James Tainton
09-18-2006, 01:09 AM
http://www.hqpf.com/Moisiespics/Leoprd-2520C2-2520with-2520add-2520on-2520armour.jpg
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=3716a2d3-75e6-4700-bcb4-53d5fd3ebe09&k=1117
Canadian commander in Afghanistan: tanks will be big help in protecting troops
Les Perreaux, Canadian Press
Published: Monday, September 18, 2006
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The top Canadian general in Afghanistan concedes that eight months ago he never dreamed of asking Ottawa to send tanks to the war-torn country.
The armoured behemoths with a massive cannon and well-protected crew are far from the top of the list of tools usually recommended to win over hearts and minds in a counter-insurgency war.
"When I first came here, the last thing I was going to ask for was tanks," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, head of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan.
"At the same time, the enemy has a vote. You take the equipment, you take the capabilities and the skill sets you need to deal with the enemy. The enemy we fought in June was different than the enemy we just fought. He has changed, and we are changing at the same time."
Canadian troops will soon have 15 Leopard I tanks in Kandahar to bolster the collection of Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV-3), Bison and Nyala armoured jeeps that already make Canadians among the most heavily armoured troops in the country.
Canadian, Afghan and NATO troops are winding down Operation Medusa, an effort to remove Taliban fighters from an area near Kandahar city. At the start, the operation ran into frequent stiff resistance and dug-in fighters who took advantage of walled fields and compounds to mount hit-and-run attacks.
Hundreds of insurgents reportedly died in the fighting, while four Canadian soldiers and one American were killed.
Despite the lopsided fight, Fraser said the battle showed the need for tanks.
"The success of the operation is great, but the enemy has also learned how to adapt," Fraser said. "By Canada putting even more in here, we've just overmatched them even one step further. I just think it's a prudent course of action and it's great we have this level of support coming from back home."
Fraser pointed out that one of the tanks is equipped with excavation equipment for clearing routes while protecting its crew. Illustrating his point, three Canadian soldiers were injured Saturday when a bulldozer equipped only with makeshift armour struck a mine.
"We can change the terrain to suit our needs," Fraser said.
Fraser said the tanks are also a useful intimidation tool against poorly equipped Taliban fighters.
"There is an element of shock when you see tanks out there," Fraser said. "And with that gun, there's firepower."
One of the dangers of using tanks in Afghanistan are enduring images from the Soviet war, when Russian generals believed the massive war machines could quell guerrilla fervour.
It wasn't always a successful tactic in rugged Afghan terrain. The country is littered with the steel carcasses of Soviet-era tanks.
The Soviets lost 147 tanks and 1,314 armoured personnel carriers in the war.
However many of the losses were in more mountainous terrain, while recent battles with the Taliban near Kandahar have taken place in desert and farmland. The main obstacles included irrigation canals and mud walls, features easily overcome by tanks.
© The Canadian Press 2006
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=3716a2d3-75e6-4700-bcb4-53d5fd3ebe09&k=1117
Canadian commander in Afghanistan: tanks will be big help in protecting troops
Les Perreaux, Canadian Press
Published: Monday, September 18, 2006
Article tools
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The top Canadian general in Afghanistan concedes that eight months ago he never dreamed of asking Ottawa to send tanks to the war-torn country.
The armoured behemoths with a massive cannon and well-protected crew are far from the top of the list of tools usually recommended to win over hearts and minds in a counter-insurgency war.
"When I first came here, the last thing I was going to ask for was tanks," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, head of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan.
"At the same time, the enemy has a vote. You take the equipment, you take the capabilities and the skill sets you need to deal with the enemy. The enemy we fought in June was different than the enemy we just fought. He has changed, and we are changing at the same time."
Canadian troops will soon have 15 Leopard I tanks in Kandahar to bolster the collection of Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV-3), Bison and Nyala armoured jeeps that already make Canadians among the most heavily armoured troops in the country.
Canadian, Afghan and NATO troops are winding down Operation Medusa, an effort to remove Taliban fighters from an area near Kandahar city. At the start, the operation ran into frequent stiff resistance and dug-in fighters who took advantage of walled fields and compounds to mount hit-and-run attacks.
Hundreds of insurgents reportedly died in the fighting, while four Canadian soldiers and one American were killed.
Despite the lopsided fight, Fraser said the battle showed the need for tanks.
"The success of the operation is great, but the enemy has also learned how to adapt," Fraser said. "By Canada putting even more in here, we've just overmatched them even one step further. I just think it's a prudent course of action and it's great we have this level of support coming from back home."
Fraser pointed out that one of the tanks is equipped with excavation equipment for clearing routes while protecting its crew. Illustrating his point, three Canadian soldiers were injured Saturday when a bulldozer equipped only with makeshift armour struck a mine.
"We can change the terrain to suit our needs," Fraser said.
Fraser said the tanks are also a useful intimidation tool against poorly equipped Taliban fighters.
"There is an element of shock when you see tanks out there," Fraser said. "And with that gun, there's firepower."
One of the dangers of using tanks in Afghanistan are enduring images from the Soviet war, when Russian generals believed the massive war machines could quell guerrilla fervour.
It wasn't always a successful tactic in rugged Afghan terrain. The country is littered with the steel carcasses of Soviet-era tanks.
The Soviets lost 147 tanks and 1,314 armoured personnel carriers in the war.
However many of the losses were in more mountainous terrain, while recent battles with the Taliban near Kandahar have taken place in desert and farmland. The main obstacles included irrigation canals and mud walls, features easily overcome by tanks.
© The Canadian Press 2006