Canadians skeptical after years in Afghanistan

While Americans are just now focusing on the war in Afghanistan, Canadians have been paying close attention since their troops first went into combat as part of the international coalition in 2002. They’ve served in the hot zone around Kandahar since 2005. The national debate in Canada has cooled some since the two major parties agreed that the combat mission will end in 2011. The plan is for Canadian troops to go back to primarily humanitarian duties.

Don Martin is national affairs columnist for The National Post, based in Ottawa. He spent several weeks in Afghanistan in 2007, and has written extensively about Canada’s presence there. As casualties mounted in Kandahar, the mission became more and more controversial and politically divisive. He told Martha Foley that, over time, the Canadian public has become increasingly skeptical that the combat mission can ever succeed, or that the cost in Canadian lives is justified.