On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people from many different countries, including Canada, were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States. Following these events, Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) began a defining chapter in Canadian history, joining our international allies and partners to disrupt Al-Qaeda’s ability to launch further attacks, and to remove the support and protection provided to them by Afghanistan’s Taliban regime.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Canada, our allies and partners participated in efforts to combat terrorism, stabilize the country and rebuild Afghanistan’s capacity to provide its own security. Today, thanks to these efforts, Afghanistan has been given an opportunity to seize a more positive future for its people.
Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan lasted over 12 years. More than 40,000 CAF members served in Afghanistan and supporting locations between October 2001 and March 2014, making it the largest deployment of CAF personnel since the Second World War. They were part of one of the largest coalitions in modern history, bringing together 28 NATO allies and 22 partners representing more than a quarter of the countries on the planet.
Canadian operations were conducted in a number of different roles involving air, land and sea. Activities included combat, security, supporting development efforts, and training operations in varying capacities and regions of Afghanistan.
At the same time, Canada deployed more than 650 civilian experts (including civilian police officers) with specialized skills to help Afghans build their capacity in key areas, most notably in democratic governance and the delivery of basic services; education and training; health care; human rights and the rule of law including policing, corrections and the judiciary; humanitarian assistance; and border management and security.
In Afghanistan, progress in strengthening security, governance and development has always been hard won. The successes and lessons learned from Canada’s whole-of-government effort – in Kandahar and nationally – are all the more remarkable because of the nature of the task in Afghanistan.
Despite the challenges of working in a complex security environment, Afghanistan is far from being what it was in 2001. Since then, significant progress has been achieved in the areas of security, diplomacy, human rights and development, including:
- Afghanistan is no longer a base for terrorism directed against the international community.
- More than 7.7 million Afghan children, 39 per cent of whom are girls, are enrolled in formal and community-based schools. In contrast, less than one million boys - and only boys - were enrolled in formal schools in 2001.
- More Afghans are being trained as teachers and provided with vocational and literacy skills, in particular women and girls.
- The country now has a constitution in place.
- Free elections were held for the first time in the country’s history in 2004 and its most recent Presidential election held in April 2014, marks the first time that presidential power will be democratically transferred in the country.
- Women in Afghanistan today can vote and now actively take part in political life and debate. A remarkable 36 per cent of the nearly seven million Afghans who voted in the April 2014 elections were women.
- Since 2007, Canada has been the largest donor to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), which has helped to establish the only Afghan body with the mandate and capacity to promote and protect human rights in Afghanistan.
- Afghanistan now has a vibrant and independent media, and a diverse and increasingly strong civil society has developed. Improvements have been made in provincial and district governance, basic human rights and freedoms, and the rule of law.
- Afghans have greater access to higher quality medical care, with more than 9,000 health professionals including doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers trained.
- Maternal mortality has been drastically reduced to by over 70 per cent in the last decade, while child mortality has been reduced by more than 50 per cent in the same time period.
- Through ongoing vaccination campaigns, more than 8 million children are being vaccinated against polio. Since 2011, there has been a significant decrease in the number of confirmed polio cases (in 2011, there were 80 cases, and to date three in 2014).
- The agriculture sector is growing because of Canada’s investments in the Dahla Dam and Arghandab irrigation system.
- Vital physical infrastructure is being built to support the delivery of basic services such as drinking water supply and sanitation, electricity and health care.
- The development of a viable economy is being supported through the construction of roads and government buildings.
The CAF’s activities were aimed at establishing the security needed to promote development and an environment conducive to the improvement of Afghan life. The nature of the operational and tactical fighting demanded that the CAF learn new capabilities and enhance its understanding of the modern battle-space and information environment. These accomplishments came at the price of Canadian lives, including 158 CAF personnel, one diplomat and a number of civilians. Thousands of others were injured in the line of duty. Their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their loved ones will not be forgotten.
Canada’s contributions and the results of these efforts over the past decade have been considerable, but this is not the end of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. A shared goal of Canada and its allies is to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Between 2014 and 2017, Canada has committed $227 million in development assistance. Starting in 2015, Canada will provide $110 million per year for three years to help sustain the Afghan National Security Forces. Canada’s continuing efforts support the long-term objectives both of Afghanistan and the international community, enabling the country’s leadership in governing and securing their people’s future.
