US troops and the Koran; Canadian Forces doesn't like refugees

US forces twice accused of desecrating Koran

KHOST, Afghanistan, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Afghans staged a protest against the United States on Wednesday, saying U.S. troops had thrown a copy of the Koran during an operation in the southeast, a police officer said...

Protesters said U.S. troops broke into a house on Monday night in Urgun, arrested four people, including a woman, and one soldier threw away a copy of the Koran...

A similar protest was held in the eastern province of Kunar where villagers and several lawmakers say U.S. soldiers desecrated the Koran last week. (link)

Canadians quit training Afghans

The Ottawa Citizen
10/17/2007
By David Pugliese

A key Defence Department training program for Afghan officers in Canada has been shut down after several students left the course and requested refugee status...

[T]hree Afghan officers from the program offered by the department's Military Training Assistance Program disappeared on Dec. 17, 2006, the day they had been scheduled to return to Afghanistan. They later turned themselves in to authorities, but it is not known whether they returned to Afghanistan or claimed refugee status.

Similar incidents occurred in 2004 and 2005 when Afghan officers left the language training program to claim refugee status.

At least 50 personnel from Afghanistan have come to Canada to learn English.

... NATO officials have complained that the poor English of Afghan personnel has hurt the development of that country's security forces.