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Help from above
New helicopters will save Canadian lives in Afghanistan
By JOE WARMINGTON
For those sick at heart seeing our brave soldiers travelling along the Highway of Heroes in hearses so routinely, you will be pleased to hear help is finally on the way.
Early in 2009 the troops in Afghanistan will finally have the ability to fly from checkpoint to base in newly purchased helicopters.
In fact the first test flight was Sunday -- with Gen. Walt Natynczyk, chief of defence, and Peter MacKay, our defence minister, on board.
"Today marks a monumental day," said Natyncyzk, as he stepped off the inaugural flight over the Kandahar region which also had on board parliamentary secretary of national defence Laurie Hawn and Canada Command Chief W/O Eric Christensen.
"The transportation capability provided by this helicopter is going to save lives by reducing the risk to our soldiers from IEDs (improvised explosive devices,") the general said.
And this new piece of equipment could not come at a better time.
In the month of December alone, nine Canadian soldiers have died as a result of these evil but clearly effective bombs laid near roadways and detonated from a nearby location.
Patrolling the region has become such a deadly task.
Of the 104 dead in Afghanistan, 54 have come as a result of an IED, a roadside bomb or landmine.
"They have found an easy way to kill them," Khaled Akbar, an administrator at the general consulate of Afghanistan in Toronto says of the Taliban. "It's horrible."
Unfortunately he's right. On both counts.
"They are not engaging Canadian soldiers into battle. They lure them out and then boom," said Akbar. "It's not fair."
These helicopters should help not only even things up but give the advantage back to the Canadians who have been frustrated by the level of murderous success the Taliban have had on them in the past three years.
A lot of this success, as Akbar said, has been by using this non-traditional warfare.
For years the Canadian military has complained that they had to travel down roads as they saw helicopters fly above with Dutch military on board -- helicopters Canada sold to them.
Needless to say it was not easy for them, or those who lead them, to see other military outfits flying overhead with your helicopters.
The brass and politicians shared the pain and were listening and this will change by February at the latest.
True, it will be too late for all of those who have already died. But it is a welcome step by troops on the ground who are looking for all the help the can get to defeat a sneaky, ruthless and murderous enemy.
It is believed as many as six Boeing CH-147 D Chinook medium to heavy-lift helicopters will be deployed to Afghanistan, as well as Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and CH-146 Griffon helicopters to support them. "This is really a Canadian solution with the Griffons providing escort duties," said Natynczyk.
And MacKay commended all of those who have helped them "meet the February, 2009" deadline.
"The deployment of the Griffons in conjunction with the Chinooks displays our commitment to the men and women of the Canadian Forces while ensuring the security and effectiveness of the mission," he said.
The next step is to also ensure these helicopters are used for intelligence missions to help crush the Taliban members -- find out where they are and take out their bases and weapon-building lairs.
Helicopters should mean fewer trips along treacherous terrain on land but also make it safer to travel those roads since they will have an eye from the sky to tell them who is out there and where they may be hiding.
It's difficult to know if this will help reduce the number of troops killed in this way or what new methods the Taliban will introduce. We may find out this year.
While it is true there's an estimated $2 billion in cost to this new lifesaver, if it means one less hearse ride along the Highway of Heroes, you won't find many critics.
