Was Canada's Afghan Mission a Success?
As Canada prepares to quit – or at least reduce – its involvement in Afghanistan, politicians, journalists, the public and the army itself are beginning to assess whether the nine-year mission was worth it.
Was Afghanistan a “success” for our military and diplomacy, or was it a pointless fiasco that changed little in the country – at the cost of some 157 Canadian lives, and hundreds with life-altering injuries?
Now that negotiations are intensifying among the Taliban, Americans, and the Karzai government, complete with “neutral” facilitators, The question of the “war” Canadians fought so assiduously in Kandahar and Panjwaii region becomes more relevant.
From a military point of view, the Canadian army distinguished itself in Afghanistan. It effectively morphed from a largely peace-keeping army into a fighting machine.
When challenged by Taliban fighters, a succession on battle groups from the Princess Pats, RCR, VanDoos, augmented by armoured regiments and reserves, clobbered the enemy.
The trouble was that with small numbers (roughly 2,500), our troops might pacify an area and then move out -- and the Taliban would then resestablish a presence.
Rather than directly fight Canadians, the Taliban resorted to roadside bombs and explosive devices, which made life precarious, and every venture “outside the wire” nerve-wracking.
With every rotation, the competence and professionalism of the army improved until today ours is regarded by many as the best small army in the world.
We don’t have the manpower or resources of our allies, but we have won their respect. Man for man, woman for woman, our soldiers are the equal of any and better than most.
That said – has the war been won? No, it hasn’t.
Could it have been won? Probably not.
Right now the Taliban are largely neutralized, and al-Qaida inside Afghanistan is not a problem at the moment. No training areas or overt presence.
But (relative) stability exists only so long as allied soldiers are there in sufficient numbers. The minute they are gone, the Taliban will again seep in from Pakistan.
The war cannot be won when Pakistan is an erratic, dubious and duplicitous ally, playing footsie with both the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Negotiations with the Taliban may be a pragmatic political solution. But assurances pledged by the Taliban mean little. If the Afghan National Army (ANA) and revamped national police force fail to measure up (a likelihood) the Taliban will be back to their old oppressive ways.
Canadians (and others) have built schools, encouraged education of women, tried to guide villages into something resembling civilized behavior, have mixed with locals and proven friendly, albeit wary.
In past wars, Canadian soldiers have been generous and won the trust of locals. It’s been that way in Afghanistan, but difficult when terrorists will strap explosive devices on children to make them suicide bombers.
What the future holds for the renewed Canadian military is uncertain, but it can be guaranteed that at the next international crisis, Canadian troops will be in demand. They always are, and they always exceed expectations.
So on balance, was the Afghanistan mission a success?
I’d argue it made the army better, gave it confidence, and it won respect for Canada among nations of the world that matter. So Canadian lives lost were not in vain, and indeed did their country proud.