Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today to speak to the role that CSIS plays in Afghanistan in support of Canada's national security interests.
CSIS has publicly confirmed that it is present in Afghanistan and has been there since 2002. And although we generally keep our overseas activities very quiet, we decided to make an exception on Afghanistan in an effort to ensure that Canadians are as informed as possible about our country's number one foreign policy priority.
CSIS is in Afghanistan to support the Canadian mission in that country and to gather intelligence that alerts us to terrorist threats against Canada and Canadian interests. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Government of Canada would call on CSIS to play a role in supporting such a large, complex and ambitious project as the Afghan mission.
Our work in Afghanistan assists in all facets of the whole-of-government mission. Intelligence collected by CSIS personnel in theatre has led to the disruption and dismantling of insurgent networks planning imminent IED and car bomb attacks against military and civilian targets. At the same time, we collect intelligence to support Canada's overall strategy and posture in the broader region.
In addition to supporting the Afghan mission itself, the service is also mindful of the direct threat from extremist elements operating in the region whose goals are more ambitious than simply ridding Afghanistan of foreign interests. Here, of course, I am referring to terrorist networks, such as Al Qaeda, which continue to attract aspiring and violent extremists from abroad, including Canada. Canada has investigated and continues to investigate individuals who are suspected of having traveled to the region for the purpose of training or engaging in insurgent and terrorist activity, and who may ultimately return to their countries of origin, or other Western states, as combat-trained and experienced terrorists.
We are aware that Parliament has been seized with issues surrounding suspected insurgents held in detention and their alleged mistreatment at the hands of Afghan authorities. On this matter, CSIS has looked into our own activities in Afghanistan as they relate to the transfer of detainees.
I can confirm that when requested to do so by Canadian Forces, CSIS interviewed a number of suspected insurgents captured by, or in the custody of, the Canadian Forces prior to their release or transfer to Afghan authorities. All of the interviews we conducted took place under a structured process administered by the Canadian Forces, primarily in order to assist with the identification of detainees.
At the time, the Canadian Forces looked to the service for our cultural knowledge and experience in carrying out effective interviews for intelligence purposes. The decisions to transfer detainees to Afghan authorities, however, were not made by CSIS.
CSIS has not conducted any interviews of any suspected insurgents in Canadian Forces custody since 2007, partly because the Canadian Forces themselves have built up their own capacity to conduct interviews.
It is important to point out that in Afghanistan, as in Canada and everywhere else the service operates, our personnel are bound in every instance by applicable laws, ministerial directives, and internal policies. Our activities are also subject to the full review of the Security Intelligence Review Committee, SIRC, and the inspector general of CSIS. Both report regularly on our activities, either to Parliament in the case of SIRC or to the Minister of Public Safety in the case of the inspector general.
In closing, I would simply wish to impress upon the committee the importance of the service's contribution to the success of Canada's and NATO's overall mission in Afghanistan.
As parliamentary and public deliberations around these important matters continue, I would like to remind everyone that CSIS personnel are proud to serve our country professionally and with great dedication both in Canada and abroad, and willingly assume the varied risks involved in the type of work that we do.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to appear before this committee. I will be happy to take your questions.