‘Abuse happens, unfortunately’: local soldier back from Afghanistan

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=518565&catname=Local%20News&classif=News%20Live

By ANDREA HOUSTON
Local News - Monday, May 07, 2007 Updated @ 11:58:53 PM

With snapshots and stories from his time in Afghanistan, Maj. Ross Cossar spoke proudly yesterday about his role in reshaping the country, even if it's interacting with one person at a time.

The Norwood area man's presentation — Rebuilding Afghanistan: People Helping People — made at yesterday's Peterborough Rotary Club meeting, documented his recent seven-month tour of duty in the war-ravaged country with pictures of Afghan children, Afghan military and shots of the cities and countryside.

"Fifty years from now, the history books will tell us if we did good work there or not," Cossar said. "War fighting is not what were all about over there."

After the presentation, Cossar spoke to The Examiner on allegations raised by the Globe and Mail recently that Taliban prisoners picked up by Canadian soldiers were turned over to Afghan authorities and tortured.

"Abuse happens, unfortunately. But you have to remember, we're talking about people who are trying to kill us," Cossar said.

"But for the military, part of the process (with prisoners) is to hand them over.

"We were invited there to help them."

In the Globe and Mail report, 30 Afghan men said they had been beaten, starved, frozen, choked and subjected to electric shocks while in Afghan custody.

it seems he's good at fiction


and hey


some people got tortured, it's part of the process of installing democracy.

that crimes committed by locals are prosecuted by the local authorities, and crimes committed by US soldiers are prosecuted by US authorities.

...to make Status of Forces Agreements with anyone?

Think about it.

Don