This is an article written by a soldier serving in Afghanistan right now. He explains why the mission by Canadian troops is NOT peacekeeping. This article was obtained from the Canadian Forces Defence Information Network.
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In order to act as peacekeepers, there must be peace for Canada to keep, says Capt. Jon Hamilton
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I have spent but a month in Afghanistan thus far; yet I have seen much of the country and the people that inhabit it. To many Canadians it must seem like a faraway wasteland, a forgotten abyss of the Stone Age, an empire of dirt.
I am home in Edmonton on two weeks' leave. I'm happy to see my family; my children are happy to have "Daddy home for a while." Soon I will return to Afghanistan for another four to five months and will complete my mission with my fellow soldiers.
I have arrived home to media reports on the good that Canadian soldiers are doing, as well as reports indicating that a previous government should have reconsidered sending troops to Afghanistan.
Other articles have offered opinion polls that show 50 per cent of Canadians want Canada to pull out of Afghanistan. There are also reports that political leaders want to debate in Parliament the role of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan because the mission is too dangerous.
I'm here to say, it is dangerous and Canadian soldiers are aware of the risks involved. It is what we are trained to do. Soldiers go to war.
Prior to coming home, my platoon reacted to two incidents involving improvised explosive devices. Because of our training we walked away unscathed. Other colleagues have been subject to vehicle accidents, ambushes with rocket-propelled grenades, and, recently, an axe attack at a meeting with local elders to discuss peace and negotiation.
This is the reality of our work in Afghanistan. This is what Canadian soldiers do. This is what Canadian soldiers are paid to do. This is what we want to do.
Our mission in Afghanistan is to make Afghanistan work for itself. We are there to enhance the Afghan capacity to govern themselves. We are there to ensure that a nation that has been at war for the past 25 years does not slip backward and exist as a haven for terrorists and insurgents.
We are doing this in conjunction with the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National army. With them, Canadian soldiers are working to reconstruct the nation and ensure the security of the Afghan people.
At the same time, we are enforcing good governance by the elected officials to make them accountable in representing the interests of all Afghans.
This is a tall order that we must be committed to seeing through in the years to come.
During the past month I have considered myself privileged to conduct operations with both the Afghan police and army. During this time I have developed a deep admiration for the Afghan soldiers and police.
Generally, they are young men whose fathers fought the Soviets during the 1980s. They are loyal and hardworking and they want to see the establishment of a peaceful Afghanistan for their children and grandchildren. They want an Afghanistan that can exist without the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Their resolve is strong.
These young men move toward the sound of gunfire and I intend to continue to be at their sides when they do. This is what Canadian soldiers have trained for. We cannot let them down.
What Canadians must now realize is that in order to be peacekeepers, there must be a peace to keep. Currently, that peace does not exist in Afghanistan. The nation is one giant warzone and the constant reports I hear on the news refer to Afghanistan as a peacekeeping operation. This is wrong.
Our time in Afghanistan has been and will continue to be focused on setting the conditions for peace by any means nesseccary. This involves ensuring effective government within a secure environment, the development of sound infrastructure and providing humanitarian assistance when applicable.
It also involves confronting elements that will challenge our ability to implement these measures. It involves dealing with improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers, vehicle accidents, ambushes and yes, confronting the enemy with force.
This is dangerous work, work that needs to be done for Canada's own security. It is in our best interest to do it now and see the task through to the end.
We must ensure Afghans are able to become masters of their own destiny, to rule and live in their "empire of dirt."
And I, like all my fellow soldiers will be there, as soldiers - not peacekeepers - to help them do it.
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Capt. John Hamilton is a reconnaissance platoon commander with the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton. He has been in the military for six years
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Publication Date: 03/09/2006 Important Notices