Christmas and Thanksgiving are hard times for Canadian soldiers posted in Afghanistan, no doubt. So is Valentine's Day.
Canadian Forces Combat Camera put together
video footage of Valentine's Day messages from Canadian Forces personnel currently deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Canada has about 2,700 troops in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. During the next 2 years, Canadian troops will continue to train both the Afghan army and national police until their withdrawal in 2011.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay attending the Munich Security Conference has said that the withdrawal date for Canada's combat troops remains 2011, irrespective of how persuasive the new U.S. administration may be in proposing an international re-dedication to the Afghan mission.
Many expect that President Obama's focus on Afghanistan could place intense pressure on the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to extend the Canadian mission again.
The U.S. is expected to bolster its Afghanistan presence by as many as 20,000 troops in the next year, and perhaps eventually 30,000. At least some of those will be deployed to the volatile Kandahar Province, where the majority of Canada’s 2,700 troops are based.
But with 107 Canadian troops lost during seven years of combat and $18.1 billion dollars spent, the Harper government is standing firm. It said Canada has carried more than its fair share and 2011 is the fixed date for leaving.
Recent polls suggest 55 per cent of Canadians oppose extending the mission, while 30 per cent support the idea.
