USA continues to plead for Canada's help. Please. Anything.

[DinoDoc]

Is deploying around 2,500 soldiers really capable of bankrupting you?

That's the reason I'm dubious about his $$$ arguement though.

[Wezil]

Pat (sorry I am a slow typist)

Official government estimates (complete and utter BS) place the cost at $12B and climbing. More believable unofficial estimates put the cost closer to $20B (and this doesn't include long term medical care for the wounded iirc - this number is currently 600+ soldiers and counting).

Our current budget deficit is the largest in Canadian history. Could we follow your approach and continue piling more debt onto our children? Sure, but we will (hopefully) choose not to. Most Canadians recognise that we have done our share. Go knock on some European doors if you need more NATO help.

[Wezil]

The essential point is this - I am opposed to the mission for various reasons. My government is not.

[Patroklos]

Pat (sorry I am a slow typist)

Official government estimates (complete and utter BS) place the cost at $12B and climbing. More believable unofficial estimates put the cost closer to $20B (and this doesn't include long term medical care for the wounded iirc - this number is currently 600+ soldiers and counting).

Our current budget deficit is the largest in Canadian history. Could we follow your approach and continue piling more debt onto our children? Sure, but we will (hopefully) choose not to. Most Canadians recognise that we have done our share. Go knock on some European doors if you need more NATO help.

I would actaully be more outraged at why it costs so much for you to deploy 2,500 (usually less) soldiers that are for the most part just infantry. Seriously, that is ridiculous.

[Ben Kenobi]

Wow, per capita we are number two. Higher than USA. Slightly behind the Uk. We would need 10 more to be on par with the UK. I did not expect this.

[Asher]

http://icasualties.org/OEF/Nationality.aspx

Casualties by country, for reference. They list Canada at 141.

In terms of % of deployed troops, I think it's high.

IIRC Canada is in the most violent province.

[Dinner]

My father argues the Canadian Forces have nothing better to do anyway so they might as well stay in Afghanistan. Also a stellar argument.

Well, what else are they going to do besides invade that Danish island?

On a more serious note the US just upped its forced so pulling your out would undermine the surge.

[Patroklos]

In terms of % of deployed troops, I think it's high.

IIRC Canada is in the most violent province.

I have found it difficult to get an accurate grasp of how many troops Canada has had there over time. Right now it is reported as anywhere between 2,500 and 2,800, but that is seems to be the highest its ever been.

The wiki article on the Canadian contingent seems to suggest normal numbers around 1,200. For the first half of the war the normal Canadian forces were stationed in Kabul.

[Riesstiu IV]

We've been in Afghanistan for nearly 10 years, the Afghan army should be stepping up in their duties by now. What is the operational readiness of their forces anyways?

[Dinner]

The truth is Bush & Cheney weren't very interested in building up Afghanistan or spending money developing it (which would under cut support for the Taliban) until late in their second term. They did the same thing in Afghanistan as in Iraq where they just kind of ignored development & training. What NATO really needs to do is build dozens of power plants, reservoirs, and irrigation canals, pave roads, and build water systems. That has gotten short changed and was ignored for so long that many Afghans gave up on the US ever actually doing something positive. Once people have electricity, clean running water, and irrigation water for their crops then the economy will start to improve and more people will stop supporting terrorism & war.

Of course I doubt Obama will spend as much as is needed for development or for training of Afghan forces. So far it's been almost only infantry and police being trained but what they need are armored vehicles, helicopters, and ground attack aircraft none of which we're actually giving them in decent numbers. Then of course the education system is a joke and most people still don't go to school and that has been true for over two generations now.

[MrFun]

We've been in Afghanistan for nearly 10 years, the Afghan army should be stepping up in their duties by now. What is the operational readiness of their forces anyways?

Well, some of them no longer pee in their pants when they hear the word "Al Queda."

[Wezil]

10 years and the Karzai government still needs 10's of 1000's of foreign troops to protect himself from his own citizens. Still we pretend he is the "legitimate" government.

[Drake Tungsten]

As if the legitimacy of a government is dependent on the existence or non-existence of insurgent groups opposed to it.

[Wezil]

Obviously not. It depends upon the number of foreigners prepared to fight to maintain it. Duh.

[Drake Tungsten]

It depends on neither.