Canadians Fiercely Debate Their Role In Afghanistan (AUDIO)

Three more Canadian soldiers were killed in Kandahar bringing the number of dead Canadian soldiers to 111 -- a relatively high casualty rate given the size of Canada's troop presence in Afghanistan.

Canadian troops have served alongside Americans and others in Afghanistan, with 2,700 currently posted primarily in Kandahar. See our Timeline: Canada in Afghanistan's war zone (below).

But while some in the U.S. have labeled the war in Afghanistan "the right war," the conflict has been a source of strong debate in Canada, amid concerns that Canada has abandoned a more traditional peacekeeping role. The combat in Afghanistan represents some of the most intense fighting Canadian forces have seen in decades, since the country fought in Korea.

Canada is scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2011, and about 65 percent of Canadians support the planned withdrawal.

Worldfocus.org's weekly radio show explored Canada's role in Afghanistan and the debate over Canada's role in peacemaking versus peacekeeping.

Worldfocus anchor Martin Savidge hosted a panel of guests:

Nipa Banerjee worked for the Canadian International Development Agency for 33 years, heading aid efforts in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006 and working in a number of other countries. Her research interests include reconstruction, development and aid effectiveness in post-conflict countries, with a special focus on Afghanistan, where she travels frequently. She is currently a professor at the University of Ottawa.

Terry Glavin is a freelance journalist, who recently spent a month reporting in Afghanistan. He is a co-founder of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee, a multi-partisan group of Canadians dedicated to solidarity with the Afghan people. He is the editor of Transmontanus Books in Vancouver, and is an adjunct professor of creative writing at the University of British Columbia.

Ron Hoffmann is Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan. Prior to his appointment as ambassador in Sept. 2008, he was deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada in Kabul. He has also served abroad in The Hague, Johannesburg, Beijing and London.

Below, explore a timeline of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan by scrolling or pressing the play button. Also, click on the "video" icons to view scenes from on the ground.

Comments

[MildenHall]

07:35 PM on 03/06/2009

Take it from this Airman, someone who has done time on the ground in Afghanistan...we along with our Canadian comrades in arms are doing one helluva a job. We lose people, yes. IT"S CALLED WAR. It's what we do. Though we may lose guys, I can tell you, the Taliban and AQ are losing a helluva lot more. They don't want to bump with us, trust me. When they come out to fight--THEY LOSE! I could give two **** about setting up a democracy in Afghanistan. That's not my line of work. I leave that to the politicians. My job is wax the AQ and any Taliban foolish enough to listen to Bin Laden and want to get his jihad on. Those 72 virgins that await, will see you soon enough.

We're going to win this war. We're going to kill those people who killed our people in the World Trade Center. We're killing them and we're going to keep killing them as long as they resist the will of the people of the Free World, like you. Don't lose sight of them STARTING this fight. It is our duty as military partners to finish it. Our Canadian brothers are not going to die in vain. We love those guys. Just like we love all our other NATO partners.

I'm going again, real soon, and look forward to doing my part in putting the smackdown on those cowards who are known to hide behind burqas.

[research]

03:27 PM on 03/05/2009

Let's leave the Middle east and bring the soldiers home to work on green energy.

Then we won't need the Afghanistan and middle oil and pipelines.

Give democracy a chance.

They want us to remove all soldiers.

Let's leave them to find their own democracy.

[greyhound2]

01:07 PM on 03/05/2009

Just because the US has leaders who are stupid enough to get embroiled in a no win war wasting billions of dollars and lives in a far away cesspool of no value populated by people still living in the Stone Age is no reason Canadians should follow the US down a bottomless sinkhole.

[fbr79]

10:00 AM on 03/05/2009

Canadians are serving alongside in the same regions as Americans and have a significantly higher casualty rate? Seems like a training/operations issue, maybe is good that they are withdrawing all their forces.

[Furby]

12:44 PM on 03/05/2009

Training/operations issue for whom? First Canadian casualties were from "friendly" U.S. fire in 2002. Canadian casualties have increased with the arrival of U.S. troops. With friends like you, who needs enemies?

[Demo4Life]

09:41 AM on 03/05/2009

Good news Canadians! Barack is going to get us out of the war in 2011 and that means your presense there will be unesessary.

[fbr79]

09:58 AM on 03/05/2009

Ahm...President Obama is withdrawing from Iraq, not Afghanistan.

[Demo4Life]

09:59 AM on 03/05/2009

Either way, the Democrats will find a way to make this world better.