Old thread bump-4 More Canadians Killed Many wounded in Afghanistan - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

STeeLy · 09-03-2006, 04:28 PM

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

Four Canadians killed in major Afghan offensive

Four Canadian soldiers were killed and several others were wounded during a major NATO offensive against insurgents in a volatile district in southern Afghanistan on Sunday.

"I am saddened to announce that four Canadian soldiers were killed during today's operations and a number of others were wounded" in the Panjwaii district, west of Kandahar, said Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Fraser

only two of the fallen soldiers have been identified:
Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish

Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan

metallicat · 09-03-2006, 04:49 PM

It's unfortunate that for every loss of a soldier, another politician at home capitalizes on it to push their point that Canada should not be there.

RIP.

Vulcan · 09-03-2006, 04:58 PM

It seems like Canadians are taking the brunt of the casualties. Do we have an equal say in battle plans and overall strategy or are we just being used as cannon fodder again?

FireFly · 09-03-2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vulcan

It seems like Canadians are taking the brunt of the casualties. Do we have an equal say in battle plans and overall strategy or are we just being used as cannon fodder again?

I believe it has more to do with Canadians heading the operation right now, thus having more soldiers there than other countries do. 6 months ago it was the Americans but then they had the largest number of troops at that time.

Resolute 14 · 09-03-2006, 05:30 PM

As odd as it sounds, I thought it was good news when I read this headline. When I first read of the offensive yesterday, the newscast said "At least six Canadians killed so far in a major offensive..."

metallicat · 09-03-2006, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

I believe it has more to do with Canadians heading the operation right now, thus having more soldiers there than other countries do. 6 months ago it was the Americans but then they had the largest number of troops at that time.

I am pretty sure the Americans still have the most troops out of anyone there. No way is our 2000 or so the top number. Canada is obviously taking a large role in offensive missions, but that's what war is. It sounds like I am trivializing their deaths, but I'm not trying to.

Azure · 09-03-2006, 06:19 PM

I heard over 200 enemy combatants were killed, with 80 being captured.

Either way, it is still saddening when we lose one of our own.

STeeLy · 09-03-2006, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I am pretty sure the Americans still have the most troops out of anyone there. No way is our 2000 or so the top number. Canada is obviously taking a large role in offensive missions, but that's what war is. It sounds like I am trivializing their deaths, but I'm not trying to.

The Americans still have the most troops yes... but they've already pulled out of Afghanistan and now leaves the Canadian forces to do the job

Vulcan · 09-03-2006, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I am pretty sure the Americans still have the most troops out of anyone there. No way is our 2000 or so the top number. Canada is obviously taking a large role in offensive missions, but that's what war is. It sounds like I am trivializing their deaths, but I'm not trying to.

This is what I could find. The Americans have 11,000 troops and the Canadians have 2,300 of a total of 18,500.

The Americans have had 329 killled.
The Canadians have had 27 killed +4?
The British have had 21 killed.
The Germans and the Spaniards have had 18 killed.
The Romanians 4, the Danes 3, the Dutch 3, the Swedes 2 and the Aussies 1.

The Americans seem to be in overall charge in Afghanistan but a Canadian, Brig-Gen. David Fraser is in charge of coalition forces in Southern Afghanistan, so we seem to be well represented.
Here is an older article about Fraser and it seems our agenda has been changed since than.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...0228/20060228/

metallicat · 09-03-2006, 07:26 PM

Uh, no...the Americans have not pulled out of Afghanistan.

Edit- Directed at Steely.

Jayems · 09-03-2006, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STeeLy

The Americans still have the most troops yes... but they've already pulled out of Afghanistan and now leaves the Canadian forces to do the job

They only relinquished control to the canadians in that part of the south so they could use those troops elsewhere (Iraq?)

STeeLy · 09-03-2006, 08:40 PM

Oh... I thought they have... maybe I heard the news wrong... because I'm pretty sure it was said on the news and thats where I heard it from (I think it was from one of the first times that the Canadians got road-side bombed..

evman150 · 09-04-2006, 01:04 AM

What are we doing?

What is the point?

We are funding these missions with the only real result being dead Canadians.

?

Vulcan · 09-04-2006, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evman150

What are we doing?

What is the point?

We are funding these missions with the only real result being dead Canadians.

?

Well, if you want these guys running around blowing up more Trade Centres, just leave them alone.

evman150 · 09-04-2006, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Well, if you want these guys running around blowing up more Trade Centres, just leave them alone.

But it's not our problem.

Unlike our neighbours to the south, we don't go around the world stirring **** up.

So basically what you're saying is we're over there killing ourselves to try and clean up american made messes..?

Vulcan · 09-04-2006, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evman150

But it's not our problem.

Unlike our neighbours to the south, we don't go around the world stirring **** up.

So basically what you're saying is we're over there killing ourselves to try and clean up american made messes..?

True, but nobody said life was fair. Whether we like it or not or deserve it, we're now a target.
We never caused harm to the Germans or Japanese either but we ended up front and centre.

evman150 · 09-04-2006, 01:57 AM

We only entered those wars because of our (then still very strong) ties to England.

Even today, if England was at war with whomever (independant of the US), I'd say go and help out the mother land.

Not the US though. They are not our problem.

icarus · 09-04-2006, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evman150

What are we doing?

What is the point?

We are funding these missions with the only real result being dead Canadians.

We are there at the invitation of the democratically-elected government of Afghanistan to help bring stability and peace to a country that hasn't exactly been a happy place for the last thirty years. Once this big cell of Taliban in the south has been finally rooted out--and this Operation Medusa will be important for that--then the Afghan military and police forces will be sufficient to take care things and everyone else can go home.

Claiming that the only real result is dead Canadians is ignorant of the facts. We aren't there spinning our wheels; appreciable progress is being made.

evman150 · 09-04-2006, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icarus

Claiming that the only real result is dead Canadians is ignorant of the facts. We aren't there spinning our wheels; appreciable progress is being made.

I hope you're right.

FlamesAddiction · 09-04-2006, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icarus

We are there at the invitation of the democratically-elected government of Afghanistan to help bring stability and peace to a country that hasn't exactly been a happy place for the last thirty years. Once this big cell of Taliban in the south has been finally rooted out--and this Operation Medusa will be important for that--then the Afghan military and police forces will be sufficient to take care things and everyone else can go home.

Claiming that the only real result is dead Canadians is ignorant of the facts. We aren't there spinning our wheels; appreciable progress is being made.

I didn't think NATO occupation of Afghanistan was a mistake at first, but now I am really starting to wonder what we are doing there. The Soviets couldn't beat the insurgency, so I don't see this half-assed attempt working either. Afghanistan has never been successfully invaded and occupied.

Even though the Canadian military claims that today was a success and progress was made, citing around 200 insurgent kills to our 4 losses, it is worth noting that the Soviets killed around 1,000 insurgents for every Russian killed and after 9 years, they were still forced out.

There are far too few troops involved in this occupation for it to ever be successful. There are just too many places for them to hide. Perhaps if the U.S. dedicated themselves to Afghanistan like they did to Iraq, but even then I doubt it would matter.