Posted on 11/16/2001 1:15:10 PM PST by Clive
OTTAWA -- Canada's on the move.
About 1,000 soldiers at CFB Edmonton were told yesterday to be ready to head for Afghanistan on 48 hours' notice.
Warning orders went out to members of the 3rd battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry around dinner time.
It was not clear how soon the soldiers might set out. One source said they could be on the ground as early as the middle of next week, but little is certain because events in Afghanistan are unfolding with dizzying speed.
The force consists of three infantry rifle companies, a small engineer squadron, a headquarters detachment, a combat support company, and an administrative company.
The Canadians will likely be assigned to help stabilize the war-torn country and escort aid convoys, Defence Minister Art Eggleton said last night.
But their exact duties are still being worked out because the situation is changing rapidly since Taliban forces were unexpectedly routed in the past three days.
Plans are being worked out with the U.S. army central command in Tampa, Fla., which is coordinating the war on terrorism in response to the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Earlier yesterday, British soldiers were put on similar notice. Canadian troops will work with U.S. and British units.
It was not clear whether the Canadians would fly to the region in C-130 Hercules transports or being carried there in U.S. air force planes.
This latest commitment brings to 3,000 the number of Canadian sailors, soldiers and air personnel earmarked for the anti-terror war.
Canada earlier dispatched five warships to the region, with another to fill in with a NATO naval squadron.
There was no immediate indication of how long the Canadians will be needed in Afghanistan.
I understand we are going to allow illegal aliens to fly out of the country legally, fly back in legally to take up their illegal status again after "mourning" . Give me a break. Are we a great country or what? Forget that tatoo of a flag I was thinking about. I'll spend the money on lazer treatment to try to get the "STUPID" erased from my forehead.
Stop blaming the world for your problems. You're starting to sound like those whiners in the middle east.
The Canadian military has a glorious past, but, since Korea, have really just been hired security guards for the United Nations.
It is not "whining" to call a spade a spade. The country's government, media and elite are and have been consistently anti-American, pro-third world and leftwing. There are many Canadians who are sympathetic to the United States, but they have, nada, zilch influence.
Canada's refugee system is a godsend to the terrorists of the world.
Canada is a good text book example of what can happen if the purveyors of socialism, multi-culturalism, and open-borders gain total influence. The Canadian dollar is $.62 and falling, it will soon have the American dollar as it's standard of currency.
The United States should thank it's lucky stars GWB, and not algore won the Presidency, as had the Demonrats won, the United States would soon resemble the wimpy neighbor to the north.
Canada deployed half its admittedly small fleet. Canadian frigates are acting in a normal role for them as part of the escort screen for US CVNs.
JTF2 had been offered but it appears that they wern't needed as there was sufficient of that type of force in the presence of Delta and SAS.
Conventional PBI would not have been useful before now.
We also have had mine locating and clearing teams with their dogs on standby. They are in the Balkans at present but have been designated for Afghanistan.
Judging by most of the replies in these threads, our people are not really needed. Perhaps we should just keep them in Canada and save the money and let the Yanks guard the convoys and clear the mines.
With Christmas coming, I am sure the soldiers' spouses would rather not see this deployment.
BTW, it looks like the Canadians will be under Brit command.
That's not fair. Nobody expected the Taliban to crumble so quickly.
That being said, what puts off a lot of US conservatives and libertarians (Free Republic kinda folks) is that Canada is politically a clone of the "social democracies" in Europe. But how you run your affairs is your business and, as always, the most important thing to remember is that when the s**t hits the fan, the people we will really be able to count on will all be speaking English.
Tell me about it, I have a few mates who were supposed to come home from the Balkans were shipped of elsewhere poor chaps.
I am still thinking about moving the family to Canada.
Tony
Vacationed in the eastern provinces a few years back, and was struck at the manner in which the Canadian media beats down the people into P.C. correctness. The only media available was essentially the Canadian equivalent of NPR -- and when I say equivalent, I mean in every odious sense.
What Canada needs is George Bush and Free Republic. Throw off your chains.
That's a cheap shot against the Russians -- I'm no fan of the Commies, and, yeah, they jumped in late to grab the Kuriles, but they also lost 20 MILLION fighting the Nazis. Much as we Americans love to crow about how we "saved everyone's asses" in WWII, the Nazis were ground down by the Russians more than anyone else.
Well, this Michganian by birth, Texan by choice appreciates Canadians. And yeah, I agree with some of the criticisms of Canada's government posted by others, but I also agree with similar criticisms of the U.S. gummint for the very same things. That does not make me anti-Canadian or anti-American.
OTOH, I appreciate how the Canadians in Gander opened their hearts (and homes) to all of the Americans stranded there on 9-11. I appreciate how the Canadian people have rallied to this cause, sometimes dragging an occasionally unenthusiastic Canadian government and CBC with it. I appreciate the ships and aircraft the Canadians sent -- both this time and in the Gulf War.
We may have arguments, but the Canadians are family, and families fight from time to time. But families also rally in times of trouble -- even when you do not necessarily always agree with the one you are rallying around. Remember the Vietnam War? Canada did not agree with us on that one. But it was a Canadian journalist, Gordon Sinclair, who defended us to the rest of the world. And if you check the nationalities of the dead listed on the Vietnam Memorial, no 2 (behind U.S.) is Canadian. Thousands of their young men crossed the borders to join our fight -- and some died in it.
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