Bronze stars for their stellar work in afghanistan three years ago. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than forty books, including a most ungentlemanly way of war. Immortalized in film, following the release of the 2014 movie american sniper, chris kyle is somewhat of a legend. In 2002, author david pugliese published a book, canadas secret commandos. The maiden mission of the afghan war for canadas elite jtf2 commandos almost killed them.
Books, academic studies and official military histories have been written about the u. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than forty books, including a. How does canadas jtf2 compare to other countries special. Shed more light on jtf2 secrets winnipeg free press. Joint task force 2 jtf 2 is an extremely highreadiness and precise special operations forces unit. But like all of jtf2s work at home and abroad, canadas sixmonth contribution to the invasion of afghanistan has remained a state secret. Mccallum wants to tell story of jtf2 in afghanistan the. A member of the canadian special forces unit jtf2 participates in a. It appears that canadian special operations forces in iraq were paying attention. Jtf2 is jewel in the crown of canadas special forces. The military says the book is a threat to national security while morissets publishers called it the only public, firsthand account about the inner workings of the jtf2. Such claims have raised eyebrows among military insiders, observers and at least one of the books subjects. The books more explosive claims include that jtf2 members took part in the assassination of a suspected war criminal and conducted an unauthorized intelligence operation in afghanistan years before the sept. In the first six months of their operations, members of jtf2 claimed to have killed 115 taliban or al quaida.
General rick hillier, who was the chief of defense staff in 2007, said in a 45 minute speech that jtf2 had a significant impact in afghanistan helping afghans. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is fashioned after the british sas which help to build it. It shows a nighttime patrol through night vision and. Canadian snipers both regular force and jtf2 are regarded as the worlds best. Horn has authored, coauthored, and edited more than forty books, including a most ungentlemanly way of war. Canadian sof contribution to the war on terror sofrep. Jtf2 serves alongside the canadian special operations regiment, the canadian joint incident response unit and 427 special operations aviation squadron as part of the canadian special operations forces command.
Lots of details on the history and missions of the team bosnia, haiti, nepal, kosovo, central africa, rwanda, info on weapons, aircraft etc. It tells of the green team and their afghan national special police units role in. We can see the nature of crises, the paris attacks, what happened in brussels. Some thirty congolese were killed by a combination of helicopter and jtf2 fire. You cant get much further behind the front lines than that. Horn has authored, coauthored, and edited more than forty books. In june, a canadian jtf2 sniper made a recordbreaking kill shot in iraq from a twiceconfirmed range of 3,540 metres. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is a special operations force of the canadian armed forces. Theres not too many images of jtf2 dumvees in afghanistan. There were some who were shirtless working out trying to look. Jtf 2 bills itself as a scalpel, not a hammer a fighting force that adds a. Colonel bernd horn is a retired canadian regular force infantry officer and military educator.
Afghanistan is bordered by iran on the west, by pakistan on the east and south, and by turkmenistan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan on the north. Withdrawn a year later, after a brief hiatus jtf 2 returned to afghanistan in 2005. This is an excellent read on joint task force 2, canadas version of delta force and the sas. Ten years after allegations, inquiry into non criminal afghan war. Joint task force 2 jtf2 is canadas elite special operations unit responsible for counterterrorism. Written in the viewpoint of marines and other armed forces, learn about the afghanistan history, culture, and conflicts.
In 2008, denis morisset, a former member of jtf2 published a book about jtf2, named nous etions invincibles english translation. Unquestionably, jtf 2s participation in oef operation enduring freedom was a critical turning point in its evolution and cansof history. Not after reading more than a dozen books on the genocide and. Initiated by jtf2s roll with the nato task force during the invasion of afghanistan shortly after the world trade center terrorist attacks in september 2001. Very little is known on jtf2 operations in afghanistan, but during a conference. But as the countrys role in afghanistan winds down, the secrecy is. Canadian soldiers participating in operation dragon in the panjwayi district of afghanistan. Maloney reported that during operations in afghanistan, canadas jtf2 was the only foreign unit accepted to join american tier 1 special operations units, such as 1st sfodd delta force and devgru in task force 11 whose job it was to hunt high value al qaeda and taliban personnel. Canadas elite commandos and the invasion of afghanistan the star.
Sometimes the hardest part of going to war is coming home by. As i passed them going to my defensive position about half a mile away every so often i observed their behaviors. Canada sent its first element of soldiers secretly in october 2001 from joint task force 2, and the first contingents of regular canadian troops arrived in afghanistan in januaryfebruary 2002. Jtf2s roll with the nato task force during the invasion of afghanistan shortly. Very little is known on jtf2 operations in afghanistan, but during a conference the former chief of defence staff, general rick hillier, stated that jtf2 was in high demand and. Canadas role in the afghanistan war began in late 2001.
Best nonfiction war books, around the world one book from each country, best iraq and afghanistan war books, best books on special forces m. The later versions have the tool stowage on the hood and have a roll bar mounted instead of the solid top. We were invincible jtf2s secrecy kept the unit out of the canadian public eye for quite some time. However, members of the us army special forces snipers are known to be some of the hardest and most fearsome fighters in the world. Before this, the only direct reference to the work of jtf2 in afghanistan was the embarrassing photograph of jtf2 soldiers escorting captured alqaeda prisoners on a tarmac.
Jtf2 consists of volunteers from three branches of the canadian armed forces. Canadas elite commandos and the invasion of afghanistan. List of books and articles about afghan history online. A rogue historian in afghanistan, potomac books inc. In late 2001 jtf2 secretly invaded afghanistan, alongside us and british operatives.
Jtf 2 exists to protect the canadian national interests and combat terrorism and threats to canadians at home and abroad. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. In the first six months of their operations, members of jtf2 claimed to have killed 115 taliban or. Excommando arrested day before jtf2 tellall hits bookstores.
It was only several months later that the globe and mail reported jtf2s action in afghanistan by publishing a picture of a jtf2 operator delivering a prisoner to american forces. Withdrawn a year later, jtf 2 returned to afghanistan in 2005 to once again assist. Colonel bernd horn is a retired regular force infantry officer and military educator. An excommando was arrested just 24 hours before the release of his candid memoir about life in canadas elite joint task force 2, leading his coauthor to suggest authorities are trying to. The maiden mission of the afghan war for canadas elite jtf2 commandos.
The soe and the canadian connection and no lack of courage. One broke a 30yearold record in 2002, killing an enemy soldier with his. Over pakistan, returning from a daring raid on an enemy compound, six of the members of the secretive. Jtf2 is at once the best and leastknown of the commands units. The book reveals the units most secretive plans, including details about their current mission to afghanistan in the war against terrorism, a bid to rescue canadian peacekeepers held hostage in bosnia, an even more dangerous scheme to launch an attack on terrorists in peru, and commando missions in nepal and the central african republic.
Excommando arrested before jtf2 memoir release ctv news. In 2004, an estimated 40 members of jtf2 serving with task force kbar were awarded the presidential unit citation by the u. We are developing new tactics to stay ahead of our opponents. Canadas special forces kept too many secrets about afghan. A canadian specialforces soldier approached military overseers two years ago with complaints about war crimes in afghanistan a state of affairs he suggested could only be corrected if the ultrasecret jtf2 unit were pulled from the conflict. Jtf2 is always on a pretty coiled spring to be able to respond, said rouleau, himself a former jtf2 member. Over pakistan, returning from a daring raid on an enemy compound, six. Members deployed to afghanistan, for example, before the end of 2001 and are believed to be still operating there.
Even after passing all of the special forces qualification courses, to. The soe and the canadian connection and no ordinary men. Military afghanistan books the marine shop javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. In 2001, jtf 2 was deployed to afghanistan as part of the sof coalition. Any further back, and youd bump into the iraqi officers mess. Why a cover up of canadas jtf2 improper killing in. This footage is to be taken as a documentary on the events of the war in afghanistan and should be viewed as educational. The kite runner by khaled hosseini, a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, and the mountains echoed by khaled hossein. Mccallum wants to tell story of jtf2 in afghanistan. I was around them in 2001 while in afghanistan, my impression is 5050. The jtf2 soldier complained to canadian officers about the execution but was sent home to canada the next day. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the canadian troops were redeployed to kandahar province.