500 troops to be left behind in Kabul: PM

[EvanL]

By STEPHANIE RUBEC, OTTAWA BUREAU




OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin reversed a government promise to pull all Canadian soldiers out of Kabul this summer. Martin said he'll yank back only 1,500 of the 2,000 Canadian soldiers serving in Kabul when they reach the end of their six-month rotation this summer.

"We're going to leave 500 in Afghanistan," Martin said during a town hall meeting hosted by CBC in Ottawa.

Martin fell short of specifying exactly what jobs those Canadians will do, and whether they'll be made up of a fresh contingent.

AVOID BADLANDS

But in keeping the Canadian soldiers in Kabul, Martin ensures that they continue to work under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, instead of heading into the badlands of Afghanistan as part of a provincial reconstruction team.

NATO has so far been unable to find a country willing to take over the job from Canada this summer.

Martin also opened the door to increasing the size of the military, admitting that the ranks will need to be swollen to "make sure we're ready to fight the next threat."

Also, during the meeting, Martin turned down requests to scrap the controversial gun registry, but promised to clean up the program's overspending and make it easier to register weapons.

[Yard Ape]

ISAF needs to establish a stronger more ubiquitous presence if it is to be succesfull. Martin will have to increase the size of the military (Army first followed by Air) so that we have the capability to meet the commitments that we owe the free world.

[Yard Ape]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3465017.stm

[Yard Ape]

Here is more proof that international military presence needs to be increased in Afghanistan: http://globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040207.wafgha0207/BNStory/International/


Factional fighting has flared repeatedly across much of Afghanistan, complicating the task of rebuilding a nation shattered by two decades of war. Taliban and al-Qaeda rebels are also active in lawless southern and eastern provinces.

The heaviest recent outbreak came in October, when tanks of rival warlords faced off on a battlefield outside the northern capital of Mazar-e-Sharif. On that occasion, one side claimed that more than 60 people had died before government mediators and British troops brokered a cease-fire.
The U.S.-backed administration of President Hamid Karzai still holds little sway outside the capital, Kabul, which is patrolled by a 5,900-strong, NATO-led peacekeeping force. Another 11,000 mostly U.S. forces are fighting the Taliban and hunting for terror suspects, including al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Even in the provinces where the Taliban are not active, such as in the north, powerful warlords compete for influence, often battling for control of land and resources - including the booming narcotics trade.
The U.S.-trained Afghan National Army currently has only 7,000 men after suffering a rash of desertions, far short of the 70,000 target.

[Sixgun Symphony]

What to do about the factional fighting of the Afghan warlords? Maybe have the warlords swear fealty to that Afghan monarch in exchange for a noble title and a fiefdom?

Just a thought.