2009 a ‘rough year’ in Afghanistan: Top General

Canada’s chief of defence staff concedes 2009 was a ‘rough year’ in Afghanistan, but he’s vowing to continue pursuing such strategies as having more soldiers leave fortified bases to live closer to the Afghan people.

Gen. Walter Natynczyk said a corruption-marred Afghanistan presidential election in the summer and growing violence in the war-torn country have made the past 12

months difficult.

Indeed, the period from July to September of this year is considered the most deadly in Afghanistan since the war began, with 223 allied soldiers killed, including 11 Canadians.

Still, Gen. Natynczyk insisted Canada is making progress in Kandahar, the dangerous southern province where most of Canada’s troops in the country are based.

“Let’s be clear, 2009 was a rough year in Afghanistan”, said Gen. Natynczyk, speaking to reporters Saturday, following a tour of six forward-operating bases in Kandahar province over Christmas.

“At the same time, Afghan security forces did a credible job of securing the election, with all its foibles. So capacity-building is showing some results”.

The comments come just days after a Canadian officer, Lt. Andrew Nuttall, died when a bomb exploded during a foot patrol in the Panjwaii district. Lt. Nuttall was the 134th soldier from Canada to die in Afghanistan.

The young officer’s platoon was living near the village where he was killed as part of a recent effort to hold areas and develop closer relationships with Afghan villagers.

Lt.-Col. Jerry Walsh, Lt. Nuttall’s commanding officer, said locals had recently started showing the platoon where insurgents were planting homemade bombs.

“We are having great success in that regard so this (incident) has come as a bit of a surprise to us”, Lt.-Col. Walsh said last week.

But the 30-year-old officer’s death won’t deter Canada from continuing to pursue the strategy of having troops move out of bases and into villages, said Gen. Natynczyk.

“This is about protecting Afghans”, said the chief of defence staff. “We’re on the right strategy”.

The move is part of a renewed push to secure areas in and around Kandahar City and hold them. Maintaining control of villages in Kandahar province and keeping them from slipping back under Taliban influence has been a difficult assignment for the stretched Canadian Forces. But both Gen. Natynczyk and David Jacobson, the US ambassador to Canada, argued the recent surge in the number of US troops being deployed to Kandahar will help bring security to the province.

“Having more American troops here will allow Canada to be more effective than they have been”, Jacobson said.

“The problem was there were 2,800 (Canadian soldiers) and Kandahar is a big place, a rough place”. Gen. Natynczyk, Mr. Jacobson and several other VIPs toured several small Canadian bases throughout Kandahar province on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

At some of the bases, Canadian soldiers are living with and mentoring Afghan troops.

Gen. Natynczyk argued the Canadian Forces have made gains in training Afghan security forces, which he said is key to building ‘self-sustaining, enduring security’ in Afghanistan. He noted the Afghan National Army independently planned its own operation recently.

“The sooner you are able to (train the Afghan army), the sooner we can get out”, he told soldiers at Forward Operating Base Wilson, on Christmas morning.

A recent Government of Canada report suggested Afghan National Army battalions have made progress, but the document suggested there is an uphill battle to train the Afghan National Police.

“The ANP suffers from frequent incidents of corruption, extortion and drug abuse; as well, poor pay, substandard equipment and targeted violence from insurgents,” said government’s most recent quarterly report to Parliament on the war in Afghanistan.

The National Post