General says he wants Canadian military trainers in Kandahar
The ISAF mission in Afghanistan needs the likes of Canada’s military trainers in Kandahar if the Afghan National Security Force will ever be ready to protect the country, says a top NATO general. In a paper for the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, Lt.-Gen. William Caldwell lauded the efforts in training Afghanistan’s struggling army and police force. “Your forces are more broadly experienced than most other nations serving in the International Security Assistance Force,” wrote Caldwell, “and such mature soldiers, with multiple tours serving in Afghanistan, would be extremely effective.” He recommended that following the transition from a combat role to one of training Afghan security forces, Canadian military personnel are most needed in Kandahar, not in Kabul where the Harper government announced last November it would be keeping about 1,000 military personal for training purposes.