Canada is "considering" keeping troops in Afghanistan beyond its parliamentary mandated mid-2011 exit, Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Sunday.
"We are now considering" US and NATO requests for Canadian troops to help train Afghan soldiers after its combat mission ends, the minister told a press conference at the close of the Halifax International Security Forum.
MacKay stressed that Canada's 2,800 combat troops now routing insurgents as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force would come home next year.
Canada currently also has 400 troops training Afghan soldiers to take over security from ISAF. The proposal being contemplated would have the Canadians remain in Kandahar, "behind the wire," MacKay said, noting that NATO has requested 900 more military trainers.
"Training is an option," he said. "We have been doing a lot of training. And so with those requests in mind and knowing that the mission in Afghanistan has work that is yet to be done, we are now considering this."
MacKay said he would say more on this topic in the coming weeks, before NATO leaders meet in Lisbon on November 19-20 to map out the future of the alliance.
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