U.S. Forces kill more Canadians...

[beds]

With one more death yesterday, that brings the total to five. Five Canadians killed in Afghanistan. By Americans.

1 more friendly fire death...

Do these friendly fire deaths happen all the time? I mean if our small, "pissant nation" force that is in Afghanistan loses 5 soldiers in less than two years, the whole US force must be losing thousands of soldiers due to friendly fire.

The number of Canadian troops killed in Afghanistan this past weekend is also 5 and the appetite for this conflict is dropping north of the border.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I suspect it happens more often to the US troops than we hear about.

It couldn't be that this type of story is something that newspapers find too easy to sensationalise? Could it?

 

[Wannafish]

"The number of Canadian troops killed in Afghanistan this past weekend is also 5 and the appetite for this conflict is dropping north of the border."

As it is South of the Border.
I wish we could bring them all home but we can't.
I would rather see forces sent to kill them where they live, than to have them come and kill us here - again.

 

[beds]

I suspect it happens more often to the US troops than we hear about.

It couldn't be that this type of story is something that newspapers find too easy to sensationalise? Could it?

I thought you just said that the liberal media blows things out of proportion? Is that only the liberal Canadian media?

 

[beds]

I wish we could bring them all home but we can't.
I would rather see forces sent to kill them where they live, than to have them come and kill us here - again.

I have posted here before that I think Afghanistan is a just cause and deserves more if not all of the attention - or at least did at one point. The Taliban are the ones being killed by our forces.

 

[Melensdad]

As US forces are doing most of the killing, providing most of the air support and most of the artillary fire, I suspect that Americans also are the ones pulling the trigger most of the time when there is a friendly fire incident. While NATO has officially taken over the leadership role in the Afghanistan conflict, Americans are still providing the bulk of the logistics, firepower, and ground forces.

As for people having some desire to pull back out of Afghanistan, I believe that most of the 'informed' people who know the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan still have a very strong support for the efforts in Afghanistan. I have no idea how that plays out in Canada or the rest of the world, however I suspect that overall support for the Afghan effort is still pretty strong internationally, at least at the leadership level.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I thought you just said that the liberal media blows things out of proportion? Is that only the liberal Canadian media?

No, this is what I "just" said:

Originally Posted by PBinWA
I suspect it happens more often to the US troops than we hear about.

It couldn't be that this type of story is something that newspapers find too easy to sensationalise? Could it?

I think these sort of incidents are easy for any media outlet (liberal or conservative) to sensationalise. It the type of news that sells advertising.

In addition, the fact that the Canadian Armed Services have been woefully under-funded for the last 10-20 years does not help them. From what I understand they are using old equipment and this has to put them at a disadvantage when working with US forces that are technologically more advanced.

When you have a mish-mash of different countries trying to cooperate on these type of missions it has to raise the statistical probability of error (i.e. friendly fire).

Remember that the Canadian Armed Forces (as is the US) is entirely comprised of volunteers. I suspect most of the men and women over there are well aware of what they were getting themselves into. Especially, in Canada where it is NOT the social norm to sign up for the military and in most cases is heavily discouraged by society. The people that do sign up must really want to do it.

 

[bczoom]

That sucks.

The articles I'm reading are saying that there's a major operation going on.

I'm far from being an investigator but it sounds like some NATO troops on the ground requested some air support from the US. It sounds like a mis-communication between the NATO and US forces as to the target and where everyone (the NATO forces) are located.

loses 5 soldiers in less than two years, the whole US force must be losing thousands of soldiers due to friendly fire.

Not to be picky but the last incident was over 4 years ago (April, 2002) when a bomb was dropped and killed 4 Canadians.

 

[beds]

No, this is what I "just" said:

Actually, I was referring to:
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showpost.php?p=57831&postcount=14
but after reading it, you were actually referring to Junk and Don!

In addition, the fact that the Canadian Armed Services have been woefully under-funded for the last 10-20 years does not help them. From what I understand they are using old equipment and this has to put them at a disadvantage when working with US forces that are technologically more advanced.

When you have a mish-mash of different countries trying to cooperate on these type of missions it has to raise the statistical probability of error (i.e. friendly fire).

Actually, our LAV, which is deployed in Afghanistan and is talked about in that article is the same basic vehicle as the Stryker. I do, however, agree that we have been long underfunded. And I recall some news about the "smart battlefield" where all the good guys were identifiable on the computer. That sounds like a good place for defence spending - for all of us.

And I do not think that this is the wrong place for our troops, I just think that this number is pretty dang high.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

the appetite for this conflict is dropping north of the border.

Hmmm . . . perhaps the "trusted and honorable" Canadian media is perhaps twisting the facts a little:

http://www.proudtobecanadian.ca/blog/index/weblog/whats_this_on_page_a7_most_canadians_support_the_mission/

What’s this on page A7? Most Canadians SUPPORT the mission?

Posted by Joel Johannesen


Yup: I checked it 80 times. Most Canadians support mission.
This, after just a few days ago I blogged about how, according ONLY to the liberal media —like the Toronto Star lead editorial which said, and I quote: “opposition is growing”, and according to Reuters support is in a calamitous downward spiral, oh yes, that’s right, and they said, and I quote:

… but growing opposition to the Afghan mission ...
... The issue is becoming a major problem for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s fragile administration…
... The new deaths sparked massive media coverage as well as more questions about why Canadian troops, best known in recent decades for taking part in peacekeeping operations, were involved in a major military mission against the Taliban…
​

UPDATE: Just today, at CTV.ca: “Poll numbers suggest the mission is becoming increasingly unpopular with Canadians.”
Today after all those negative pessimistic ghoulish and rabidly anti-war against terror media reports, they reveal on page A-7 that support for the mission is.... UP. Liberal media, for clarification, that means support is GROWING. A majority of Canadians polled—despite all the abject negativity and pleading from the liberal media—support the war on terror in Afghanistan.
But you know how they phrase it in their reporting on this poll? Like this of course:

The latest wave of deaths and injuries among Canada’s troops battling Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan has not translated into a loss of support at home for the mission, a new Ipsos-Reid poll suggests.
​

And they helpfully informed us:

A total of 32 soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002. Half of the soldiers have died in the last three months.
​

And supplied this information too:

“There is a conventional wisdom in this country that says that the more caskets that arrive in Trenton, the more people are against this action. It’s a hypothesis that is not playing out yet," Wright said.
The survey of 887 adult Canadians was conducted by telephone on Wednesday and Thursday against the fresh sight of flag-draped caskets of five soldiers killed in Operation Medusa over the Labour Day weekend arriving in Trenton, Ont., where they were greeted by grieving families, friends and colleagues at a sombre, televised ceremony.
​

And then you see it’s all a political farce, this war is. Or, as they say, it “is considered” by some, in “some political quarters” (gee… could it be the extreme fringe liberal-left?!) to be a political farce. :

The timing of Karzai’s Ottawa visit, expected around Sept. 21-22, is considered good for the beleaguered Afghan leader and also Harper, who is facing stepped up pressure from some political quarters to more clearly define Canada’s role in Afghanistan.
​