Canadian Armed Forces members deployed as part of Operation IMPACT conduct small arms training at Camp Taji, Iraq on September 26, 2019.
Photo: Corporal Ryan Moulton, OP IMPACT JTF-I Image Tech
KW11-2019-0061-27
By Scott Taylor
The recent withdrawal of the bulk of U.S. combat forces from Afghanistan has caused angst and consternation among the thousands of Canadian soldiers who served in that war.
No one has any doubt that the resurgent Taliban will easily defeat the Afghan government’s security forces, which are now devoid of American combat support.
To offset the emotional pain of realizing that Canada’s sacrifice of blood and gold was truly in vain, many of our veterans are embarking on a humanitarian crusade to extricate the Afghan civilians who worked alongside our soldiers and who are now, as a result, facing the revenge of the Taliban.
That, to me, is a noble cause. Our military presence in Afghanistan gave these individuals the false hope that the international community was fully committed to effecting lasting change in their country.
After 20 years and the expenditure of over a trillion dollars, the U.S. is now deciding to cut its losses.
It is a bitter pill to swallow that NATO, the most powerful and technically advanced military alliance in history, could not defeat an illiterate horde of fanatical Afghans armed with assault rifles and homemade explosive devices.
To give credit where it is due, Canada’s political leadership cut bait well in advance of the U.S. finally admitting the obvious.
Canada ended combat operations in Afghanistan in 2011, and we wrapped up our military training initiative in the spring of 2014.
Thus, while Canadian officials scramble to locate and arrange safe passage for former Afghan interpreters and locally engaged staff, our soldiers will be spared the embarrassment of having to bug out of our base in Afghanistan as our American allies just experienced when they vacated Bagram in the dead of night on July 2nd.
Canada should pull the plug on our mission in Iraq.
Almost lost with all the media attention focused on Afghanistan’s crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden quietly met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday, July 26th.
The main announcement resulting from that meeting was that the U.S. plans to conclude its combat mission in Iraq before the end of 2021.
Few Canadians are likely aware that this past March parliament quietly extended Canada’s own military commitment to Iraq, known as Operation Impact, until March 2022.
This directive allows Canada to deploy up to 850 military personnel to the region which includes the NATO mission in Iraq, and secondary capacity-building missions in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan.
The origin of Canada’s Operation Impact mission in Iraq dates back to September 2014 when we deployed fighter jets and special forces personnel to assist the U.S.-led international coalition to defeat Daesh (aka ISIS, IS or ISIL).
When the Trudeau Liberals were elected in 2015, the fighter jets were brought home, but in their stead, Canada increased the number of personnel deployed on the ground in Iraq.
The alliance deployed against Daesh included not only Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militia, but also members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Having a common enemy meant that Canadians were also loosely allied with the Syrian forces of President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian military allies.
Canadian special forces personnel were advising and assisting Iraqi Kurdish militia whose ultimate objective was not only to defeat Daesh, but to establish an independent Kurdistan.
Canadian government policy ran counter to the Kurds’ goal, as we support a unified Iraq under a central Baghdad government.
All that to say that it was a very complex alliance with the only common bond being that of a collective desire to defeat the Daesh evildoers.
Once that was achieved, with Daesh being effectively eliminated as a military threat in December 2017, Canada should have withdrawn our troops.
With Daesh gone, Canada no longer has a dog in this fight, and it would be foolish to think that a paltry commitment of a handful of military trainers will effect the ultimate desired outcome in Iraq.
Biden’s announcement indicates the U.S. is about to jump ship. If they are giving up in yet another unwinnable war, let’s beat them to the exit once again. And let’s bring the translators with us this time.
