Brigadier General David Fraser is unusual. He says curious things. The departing commander of Canadian and NATO troops in southern Afghanistan has given a farewell interview to the Globe. In it he justifies the Afghanistan mission by claiming that it's better we fight the Taliban over there than let them bring the fight to us in Canada.
Wait a second, Dave. This is the Taliban we're talking about, not al-Qaeda. The Taliban are a nasty, oppressive bunch of religious fanatics with a completely medieval outlook but they're not globetrotters. The Taliban have no history of attacking other nations not even when they were in power. Their focus is inward. They want Kabul and are determined to get it.
Maybe Dave should give us some good reason to believe the Taliban are a real danger to Toronto. Of course, he won't. General Fraser just says weird stuff. At Panjwai he told us he had the Taliban surrounded, trapped. When it turned out the bad guys were quite free to leave Panjwai in good order with their weapons and without Dave knowing about it, he proclaimed a great victory and announced he'd driven the Taliban out of Panjwai district for good. Oddly enough he's been fighting off Taliban attacks in Panjwai ever since.
In a Toronto Star interview, Fraser said that Canadian critics of "the mission" were more dangerous than the Taliban. Huh? Did he really say that? Yes he did.
The Globe interview faithfully recites General Fraser's bluster. Odd the reporter didn't ask what Dave thought of Hamid Karzai's overtures seeking negotiations with the Taliban.
1 comment:
Dude,
The taliban will bring the fight to Canada indirectly. They certainly aided al qaeda in their attacks on NYC and Washington. Leaving Afghanistan to be retaken by a murderous, socially repressive group seems as short sighted as calling Qana a war crime or Belinda a bitch.
All may be gratifying for one group or another but they will eventually cause greater trouble.
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