A canadian specialforces soldier approached military overseers two years ago with complaints about war crimes in afghanistan a state of affairs he suggested could only be corrected if the ultrasecret jtf2 unit were pulled from the conflict. But like all of jtf2s work at home and abroad, canadas sixmonth contribution to the invasion of afghanistan has remained a. It shows a nighttime patrol through night vision and. Jtf 2 exists to protect the canadian national interests and combat terrorism and threats to canadians at home and abroad. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than forty books, including a most ungentlemanly way of war. One broke a 30yearold record in 2002, killing an enemy soldier with his. Immortalized in film, following the release of the 2014 movie american sniper, chris kyle is somewhat of a legend. In the first six months of their operations, members of jtf2 claimed to have killed 115 taliban or. Members deployed to afghanistan, for example, before the end of 2001 and are believed to be still operating there. Canadian sof contribution to the war on terror sofrep.
Any further back, and youd bump into the iraqi officers mess. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. How does canadas jtf2 compare to other countries special. Canadian soldiers participating in operation dragon in the panjwayi district of afghanistan. A rogue historian in afghanistan, potomac books inc.
Why a cover up of canadas jtf2 improper killing in. Canadas elite commandos and the invasion of afghanistan. Military afghanistan books the marine shop javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. It was only several months later that the globe and mail reported jtf2s action in afghanistan by publishing a picture of a jtf2 operator delivering a prisoner to american forces. Written in the viewpoint of marines and other armed forces, learn about the afghanistan history, culture, and conflicts. Withdrawn a year later, jtf 2 returned to afghanistan in 2005 to once again assist. In 2004, an estimated 40 members of jtf2 serving with task force kbar were awarded the presidential unit citation by the u. Colonel bernd horn is a retired regular force infantry officer and military educator.
Colonel bernd horn is a retired canadian regular force infantry officer and military educator. Unquestionably, jtf 2s participation in oef operation enduring freedom was a critical turning point in its evolution and cansof history. We can see the nature of crises, the paris attacks, what happened in brussels. The soe and the canadian connection and no lack of courage. Horn has authored, coauthored, and edited more than forty books. I was around them in 2001 while in afghanistan, my impression is 5050. The later versions have the tool stowage on the hood and have a roll bar mounted instead of the solid top. List of books and articles about afghan history online. A member of the canadian special forces unit jtf2 participates in a. An excommando was arrested just 24 hours before the release of his candid memoir about life in canadas elite joint task force 2, leading his coauthor to suggest authorities are trying to.
Such claims have raised eyebrows among military insiders, observers and at least one of the books subjects. However, members of the us army special forces snipers are known to be some of the hardest and most fearsome fighters in the world. As i passed them going to my defensive position about half a mile away every so often i observed their behaviors. Canadas elite commandos and the invasion of afghanistan the star. But as the countrys role in afghanistan winds down, the secrecy is. Jtf2s roll with the nato task force during the invasion of afghanistan shortly. Withdrawn a year later, after a brief hiatus jtf 2 returned to afghanistan in 2005. We were invincible jtf2s secrecy kept the unit out of the canadian public eye for quite some time. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is a special operations force of the canadian armed forces. Jtf2 is jewel in the crown of canadas special forces.
Lots of details on the history and missions of the team bosnia, haiti, nepal, kosovo, central africa, rwanda, info on weapons, aircraft etc. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than forty books, including a. It tells of the green team and their afghan national special police units role in. Excommando arrested before jtf2 memoir release ctv news. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is canadas elite special operations unit responsible for counterterrorism. Some thirty congolese were killed by a combination of helicopter and jtf2 fire. Ten years after allegations, inquiry into non criminal afghan war. Not after reading more than a dozen books on the genocide and.
General rick hillier, who was the chief of defense staff in 2007, said in a 45 minute speech that jtf2 had a significant impact in afghanistan helping afghans. Canadian snipers both regular force and jtf2 are regarded as the worlds best. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is fashioned after the british sas which help to build it. Even after passing all of the special forces qualification courses, to. Joint task force 2 jtf 2 is an extremely highreadiness and precise special operations forces unit. Shed more light on jtf2 secrets winnipeg free press. Initiated by jtf2s roll with the nato task force during the invasion of afghanistan shortly after the world trade center terrorist attacks in september 2001. Over pakistan, returning from a daring raid on an enemy compound, six of the members of the secretive. Maloney reported that during operations in afghanistan, canadas jtf2 was the only foreign unit accepted to join american tier 1 special operations units, such as 1st sfodd delta force and devgru in task force 11 whose job it was to hunt high value al qaeda and taliban personnel.
Books, academic studies and official military histories have been written about the u. But like all of jtf2s work at home and abroad, canadas sixmonth contribution to the invasion of afghanistan has remained a state secret. In 2002, author david pugliese published a book, canadas secret commandos. Over pakistan, returning from a daring raid on an enemy compound, six. Very little is known on jtf2 operations in afghanistan, but during a conference.
Bronze stars for their stellar work in afghanistan three years ago. Canadas role in the afghanistan war began in late 2001. The books more explosive claims include that jtf2 members took part in the assassination of a suspected war criminal and conducted an unauthorized intelligence operation in afghanistan years before the sept. Jtf2 consists of volunteers from three branches of the canadian armed forces. Very little is known on jtf2 operations in afghanistan, but during a conference the former chief of defence staff, general rick hillier, stated that jtf2 was in high demand and. Canadas special forces kept too many secrets about afghan. Excommando arrested day before jtf2 tellall hits bookstores. This is an excellent read on joint task force 2, canadas version of delta force and the sas. The kite runner by khaled hosseini, a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, and the mountains echoed by khaled hossein. In late 2001 jtf2 secretly invaded afghanistan, alongside us and british operatives. This footage is to be taken as a documentary on the events of the war in afghanistan and should be viewed as educational. Mccallum wants to tell story of jtf2 in afghanistan. In the first six months of their operations, members of jtf2 claimed to have killed 115 taliban or al quaida. In 2008, denis morisset, a former member of jtf2 published a book about jtf2, named nous etions invincibles english translation.
Sometimes the hardest part of going to war is coming home by. The maiden mission of the afghan war for canadas elite jtf2 commandos almost killed them. The soe and the canadian connection and no ordinary men. Mccallum wants to tell story of jtf2 in afghanistan the. Jtf2 is always on a pretty coiled spring to be able to respond, said rouleau, himself a former jtf2 member. You cant get much further behind the front lines than that. Horn has authored, coauthored, and edited more than forty books, including a most ungentlemanly way of war.
Afghanistan is bordered by iran on the west, by pakistan on the east and south, and by turkmenistan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan on the north. There were some who were shirtless working out trying to look. Canada sent its first element of soldiers secretly in october 2001 from joint task force 2, and the first contingents of regular canadian troops arrived in afghanistan in januaryfebruary 2002. Jtf2 serves alongside the canadian special operations regiment, the canadian joint incident response unit and 427 special operations aviation squadron as part of the canadian special operations forces command. Jtf 2 bills itself as a scalpel, not a hammer a fighting force that adds a. Before this, the only direct reference to the work of jtf2 in afghanistan was the embarrassing photograph of jtf2 soldiers escorting captured alqaeda prisoners on a tarmac. Jtf2 is at once the best and leastknown of the commands units. We are developing new tactics to stay ahead of our opponents. Books, academic studies and official military histories have been. The jtf2 soldier complained to canadian officers about the execution but was sent home to canada the next day.
Theres not too many images of jtf2 dumvees in afghanistan. In 2001, jtf 2 was deployed to afghanistan as part of the sof coalition. The maiden mission of the afghan war for canadas elite jtf2 commandos. In june, a canadian jtf2 sniper made a recordbreaking kill shot in iraq from a twiceconfirmed range of 3,540 metres. The book reveals the units most secretive plans, including details about their current mission to afghanistan in the war against terrorism, a bid to rescue canadian peacekeepers held hostage in bosnia, an even more dangerous scheme to launch an attack on terrorists in peru, and commando missions in nepal and the central african republic. The military says the book is a threat to national security while morissets publishers called it the only public, firsthand account about the inner workings of the jtf2.
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