Taliban suspects won't be harmed, Harper believes
Last Updated Fri, 12 May 2006 18:58:09 EDT
CBC News
Canada expects Afghan authorities will live up to their treaty obligations when Canadian soldiers hand over prisoners to them, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says.
Harper was commenting on news that Canadian troops had arrested 10 suspected insurgents in Afghanistan earlier this week, their biggest capture yet.
Harper was asked on Friday what assurances he has that those prisoners, who are now in the hands of Afghan security officials, won't be harmed.
"They're handing them over in accord with the treaty we've signed with the government of Afghanistan, to respect all of Canada's obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We expect the Afghan government to live up to those obligations, and have every reason to believe that they will.
"But, quite frankly let me say this," the prime minister added. "When our forces on the ground, taking on this terrible ex-regime, this terrible organization, when they capture people and when they make progress in their fight against the Taliban, I think this is something that all Canadians should celebrate."
Harper was also asked whether he thought photographs of the Afghan prisoners should have been suppressed. He said although he doesn't have an opinion on the pictures, he believes military operations are a matter of national security and it's up to Department of Defence officials to decide what information is released.
On Thursday, photographs were released of Canadian troops arresting 10 suspected Taliban members while escorting a convoy to Gumbad, north of Kandahar, where Canada maintains a forward operating base.
The Canadians were given a tip that a group was hiding in a compound. Ten men were subsequently handed over to the Afghan National Police.
A photographer with Agence France-Presse was embedded with the unit and captured images of Canadian troops processing the detainees and taking them into custody.
A controversy arose when Canadian military authorities suggested the images may be a violation of the prisoners' rights under the Geneva Conventions. Article 13 of the convention states: "Prisoners of war must at all time be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity."
However the military later said it was up to the individual news organizations to decide if they wanted to publish the images.
In western Afghanistan on Friday, militants fired a rocket at a car carrying UNICEF workers to the city of Herat, killing two Afghans and seriously injuring a third. A United Nations' representative said the attack against the UN children agency was unusual and that he could not recall any UNICEF fatalities in the last four years in Afghanistan.
