From what I understood of General Richards' briefing, Canadians would be doing less Taliban hunting and would be a little more active in development. You seem to agree on that.
I also met General Jones, who's in charge of Operation Enduring Freedom. As we speak, he is still in charge of operations in the south and east. I also learned information on anti-insurrection and anti-terrorist efforts. I learned that the Americans and NATO want NATO soldiers to handle the anti-insurrection work and U.S. soldiers to handle everything relating to anti-terrorism.
Second, there were bombings in Azizi. I don't believe the Americans informed NATO that they intended to bomb Azizi. From my standpoint, there's a command and control problem. When soldiers are in the field, are they facing insurrection or terrorists? It's possible the Americans decided it's terrorism and therefore that it's their responsibility. In those cases, situations like the one in which four Canadian soldiers were killed by friendly fire might occur.
I want your opinion, and I'd like you to use your influence and to direct General Fraser to ensure that there are two lines of command and that there's no confusion so as to prevent Canadian soldiers from getting killed or Americans from deciding to bomb without warning.
I'd like you to sort out this matter because our soldiers may misunderstand the rules of engagement. When you're facing an adversary, you don't know whether it's a terrorist or an insurrection. But we're not going to call up the Americans and ask them to come and see what it is. We don't have the time to determine that. So there's a danger of confusion.
I'd like to have your opinion, and I'd also like you to give me assurances that you'll speak with General Fraser to ensure the soldiers' safety and the success of the operation.