Canada ended its nine-year combat mission in Afghanistan on Thursday, closing the curtain after the deaths of 157 troops and signalling the start of further American and Nato withdrawals later this year. The departure of nearly 3,000 soldiers, who took on some of the heaviest fighting in the southern province of Kandahar, comes as Western forces begin to announce gradual drawdowns of troops ahead of a full withdrawal in 2014.
After spending more than $11 billion on the war and with popular support waning at home, most of the Canadian soldiers, based mainly in the dangerous battleground of Kandahar, have packed up and gone home. A change of command ceremony was held at Kandahar airfield to mark the formal end of combat operations, although hundreds of other troops are being sent to work in a training role in the Afghan capital.
Afghan, Canadian and American national anthems were played to a small group of soldiers from each country, before commanders addressed the crowd and formally handed control of the mission to the United States. "Over the years Canadians, both military and civilian, have made the ultimate sacrifice," Brigadier General Dean Milner, head of the Canadian combat mission, said in his speech to the assembled troops.
"Although there is still work to do, (we) are extremely proud of what has been accomplished." Canadian soldiers first deployed to Afghanistan in early 2002, several months after a US-led invasion of the country to oust the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
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