Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Canada withdrew its troops from Afghanistan

And thought going in 2009 and did not, but now is for real. Canada will withdraw all its troops in July of combat in Afghanistan, without possibility of change in plans. Some units have already begun to retreat, and is scheduled to arrive end of May that American troops will take over. Some are already on the ground.

Canada currently has some 2,900 troops in Afghanistan, according to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Most are concentrated in the province of Kandahar, the traditional stronghold of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. In fact, for four years, from 2006 to 2009, Canada was the only country that had troops in the province-beyond-American special forces, despite being one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan.

A Canadian official said Canada agreed to provide security and reconstruction in Kandahar in order to appease the United States after refusing to participate in the Iraq war. Since the Canadian military did not go to Arab country, they got into the lion's den in Afghanistan. During this time, Canada has tried to strike, without success, a country that relieved in that province.

But nobody wants to go there, and that contributed to the glut of Canadian public opinion, which increasingly wondering what they were doing more Canadians in Kandahar. In principle, Canada announced it would withdraw its troops in 2009. Later agreed to extend its presence in Kandahar, on condition that other countries share the burden with his soldiers to be one of the worst places in Afghanistan.

Americans did. In 2010 U.S. troops were deployed en masse in the province of Kandahar, coinciding with the surge in China with 30,000 additional military. The Canadian Forces are then concentrated into one of the sixteen districts of the province: Panjwai. Perhaps the worst. Is considered the birthplace of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In early April U.S. and Canadian forces made a joint operation in Panjwai. After this, the Canadian troops were withdrawn from one of its military bases in the area and gave the baton to the U.S. soldiers. It intends to follow this same pattern for the transfer of other military installations.

In recent days, U.S. officials also have been moving by Canadian Panjwai with controls well acquainted with the area. Also in January the U.S. Canada passed the so-called Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar and leading, as its name indicates, was in charge of reconstruction work in the province with civilian personnel.

Huge projects have been completed. For example, Canada has invested 50 million Canadian dollars (about 70 million euros) in improving the irrigation system in the province, with the repair of a dam, 12 million more (almost 17 million euros) in the construction and rehabilitation of 50 schools, and 60 (about 80) in a campaign to eradicate polio throughout the country.

"Hopefully, Americans and Afghans are able to maintain the current situation we have been struggling, and continue to do projects of cooperation and improve governance. However, it is a daily challenge. Things can change quickly, "answered François Dufault, the second in command of Canadian combat forces in Kandahar, when asked if they go with the finished work.

"We have been carrying the burden of the battle for almost ten years," he adds. Now therefore, it is his turn to others. Canada will keep troops in Afghanistan, but will focus on training Afghan security forces, and not in the south, but in the north, much safer.

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