Safe soldiering
The Ottawa CitizenSeptember 24, 2011
It is not surprising that the Taliban would attack the neighbourhood of a NATO compound in Kabul. That is, after all, the kind of thing the Taliban does. It is also not surprising that Canadian soldiers in the area would help defend it. Yes, they are there as trainers, now that our combat mission has ended. But what are they supposed to do when the Taliban attacks - sit on their hands, or run for cover?
The NDP has said that the government should have let Canadians know that our personnel were involved in the attack soon after it happened on Sept. 13. That's a fair point. But the NDP's further criticism, that this fight shows our troops are not being kept safe enough in their current Afghan mission, is ridiculous. If they're going to make a difference at all, they're going to have to be where their trainees are, and they're always going to be at some risk. Of course the risk is much reduced now that they have left their combat role in Kandahar, but our soldiers aren't encased in bubble wrap. They're on the ground in a war zone.
Indeed, the idea that all training must happen "inside the wire" can only hamper our mission. As Senator Colin Kenny wrote in these pages in 2010, "if we are going to stay, we have to stay for real." We have invested a lot in Afghanistan over nearly a decade, and we have an interest in helping the Afghan army become as competent and professional as possible.
At the very least, we must expect our military personnel to defend themselves and their colleagues.
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