Don't Extend It (Again) End It
On April 4th Protest Against Canada's Afghan Surge

March 3, 2009

Stephen Harper has admitted that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable yet has left the door open to a possible extension of Canada's deployment there. Harper mused about an extension following comments by military leaders in the Canadian Forces (CF) suggesting a potential surge in Afghanistan. These moves would be in direct opposition to the wishes of the Canadian people. Seventy per cent of Canadians oppose any increased commitment to NATO's war in Afghanistan, according to a recent Sun Media poll.

In recent weeks, top military personnel - Brigadier General, Jon Vance, head of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, and Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, the leader of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command - have suggested there may be a need for reinforcements over the summer. This is in addition to the recent deployment of new helicopter gunships and unmanned reconnaissance drones, which are already in the field.

The Canadian Government may extended tours-of-duty for troops already deployed, and increase the overlap with new soldiers scheduled to be deployed in the fall. This would bring the total number of soldiers to more than 4000 during the summer. Troops from the Royal 22nd regiment in Valcartier, Quebec have been told that their regular six-month rotation may be extended to provide extra security during the Afghan elections.

While General Gautier has been quick to dismiss the idea of a surge, he has also said that the deployments may be altered depending on “how the fighting season evolves”. When asked why soldiers were told about the extension, he answered, “If Valcartier has warned its troops, ... it was eminently sensible. We need to be open-minded about this.”

General Vance has also admitted he might ask for further reinforcements: “If the election does come in April and the security situation is such that it demands I look more closely at force levels here, then I certainly will, and I would consult with my superiors to see if that's something we can do. It's in the realm of the possible, that's for sure.”

Canada’s military leaders claim that a surge is a need to provide security during Afghan presidential elections. But the timetable for elections remains unclear. Elections were originally scheduled for the spring, as required by the Afghan Constitution, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai has argued that they should be delayed until the fall because of security concerns. After a brief constitutional crisis in which some Afghan lawmakers were calling for the president to resign, Karzai has since asked the Afghan Independent Election Commission to hold elections on dates that respect the constitution. This confusion about the timing of elections will make it harder to uncover Canada’s real intentions for a possible surge.

Troop increases will only lead to more deaths of Afghan civilians and NATO soldiers. Now in its seventh year, the war is Afghanistan is getting bloodier by the day. On April 4, NATO members will meet at a NATO summit in Strasbourg, France where they will likely be asked to send additional forces to support a planned US surge. Also on April 4, demonstrations all over the world – including in Canada – will demand an end to the NATO-led occupation that has already killed thousands of Afghan civilians and threatens to bring war to the entire region.

The Canadian Peace Alliance calls on organisations across Canada, not only to oppose any increase in Canadian troops in Afghanistan, but to call for the withdrawal of these troops and the end of the NATO occupation of Afghanistan.

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