Canada opposes probe into Afghan torture claims

Ottawa firmly opposes a probe into allegations that Canadian soldiers facilitated torture of Afghan nationals, amid the speculations that the case could lead to charges of war crime.

"It's not acceptable," Defense Minister Peter MacKay said on Thursday in response to the opposition's call, AFP reported. "What I heard yesterday doesn't stand the test of cross examination, doesn't stand the test of credibility."

Liberal Party heavyweight, Bob Rae, the New Democratic Party and the independent Bloc Quebecois have called on the government to examine a claim by Richard Colvin — a Canadian diplomat who used to operate in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 — that Canadian forces at the time "detained, and handed over for severe torture, a lot of innocent people."

Based on the claim, which Colvin has produced written reports on, the soldiers delivered the victims to the Afghan officials though they knew they were going to be tortured.

"You can't function, you can't restore the credibility of this great country internationally unless you hold a judicial public inquiry," Rae was quoted as saying.

"If they (the Canadian government) knew what was going on, it's going against the Geneva Conventions, and this is a war crime," said Bloc Quebecois chief Gilles Duceppe.

MacKay has, however, reacted by saying that "we're talking about basing much of his evidence on what the Taliban have been specifically instructed to lie about if captured."

Committing 2,800 troops, Ottawa remains a faithful contributor to the US-led operations in Afghanistan which, despite enlisting less than 110,000 soldiers, have failed to bring any sign of stability to the war-torn country.