Taliban threat a 'PR move': Day (Stockwell Day, Public Safety Minister, Canada)

Macleans Magazine ^ | 2007-06-20 | (staff)

[Clive]

A Taliban threat to send hundreds of suicide bombers to attack Canada is being dismissed by top security officials as a desperate publicity stunt.

ABC News obtained a video this week that showed a Taliban military commander lining up approximately 300 graduates at a training camp and announcing they will be sent to Canada, the United States, Germany and Britain in retaliation for those nations' presence in Afghanistan.

But officials insist the video is merely a scare tactic in response to the Taliban's losing battle in Afghanistan. "Their purpose is to strike terror, put fear in people's hearts," Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said Tuesday. "I think the Taliban are aware that our troops cannot be intimidated, our troops prevail on the field of battle in Afghanistan. And so they're trying through public relations means to worry the hearts of Canadians at home."

Day said he is confident in intelligence and security officials' ability to protect the country. "Canadians can sleep well at night knowing that we have very effective security capabilities," he said, although he added that the threat must be taken seriously. "It's a sign of desperation, but it's not a sign that can be dismissed ... We've always said that Canada is not immune to threats of terrorism."

Acting RCMP commissioner Bev Busson echoed Day's statement, saying, "We never ignore these kinds of threats." But assistant commissioner Mike McDonell testified at a Senate national security committee on Monday, before the video was made public, that the police force is already strained for personnel and that he's been forced to borrow 100 officers from other departments to help with counterterrorism investigations.

McDonnell, who announced the arrests of 18 terrorist suspects last year after an alleged plot to detonate truck bombs was uncovered, indicated the threat of home-grown terrorist cells in Canadian cities is still very real and shouldn't be taken lightly. "It is fair to say that the centre of gravity for us with respect to today's national-security threat is in the Toronto area," he said.

A Canadian Security Intelligence Service spokeswoman said the agency will monitor the situation, but gave no details about exactly what action, if any, it would take in response to the video.

With files from Canadian Press

[Clive]

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[WorkerbeeCitizen]

"ABC News obtained a video this week that showed a Taliban military commander lining up approximately 300 graduates at a training camp and announcing they will be sent to Canada, the United States, Germany and Britain in retaliation for those nations' presence in Afghanistan."

These can't possibly be graduate suicide bombers as they have not been practicing.

[headsonpikes]

“It is fair to say that the centre of gravity for us with respect to today’s national-security threat is in the Toronto area,” he said.

Nothing changes - the major seditious threat to our Confederation has been centred in Toronto for more than 40 years!

I speak, of course, of the Liberal Party.