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All Canadian troops to leave Afghanistan by 2014: PM

Won't take part in training

By: Lee Berthiaume

Posted: 05/22/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press Prime Minister Stephen Harper talks to the media in Chicago. (CP)

CHICAGO -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper put Canada on the growing list of war-weary nations ready to move on from Afghanistan by announcing Monday that all Canadian soldiers will be out of the troubled country by the end of March 2014.

Dollars will begin replacing boots on the ground as the prime minister, rebuffing NATO calls to extend Canada's training mission, pledged $330 million to support Afghanistan's security forces over three years starting in 2015.

Speaking at the end of a two-day NATO summit dominated by questions about Afghanistan, Harper said it's time for the country to start standing on its own and prolonged international intervention will hurt rather than help.

The message was echoed by U.S. President Barack Obama, who has signalled his own country's plan to begin withdrawing combat troops next year and transition from combat to a training role as Afghan forces take full responsibility next year.

It was clear the disproportionately heavy burden borne by Canada -- at a cost of about $11 billion and more than 160 lives -- and the fact Afghanistan has become country's longest-ever military commitment were key factors in Harper's decision.

"I point out that by the time 2014 comes, the NATO alliance, ourselves and our NATO friends will have been in Afghanistan longer than the two world wars combined," the prime minister said.

"If you ask me frankly would I wish it was earlier, I would say yes. But I think we're doing it as early as is feasible."

With a firm deadline for withdrawal finally set by the Conservative government, the question now turns to whether Afghanistan will be able to take the next step toward long-term peace and stability after Canada and most of its allies quit the country in less than two years' time.

Leaders expressed a determination to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a haven for terrorists while at the same time saying Afghan forces, already responsible for security in half the country, are making significant gains and the insurgency is on its last legs.

"Our forces broke the Taliban's momentum," Obama told delegates. "More Afghans are reclaiming their communities. Afghan security forces have grown stronger."

It's difficult to gauge how accurate such statements are. The insurgency's imminent demise has been predicted for years, and at the end of the summit, Obama acknowledged the Taliban remains "a robust enemy."

While Afghan forces have taken responsibility for security in half the country, they have not yet demonstrated an ability to operate without international support.

Harper and other leaders agreed during the summit to establish a new mission after 2014 that would put alliance soldiers in an advisory, assistance and training role over the long term. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had asked that Canada participate in the mission.

Asked to respond to the news Canada would not make such a commitment, Rasmussen thanked Canadians for their contributions to Afghanistan.

"At the end of the day, it is a national decision whether a country wants to deploy troops or trainers," he said.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 22, 2012 A9

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