front
08-26-2003, 09:00 AM
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=4A47DBDA-2FB3-4E49-9ACD-EAE3D241A766
Elite JTF-2 on patrol in Afghanistan
Commandos' 'hunt-and-destroy' tactics ideal for quelling attacks
Chris Wattiein Kabul and Jack Aubry in Ottawa
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, August 23, 2003
ADVERTISEMENT
Click here to find out more!
The élite commandos of Joint Task Force 2 are operating in Afghanistan as part of the Canadian contingent of soldiers to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the Department of National Defence confirmed yesterday.
A spokesman for National Defence Minister John McCallum told the Citizen that an undisclosed number of JTF-2 commandos have now joined the more than 1,900 Canadian soldiers in Kabul.
"I can confirm that some members of JTF-2 are among the Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan with the ISAF," said Randy Mylyk, spokesman for the minister. "Obviously, for reasons of security and safety of those members I cannot give out any more information, other than to say that the members of JTF-2 that are in that theatre (of operations) are working in direct support of Gen. Leslie."
Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie is the second-in-command of ISAF and the senior Canadian officer in Afghanistan.
The statement suggests the JTF-2 commandos are operating in all of the 31-nation force's districts, not just the Canadian-patrolled sector.
The Canadians are now patrolling an area near Kabul with a population believed to be more sympathetic to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, says the battlegroup's commander.
Lt.-Col. Don Denne, commander of the frontline Canadian soldiers, said yesterday the Canadians have been assigned an extra police district in Kabul that includes a 30-square-kilometre rural area on the outskirts of the capital city.
"There may be a little bit more potential sympathies with elements of the Taliban or maybe even al-Qaeda who want to dislodge the government that would give our soldiers a certain amount of what I call 'pucker factor' when they are out patrolling those areas," said Lt.-Col. Denne.
The Canadian battlegroup formally took control of its patrol zone encompassing almost half of Kabul this week after arriving in the country about two weeks ago.
Lt.-Col. Denne says the soldiers were assigned two new areas, while another one was taken away, to realign the multinational patrol lines in Kabul. He said the threat of an attack from terrorists, as well as from Taliban sympathizers, is "omnipresent" but the troops are "well-equipped, well-trained and morale is just great."
The expanded Canadian sector would be ideally suited for JTF-2 "hunt and destroy" missions, tracking down and capturing or killing militants who have targeted ISAF patrols in the area.
The presence of the JTF-2 soldiers has been an open secret in Camp Julien, home base for most of the Canadians in Kabul, for weeks.
Although JTF-2 is almost obsessively secretive about its operations and the identity of its members, other members of the Canadian brigade group were quick to note the arrival late last month of a number of large, bearded, and muscular soldiers in combat fatigues stripped of the usual nametags and unit markings.
However, spokesmen for the Canadian contingent would not comment on JTF-2's presence on the sprawling, heavily fortified base camp. "We never confirm or deny the presence of these people," said Maj. Roland Lavoie.
Mr. McCallum has promised to make public the places that JTF-2 was operating, if nothing else, after a gaffe over the special forces' presence in Kandahar, during a 2002 mission to that southern Afghan city, that contributed to his predecessor being fired as defence minister.
A photograph of unit members with captured al-Qaeda fighters inadvertently ended up in newspapers, sparking a brief parliamentary investigation into why then-defence minister Art Eggleton did not immediately inform the prime minister that JTF-2 had been involved in taking prisoners.
JTF-2 began as a small, specialized unit for dealing with hostage-taking situations. The commandos were what are known in the special forces community as "door kickers," soldiers who burst into a building or vehicle to rescue hostages and "neutralize" their captors.
Over the past two years, however, the unit has expanded into other roles modelled after similar special forces units, such as Britain's Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, the U.S. army's Delta Force and the U.S. navy SEALS.
Unit members can act as bodyguards -- Mr. McCallum was reportedly guarded by JTF-2 soldiers during a two-day visit to Afghanistan earlier this summer -- or as commandos, operating in small teams behind enemy lines, to identify targets for air strikes or mount fast, hard-hitting raids.
In Afghanistan, the members of JTF-2 could be used either as bodyguards for senior ISAF officers or to seek out members of the resurgent Taliban who have been blamed for mounting attacks on ISAF troops this year.
Elite JTF-2 on patrol in Afghanistan
Commandos' 'hunt-and-destroy' tactics ideal for quelling attacks
Chris Wattiein Kabul and Jack Aubry in Ottawa
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, August 23, 2003
ADVERTISEMENT
Click here to find out more!
The élite commandos of Joint Task Force 2 are operating in Afghanistan as part of the Canadian contingent of soldiers to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the Department of National Defence confirmed yesterday.
A spokesman for National Defence Minister John McCallum told the Citizen that an undisclosed number of JTF-2 commandos have now joined the more than 1,900 Canadian soldiers in Kabul.
"I can confirm that some members of JTF-2 are among the Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan with the ISAF," said Randy Mylyk, spokesman for the minister. "Obviously, for reasons of security and safety of those members I cannot give out any more information, other than to say that the members of JTF-2 that are in that theatre (of operations) are working in direct support of Gen. Leslie."
Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie is the second-in-command of ISAF and the senior Canadian officer in Afghanistan.
The statement suggests the JTF-2 commandos are operating in all of the 31-nation force's districts, not just the Canadian-patrolled sector.
The Canadians are now patrolling an area near Kabul with a population believed to be more sympathetic to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, says the battlegroup's commander.
Lt.-Col. Don Denne, commander of the frontline Canadian soldiers, said yesterday the Canadians have been assigned an extra police district in Kabul that includes a 30-square-kilometre rural area on the outskirts of the capital city.
"There may be a little bit more potential sympathies with elements of the Taliban or maybe even al-Qaeda who want to dislodge the government that would give our soldiers a certain amount of what I call 'pucker factor' when they are out patrolling those areas," said Lt.-Col. Denne.
The Canadian battlegroup formally took control of its patrol zone encompassing almost half of Kabul this week after arriving in the country about two weeks ago.
Lt.-Col. Denne says the soldiers were assigned two new areas, while another one was taken away, to realign the multinational patrol lines in Kabul. He said the threat of an attack from terrorists, as well as from Taliban sympathizers, is "omnipresent" but the troops are "well-equipped, well-trained and morale is just great."
The expanded Canadian sector would be ideally suited for JTF-2 "hunt and destroy" missions, tracking down and capturing or killing militants who have targeted ISAF patrols in the area.
The presence of the JTF-2 soldiers has been an open secret in Camp Julien, home base for most of the Canadians in Kabul, for weeks.
Although JTF-2 is almost obsessively secretive about its operations and the identity of its members, other members of the Canadian brigade group were quick to note the arrival late last month of a number of large, bearded, and muscular soldiers in combat fatigues stripped of the usual nametags and unit markings.
However, spokesmen for the Canadian contingent would not comment on JTF-2's presence on the sprawling, heavily fortified base camp. "We never confirm or deny the presence of these people," said Maj. Roland Lavoie.
Mr. McCallum has promised to make public the places that JTF-2 was operating, if nothing else, after a gaffe over the special forces' presence in Kandahar, during a 2002 mission to that southern Afghan city, that contributed to his predecessor being fired as defence minister.
A photograph of unit members with captured al-Qaeda fighters inadvertently ended up in newspapers, sparking a brief parliamentary investigation into why then-defence minister Art Eggleton did not immediately inform the prime minister that JTF-2 had been involved in taking prisoners.
JTF-2 began as a small, specialized unit for dealing with hostage-taking situations. The commandos were what are known in the special forces community as "door kickers," soldiers who burst into a building or vehicle to rescue hostages and "neutralize" their captors.
Over the past two years, however, the unit has expanded into other roles modelled after similar special forces units, such as Britain's Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, the U.S. army's Delta Force and the U.S. navy SEALS.
Unit members can act as bodyguards -- Mr. McCallum was reportedly guarded by JTF-2 soldiers during a two-day visit to Afghanistan earlier this summer -- or as commandos, operating in small teams behind enemy lines, to identify targets for air strikes or mount fast, hard-hitting raids.
In Afghanistan, the members of JTF-2 could be used either as bodyguards for senior ISAF officers or to seek out members of the resurgent Taliban who have been blamed for mounting attacks on ISAF troops this year.