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Canada's primary purpose in Afghanistan |
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| Niagara Falls, Ontario, Thursday, March 16, 2006 by: Joe Hueglin |
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| What is the primary reason Canadians are in Afghanistan, to fight terrorists or work positively with Afghans to reconstruct their country?
No less a person than Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has said ""The military are there to provide the protective environment, the secure environment, for development to take place and the economy to regain and that really is the most important part," (1.) Many they face in his view are not committed terrorists for ""A lot of the recruits they get are because they're being offered money by the insurgency, because the insurgency is often tied up with the drug trade," | ||||||||
The Prime Minister in Afghanistan , lower image, Canadian Armed Forces photo |
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he said. "They're offering youth money and if you're in a village and you have no money at all and you're offered a salary, you might join. They're survivors." " (2.) Quite a different foe than what a Taliban spokesman would have us believe, that "some 200 people had registered for suicide attacks." (3) Two very contradicting views: the one the more prominent in the media to this point - the other, if true (and it's our Defence Minister saying so), off a reason for our presence but reduction in the nature of the threats to our fellow citizens in Afghanistan. Facts which may well validate Canada's commitment to some tending at present to support those arguing Canada should cut and run. |
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| References: | ||||||||
1. Harris, Kathleen, Crush insurgency with jobs: Tory, (pdf) March 16, 2006, The Ottawa Sun |
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3. Toronto Star, Taliban warn of new offensive, (pdf) March 16, 2006, Toronto Star |
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