Canada's Liberals vow 2009 Afghan troop pull-out

[maddezmom]

OTTAWA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Canada's opposition Liberals promised on Thursday to withdraw the country's 2,500 soldiers from Afghanistan in early 2009, as scheduled, if they win the next federal election.

The minority Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which pushed through the extension of the mission from 2007 to 2009 last year, has yet to say whether the soldiers will come back as planned.

Canada's troops, part of a larger NATO force, are based in the southern city of Kandahar and spent much of 2006 fighting Taliban militants. Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died.

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Dion said Harper had mismanaged the file and as a result Afghans now associated Canadians with fighting rather than rebuilding the shattered country.

more:http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22456656.htm