New Media

“I put my foot on his neck and I shot him in the head with my AK47.”

Afghanistan requires a multifaceted approach. But at least regarding the appropriate manner of negotiating with the Taliban, best practices are pretty straightforward.

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.

Right now, it looks like it’s lights out for Canada’s top military blog. It’s a sad day.

H/T to Adrian MacNair.

On this day in 1944, Canadians helped lead the fight for the liberation of Europe from tyranny by storming the beaches of Normandy.

Their courage was the stuff of legend, something to inspire Canadians of all generations. But times change.

The Afghans want it. Our allies want it, too. The Liberals are asking for it. Most of all, Canadians need it. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, are you finally ready to publicly discuss a role for Canada in Afghanistan after 2011?

The latest:

Liberal foreign affairs critic and Afghanistan committee member Bob Rae says the MPs’ comments were “a little hyped up.” He’s leaving it up to the government to create a plan for post-2011, but says there eventually must be a debate in Parliament.

“I don’t think we can keep on pretending that these discussions don’t need to take place,” Rae said.

The committee heard a number of ideas about the role Canada could play, including training Afghan security forces, Rae said.

Canada’s parliament did not vote to end our involvement in Afghanistan at the end of 2011. They voted to end our battle group’s role in Kandahar. PM Harper, there is no contradiction with the “will of parliament” in discussing a renewed role for Canada in Afghanistan. Let’s remain engaged just as momentum finally seems to be going our way.

More at the Torch: CF in Afstan post-2011? PM still “the biggest stumbling block”

How many times do “peace” negotiations need to literally blow up in this statesman’s face before he finally gets it?

Once again, Afghan President Hamid Karzai attempts to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban.

And for the umpteenth time, the Taliban tell Karzai and the rest of the world they’re not interested in stopping the violence. And they do it in their usual way: guns blazing, mortars firing, suicide bombers bearing down on unarmed civilians.

When is Karzai going to get it? You don’t negotiate with these people. You hunt the Taliban down and kill every one of them you can find until their last shell-shocked comrades wave the white flag.

Canadians have made huge sacrifices in this country. We have the right to insist the government we’re supporting get on board with a plan for total victory. Completely contrary to what Karzai seems to think, anything less is just going to keep foreign troops in Afghanistan even longer.