(Mostafa moved to Canada 9 months ago from Afghanistan. He is writing in English, which has become his 4th language. He wrote this piece just as two Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan.)

"Sergeant Al and his men take care of adopted village" read the headline in the National Post.

Sergeant Peter Albert of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment and company officers use their great, successful experiences of village adoption scheme from Bosnia (where the Canadian Battalion's highly experienced non-commissioned officers learned their trade) in Afghanistan.

The Sergeant and warrant officers who lead the most patrols in Afghanistan have four or five or even more tours of duty in former Yugoslavia, where they quickly learned the benefits of making friendly contact with local people.

On the northwest of Kabul the very edge of the territory, Paghman Village, is patrolled by Canadian gentle troops. The cheerful and happy children and the village elders who come to the Camp Julien, the base for the 1,900 Canadian troops who are part of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, to visit them almost every day and thank them very sincerely can determine Canadian troops' companionship.

Canadian troops have removed the unexploded mortar shells from the area and they are trying to make arrangements to get, the most important need of the village, WATER.

Canada is known as a peacekeeping and peace-loving country all over the world. It is not just Afghanistan who is getting help by Canadian troops, there are many other countries that need help and have been helped and supported by Canada.

Canada has the largest exports of bread and grains to the other countries. Almost half of the world is receiving or getting their grains and bread from Canada.

The Kyoto Agreement is signed by Canada and that reduces the pollution in the world and that is one of Canada's friendly treatments.

If we go back to the article, Afghanistan is mostly named as a hostile country in the world because in last three decades Afghanistan has been involved with wars and civil wars. Afghanistan has not tasted the flavor of peace since 1972, but now Canada is trying to bring the peace back to Afghanistan. This beautiful help is not as cheap as it sounds; Canada is paying young lives to perform the help. Those brave, gentle soldiers that sacrificed their lives to bring peace to a foreign country, Afghanistan, will always be the first memorials when people in the world think of Canada.

Even though Afghanistan is considered as a hostile territory, Canadian troops and government have been able to overcome hostility; they sacrifice their lives and show extraordinary heart-touching kindness and merciful besides being away from home.

LINKS:

Maple Leaf Web: Troops in Afghanistan
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/education/spotlight/issue_12/

Government of Canada website: Rebuilding Afghanistan
http://www.canada-afghanistan.gc.ca/menu-en.asp