As a consequence of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Canada committed forces to Afghanistan in October 2001. The main Canadian battle group was deployed in February 2002. The Canadian military commitment ended in 2014. Over 40,000 Canadians served as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force, with158 making the ultimate sacrifice. Thousands of other veterans of the war were wounded physically and psychologically, leading to additional deaths by suicide. Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan will be debated and analyzed for years. A Canadian soldier shakes hands with an Afghan boy during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army troops in southern Afghanistan, July 13, 2007. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly |