Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed Monday at the NATO summit in Chicago that Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan will come to an end once the current training mission concludes on March 31, 2014.
“For more than a decade, the brave men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, and many dedicated public servants and civilians have made enormous sacrifices to assist the Afghan people,” he said, according to a PMO release.
“Canada will honour its commitment and complete its current training mission but our country will not have any military mission in Afghanistan after March 2014.”
Canada will provide financial support to the Afghanistan National Security Forces to the tune of $110 million per year over three years from 2015 to 2017, joining a broad international coalition of NATO and non-NATO partners in supporting the ANSF.
“Canada plays an integral role in ensuring that Afghan National Security Forces are well-trained so they can assume full responsibility for their own national security,” Harper said.
“The support being announced today will help sustain these Forces by ensuring they are well-equipped beyond 2014.”
The PM added that the Afghan government must continue to demonstrate its commitment to meeting international human rights obligations, combating corruption, strengthening the rule of law, increasing tolerance of religious freedoms, and protecting women’s rights as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution.
