Questons linger as clock winds down on Canada’s military efforts in Afghanistan

KABUL – The clock is winding down on Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan.

The last 100 troops, part of a nearly three-year deployment to train Afghan security forces, are due to pull out this month, formally ending more than 12 years of involvement in the country.

The various deployments, including the five-year combat mission in Kandahar, cost the lives of 158 soldiers, two consultants, one diplomat and one journalist.

With the withdrawal come fresh questions about how prepared Canada was for war — especially in 2005 with the decision to send troops to Kandahar, the heartland of the Taliban insurgency.

The former head of the Canadian aid efforts in Afghanistan says Paul Martin’s Liberal government decided to send soldiers to Kandahar before officials on the ground had completed their reconnaissance mission.

Nipa Banerjee says the choice at the time was whether to put aid and reconstruction efforts into Kandahar or the more peaceful area of Herat.