Tuesday, May 31 – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper traveled to Afghanistan in a surprising visit on Monday. During his visit he me with Canadian soldiers who will soon end their combat mission and transition to a training role.
Mr. Harper traveled to a forward operating base in Sperwan Ghar in the western part of the country by a helicopter where he was clarified about some of the progress that had been made in the area, including the building of a paved road leading to Kandahar City.
Harper also toured an area known as Tarnak Farms, once a hotbed of Taliban activity, but now filled with fields of wheat and barley. It was also the site in 2002 of Canada’s first four casualties in Afghanistan in a friendly-fire incident.
Canada’s combat activity is due to end in July, around 950 soldiers will remain in the country for the purposes of training Afghan military members.
Harper’s visit to Afghanistan comes as Canada is in the midst of a transition from its combat mission to a training one.
