Canadian PM Reflects On Our Mission

When we discuss Canada's role in Afghanistan, we often focus on the challenges... and there are many. That said, it's worthwhile noting the successes that have been achieved so far. Our Prime Minister was in Kandahar marking the end of one stage of the mission:

He made efforts in his visit to symbolize what has changed in years of war in Afghanistan, visiting Tarnak Farm – once the site of an al-Qaeda training centre that is now a wheat and barley field using Saskatchewan irrigation equipment to grow crops. It was a way for Mr. Harper to emphasize his message that despite the difficulties of the mission, it has made progress.

As he spoke to reporters at the end of his 12-hour visit, the Prime Minister argued that while Afghanistan may still be a deeply troubled country, the presence of Canadian and allied troops has helped reduce a perilous threat.

“The biggest single success of this mission, and this is the big picture: We came to Afghanistan, the world came to Afghanistan, because Afghanistan had become such a terrible and brutal place that it had become a threat to the entire world. And whatever the challenges and the troubles that remain, Afghanistan is no longer a threat to the world.”