Military looking to buy more high-tech howitzers to support operation in southern Afghanistan: Knowledge Driven Revolution

A lack of leadership within the Taliban is probably why things have been calmer for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor says.

The Taliban are having trouble "finding sufficient leadership" because so many of them were killed during September's bloody clash with Canadian and NATO troops in Operation Medusa, he said.

O'Connor is currently on a cross-Canada speaking tour to try to build up support for the Afghanistan mission.

Although 42 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2002, it's been a month since the last fatality. Five soldiers were killed in October and 10 died in September.

In order to support operations in southern Afghanistan, Canada is looking to buy more high-tech howitzers, according to defence sources.

The army is impressed with the performance of its new, British-built M-777 heavy guns, six of which were purchased directly from the U.S. Marine Corps last winter.

The defence department is now negotiating with BAE Systems Inc. to buy six more of the 155-mm artillery pieces in the short-term and possibly an additional 15 over the long-term, said one source.

A senior spokesman with the defence contractor was reluctant to talk about the negotiations, beyond confirming the company has been approached.

"It's fair to say we're in discussions about potential sales of M-777s," said John Neilson, BAE's director media relations.

"We're hopeful. Because those discussions are ongoing, it would be unwise of me to predict numbers or timings."

In the summer of 2005, the army scrambled to acquire new howitzers after its existing artillery turned out to lack the accuracy, firepower and range needed to support troops at far-flung desert outposts.

The roughly $42-million purchase of six new M-777 guns and ammunition was hastily approved by the former Liberal government in late September, prior to the deployment of Canadian troops to Kandahar.

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HOME Rouge States and the 9/11 Truth Terrorists Canadians Should Pay NOT to be Poisoned: NDP V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Military looking to buy more high-tech howitzers to support operation in southern Afghanistan CP via StopLying.ca November 17, 2006 A lack of leadership within the Taliban is probably why things have been calmer for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor says. The Taliban are having trouble "finding sufficient leadership" because so many of them were killed during September's bloody clash with Canadian and NATO troops in Operation Medusa, he said. O'Connor is currently on a cross-Canada speaking tour to try to build up support for the Afghanistan mission. Although 42 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2002, it's been a month since the last fatality. Five soldiers were killed in October and 10 died in September. In order to support operations in southern Afghanistan, Canada is looking to buy more high-tech howitzers, according to defence sources. The army is impressed with the performance of its new, British-built M-777 heavy guns, six of which were purchased directly from the U.S. Marine Corps last winter. The defence department is now negotiating with BAE Systems Inc. to buy six more of the 155-mm artillery pieces in the short-term and possibly an additional 15 over the long-term, said one source. A senior spokesman with the defence contractor was reluctant to talk about the negotiations, beyond confirming the company has been approached. "It's fair to say we're in discussions about potential sales of M-777s," said John Neilson, BAE's director media relations. "We're hopeful. Because those discussions are ongoing, it would be unwise of me to predict numbers or timings." In the summer of 2005, the army scrambled to acquire new howitzers after its existing artillery turned out to lack the accuracy, firepower and range needed to support troops at far-flung desert outposts. The roughly $42-million purchase of six new M-777 guns and ammunition was hastily approved by the former Liberal government in late September, prior to the deployment of Canadian troops to Kandahar. Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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