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We stand on guard for… Iceland: Canada takes its turn defending only NATO country without an army
With no air force of its own, for the next five weeks the only thing guarding Iceland from air invasion will be a sextet of Canadian fighter planes.
In mid-March, six CF-18s and more than 160 Canadian Forces personnel bunked down at a Cold War-era base just outside Reykjavik to kick off Operation Ignition, a periodic mission in which Canada takes its turn defending the island nation, which is the only NATO member without a single soldier or pilot on the payroll.
Canadians will monitor radar, escort “unauthorized” aircraft out of Icelandic airspace and practice scrambling jets to “intercept and identify unknown airborne objects,” according to a statement by the Department of National Defense. (Cpl Pierre Habib/DND)
Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops as Koran-burning protests rage
An Afghan soldier joined protests on Thursday against the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base and shot dead two foreign troops, Western military sources said, as the Taliban urged security forces to turn their guns on foreigners.
Protests against the burning of copies of Islam’s most holy book drew thousands of angry Afghans to the streets, chanting “Death to America!” for the third consecutive day in violence that has killed 11 people and wounded many more.
The Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for the Koran burning at Bagram airfield on Tuesday, later directing its plea to the security forces, calling on them to “turn their guns on the foreign infidel invaders,” it said on its site shahamat-english.com. (Photos: Reuters)
All for nothing? Pakistan-backed Taliban poised to reclaim Afghanistan upon NATO’s exit
The U.S. military said in a secret report that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control of Afghanistan after NATO-led forces withdraw, raising the prospect of a major failure of Western policy after a costly war.
Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed the existence of the document, reported on Wednesday by Britain’s Times newspaper and the BBC.
But he said it was not a strategic study.
“The classified document in question is a compilation of Taliban detainee opinions,” he said. “It’s not an analysis, nor is it meant to be considered an analysis.”
Nevertheless, it could be interpreted as a damning assessment of the war, dragging into its 11th year and aimed at blocking a Taliban return to power.
It could also be seen as an admission of defeat and could reinforce the view of Taliban hardliners that they should not negotiate with the United States and President Hamid Karzai’s unpopular government while in a position of strength. (Photo: Mohammad Shoiab/Reuters)
25 of the most dramatic conflict and crisis photos of 2011
As 2011 draws to a close, the Post’s photo department takes a look back at the year in photos. (Photo: Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images)
Photos of the day
A Pakistani man looks at the burning NATO supply oil tankers and goods trucks at a terminal following an attack by gunmen in Quetta on December 8, 2011. Up to 20 trucks were ablaze after a rocket attack on a NATO trucking terminal. (BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Peter MacKay’s ‘get-out-of-Dodge moment’ draws Liberal ire
A sudden change of plans that will see Defence Minister Peter MacKay representing Canada at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels this week instead of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has left opposition parties crying foul.
Pakistan threatens lack of cooperation after deadly, ‘unprovoked’ NATO strike
Pakistan ratcheted up pressure on NATO on Monday over a cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at the weekend, threatening to drastically reduce cooperation on peace efforts in Afghanistan.
The incident has hurt Washington’s efforts both to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and stabilize the region as it tries to wind down the war in Afghanistan.
“This could have serious consequences in the level and extent of our cooperation,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told Reuters.
Photos of the day
Smoke and flame rise from burning oil tankers on the highway near Kolpur village, Pakistan on August 22, 2011. Gunmen set ablaze at least 19 oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan, officials said.
Photos of the day
Men retreat as a fireball rises from tankers which were carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, as they explode after being attacked on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan, August 19, 2011. Five NATO trucks have been set on fire in Mastung in the province of Baluchistan. Gunmen attacked and then set fire to the trucks, carrying fuel to NATO troops in Afghanistan, security officials said. There are no reported casualties. (Naseer Ahmed/Reuters)
NATO strikes rock Libyan capital
Waves of NATO aircraft hit Tripoli on Tuesday in some of the heaviest day-time bombardment of targets in the Libyan capital.
Photo: Smoke billows from the site of an explosion across an area in which Muammar Gaddafi has his residence, in Tripoli on June 7, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
Isolated Gaddafi faces end game
The final push to depose Colonel Muammar Gaddafi appears to have begun in earnest.
NATO forces are preparing to arm fighter aircraft with bunker-busting laser-guided bombs and threatening to deploy British and French attack helicopters against Libyan ground troops, while initiating regular daytime air raids on government compounds in Tripoli.
The military surge appears to have triggered a wave of desertions by senior Libyan army officers, with five generals, two colonels and a major announcing their defection Monday at a news conference in Rome.
Gary Clement’s Week in Review
Schwarzenegger, Shriver announce surprise separation
‘Composed, competent’ Brosseau makes debut in her Quebec riding
Republican Ron Paul announces White House run
Gaddafi survives air strikes; son killed
Manitoba farmers wait for flood disaster to hit
Liberals will debate delaying leadership vote
NATO strikes Gaddafi compound
NATO bombed Muammar Gaddafi’s compound on Thursday, hours after the Libyan leader ended doubt about his fate by making his first television appearance since another air strike killed his son nearly two weeks ago.
The leader of the rebels seeking to end Col. Gaddafi’s 41-year rule visited London to drum up aid for his movement. The White House said a senior rebel delegation would be received for the first time in Washington on Friday.
Rebels fighting against Col. Gaddafi for almost three months are in control of the east of the country, while Col. Gaddafi’s forces control the capital Tripoli and nearly all of the west.
National Post front page for April 14, 2011
Harper the target in both languages
NATO-led coalition increasingly unwilling
Drug plans face historic squeeze
