No Canadian boots on Afghan soil after 2014, Harper tells NATO summit
Posted May 21, 2012 2:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CHICAGO – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says there will be no Canadian boots on the ground in Afghanistan after 2014.
But he says Canada will continue to financially support the Afghan military with $110 million a year for the next three years.
He says the contribution is generous and designed to set an example for other nations to follow.
It is estimated that it will cost $4.1 billion a year for Afghanistan to run its security forces once the NATO-led coalition pulls out in 2014.
Canada had been asked to consider leaving some soldiers in Afghanistan post-2014 to continue to help with training.
But Harper says the deadline is firm.
He says it is not an abandonment of Afghanistan but a transfer of responsibility to the Afghans.
Harper made the comments on the second and last day of the NATO summit in Chicago.
