(No. 186 – June 11, 2010 – 12:45 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan, today released the Government of Canada’s eighth quarterly report on Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. The report covers the period from January 1 to March 31, 2010.
“This quarter, Canada completed and opened a new border facility at Spin Boldak to improve border management along the shared Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” said Minister Cannon. “We also met our target for correctional officer training, having trained 100 percent of officers at current staffing levels.”
Also this quarter:
• Canada completed two more schools, for a total of 16, with another 27 under construction.
• The new Afghan National Customs Academy opened in January, and the first class of 48 customs officers graduated in mid-March.
• A total of 85,000 cubic metres of silt was removed from the main canal as part of the rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam and its irrigation system.
• Three of the six Afghan National Army kandaks (battalions) are now fully capable of planning, executing and sustaining near-autonomous operations; an increase of one kandak over the last quarter.
• Canadian stewardship helped improve cooperation along the Kandahar-Baluchistan border by facilitating dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The quarter was marked by an important increase in U.S. troops and civilians deployed to Afghanistan. These additional resources enhanced our cooperation with our key ally and allowed Canada to further concentrate on advancing its six priorities and three signature projects in Afghanistan.
Canada continues to work with its international partners and the Government of Afghanistan to help build the capacity of Afghan institutions to deliver sustainable results to benefit the Afghan people.
The view the eighth quarterly report, please visit Canada’s Engagement in Afghanistan - Quarterly Report to Parliament for the Period of January 1 to March 31, 2010.
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