As December passed its mid-way point, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, found themselves in familiar territory; away from the relative safety of their Forward Operating Bases, taking the fight to the insurgents.

Operation PANCAR, or “Claw” in Pashtu, is the latest Battle Group operation aimed at maintaining constant pressure on the insurgents through the winter months. The Battle Group operation saw elements manoeuvre into Eastern Zharey and Eastern Panjwayi and focus their efforts on the villages of Senjaray and Salavat.

“We need to stay aggressive,” said Lieutenant Colonel Roger Barrett, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion. “We can and will dictate the pace through the winter months.”

The three day operation took place from December 18-20, and was a success. Several weapons caches containing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), IED making equipment, small arms and munitions were discovered and destroyed during the operation.

Even more important is the constant presence of ISAF and ANSF soldiers in the area. That presence disrupts insurgent activities and denies them the ability to plant IED’s and coordinate attacks. It will also make it more difficult for insurgents to terrorize the local population and disrupt traffic along Highway One. This will enable increased freedom of movement and reconstruction and development in populated areas.

“By constantly dictating the tempo we will give the insurgents no place to hide,” added Lieutenant Colonel Barrett. “Along with our ANSF partners we will continue to target insurgent IED capability and degrade the insurgent ‘winter season’ IED campaign.”

Maintaining pressure and dictating the pace has been the key theme for the Battle Group throughout the mission. The weather may be getting cold and wet, but the tempo remains high.

“Being away from home this time of year can be difficult, but rest assured, the soldiers of this Battle Group remain extremely focused as we take the fight, on our terms, to the insurgents,” said Lieutenant Colonel Barrett.

ISAF

U.S. and Canadian forces personnel help an evacuee of Hurricane Gustav to board a Canadian forces flight at Lake Front Airport in New Orleans, Aug. 31, 2008. As part of the civil assistance plan between the United States and Canada, the Canadian forces aircraft was brought in to help transport patients to destinations safely outside the hurricane’s path.

Six alarm fire.

Police have evacuated thousands of residents in the Keele and Wilson Sts. area after the explosions rocked the neighbourhood around 4 a.m. this morning.

Toronto Sun

Gateway Pundit says “Welcome home, boys!”

Say what you will about Canada, they have seen through the tissue of falsehoods that these deserters tried to use as a scheme to get out of doing their sworn duty.

On the site I have a category called Mocking and a subcategory from that called Canada. Why? Because it’s there.

I live in one of the few areas of the United States ever invaded by a foreign power. I can stand on the shore of Lake Ontario, turn my gaze north towards Toronto, raise my fist and shout “Damn you, ya limey bastards! We’ll get you for that!” Two hundred years isn’t too long to carry a grudge.

Many of us locals are getting our revenge, however. We get on the bus or drive on over to Casino Niagara and leave our devalued dollars in their Canadian slot machines. Take that, you hosers, take our devalued dollars! The joke’s on you…

Now, I have written glowingly about the actions of the Canadian military in Afghanistan. They’re punching above their weight class and probably rank second to us in the number of Taliban sent to Allah.

Maybe the Brits are in there, but they seem to have this policy of “We won’t shoot at you and you only shoot at us a little”.

Now, French Canada, well, I have fond memories.

In the early 1970′s a Catholic girls high school in Quebec used to send a bunch of its students down to my college to interact with the French Club and those of us taking French. Us being a bunch of horny American young men.

I’m not sure if any of those girls followed the Montreal Expos or not. I can say that reaching second base with them was as easy as it was with the Expos.

Perhaps it was all a plot to corrupt us. French Canadian boobage.

Did I mention that Canada invaded us? Just checking.