Countdown to the return home in a tent full of Canadian soldiers
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

Canada is formally completing its fighting mission in Afghanistan this week, a move that marks the end of a robust combat presence centered in the dangerous and violent southern province of Kandahar.

The Canadian military on Tuesday formally transferred its last district in the province to the United States, where the U.S. 3rd Battalion 21st Regiment took over from the Canadian 1st Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment…

This transition comes as other countries make preparations for drawdowns and shifting to plans for noncombat missions in Afghanistan, such as training…

One of more than 40 countries participating in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force with nearly 3,000 troops, Canada has lost more than 157 troops in the war, the third highest death toll after the United States and Britain.

Also, the government says, the “incremental cost of the current mission in Afghanistan to the Government of Canada from 2001 to 2011 is currently estimated to be approximately $11.3 billion.”

Up to 950 Canadian armed forces trainers and support personnel eventually will be based in Kabul until 2014. The Canadians will be working alongside Americans, Brits, Australians and others in a countrywide training mission, Stadnyk said.

Though much usable military material will be back in the GWN by Xmas – a sizable chunk will follow the traditional US model and be sold off in one of the world’s largest yard sales. Got to keep the military-industrial complex solvent producing non-consumable goods, ya know. That’s as true in Ottawa as it is in Washington, DC.