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Globe columnist Christie Blatchford was on patrol with Canadian Forces in Afghanistan over the weekend when Corporal Tony Boneca was killed in a fight with Taliban insurgents near Pasmul. Her story Soldiers engaged in lethal two-day game of cat-and-mouse with Taliban fighters is a vivid, personal account of what happened that fateful day. Her reporting from the scene sparked a strong debate on globeandmail.com as readers alternately praised and condemned it, the issue of embedding journalists and the wisdom of Canada's continuing mission in the troubled country.

Christie followed that up today with a second report Three days of fierce, bloody war

Christie was on-line earlier today to take your questions on these stories, the mood of Canadian troops in the field and all things Afghanistan. The questions and answers appear at the bottom of this page.

This is Christie's second assignment with the troops in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, she described the reality of life — and war — for our troops in her two-part series The Belly Button and Into the forbidding Afghan hills .

You can read the rest of Christie's reports from Afghanistan, along with other Globe stories, editorials and comment on our special report on Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Christie started at The Globe in 1972 while still at Ryerson and worked here for six years, four as sports columnist, before joining The Toronto Star for four years as a general assignment reporter. She spent 15 years at the Toronto Sun, first as a humor columnist and then as the paper's main news pages columnist. She covered the first Gulf War for The Sun. Christie joined The National Post for five years, dating from its birth, and then came back to The Globe where her primary beat now is the criminal courts. She's also a general assignment columnist who still dabbles in sports (at the Turin Olympics recently) and in politics (during the recent federal election).

Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.

Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Christie, thanks for joining us today to take questions from readers of globeandmail.com on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. It's a subject that provokes strong feeling across Canada. Your vivid, first-person accounts over the past few days since the death of Corporal Tony Boneca ignited an often-emotional debate on our site, with some readers condemning the mission while praising our troops. Other readers criticized the critics for knocking the mission itself. I want to start by asking you about the morale of the troops. How is it in general? How much attention, if any, do they pay to media reports of the debate back home? What do they think of the debate?

Christie Blatchford: Whatever your view of the Afghanistan mission, it's clear that our soldiers here are performing brilliantly under primitive conditions. However the political debate may rage at home, they are here at the request of our government (and Afghanistan's) and they are worthy of our support and admiration. The two things can co-exist.

As to their morale, I think it's remarkably good.

Are they dog-tired, filthy, sun-baked, gaunt and worked to the bone? Yes.

Are they tired of living on rations and drinking bottled water that is rarely cooler than warm, and sometimes a helluva lot hotter? Yes.

Does that equate to lousy morale? It doesn't.

Most of the men I've met are remarkably cheerful and determined to carry on.

Bill G., Calgary: Christie, I don't have a question — just a message if you'd be kind enough to pass it on. Tell our troops that this is one Canadian that is damn proud of them and job they are doing. God bless them all. Be safe

Christie Blatchford: Thanks Bill. I will do that.

Ron MacGillivray, Flatbush, Alta.: First, let me start off by saying how much I appreciate your latest dispatch. It captured the mood. Well, crunch time is coming. Do you get a sense of that? I mean, there is a feeling that NATO is overwhelmed and that it can't carry on like this much longer without reinforcements. There was the British commander last week admitting that he seriously underestimated the Taliban resistance. He was pleading with Tony Blair to send more troops . . . There have been some reports that that Cpl. Boneca was getting disillusioned with the mission and he wanted out. Is this something you can confirm? Is this a feeling that is widely shared among the troops.? What has changed since your last visit? And finally are you getting any indication that there will be an even greater Canadian presence in the coming months?

Christie Blatchford: Well, I don't see how there can be a greater Canadian presence ... We don't have the numbers to do that. I know the Brits have called in more people, and that's good. There's a huge Dutch contingent here too, and I think in the end there will be enough. It's hard to know, though, and I'm no expert. Don't forget, the Taliban et al had three years to rebuild on the other side of the border, and the Afghan people — poor and uneducated as they are — are vulnerable as hell. My hunch is crunch time is a way's off yet.

As for Cpl. Boneca, I think he was homesick, lonely and scared out of his wits, though frankly, the e-mails he wrote home, as printed in today's Ottawa Citizen, don't reflect anything much more serious than that. Perhaps he wanted out — I think you'd be nuts not to want out, because it's a scary, brutal place at the moment. But my good God, that's not akin to not knowing what things would be like here. The training these guys get — live-fire exercises and psychological stuff — was damn good and made it as clear as can be what was waiting for them here.

J. Fraser, Thunder Bay, Ont.: I'm your biggest fan, Christie. What I would like to know is — notwithstanding the soldiers professionalism, doing what their country ordered them to do etc etc. — do the soldiers generally believe that their role is useful in Afghanistan?

Christie Blatchford: I think they do. That isn't to say they're not growing a bit weary and a bit sick of the place, you know? And I suspect they're tired, as even I am, of being necessarily suspicious of so many people who probably don't mean them harm because of a handful who do. It's a tough line to walk, but most of them do it really well, and even after almost six months here, they are still capable of going from hard to soft in a New York minute, and showing kindness.

Richard Thuillier, Brentwood Bay, B.C.: Do you think that, in general, the Canadian troops in Afghanistan are aware of the history of foreign interference in that country over the last 150 years -- in particular the deadly results to the British in the 1800s and the Russians in the 1980s -- and does anything make them, or you, think they will have different results in this new century.

Christie Blatchford: No one — believe me, no one — is more schooled in military history than our soldiers. They know this stuff inside out, far better than most people. They're soldiers. They study it. But they're fundamentally optimists, if I can so generalize — they're Canadians, after all, and we're so lucky I think it predisposes us to optimism.

Duncan Munro, Langley, B.C.: Hi. I wonder if you could comment on the reaction of Afghanis to the behaviour of U.S. forces in Iraq and their treatment of prisoners? Also what opinion do our forces have regarding the ANA? Specifically, when do they think it can stand on its own? I enjoy your articles. Thanks.

Christie Blatchford: The ANA is a long way from being able to do the job on its own [and] the Afghan National Police are even further behind. But these are smart, resilient people, fast learners, and they'll get it right sooner rather than later, I think. Canadian soldiers admire the courage of the ANA, I think, even as they may despair about how much training they still need. As to your other question, don't think I know enough to answer that one.

Alex Hemingway, Burnaby, B.C.: Can you please comment on the La Presse report (June 22) on French television footage which shows Canadian forces aggressively interrogating Afghan civilians, knocking down doors, making threats, and offering money for information on the Taliban? In the same vein, what is your assessment of the Senlis report released last month indicating that support for the Taliban in southern Afghanistan is high and rising, apparently as a result of Canadian and coalition "counterinsurgency" tactics?

Christie Blatchford: Dear God While I have Internet access at the base at Kandahar, I don't when I'm "outside the wire," which is where I've mostly been, and even when here, I have so much to do that I don't generally scan all the papers, let alone get a chance to see French TV. That said, I know the Canadians have done sweeps of areas where intelligence, such as that may be, tells them the Taliban have been living .... So I wouldn't be surprised if they kick down the odd door, though I've never seen them be aggressive with the locals (unless they're in city traffic, with someone driving at them or refusing to yield the right of way). I'm sure our soldiers are capable of being aggressive ... I don't see how they can do some of what they need to do here without being aggressive. I rather suspect the locals aren't terribly scared of this ... The Canadian CO told me the other day how the Taliban recently brought a man into a local village they wanted to take over, and beheaded him in public. A little shit-kicking of doors pales by comparison.

A. Guy, Toronto: My question is more about how you are covering Afghanistan and communicating it to us. The English language is one of the world's richest. It has so many words, so many words borrowed from other languages, so many words capable of capturing every possible nuance. So, why do you have to reach in every column in our family newspaper for coarse, tasteless profanity, the language of boors and street thugs? Witness the word "shitshow," deployed by you that The Globe's editors decided to place on the front page three inches above the fold.

Christie Blatchford: Well, I'm not covering a bridge tournament. This is how soldiers talk and — while you may rue it — I expect that if you were here, you might well find yourself doing the same thing. War is about death, blood, good and evil, all the big things. It's also loud and scary, and sometimes nothing captures that better than good old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon profanity. I confess, that's also the way I talk. We weren't called the "fucking Canadians" in WW2 for no reason.

Kathy Barr, Chugiak, Alaska, U.S.A.: Hi Christie. My husband is deployed at the Kandahar Base where you are with the 207th Infantry Brigade from the Alaska Army National Guard. I wish to thank you for your eloquent detailed writings as I am a "want-to-know spouse." My question is: Are there detention centres there at the base? I am curious if the captured Taliban get processed there and go elsewhere? Also, I have read that Kandahar AF needs more medical staff. Is the U.S. assisting with that cause? Thank you, Christie.

Christie Blatchford: Firstly, the Americans here are great and — from what I've seen — are helping in every way they can, from providing staff for the base hospital to the superb care they offer at the American hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, to giving Canadian troops the air support we don't have.

I'm sure there are detention centres here, but they're probably off limits, at least somewhat ... I haven't tried to see them yet, to be honest. The Canadian policy (one I don't much like and neither do the troops) is to hand those arrested over to the local security forces. I wish we looked after prisoners ourselves ... I have more faith in Canadians, Brits and Americans and the other coalition forces than I do in the ANA.

Ryan Taylor, London, Ont.: Keep up the good work, Christie Your reporting honours the memories of our brave men and women in uniform. My question: Do you think there will be any repercussions for Canadian troops in Afghanistan if the U.S. engages in military action with Iran?

Christie Blatchford: Again, please understand I am no expert in policy stuff (Or anything much else. I notice I keep repeating this phrase). But my hunch is that, yes, there'd be repercussions, because to some degree, all Western forces are seen here as one and the same.

Irene Cornwell, Morinville, Alta.: I sometimes wonder if these areas of conflict in the world aren't wearing me down as an individual and if this is happening to others. I am beginning to feel like I am watching "High Noon" and wishing to hide behind a closed door and cover my ears. I am not without compassion, concern or the ability to grieve. It's just that I have invested these in the Middle East for over forty years and I fear I am numb or protecting myself from the violent death of another child, another youth another human being. I realize the thoughts of an old lady in Canada don't matter one whit, but if I am multiplied by millions around the world, where is the collective diplomatic will to resolve these violent days and nights?

Christie Blatchford: Well, your thoughts matter to me, Irene. I know just how you feel. I feel it here and I felt it at home too. Many days, there's just too damn much sadness in the world, and it wears you down. But, maybe because I'm a Pollyanna, I can usually find some good in all the lousiness — and I have found that kind of thing here too, mostly in our soldiers, whose maturity and intelligence, not to mention courage, blows me away. Chin up honey.

Fred Gerbes, St. Catharines, Ont.: It is beyond me, as a veteran of 5 years of WWII, that our Prime Minister can put our young boys in peril for a questionable opium-smuggling exporter like Afghanistan. It should be made mandatory that these decision-makers are obligated to send their own eligible daughters and sons into the battlegrounds with the first contingent of troops provided. Let us see then how far they would go to sacrifice other young human life for lost causes like this commitment

Christie Blatchford: Well, you're the veteran, so you know whereof you speak. I wasn't around for WW2, though my late father served in the RCAF as a navigator. So you'll have to help me here: Should the government of that day been held to the standards you'd impose on the current one? Should they have had to send their sons overseas before committing Canada to the war?

I dunno, and I mean no disrespect, but I think your suggestion is unreasonable. It also implies that only by literally walking in another's shoes can anyone comment. Most of us have sufficient empathy, I think, to be able to guess.

Craig Scott, Ottawa: Hi Christie, thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I have read many comments on this site in recent days criticizing your reporting as sensationalized but I appreciate your detail. It was very sad that Corporal Anthony Boneca had to lose his life but I am confused by all the reports I am hearing that he was not properly trained and wasn't prepared for the mission. I know many military personnel and they all tell me that the first time they encounter gunfire and the enemy, initially they are scared. But they say that once they trust their training, they are OK. Do you think our soldiers are prepared to carry out this mission or are some people just using this latest death as ammunition in their campaign against this mission?

Christie Blatchford: Hi Craig. I dunno about the site criticism (oddly, I'm too busy to monitor it). But as for the nut of your question, reservists here got the very same training, including live-fire exercises, as did soldiers of the regular force. I don't believe Cpl. Boneca was ill-trained. I don't know what his state of mind was either, unlike some of my colleagues back home, who appear to know all too well from the comfort of their armchairs. But if he was anything like me, he was both scared out of his wits and proud that he'd done the job nonetheless.

Mike Ettles, Toronto: Call me old-fashioned but I believe that most men have a natural instinct to protect women in harm's way and certainly under fire. I don't believe this instinct disappears with the knowledge that you are legally and officially "embedded" with the troops. Do you believe that your presence on or near the battlefield presents a distraction to the troops doing the fighting and the protecting?

Christie Blatchford: I may be a mild distraction, but let me tell you, not so's you'd know. My job, when I was out there with the guys following them through that rabbit warren of mud paths and grape vines, was to stick with them, duck down when they did, climb the fence when they did, and keep my mouth shut. That meant I was in various hot spots, albeit in the safest corner of each because that's where they tried to make sure I was. Push come to shove, though, that was up to me. I agree that there's still an instinct in most of these guys to protect women and certainly children. But then again, in my bloody gear, I'm barely recognizable as a chick.

Charles Smedmor, Toronto: Dear Ms. Blatchford: I know our military are doing their jobs well, but are the various elements of the Karzai government in Kabul doing their jobs well? The Economist is reporting increased corruption and lack of progress on health and other matters? Has the pendulum moved or is it moving to favour the Taliban? If the people are getting fed up with the Karzai government, what can be done to ensure our aid efforts are helping the people? Please take good care. We know you are in a dangerous place. Thank you for your insightful and riveting reporting.

Christie Blatchford: We have a team of senior military folks, remarkably accomplished all, embedded with the Karzai government, acting as mentors, trying to help the locals with such things as setting up a civil service where hiring isn't based on ancient tribal loyalties or bribes but on merit, etc. I don't doubt the veracity of The Economist's work — I love the magazine — but I think it's all so frigging complicated. This country's entire infrastructure was demolished after three decades of war. The literacy rate in Kandahar Province, for instance, is about 12 per cent (all of men, of course), I just don't think you can judge the success or lack thereof in a few short years. It's going to be one step forward, two back, for years yet ... My feeling is that most of the people are despairing of the slow pace, for sure, but not ready yet to give up on it all. I'm not, anyway.

Tim Williams, Toronto: Ms. Blatchford is my favourite Canadian feature writer. But I can't help noticing that her time embedded with Canadian forces has significantly and personally affected her, and to that extent, obviously retards her ability for journalistic objectivity, even as a columnist. Her latest dispatches tend toward the jingoistic, yet she seems to be the main source of Globe and Mail coverage of the conflict at the moment. Is she able or willing to "unembed" herself and try to present views from the many other sides of the conflict? Her "our brave boys and girls" dispatches do not tell the whole story. I can't help seeing the conflict in Afghanistan as a futile waste of human life on all sides. The British were unable to "civilize" Afghanistan. The Soviets were unable to conquer it. And nothing I have seen to date indicates this latest U.S.-instigated war will achieve anything either. Does Ms. Blatchford believe this war will achieve anything?

Christie Blatchford: Wow, that's a bit harsh isn't it? Good thing you like my writing, I guess.

I'm a columnist, remember. My writing is not designed to be objective. I would argue that it's fair, which isn't the same thing.

As for not presenting views from all sides of the conflict, I'm not sure what that means. I'm not about to seek comment from "Taliban spokesmen," any more than I would have from Hitler's. Some things are plain on their face. And my dispatches, whatever else, aren't toeing a party line. I'm not covering this from the safety of the base at KAF. For the most part, I'm out in the field, with soldiers, in combat if they are, and trying to describe what it's like.

Martin Spriggs, Calgary: Hi Christie: I met you in Sarajevo in summer of '92. You were a damned good reporter then, fearless and accurate. Thank you for your coverage both then and now. Question: How do the troops perceive the support for the mission in Canada?

Christie Blatchford: I think they know very well that the debate goes on and they appreciate that this is what happens in a democracy. I haven't seen any resentment that their countrymen aren't cheering their every step, though no doubt they'd appreciate it. They certainly aren't expecting it.

Murray Caldwell: We hear so much about the military effort in Afghanistan. Yet our country's policy is one of Defence, Development and Diplomacy. As a country, we are investing nearly $1B in aid in Afghanistan in the next few years. Can you comment on the progress and the success of Canada's development and diplomacy efforts in Afghanistan? Are we making a difference? Are the people of Afghanistan happy with, or at least responsive to, our efforts? Are things better than in 01/2002? How can the overall aid effort of (all) nations to Afghanistan be characterized?

Christie Blatchford: I think we're making a difference. There are roads now that didn't exist a year ago, some of which are even usable because they're safe enough. There are more girls in school, though not enough yet. There are more people working. There are small improvements I see most days due to Canadian efforts.

George Maltby, Toronto: Are the troops satisfied with the equipment and supplies (rations) that they have been issued? How do they feel about depending on U.S. and U.K. air support?

Christie Blatchford: They're more than satisfied. Most of them are ecstatic and say that their equipment — chiefly the LAV — is fabulous. I think they are eagerly anticipating the arrival, whenever that is, of the new choppers. They get great co-operation from their allies, but it would be nice not to have to rely so much on others.

Liam Dynes, Toronto/Thunder Bay, Ont.: To embed or not to embed reporters in a war zone is no longer the issue — as some previous commenters have put forth. It is a given at this point. My observation comes from what is done by a reporter put in that position. I ask you whether you truly see more value in your method of [reporting on what you see as an embed] than in a clear reporting of the facts at hand. We see cursory mentions of these soldiers in deteriorating physical condition and of questionable morale, but we see no examination of actual situation versus government spin — Minister O'Connor yesterday, for example. You mention in your first [answer today to Mr. Sheppard's question] that "most" of the men are in good spirits. What about the rest? Are those in good spirits regular army? Is there any correlation between morale and reserve status? We hear nothing about Cpl. Boneca's apparent disillusionment with his situation from those who would be there to hear it and see it firsthand, get no reporting of the conditions that led to it (an injured ankle that took more than a week to be treated, patrols extending themselves more than two weeks beyond their scheduled length and capacity for food and water). But we get plenty of literary examination of the pathetic fallacy of the Afghan countryside and its leporidaeic inhabitants (bunnies). Suffice to say, I'm a little perplexed. What is the reality over there?

Christie Blatchford: Thank you for explaining leporidaeic for me. Clearly you're very smart.

Look, I don't pretend to know the morale or state of mind of all our soldiers here, but I've met and spent time and watched in close quarters now hundreds of them, and interviewed dozens at length. You've heard nothing about Cpl. Boneca's apparent disillusionment from me, or anyone else here, because, in my case, I was in the middle of a firefight, and because the story came from The Toronto Star, which does not have a reporter here, but who interviewed the father of the young man's girlfriend.

And what government spin? I spend as little time as I can here at the safe big base, where the spin originates, when it does. Even here, I talk to actual soldiers, not the brass. I'm not writing spin, unless you consider spin to include what I see with my own eyes, from ordinary soldiers.

Maribeth Adams, Kamloops, B.C.: Hi Christie. As educated folk know, the most vivid picture will always be shown us through the printed word, not via the TV screen. Thank you for the careful crafting of your stories. There are those of us who appreciate that they are meant to be a combination of hard news and highly individual interpretation. And thank you for your willingness to take on the assignment — something that the majority of your armchair critics wouldn't dream of tackling. Your reporting has focused on the immediate story on the ground, and the vital human-interest angle. How do you see your role, or The Globe's role, in helping the Canadian public to become better-informed about the realities of decades-old conflict in Afghanistan, so that they understand that no matter how noble Canada's intentions are in aiding Afghans to access education, clean water and electricity, no lasting effort can be made without eradicating the Taliban?

Christie Blatchford: Thanks Maribeth. I'm not sure how I see my role, to be honest. I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it. I suppose it is to do what I try to do on any story — write what I see, put it in the best context I can, and on occasion give my honest opinion of what I've seen. I think the Canadian Forces until recently was our best-kept national secret, and our most-ignored national asset. So part of what I do here is try to better inform Canadians about these young men and women.

Kim K: No question for you, Miss Blatchford. But could you tell the men from 2VP that the families at home love them and can't wait till they are back.

Christie Blatchford: Of course I can, and will.

Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Christie, thank you for your perceptive answers and thank you for staying an extra half-hour with us — at the expense of almost missing the closing of the mess hall for the evening in Kandahar. I know our readers appreciate it. Any last comments?

Christie Blatchford: The questions were great and it was fun, as always.

Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: To our readers: We're sorry that we could not get to all of the literally dozens of questions you asked Christie today — despite the fact she stayed extra time to deal with as many as possible.

If you have further comments to make on her articles and/or this discussion, please use the normal "Join the Conversation" link on the right side of this article or use this link to do that.

Finally, if you have any thoughts about the format of this discussion or want to suggest a guest or guests for future on-line discussions and debates, please feel free to e-mail me your views .