'Army Secretly Armed Security Guards At Afghan Base With Rifles and Uniforms', The Canadian Press, 17 June 2009
EXCERPT: "Canada's military secretly armed Afghan civilians hired as security guards at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, federal documents show. The unidentified 'guard force' was also provided with uniforms so they would not be 'mistaken for Canadian soldiers or for that matter members of the Afghan National Army, says a briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. All Canadian bases in southern Afghanistan have some form of private protection involving paramilitary forces. They often employ local Afghans under the supervision of former Western soldiers. The handover of surplus C7 rifles - the Canadian variant on the American M16 - was approved by the Strategic Joint Staff, the military's senior decision-making body. 'The distribution of weapons to civilian personnel remains problematic in terms of potential for public criticism, especially in the event of misconduct by an Afghan guard using a Canadian weapon,' says the censored document from May last year."
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See also:
'Canada agrees to stricter controls on Afghan hired guns', The Canadian Press, 16 June 2009
'Secret Canadian mission maps volatile Afghan landscape', Canada.com, 16 June 2009
'Ottawa appoints new ambassador to Afghanistan', The Canadian Press, 15 June 2009
Related posts:
'Canada commits aid to train Afghan police', 12 June 2009
'Canada's fourth quarterly report on Afghanistan', 3 June 2009
'Canadians after 2011 may rely on US protection', 27 May 2009
'Canadian PM makes surprise visit to Afghanistan', 7 May 2009
