Canada's new top soldier says American Republican-style Neo-Conservative war monger Stephen Harper's illegal and unwinnable war in Afghanistan is actually worsening
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Updated Sun. Jul. 20 2008 9:32 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Despite the significant gains Canadian troops have achieved in
Afghanistan, Gen. Walter Natynczyk admitted Sunday the country's
overall situation is worsening.
Canada's top soldier told CTV's Question Period that insurgent attacks
have increased year over year, specifically in some parts of the
country.
"You have a worsening security situation, especially localized in
three areas -- the Kabul area, in the Regional Command East, where the
Americans are, and in the south where we are with the British forces
and the Dutch," he said.
The statement appeared to backtrack from what Natynczyk said earlier
this month after he completed his first visit to Afghanistan as the
Chief of Defence Staff.
On a five-day visit to the region, Natynczyk put a positive spin on
security issues in the war-torn country, which has seen a resurgence
of Taliban activity. Natynczyk, who became the country's top soldier
on July 2, had said the increased violence is negligible.
"We're generally along the same lines as we have been the past few
years,'' Natynczyk said at a news conference on July 13 at Kandahar
Airfield. "Looking at the statistics, we're just a slight notch --
indeed an insignificant notch -- above where we were last year.''
On Sunday, Natynczyk agreed with statistics presented on Question
Period that suggested year-to-year violence was up 34 per cent.
"The statistics you cite are absolutely true," he said.
"On the other hand, when I was in Kandahar, from a soldiers'
perspective, what they see are localized, fragile signs of success."
He noted the Taliban "is throwing everything against" NATO troops and
Afghan security forces in an effort to undermine the government ahead
of next year's elections. Natynczyk reiterated the need for more NATO
troops to help quell insurgent violence.
"In a counterinsurgency, it is troop intensive. It's not enough just
to clear the Taliban out ... you need to have that security blanket to
ensure that there is time for police and the army to have that
capacity to address their own security," he said.
Natynczyk said that NATO troops have helped the country make
significant improvements. He said Canadians have helped train police
officers who are respected by the local population, and Afghan
battalions have increasingly taken on roles to protect major regions
of the country.