Note the form of attack is far more like a conventional war than the roadside bomb attacks. It may be that this is illustrative of a change in tactics reflecting a new confidence by the Taliban. Or it may be that Canadian forces are in new, more dangerous, and exposed locations. Either way, the loss is one all Canadians ought to mourn and it is a loss suffered for a democratic ideal; even if you think this war is foolish (which I do not) you cannot deny the Taliban is brutal and repressive.
By Tobi Cohen, The Canadian Press
By Tobi Cohen, The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A burly "mountain of a man" nicknamed the Friendly Giant became the second Canadian combat death in three days when insurgents attacked a remote outpost in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province Monday.
Master Cpl. Erin Doyle was the 90th Canadian soldier to die since the Afghan mission began in 2002.
Chief Warrant Officer Chris White, who knew Doyle for five years, described the 200-pound man as a "barrel-chested kind of guy, the kind you'd "like to sit down and have a beer with."
Full story here:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080811/national/afghan_cda_death
4 comments:
Either way, the loss is one all Canadians ought to mourn and it is a loss suffered for a democratic ideal;
Yawn....
So in the name of your "democratic ideal" you think we should be turning a blind eye to prisoner abuses, propping up a puppet regime, put soldiers in harms way with no clue about what we are doing, repeat mistakes that the Americans have done in Iraq, lower the standard of living of all Afghanis, and other various misdeeds that will surface once we have lost this war....
I'll sooner mourn children that die because of what NATO is doing than a soldier who voluntarily signed up...
No, I don't think we should ignore those problems but neither do I think we can ignore the Taliban's brutal treatment of women, homosexuals, Christians etc etc. That together with the fact they reached out to attack other countries make it absolutely necessary that they not be allowed to return to power. Granted the lost soldiers are volunteers but that makes their sacrifice, if anything, more significant.
No, I don't think we should ignore those problems but neither do I think we can ignore the Taliban's brutal treatment of women, homosexuals, Christians etc etc.
Why go after them and not some country that we consider our friends and allies such as Saudi Arabia?
Should we not try to influence our friends?
We can look South to see the brutal treatment and rendition that the US does - it's rather hypocritical of us.
Now, I don't like what the Taliban stands for, but that's not the point.
That together with the fact they reached out to attack other countries make it absolutely necessary that they not be allowed to return to power.
What countries did the Taliban attack?
I don't think the Taliban regime was even aware of what he was planning.
I hate to break it to you, but the Taliban will have to be part on any solution in Afghanistan. Karzai knows this and it's likely the reason why he's reached out to them.
Granted the lost soldiers are volunteers but that makes their sacrifice, if anything, more significant.
Their sacrifice is for nothing. I respect the work that they do, but they are nothing more than pawns overall.
Well, I agree that members of the Taliban will have to be part of the solution -- and many supported the Taliban to restore order to the country. But to include the Taliban qua Taliban? These are people who shot two women (pehraps a month ago) for flirting. These are not people we can work with until and unless they are de-Talibanized. De-Nazification did work but it wasn't easy and it required a long term commitment. Anyway, nuff said -- it's late and I fear I am ranting rather than writing... .
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