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Canada wants more Australians in Afghanistan
Patrick Walters, The Australian, 8 Sept 06
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20374895-2703,00.html
CANADA wants to forge much closer defence ties with Australia, including in Afghanistan where both countries' military forces are battling a resurgent Taliban.
Canadian defence minister Gordon O'Connor said yesterday that NATO could soon consider lifting troop numbers in southern Afghanistan as both Canadian and British forces suffering a mounting death toll.
NATO ministers will meet later this month with Britain, which is leading the NATO force in the country, expected to press for reinforcements in the four southern provinces.
"We will see whether more NATO resources can come to the south...that's where the heavy action is," Mr O'Connor told The Australian yesterday.
Canada has 2,300 troops in Afghanistan including a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) based in Kandahar while Australia has sent a 400-strong PRT to neighbouring Oruzgan province in partnership with Dutch troops.
Mr O'Connor predicted the West was at the beginning of a long struggle against Islamist terrorism.
"I don't see it subsiding for quite a while. Terrorism is relatively active around the planet," he said.
Mr O'Connor said the NATO-led coalition had the taks of bringing the insurgency down to a manageable level in order to accelerate civil reconstruction.
The Taliban offensive had tried to cut off Kandahar, the country's second largest city, in their latest drive but would not succeed.
"Right now its a challenge because they (the Taliban) get reinforcements from across the border, from Pakistan."
On his first visit to Australia Mr O'Connor said Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan remained a major security problem even with the presence of 90,000 Pakistani troops.
"There are 12 million Pashtun in Afghanistan and 22 million in Pakistan. Its very hard to trace who's coming or going."
He said areas in the south around Kandahar had never seen an Afghan soldier or a NATO soldier before NATO took overall command of the southern part of the country two months ago.
"It's like stirring hornets nests. That's why there is so much more activity.
"They were there all the time. Its just that they were left alone."
Mr O'Connor told the Lowy Institute yesterday that Canada would spend nearly $1 billion on aid funds to Afghanistan by 2010-11-its biggest bilateral aid program.
Canada, which has committed to keeping its forces in Afghanistan at least until 2009, has seen 31 soldiers killed in the counter-terrorist struggle.
"We're committed to seeing this mission through. Both for the sake of the Afghans, and for the security of the Canadians," he said.
He hoped to see Australia contribute beyond the PRT to the Coalition hospital in Kandahar and the strategic advisory team advising the Karzai government.
Canada, which has a similar size defence force to Australia will lift defence spending over the next five years and recruit an extra 13,000 full-time defence personnel together with 10,000 reservists.
"We're both faced with the challenge of ensuring sovereignty over a large land mass and territorial sea given a relatively small population base," Mr O'Connor said.
"Not surprisingly both of our governments have identified global terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and failed and failing states as our primary security concerns."
Canada wants more Australians in Afghanistan
Patrick Walters, The Australian, 8 Sept 06
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20374895-2703,00.html
CANADA wants to forge much closer defence ties with Australia, including in Afghanistan where both countries' military forces are battling a resurgent Taliban.
Canadian defence minister Gordon O'Connor said yesterday that NATO could soon consider lifting troop numbers in southern Afghanistan as both Canadian and British forces suffering a mounting death toll.
NATO ministers will meet later this month with Britain, which is leading the NATO force in the country, expected to press for reinforcements in the four southern provinces.
"We will see whether more NATO resources can come to the south...that's where the heavy action is," Mr O'Connor told The Australian yesterday.
Canada has 2,300 troops in Afghanistan including a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) based in Kandahar while Australia has sent a 400-strong PRT to neighbouring Oruzgan province in partnership with Dutch troops.
Mr O'Connor predicted the West was at the beginning of a long struggle against Islamist terrorism.
"I don't see it subsiding for quite a while. Terrorism is relatively active around the planet," he said.
Mr O'Connor said the NATO-led coalition had the taks of bringing the insurgency down to a manageable level in order to accelerate civil reconstruction.
The Taliban offensive had tried to cut off Kandahar, the country's second largest city, in their latest drive but would not succeed.
"Right now its a challenge because they (the Taliban) get reinforcements from across the border, from Pakistan."
On his first visit to Australia Mr O'Connor said Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan remained a major security problem even with the presence of 90,000 Pakistani troops.
"There are 12 million Pashtun in Afghanistan and 22 million in Pakistan. Its very hard to trace who's coming or going."
He said areas in the south around Kandahar had never seen an Afghan soldier or a NATO soldier before NATO took overall command of the southern part of the country two months ago.
"It's like stirring hornets nests. That's why there is so much more activity.
"They were there all the time. Its just that they were left alone."
Mr O'Connor told the Lowy Institute yesterday that Canada would spend nearly $1 billion on aid funds to Afghanistan by 2010-11-its biggest bilateral aid program.
Canada, which has committed to keeping its forces in Afghanistan at least until 2009, has seen 31 soldiers killed in the counter-terrorist struggle.
"We're committed to seeing this mission through. Both for the sake of the Afghans, and for the security of the Canadians," he said.
He hoped to see Australia contribute beyond the PRT to the Coalition hospital in Kandahar and the strategic advisory team advising the Karzai government.
Canada, which has a similar size defence force to Australia will lift defence spending over the next five years and recruit an extra 13,000 full-time defence personnel together with 10,000 reservists.
"We're both faced with the challenge of ensuring sovereignty over a large land mass and territorial sea given a relatively small population base," Mr O'Connor said.
"Not surprisingly both of our governments have identified global terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and failed and failing states as our primary security concerns."
