We are going to go pave Afghanistan with the blood and bones of Canadian soldiers; will the nebulous goal of “stability” be sufficient to pacify their families as they grieve?   Will the inevitable deaths of innocent Afghanis be justified by bringing stability to the region?  Consider the very nature of the war in Afghanistan where there are  only a few “front lines” and the enemy has the capacity to strike anywhere at almost anytime.  Is this what we bring and justify our presence in Afghanistan for?

“Coalition forces in Afghanistan will go on the offensive this fall, says Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard, the commander of Canadian troops overseas.

His comments to reporters in Kandahar on Saturday echoed those made by British Maj.-Gen. Nick Carter, commander of coalition troops in southern Afghanistan, who said up to 32,000 Afghan and coalition soldiers will try to clear 500 to 800 insurgents from around Kandahar city before December.

Lessard described the coalition push as “massive activities.” The attacks will be followed by development projects and efforts to strengthen the local governments.”

We have heard this so many times over the tenure of our stay in Afghanistan.  But better to have nebulous strategy to match our nebulous goals, one would suppose.

“He [Lessard] said the Taliban had taken the initiative over the summer and it had been “a tough go” for the coalition. “There was a lot more enemy presence and a lot more activity.”

The coalition consolidated its position, Lessard said. “There was no more expansion. We didn’t have the troops.”

But now the Taliban initiative has been stopped. “That’s good, but that’s not good enough,” he said, so the coalition is taking the offensive.”

And re-win the hearts and minds of the people?  Who do you side with if you are an Afghani citizen?  The corrupt Kharzi regime backed by imperial powers that will be leaving the country soon or with the Taliban who will be there with certainty (being that it is their country after all)?

“With the 150-plus killed, the hundreds of seriously injured, from our Canadian point of view, that’s our legacy.”

Poignant and prescient words from Lieutenant-General Marc Lessard.  I’m usually happy when blog posts write themselves, but in this instance, there is nothing to cheer about.

Moe over at Whatever Works has a great post about Afghanistan and the morass that passes as the status quo.