Afghanistan: Canadians in Action

[milnews.ca]

...from a Canadian Press wire service account of a custody hearing held today (6 Jan 08), with the usual caveats (innocent until proven guilty; nothing PROVEN in court, only stated; the process ain't over until it's over)....

...Tuesday's court hearing was to determine whether Semrau should be released from custody in a military cell at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, where he was recently transferred from Afghanistan. Although both the Crown and the defence agreed Semrau should be granted bail, presiding military judge Lt-Col. Louis-Vincent d'Auteuil reserved judgment until Wednesday....

....Capt. Robert Semrau, 35, faced his first court appearance Tuesday since being charged Dec. 31 for an offence alleged to have taken place last October in Helmand Province. According to an agreed "synopsis" of known circumstances surrounding the Oct. 19 incident, Semrau was with a Canadian operational mentor and liaison team under British command and working with the Afghan National Army when they were ambushed by the Taliban during a 26-kilometre overland pursuit. A U.S. Apache helicopter was called in, after which the group discovered one dead insurgent and another with wounds "too severe for any type of treatment" in the field. An assault rifle was taken from the injured man. According to the court document, the dead and wounded were photographed by Semrau's group "in accordance with standard procedures," after which Semrau was seen standing alone by the two insurgents. Two shots were heard and "at least one witness" will say he saw Semrau firing his rifle at the wounded insurgent. The Canadian and ANA forces then immediately moved on, and the body of the allegedly murdered insurgent was never recovered....

....While the Crown contends that Semrau fired the two shots that were heard by witnesses, Turner told the court "the defence theory, of course, will be different." The case appears far from open and shut. Military prosecution lawyer Maj. Marylene Trudel noted that military prosecutors have not yet even determined whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction, and said the charges could change as the investigation progresses. "We're still a step behind that process," she told the court in arguing for Semrau's release pending trial....

[milnews.ca]

"Military judge releases captain pending murder trial"

A military judge has released an army officer charged with murdering a wounded and apparently unarmed enemy fighter in Afghanistan. The judge, Lt.-Col. Louis-Vincent d'Auteuil, has granted a joint request by both defence and prosecution to allow Capt. Robert Semrau, 35, to rejoin his unit at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and live at home in neighbouring Pembroke, Ont. D'Auteuil placed conditions on the soldier's release, however, ordering him to remain under military authority, to stay in Canada, to surrender his passport and not to communicate with any Afghan National Army troops or five Canadian soldiers. Semrau is also not allowed to handle any weapons or explosives, even in his soldierly duties, without prior approval from the court....

[jmm99]

Bio of judge, Lt.-Col. Louis-Vincent d'Auteuil, is here.

A website supporting Semrau is here.

The military prosecutor Major Marylene Trudel is one of my many distant Trudel cousins - all go back to one man, Jean Trudel (b. 1629), here.

We shall see how French-Canadian justice works in the 21st century.

[reed11b]

Am I reading this correctly, he is suspected of being guilty of killing a mortally wounded enemy who was not going to be given any aid (triaged out)? So it would not have been murder if the enemy combatant had been dis-armed and left to die? I'm a little confused.
Reed

[milnews.ca]

NATO statement:

Elders from a village located approximately 15 km west of Kandahar City alleged today that two local children were killed and two were wounded when unexploded ordnance they were handling detonated. It is alleged that the unexploded ordnance was left behind by ISAF soldiers who were conducting a practice range exercise in the area the day prior, however the nature of the munition involved has yet to be determined....

I have to say I was disappointed in CNN's initial version of the story:

Villagers in southern Afghanistan stacked the bodies of two dead children in front of a provincial council Monday to protest their deaths in a rocket attack. The villagers blamed Canadian rockets for killing the children and injuring five men, but their claims could not immediately be verified....

I've sent CNN links to other MSM sources, and await with interest to see what they do with them.

Now, there seems to be a range of narratives out there:

....Some media sources reported the children were killed when a missile hit a house in the Panjwai village. Five other people were injured. However Canadian media reported that the children may have died when an unexploded bomb detonated as they searched for scrap metal in the Panjwai valley. A local police chief said the deaths may have been caused by a Taliban attack ....

I've found nothing on English-language jihadist fora with the Taliban's version of events yet - will share if/when I find anything.

Shameless & brazen self-plug: a little more here.

[120mm]

Disappointed in CNN reporting? Isn't that analogous to being disappointed that a rattlesnake will bite, or that the sun comes up in the East in the morning?

You ARE talking about a TV channel that has a running "Global Warming Will Kill Us All" feature disguised as "news" aren't you?

[milnews.ca]

...but I can dream, can't I?

BTW, here's the results of the initial probe, from the Canadian Forces statement:

....Preliminary findings, based on the evidence collected, witness interviews and analysis of explosive residue by in-theatre explosives experts, determined that the device which caused the blast was most probably an unexploded anti-personnel improvised explosive device (IED) or mine not consistent with ammunition used by Canadian Forces (CF) personnel. The CFNIS is confident that further detailed analysis of the evidence by forensic laboratories will validate the preliminary findings....

and from an ISAF statement:

....Brigadier-General Jon Vance, the commander of Canadian troops in Kandahar province, said the explosive did not belong to his soldiers, who held a range practice in the area the day before the tragedy.

“The burden of proof and experience in this part of the province places the likelihood of harming people with explosives squarely on the shoulders of the insurgency, not on the shoulders of Canadians” said Vance.

The preliminary findings of the investigation have determined that the device which caused the explosion was most probably an Improvised Explosive Device or mine not consistent with ammunition used by the ISAF troops previously in the area. These findings are based upon the evidence collected, witness interviews and analysis of explosive residue....

[TROUFION]

Insurgent TTP:

When any event happens in which a civilian death, particularly of women and children, occurs immediatly blame the Coalition Forces. (The exception would only be if an insurgent was caught red handed and on film, then the insurgents will generally remain quiet on the occurance and try to divert attention elswhere).

For the insurgents the truth is of less (or of no) importance it is the timeliness of the spin. In this case it was a near spontaneous reaction. Nearly as fast as the explosion itself they had the spin machine rolling.

While coalition forces bring in experts to conduct forensic analysis to identify the true cause of the incident and wait to put out press releases the insurgents fire away with their version. They thereby gain the upper hand.

It is the nature of the beast.

We counter it through active and constant engagement with the population , the key leadership and a consistent information campaign. The burdens of proof will always fall on us. We need to generate a faster tempo on delivering the truth to gain the trust of the locals. Easier said than done, but it can be done. -T

[milnews.ca]

At least according to a senior government official quoted in this account....

“Canada’s area of responsibility in the Taliban heartland will be cut by nearly half this summer as part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s new Afghan strategy, to be unveiled Friday. But Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan is to retain control of some of Kandahar’s most violent areas — Kandahar City and the farming districts to the west of the provincial capital where three-quarters of Kandaharis live. Canada’s army also will remain NATO’s point of contact with the provincial governor. “Canada will be more focused on major population centres in and around Kandahar city, which is exactly where we want to have an impact with our priorities,” David Mulroney, the Privy Council Office deputy minister who heads the government’s Afghanistan Task Force, told an all-party committee of MPs Thursday….”

.... as well as RUMINT shared in this account from earlier in the week....

…. Rumours have been circulating among local Afghans that the Canadians are planning to pull out of all districts except for Zhari, Panjway and Kandahar city….

A little more here.

[120mm]

I say they need to put more Tim Horton's in the city, as well as in KAF.

It's hard to stay insurgent with a fresh hot coffee and a friendly face in the morning...

[120mm]

I think these two articles stand on their own, without comment, to illustrate how perspective affects things:

NATO slaps restrictions on Canadian media in Kandahar

Source: The Canadian Press

29 April 2009

NATO has imposed tough new restrictions on foreign journalists covering the war in southern Afghanistan , changes that could affect how much Canadians see and hear from war-torn Kandahar .

The new measures, imposed in early March, mirror the way the U.S. military manages reporters in Iraq .

The restrictions make it virtually impossible for Canadian journalists to leave Kandahar Airfield on their own to interview local Afghans and return unimpeded to the safety of NATO's principal base....

Assignment Kandahar: Censorship, and what is not

By: Brian Hutchinson

29 April 2009

Canadian Press has moved a misleading story from Ottawa that says “tough new restrictions” imposed on reporters embedded with Canadian Forces at Kandahar Airfield “make it virtually impossible” for us to leave the base on our own and report goings-on outside the wire.

This comes as a complete surprise, because I had no trouble leaving the base on my own the other day, meeting with my local Afghan “fixer,” and traveling into town to report a story about Afghans that appeared Tuesday in the National Post and on canada.com.

I also blogged about my brief encounter with local kids at a Kandahar city swimming hole.

Canadian military personnel were aware that I was leaving KAF. In fact, a member of their public affairs staff drove me to a gate where

I met my fixer. The same soldier picked me up on my return to KAF. More of an effort for him than me......

[40below]

I found this extremely interesting that trhe new (old) Canadian commander in Afghanistan is allowing troops latitude to do stuff like shoot bad guys:

In a war where the enemy hides in villages, and fights mainly with homemade bombs hidden in cooking pots, water jugs, farmer’s fields and trees, it’s not often Canadian soldiers get to fight back.

Oscar Company was savouring some payback, a sweet taste they’ve been enjoying more often in recent days.

Since Brigadier-General Jon Vance returned to take command in early June, the kill chain has been cut shorter, and Canadian troops on the battlefields of eastern Panjwai district say it’s getting easier to take the fight to the insurgents.

Major Steve Brown, commander of Oscar Company, in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, called Vance “a no-nonsense kind of guy” whose personality has helped reshape battlefield operations.

The increased intensity of armed engagements with insurgents also forced change, Brown added.

“Part of that is shortening that kill chain,” said Brown, 37, of Mansfield, Ontario. “I don’t want to say that we are reducing the safeties with respect collateral damage. We’re certainly not doing that. You can’t compromise on stuff like that.

“You’ve got to protect the population. But it’s becoming easier and easier to discern enemy tactics, techniques and procedures with the ‘pattern of life’ of the locals.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/a...-to-shoot?bn=1


This could go in a few places so mods, feel free to move it.

[JMA]

I found this extremely interesting that trhe new (old) Canadian commander in Afghanistan is allowing troops latitude to do stuff like shoot bad guys:



http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/a...-to-shoot?bn=1


This could go in a few places so mods, feel free to move it.

This is an interesting comment. Can anyone elaborate?

“You’ve got to protect the population. But it’s becoming easier and easier to discern enemy tactics, techniques and procedures with the ‘pattern of life’ of the locals.”

[40below]

Team Canada at Free Range International are my absolute favourite COINdanistas and they got a great article in today's Star. It's going to be totally ignored by the powers that be - I posted it on my FB and within two minutes I had infantry soldiers posting about how aghast they were that anyone would roll around Khar without 14 tons of armour.
Some great stuff here, but this is my favourite quote:

“They are the best crew in the country,” the blogger, Tim Lynch, an American contractor who does work similar to Team Canada in safer Nangahar Province, wrote in an email to the Star. “They have balls the size of grapefruit.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/a...ng-with-ghosts

[kprtpolof1]

For those of you who don't know, the Canadian Forces handed over control of Panjwayi and Dand districts, Kandahar province, to US forces in July, thus ending our 5 yr + combat mission.

Of course, the US forces there now do not have the force density of CF deployments in 2010-2011, but hopefully things won't go all to hell over there...

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/07..._n_890060.html

[davidbfpo]

This week the last Canadians left Afghanistan, they were part of a hundred strong training component. Two responses, one reflective by a Canadian journalist:

At many National Hockey League games in Canada, members of the Canadian Forces are introduced. Far from turning their faces away, as in the song about wounded Australian soldiers returning from the First World War, fans rise for a standing ovation.

(Later) Sacrifice and danger brought the military a respect it had been lacking, which is what the military men who bought into the Afghan mission were hoping would happen. They were right in these domestic hopes, but largely wrong in their Afghan ones.

Link:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle17485848/

I wonder if the public impact is partly due to the extensive use of reservists? As noted by others with the Danish contribution.

Then there is the blatant crowing by the Taliban:

Your sacrifices have brought us freedom. The beacons of your blood have lit the way to independence. Celebrate the victory and freedom from the Canadians..

Link:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03...ushpmg00000067