Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson, Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, all from 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, were killed by an IED on Dec. 5, 2008. Photo: National Post
A terrible milestone was reached today with the deaths in Afghanistan of Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, Pte. Demetrios Diplaros and Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson. Peace Alliance Winnipeg deeply regrets the deaths of these men and we extend our condolences to their families.
This brings to 100 the number of Canadian soldiers who have been killed in this unjust, immoral war. The lives of these soldiers, along with those of one diplomat and two humanitarian aid workers have been lost for no good purpose. When will our government put an end to this waste of lives.
Claire Léger, mother of one of the first Canadians to die in Afghanistan, had this to say in an interview on Global TV News this evening:
Everytime we lose another soldier, it feels like I’ve lost my son one more time . . . I really feel we shouldn’t be there to begin with, so if there’s a hundred or two or three its all the same to me – they shouldn’t be there. . . . I don’t see the reason we should be losing all our young soldiers to a war. I think they should be doing peace keeping and helping more people. What’s the point of having them killed in a foreign country — for what reason – we’re not even sure what we’re doing there.
Her pain is shared by all Canadians. Her opposition to this war is shared by most Canadians.
As we have stated on other occasions, Afghanistan was invaded by the United States, illegally, to extend its reach into that region of the world. The invasion was in the planning stages prior to the events of September 11, 2001 that provided the pretext for the invasion.
Canada should not be fighting in Afghanistan and Peace Alliance Winnipeg will continue to work with individuals and organizations across Canada to bring our troops home.