'Violence in Afghanistan to Worsen Next Year: Canadian General', CBC News, 16 December 2008
EXCERPT: "The head of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan said Tuesday he expects to see an escalation in violence in the war-torn country over the next year. Speaking to reporters in Kandahar, Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier warned that the surge of U.S. troops arriving in 2009 will likely prompt retaliation from the Taliban, particularly in Afghanistan's volatile southern region. 'There will be a higher level of violence in 2009 than there was in 2008. I wouldn't actually see a decrease in violence until perhaps the following year when we begin to gain traction with some of the capacity,' said Gauthier, who has spent the last several days in meetings. Gauthier's expectation for an eventual decrease in violence by 2010, however, may seem a little optimistic in the eyes of many analysts and even Afghans themselves, the CBC's David Common reported from Kandahar. 'For many people in Afghanistan, particularly in the south where it has been very violent, it's something that is difficult to believe because there has been so very little stability for some time,' Common said. Gauthier's comments come as conflict in Afghanistan is at its highest level since the U.S. invaded in 2001, followed shortly by Canada. The number of allied and Afghan troops, as well as civilians, killed in the conflict continues to rise."
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See also:
'Gauthier predicts upsurge in Afghan violence', Canada.com, 16 December 2008
'Head of CEFCOM predicting escalation in Afghan violence in 2009', The Canadian Press, 16 December 2008
'Editorial: Our mission in Afghanistan', The National Post, 16 December 2008
Related posts:
'Kandahar air wing first for Canada since Korean war', 9 December 2008
'Canadian troops complete large operation in southern Afghanistan', 28 November 2008
'Canada's strategy in Afghanistan to change', 31 October 2008
'2008 Afghanistan's "worst year": minister', 14 October 2008
