CP: DND prepped lines to douse Hillier controversy: docs

[tuvor]

OTTAWA — The Defence Department prepared carefully scripted remarks for Gen. Rick Hillier to douse a controversy that ignited when he appeared to contradict the Conservative government on the Afghan mission, documents show.

Hillier, then chief of the armed forces, made remarks in subsequent TV interviews that reflected the script - though he insisted Tuesday no one told him what to say.

In October 2007, Hillier told reporters at Kandahar Airfield he expected coalition troops would likely stay in Afghanistan for at least another decade.

"It's going to take 10 years or so just to work through and build an army to whatever the final number that Afghanistan will have, and make them professional and let them meet their security demands here," he said at the time.

The statement didn't jibe with the Tories' message....

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