Never mind, should have Googled it in the first place. It seems the author is well-positioned to speak with some credibility to the issues, especially the claims about the UAE "treating wounded soldiers" and being "on the frontline".
Probably because...he's actually there.
About the author:
Matthew Fisher has spent far more time in Afghanistan than any other Canadian journalist. He is embedded with Canadian forces in Kandahar, living and working in tents at NATO’s huge logistical base at Kandahar Airfield. He regularly blogs on Canada’s first war in half a century — both serious and offbeat aspects of the mission and the war — from Kabul and Kandahar, with trips deep into the field in southern Afghanistan to experience firsthand the joys and sorrows of Canada’s young fighting men and women.
Link to the above quoted article:
Emirates Airline Hopes on Wing and a Prayer