Afghanistan Not the Forgotten War in Canada

In the USA, the mission in Afghanistan sometimes fell from the public's attention as the American mission in Iraq took centre stage. But as CNN reporter Manav Tanneeru notes (In Canada, Afghanistan Not Forgotten), the Afghanistan mission has taken center stage for Canadians.

Some highlights from Tanneeru's report:

Afghanistan is the largest recipient of development aid from Canada. According to the government, Canada will have authorized $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan from 2002 through 2011.

"Relative to other involvements of Canada around the world, it's an enormous commitment," Henrikson said. "It is proportionally larger than the stake the United States has in Afghanistan."

But some recent polling suggests that the increasing violence and slow pace of progress are taking a toll on support for the war...

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Mario Blais, godfather of a female Canadian soldier recently killed in Afghanistan, told the Canadian Press it's time to pull the troops out.

"I think she did this for absolutely nothing," Blais told the news agency. "The Russians were in Afghanistan for many years and they couldn't push them back. I ask myself what Canada is doing."

Jonathon Narvey, a founding member of the Vancouver-based Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee, said this is precisely when the Canadian mission needs public support.

Arguing that the mission was consistent with Canadian foreign policy traditions, Narvey said pulling Canadian troops out of the conflict could lead to more violence and possibly a civil war.

"We're for a robust involvement, and if [Afghanistan] is going to get back on its feet after decades of war, it's only going to do so with huge international involvement. So, more, not less," he said.