So says "Smilin' Jack" Layton, leader of Canada's leftish New* Democractic Party (NDP). Speaking at the University of Ottawa(U of 0) on Saturday, the Smiling Face of Socialism said switching Canada’s military mission from fighting to training will only mean that Canada will train and equip many who will later join the insurgency.
He was quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying, "Every year, one in five soldiers walks out of the Afghan National Army for good. How many of these become Taliban fighters, taking their training and weapons with them? You think you’re training government officers, but then you’re really training insurgents as well."
At best, Layton added, Canada will be helping to create a military machine for a corrupt and distrusted Afghan President who is "very closely tied to rigged elections and rampant corruption", and discredited with his own people. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he added, is "reluctant to send another dime of aid money directly to Mr. Karzai’s government, but he’ll give him an army."
* Footnote: The NDP will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. When the huzzahs have died away, it will change its name to "the Old Democractic Party".
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