 6:16:37 PM PST by Black Powder
OTTAWA -- A team of six Canadian snipers shot dead heavily armed Taliban or al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan over the past week -- the first confirmed enemy killings in combat by Canadian troops since the Korean War.
Speaking about the fighting as part of Operation Anaconda, Vice-Admiral Greg Maddison said the snipers "suppressed enemy mortar and heavy machine-gun positions with deadly accuracy."
That information emerged yesterday as 600 Canadian and U.S. soldiers launched a new combat mission, called Operation Harpoon, in eastern Afghanistan. Under Canadian command, the soldiers were flown in by helicopter from the Bagram air base, up to a mountainous area where they will chase down Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.
The coalition troops encountered no resistance as they set up their positions early in the day, getting ready for a mission that will last two to seven days.
Canadian officials estimate that there are fewer than 100 enemy fighters hiding in caves and mountains in the area that they call the Whale Back.
It was during the Operation Anaconda phase that Canadian snipers felled enemy fighters while defending U.S. troops that were under fire.
"As the American battalion was moving down the ridge and dealing with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters that they were encountering, the snipers were there to provide defensive capability," Adm. Maddison said.
He would not say how many enemy fighters the snipers killed or provide any other details of the incident.
There have been no Canadian casualties in the operations so far.
While Canadians soldiers have killed people during peacekeeping missions, the last time the country's military used lethal force in combat was in 1953.
Operation Harpoon is commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran of the Canadian Forces. He is leading 500 soldiers from the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and about 100 U.S. troops from the 10th Mountain Division.
The mission is called a "mopping up" -- finding and eliminating pockets of resistance after a major operation. Hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda members were killed as part of the U.S.-led Operation Anaconda, which is winding down.
Some fighters survived, and have fled northwest to the Whale Back.
Commodore Jean-Pierre Thiffault, the top Canadian officer at Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said that Operation Harpoon is "a combat operation to clear out the remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban pockets in caves and other sites in the mountainous areas south of Gardez, near the Whale Back."
Adm. Maddison said this will be a risky endeavour in a dangerous area: mountainous and rough terrain that is filled with caves and holes where the enemy might be hiding.
"It is not a benign environment. Whilst our folks are well-trained and they're well led, and they're prepared for this sort of mission, the risks are high," he said.
Operation Harpoon started with intense bombing of the Whale Back area by U.S. bombers, followed by the "insertion" of Canadian troops under the protection of gunship helicopters.
"There was a heavy amount of air cover that was used to soften the terrain, if you will," Adm. Maddison said.
Operation Harpoon is much smaller than Operation Anaconda, although both are happening in the same general area.
Operation Anaconda focused on an area called Shahi Kot, in which hundreds of Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters had congregated.
Two teams of Canadian snipers, or sharpshooters, are with the coalition fighting in Afghanistan, both from the Princess Patricia's regiment.
Snipers are part of a battalion's reconnaissance platoon. Their job is to figure out how to get as close to the enemy as possible. They are experts in camouflage and concealment, and can pick off human prey with rifles from as far away as 900 metres, or the length of nine football fields.
Canada's snipers -- there are only a few dozen -- learn their trade at the Combat Training Centre at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick. In addition to six snipers, the Canadian contribution to Operation Anaconda included an indefinite number of commando troops from the Joint Task Force 2 and 10 others members of the Princess Patricia's regiment.
The JTF2 members are back at their home base now. It is Canadian policy to release almost no information on their activities. Adm. Maddison said the JTF2 engaged in combat, but didn't say if they killed anyone.
Canada has contributed 2,400 troops so far to the war on terrorism.
It has almost 900 soldiers in Afghanistan, while the others are working on ships and planes in the area.
Canadian Alliance MP Leon Benoit -- a frequent critic of Canada's defence policy -- praised the work of troops in Afghanistan.
"I'm proud of the snipers and the important role they provided in giving cover to the other soldiers moving in, and I'm proud of the mission led by Canadians."
Glad to have you on OUR side, Canada.
I'm a little surprised that no one's commented on this yet.
True patriot love
in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts
we see thee rise,
The True North
strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee
God keep our land
glorious and free!
O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.
History
"O CANADA" was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, a century after it was first sung on June 24, 1880. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée, a well-known composer; French lyrics to accompany the music were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The song gained steadily in popularity.
Many English versions have appeared over the years. The version on which the official English lyrics are based was written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir. The official English version includes changes recommended in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons. The French lyrics remain unchanged.
A great national anthem for a great people. I last heard it sung when Trudeau was given an honorary doctorate at Notre Dame. My wife and I lived in Canada and loved it.
3500 is on the high end but remember we're talking 30-06 not .308. They are both .30 caliber but the .308 is measured to the bottom on the lands rather than the barrel diameter to denote the different shell casing. The sniper rifles were using the highest capacity casings available with the best load available on 170 grain boattail bullets. The only hotter .30 caliber available was the Weatherby .300 Magnums. (I still have mine.) Each sniper was given 100 rounds at a time and they were hand loaded by some of the best gun smiths in the world.
Now tell me, boys, I know it's been a long time...but don't it feel good?
Damned right it does. Every 3 dead enemy counts.
The Dept of Defense said today that we've killed in this war before these latest 3 kills. The reporter couldn't have heard that (and who knows what JTF2 has done). Also, Canada dropped a lots of bombs on enemy positions during the Gulf War and the Kosovo War. Surely we killed somebody then too. I guess these must be the first confirmed kills since 1953 [and I haven't heard anybody here whine about it yet either].
All right, Pens. But, hockey's still cool!
Me too, and I'm not Canadian.....Way to go!
Hodgdon claims a max of 2565 fps w/ 168 gr Boat tail and a charge of 43 gr. of ball-c w/47,600 copper-units pressure. Always not quite an '06, but close.
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That's the only way to do it. Hoorah, somebody finally has it right.
Just more of an admission about why Canada cannot be taken seriously as a nation.
Canuckistan is affluent and all that - but its land military doesn't add up to what you'd find in the 82nd Airborne down here at Ft. Bragg alone.
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