James Cudmore, who broke the story, rather bravely starts a topic thread at Milnet.ca:
We’ve just filed this story below on cbc.ca, radio and TV. More on the National tonight. It’s about JTF2 and two CFNIS investigations called Sand Trap, investigating allegations of wrongdoing in Afghanistan. Some allegations were investigated, with no charges. Other investigations are still ongoing. shared here, from my perspective, for conversation purposes:
There are calls for public oversight of an elite military unit amid allegations that Canadian soldiers were involved in improper killings of Afghans.
Federal politicians and a former member of the military are making the calls in light of a series of closed-door investigations in Ottawa that have been looking into the explosive claims involving the covert unit, Joint Task Force 2.
The allegations included claims that members of JTF2 witnessed American soldiers killing an unarmed man, and, in a separate incident, that a member of JTF2 killed a man who was surrendering.
Earlier this year, CBC News reported that the first probe – named Sandtrap – looked into the allegations that a Canadian was involved in the 2006 shooting death of an Afghan who had his hands up in the act of surrender. That probe ended without any charges.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/12/01/canada-jtf2-investigation.html#ixzz16tsF4VN5
Read the reactions. An earlier post:
Afstan, special forces, and our silent government
Mark
Ottawa
So, JTF2 and their American and other Allied Spec. Ops. counterparts are, quite properly, working together in the field, combating our enemies. They’re killing the right people. The problem with that is what, exactly?
Our Allied Spec. Ops. Forces, all highly trained, highly motivated cream-of-the-crop troops adhering to the highest of soldierly standards, are out there “at the edge”, doing extremely valuable and extremely dangerous work. And by all accounts, they’re being generally very successful in this combat. Some even call the Spec. Ops. forces the decisive factor in Af-stan.
By contrast, our enemy does not follow any of the civilized rules of war, as outlined in the Geneva Conventions. Use of human shields. Faked surrenders with a view to attempted surprise killings, have been commonplace in both Iraq and Af-stan. Bombs and firearms hidden under clothing are Taliban and Al Qaeda standard procedure.
Our troops, Spec. Ops. or regular combat troops, would be suicidally stupid to not act in extremely cautious ways towards enemies purportedly attempting to surrender. Sudden moves or other suspicious activities by our enemies do in fact warrant their being instantly killed. Given this reality, our troops deserve, should always get a huge benefit of the doubt when clueless “journalists” and politicians with anti-military agenda start throwing around allegations.
If any CBC or other MSM clueless “journalists” think this war ought to be fought otherwise, let them take off their halos, pick up a rifle and show us the “kinder, gentler” way to destroy an vicious, implacable, uncivilized enemy. Otherwise, they can keep their cheap shots and military cluelessness opining to themselves.
And to all our Allied Forces, Spec. Ops and regular combatants, I offer my heartfelt thanks for what they’re doing for all of us at home.