A landlocked country bordered by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (former USSR, Pakistan and Iran.

1
Afghanistan Background

• A landlocked country bordered by Tajikistan,
  Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (former USSR, Pakistan
  and Iran.
• Size slightly smaller than Texas, it is a land of
  mountains, plains, cold winters and hot summers
  often threatened by earthquakes and floods
• 2005 population- about 30 million people (48 lt15
  years old)
• A conservative Islamic country (99 of population
  is Muslim) with legal system based on strict
  interpretation of Shariah law.

2
Afghanistan Backgroundcontd

• Some Facts
• NRI (Births Deaths) 26.3
• Infant Mortality Rate 163.1 / 1000
• Life Expectancy 42.9 years
• Fertility Rate 6.75 children / woman
• Seven major tribes with Pashtun at 42 of the
  population
• Sunni Muslim 80, Shia Muslim 19
• Literacy Rate 36 (only 21 for women)
• Population 30 M with 4 M refugees
• Unemployment rate 40
• Largest agricultural product Opium
• GDP PPP - 800.

3
Afghanistan History

• Formed in 1747 when the nomadic Pashtun tribes
  united
• Late 19th and early 20th Century, Afghanistan was
  under British control serving as a physical
  buffer between the British (India) and Russian
  empires
• Won independence in 1919
• Used democratic-style government until a
  communist-backed military coup in 1973
• Invaded by USSR in 1979
• Waged guerrilla-style war by Mujahedeen rebels
  backed by international community (e.g., USA) to
  oust Soviets in 1989

4
Afghanistan Historycontd

• Erupted into civil war in 1992
• Ruled by Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group,
  starting 1996
• Entered by USA-led coalition in 2001 to initiate
  War on Terrorism, oust Taliban, and reconstruct
  economy, society and government
• Established new constitution in 2003
• Held a presidential election in 2004 with Hamid
  Karzai elected as president
• Conducted National Assembly elections in 2005.

5
Afghanistan and Canada

• In February 2002, 140 Canada soldiers joined
  Allied troops
• In February 2006, Canada takes command of Allied
  troops. Canadas contingent, called Task Force
  Afghanistan, has over 2,000 soldiers based around
  Kandahar. The coalition is led by Canadian
  Brigadier-General David Fraser. Canada also has
  a Provincial Reconstruction Team and about 10
  M/yr in aid.
• In 2007, Canada listed 55 soldiers dead.
  Coalition deaths equalled 567 including 319 USA
  troops. Over 8,500 Afghanistan troops and 3,500
  civilians have been killed.
• Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, When we send
  troops into the field, I expect Canadians to
  support those troops."

6
Afghanistan Culture

• Buzkashi, means "goat killing, requires a
  horse-mounted rider to carry a dead calf across a
  goal line.
• Ramadan (the ninth month in the Muslim year) is
  the month of fasting. During Ramadan, the Qu'ran
  was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammad. As
  well, the Battle of Badr between idol
  worshippers of Mecca and the Muslims of Medina
  took place.
• The family is headed by the oldest man whose word
  is law for the family. Family honour, pride, and
  respect toward other members are highly prized
  qualities.

7
Afghanistan Women and the Taliban

• The Taliban controlled every aspect of the
  womans life.
• Women were forced to wear long veils with a
  facial screen to hide their bodies and identity
  to avoid luring men into corruption.
• The windows in the home were painted so women
  could not see the interactions of the world.
• There were no public bathrooms for women.
• Women could not go to school or work.
• In court, a womans testimony is ½ the value of a
  mans testimony. Rapes, etc. increased.
• Public beatings were common.
• Women were ordered not to laugh or speak loudly
• Women could not travel unaccompanied outside the
  home

8
Sample Education Post-Taliban

• Following the ouster of the Taliban in 2002,
  children went back in school, but teachers had to
  erase war images from the textbooks -- images
  that were put in the books via the 1980s Cold War
  policies in the United States.
• The Mujahedeen had used the classroom to prepare
  children to fight the Soviets and create a
  warrior culture. USA printed the books that
  taught pupils the proper clips for a Kalashnikov
  rifle, the weight of bombs needed to flatten a
  house and the equations to calculate the speed of
  bullets.
• With the overthrow of the Soviets, USA abandoned
  Afghanistan, but the images of war in textbooks
  remains.

9
Taliban Today

• Until 2001, the Taliban had one leader, a clear
  ideology and defined membership (e.g., dress
  code)
• Now, the Taliban are insurgents fighting against
  the new Afghanistan government and the Allied
  Forces. There are several leaders commanding
  small, separate units while working toward
  different objectives (e.g., protection of drug
  money). Old leaders hide in Pakistan, and
  funding from external sources has largely
  stopped. Former fundamentalist leader Mullah
  Mohammed Omar presents direction without control.

10
Canada and Afghanistan 2006

• Heavy weapons cantonment Canadian munitions
  experts are helping the Afghanistan government
  collect, store and decommission 10,000 heavy
  weapons left over from decades of war, including
  artillery, tanks and rocket launchers.Demining
  Canada has helped clear about one third of the
  estimated 10 million to 15 million mines in
  Afghanistan.

11
Canada in Afghanistan 2006

• Microloans Money from Canada has been used to
  provide microloans to more than 140,000 people in
  Afghanistan. Almost 90 of the clients are
  women.Training Canada also has a role in
  training the Afghan police and army. A group of
  Canadian Forces instructors were in Kabul to
  train members of the Afghan National Army. The
  unit remained in Kabul while the rest of the
  Canadian contingent moved south to Kandahar.
• Canadian troops are also training Afghan
  soldiers in Kandahar and the RCMP has a
  commitment to train Afghan police officers.

12
Canada in Afghanistan 2006

• Other reconstruction facts
• In 2004, the first democratic election was held.
  Hamid Karzai was elected President. Women hold
  25 of the seats in the National Assembly.
• Over 1,000 schools have been built and six
  million children go to school. Under the
  Taliban, less than one million children attended
  school. Four in ten children in school are
  girls.
• Since 2001, the per capita income has doubled
  and Afghanistans economy has tripled.
• Nearly 80 of people have access to health care.
  Under the Taliban, less than 8 received care.
• Several new branches of government have been
  established to support centralized efforts to
  provide services.
• 400,000 refugees have returned.

13
Canada in Afghanistan 2006

• The Department of National Defense has also
  admitted that Canada's secret special forces,
  Joint Task Force Two, has been operating
  alongside the American and other special forces
  units in Afghanistan but no details have ever
  been released.
• As noted, Canada has 2,000 troops in the war
  zone of Afghanistan.

14
Other Considerations

• Pakistan Fundamentalist Islamic with strong
  ties to Mujahedeen via CIA training.
• Reconstruction The pace is very slow. Poor are
  moving into the cities looking for work that is
  not presently available.
• Authority Afghanistan is autonomous provinces.
• Opium Largest agricultural crop

15
Canada in Afghanistan?

• Should Canada be in Afghanistan
• as a military fighting force in the war against
  terrorism?
• as a military fighting force trying to restore
  peace?
• as a country providing reconstruction aid,
  expertise and advice?
• as a country trying to build social and
  economic partnerships?
• as a promoter of democracy, freedom and rights?

16
Who does this sound like?

• In our judgment, it was much more fundamental.
  It was the removing of a regime that was hostile
  I think, frankly, that everybody knew the
  post-war situation was probably going to be more
  difficult than the war itself.
• We will not be in any way backtracking from an
  obligation which has been undertaken.
• We believe that the success of this mission is
  important not just in terms ofobjectives but
  important in terms of the contribution we are
  making to the world community and to global
  security.
• We can ignore the dangers if we want, but the
  dangers will not ignore us. Unless we control
  the security situation in countries like
  Afghanistan, we will see our own security
  diminished.