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Comment (KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- Members of the Canadian military who have been encouraging low- and mid-level Taliban to talk with Afghan authorities were out of line, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said yesterday.
He suggested that recent overtures by soldiers on the ground to promote dialogue are a step ahead of an international group trying to hammer together a united front against the deadly insurgency.
The Globe and Mail quoted Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Corbould, the new battle group commander, and Sergeant Tim Seeley, a civilian-military co-operation officer for Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team, on Thursday as saying channels were being opened to moderate Taliban.
Other officials in Kandahar, who spoke privately, backed up the military's assessment, calling it creative thinking. But they were sternly corrected by the minister.
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