Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iran....Mali Next?

206 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2018-06-26 21:41

NDPP

Canadians Head Into Fight That May Be 'Unwinnable' in Mali

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mali-bad-allies-canadian-troops-1.4720747

"...One of the biggest problems isn't that we have really tough rivals but that we have really bad allies,' says Aisha Ahmad, a terrorism researcher at the University of Toronto who regularly travels to Mali. 'Those guys are implicated in cocaine trafficking and illicit business and have become financially incentivized to maintain the status quo. We got into bed with some pretty rough characters,' she says. 'I'm deeply concerned that our men and women in uniform would be put into a situation where they're potentially handed an unwinnable war."

Malian Forces Kill 12 Civilians in Retaliation For Fellow Soldier's Death, UN Mission Says

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mali-forces-civilians-1.4723496

"Mali's fight against jihadist groups has been marred by a series of alleged abuses."

Oh what a lovely war...

Wed, 2018-06-27 16:43

#203

Paladin1

The great news is that Canada almost met Trudeaus goal of 15% women on this tour.

Maybe not so great when the women on this tour get told they're doing back to back tours or deploying again after 6 months at home in order to reach that 15% quota, but I'm sure the other UN countries on the ground there are amazed at our gender parity efforts.

Fri, 2018-06-29 21:01

#204

progressive17 progressive17's picture

I hope none of the women get kidnapped by jihadi terrorists. It could get grim.

Fri, 2018-06-29 21:18

#205

Paladin1

Well despite the reasons Trudeau gave for pushing for 15% female soldiers on the mission they're luckily going to be well away from the front line so to speak.

Also may I suggest a reading of Amanda Lindhout's story of her captivity? Amazing woman.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Lindhout

Thu, 2018-08-30 03:15

#206

NDPP

Canadian Troops Deploy to Mali To Prop Up Pro-Western Puppet Government

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/30/mali-a30.html

"...Presented as an act of humanitarian charity, the CAF operation is part of Canada's efforts to advance its global economic and strategic interests in the context of growing inter-imperialist rivalries and in particular to secure its claim to a share of the mineral resources of the Sahel region. Canadian companies have long been active in exploiting Mali's gold resources.

Since coming to power in 2015, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has expanded Canada's role in the principal US military-strategic offensives - in the oil-rich Middle East and against Russia and China - and, in preparation for future military conflicts, has announced a 70 percent hike in defence spending by 2026.

Although the Canadian mission is publicly presented as a 'medical assistance' and 'peacekeeping' endeavor, the CAF high command has insisted on rules of engagement that make clear the CAF will be an active participant in Mali's French-led counter-insurgency war.

In reality, the UN intervention is part of a new scramble for Africa among the imperialist powers - a scramble that is being spear-headed by the US, France, Germany and Britain, but in which Canada is determined to play a role. As with the operations of the imperialist powers across the continent, their involvement in Mali is also motivated by their concern about the growth of Chinese influence and investment in Africa.

Even more openly, the 'war on terror' being mounted by Mali's Bamako-based government with the support of France and its international allies, such as Canada, is becoming a 'dirty war' against the Malian people..."

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iran....Mali Next?

Pages