Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed virtually all Canadian soldiers will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2011, making some of his most definitive statements yet on Canada’s future role there in an interview Wednesday with Canwest News Service.

Parliament has already decided the combat mission, involving about 2,500 troops centred around Kandahar, will end in 2011. The Department of National Defence has started preparing plans to bring the soldiers home.

But at various times over the past two years since that decision was made, there has been some discussion about using Canadian Forces personnel in a non-combat capacity or to station soldiers in a more peaceful part of the country.  Read more... (944 words, 1 image, estimated 3:47 mins reading time)

This is a preview of Harper firm on Afghan pullout by 2011. Read the full post (944 words, 1 image, estimated 3:47 mins reading time)