On reassessments

The Globe and Mail reports that although Canada likely won't respond directly to NATO's call to ramp up the military presence in Afghanistan all the more, the number of Canadian troops in Afghanistan is nonetheless expected to rise through an "internal assessment":

More Canadian soldiers will likely be sent to Afghanistan to bolster a reconstruction team in the dangerous southern province of Kandahar...

Canada, which already has about 2,200 soldiers in Afghanistan, is unlikely to directly meet NATO's call. Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said in an interview from New Zealand yesterday that he expected the additional resources requested by the alliance to come from other countries.

But the number of Canadian troops on the ground still seems destined to climb.

"About a week ago when I was in Afghanistan, I asked our military to look at our situation to see whether we can improve the effectiveness of the Provincial Reconstruction Team or any other adjustments and they are looking at that now," Mr. O'Connor said. "When I get back to Ottawa next week I will get their initial assessment of what should be adjusted. So it's a matter of internal assessment as opposed to NATO."

Not that this is the first time that the number of Canadian troops at risk has gone up despite the Cons' claim at the time of the vote in Parliament that extending the mission in time wouldn't lead to an increase in the numbers. But once again, it seems clear that the only part of the mission that seems to have been planned ahead is an ever-expanding scope in time, danger, and the number of troops in harm's way. And that should leave no doubt of the need for a real debate on the quagmire before any more "internal assessments" make matters even worse for Canada's troops.