Afghan foreign minister briefs Canada on security situation

OTTAWA: Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah briefed Canadian officials Tuesday on the security situation in his country ahead of a planned expansion of Canada’s military mission in August. Abdullah said there will be a time when Afghanistan will be able to take control of its own security, but he declined to put a time line on such a goal. “Through (Canada’s) support, a lot has changed in the capital. It has changed for the better,” Abdullah said. “There will be a time, of course, in the coming years that Afghanistan will be able to deal with security matters on its own, but to give you a sort of time frame, that might not be possible,” he added. Canada will deploy its 250-member provincial reconstruction team in the southern city of Kandahar in August in its first mission outside the capital Kabul. The team, which includes diplomats, development officers, civilian police and military forces, will aim to extend the authority of the Afghan government in and around Kandahar within 18 months. afp

Home | Foreign