Saving Afghanistan


The Manley panel correctly identified the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan by recommending that 1,000 extra troops be sent to Kandahar. However, NATO overall would need to double its ground troop capacity to 80,000 and remove all caveats of where troops are deployed, if it is to have any chance of halting the insurgency's momentum. Indeed, recent Senlis Council research indicates that the Taliban now have a presence in 54% of Afghanistan.

NATO forces must also be permitted to enter Pakistan, alongside the Pakistani military, to root out Taliban bases. Without going across the border to deal with these safe havens, it will be impossible to stop the Afghan insurgency.

Finally, Canada must have an effective counter-narcotics strategy for Afghanistan. The Senlis Council would like to see farmers allowed to grow opium for the production of painkillers, such as morphine.

Continuing to follow failed U.S.-led policies such as forced poppy crop eradication will only push locals into the arms of the Taliban, sabotaging any prospects of bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Norine MacDonald,
president and lead field researcher, The Senlis Council, Kabul, Afghanistan.


http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=265065