Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan happy but cautious at bin Laden’s death

<p>SALAVAT, Afghanistan – Word that U.S. forces had killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden swept through a small Canadian patrol base in southern Afghanistan on Monday like a brush fire.</p> <p>Initial disbelief gave way to cautious optimism and outright jubilation as soldiers passing each other asked: “Have you heard?”</p> <p>”I just found (out) a few moments ago. Good news, another indication that we’re winning the war,” said a beaming Warrant Officer Gabriel Bernard as he gave a double thumb’s up.</p> <p>”Hopefully, it’s a step forward toward world peace and a resolution for the conflict here in Afghanistan.”</p> <p>Some wondered what the reaction might now be from both al-Qaida and the insurgents in Afghanistan. “Many consider him a saint,” said one man on the base, who preferred not to be identified.</p> <p>Others _ whose first question in the news-deprived environment of the base near Salavat in Panjwaii district was “Are you kidding?” _ said they did not think they would see the day.</p> <p>”I did not expect it to happen on my tour,” said Sgt. Michel Pelletier.</p> <p>”I guess it’s a step forward because they’ve been trying for so long to get him.”</p> <p>Pelletier said bin Laden’s death in neighbouring Pakistan might put a dent in the insurgents’ morale, temporarily.</p> <p>However, he expressed skepticism that it would change anything in Afghanistan, where Canadians along with their NATO allies have spent almost a decade fighting a stubborn insurgency following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.</p> <p>”I’m sure they have other leaders who probably are going to step up,” Pelletier said of al-Qaida.</p> <p>”I don’t see this war changing that fast.”</p> <p>At Canadian headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, military officials called bin Laden’s death “significant.”</p> <p>At the same time, Capt. Annie Djiotsa, task force spokeswoman, said the killing would have no impact on Canada’s combat mission as it winds down ahead of the July withdrawal.</p> <p>”The threat remains and we are focused on the job at hand that the Canadian, Afghan and our international partners expect us to complete,” Djiotsa said.</p> <p>”We shall continue to apply the same commitment to the mission as we have been doing every day in the districts of Dand and Panjwaii.”</p> <p>On the base near Salavat, one soldier went from tent to tent to announce the news he had just learned via the Internet.</p> <p>The death quickly became a topic of conversation, with phrases like “That’s great” and “Good news” tossed out frequently.</p> <p>They wanted to know where and how the operation was carried out.</p> <p>One American soldier said he wondered if U.S. President Barack Obama would try to take credit for bin Laden’s killing.</p> <p>”The military did all the work,” he said to a buddy, to strenuous agreement.</p>