Tuesday, May 02, 2017

One Step Forward; Two, Maybe Three Back.



This Harjit Sajjin business brought to mind something that appeared in Harper's about recent Afghan peace talks. On hand were representatives of the Afghan government, the Talibs, Pakistan, China and the United States.

It was already ten in the evening  when the discussion began, though in a sense the participants had been waiting fourteen years, as no one could agree on who was fighting whom. The Afghan government viewed the enduring conflict with its borders as an undeclared war between Afghanistan and Pakistan; Pakistan saw it through the prism of a threat from India; the Taliban were resisting American intervention; America was battling al Qaeda.

What could possibly go wrong?

3 comments:

Toby said...

That is a good example for why I'm somewhat of an isolationist. I see nothing good to come from interfering in another country's civil war.

the salamander said...

.. the Sajjin 'business' is all part of a much bigger furball of wax Mound. if not already done, some intrepid journo could collect a Pulitzer by following the various threads of this bizzare 'story'

Sajjin simply released the lid on a complicated 'seal of silence' .. a veritable Pandoras Box. A huge gaffe on his part & Stephen Harper, Ray Novak, Peter McKay must have blanched, cringed & screetched foul language on seeing this old festering secret flying squirrel leap from the box.

Dear Jouno - Build a timeline.. re Canadian armed involvement in the Afghan.. after the Russians had their ass kicked
- name the latest volunteers to battle the infidel - name all countries contributing to the christian 'crusade'
- name the military leaders - each n every country
- Sajjin goes 'in country when.. exactly his rank and role & relationship to leadership
- date American 'friendly' fire that killed Canadians & local allies
- summarize American military investigation re friendly fire incident & failure of Medusa Op
- Harper et al, our lips are sealed re detainee torture
- date Harper's prorogue to bury the facts
- time goes by.. war crimes concerns buffaloed by Harper's Seal of Silence
- ulp - Sajjin blows the Seal... wide open

At this point Canadians only have military vets who served in Afghanistan to speak to this
Expecting politicians to rise to the occasion is laughable..
What ? Peter McKay or Harper photo ops, peering through binoculars will suffice?

Sajjin was either an active, valorous & capable participant
or potentially complicit, after the fact, in how the detainee deal went down 'in country'
and not 'just a 3 tour reservist' .. who knew nothing..
Many vets don't recall him being boots on ground part of the failed assault

Can't have it both ways..
OK.. Harper/Novak have tried to bury it via prorogue and Cabinet Confidence
The American friendly fire investigation of Medusa paints a completely different story
.. intelligence incompetance, poor leadership & battlefield communication
Basically a sound beating via massed, informed and dug in Taliban
Air strike an unfortunate byproduct of war.. during a retreat

hmm..

The Mound of Sound said...

That's an interesting scenario, Sal, but totally unsourced. Many questions but no answers, nothing concrete. Do you have anything at all to back up any of this?