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Afghanistan troop level at its limit: Gauthier
Updated Fri. Jan. 19 2007 9:49 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Canada is likely to continue to boost its military commitment in southern Afghanistan over the coming months, but will not be increasing troop numbers, said Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier.

Gauthier, who leads the Ottawa-based Canadian Expeditionary Force, said it's possible that more equipment will be sent over, such as artillery guns and even aircraft.

But Gauthier, who is wrapping up a two-day visit with Canadian troops in Kandahar, said Canada won't be increasing the number of boots on the ground.

"We're at about the limit of what we can sustain," said the officer, who reports to Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier.

The news comes amid indications from U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates that the U.S. may add to the 24,000 American troops already stationed in Afghanistan.

"I think it is important that we not let this success here in Afghanistan slip away from us and that we keep the initiative," Gates told reporters on Wednesday. "There's no reason to sit back and let the Taliban regroup."

Gauthier welcomed the possibility of increased commitments from other NATO members.

"More NATO troops, more Afghan troops, more Afghan National Police, less NATO caveats -- all those things, above all, determine the pace of progress, they don't determine whether we'll win," he said in Kandahar.

Gauthier, who has travelled to Afghanistan on 15 occasions, said he has seen more evidence on this trip, than in all the previous visits, that the mission is progressing.

CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Kandahar, said Gauthier was impressed with the troops' commitment to the mission, despite the losses they have experienced.

"Now, remember, of course, that the Canadians went through a very, very difficult time during the summer and during the fall, when a lot of soldiers were lost, a lot of soldiers were wounded," Workman told CTV's Canada AM.

"In spite of that, he says the morale is still very high. They know the mission, they accept the mission, they accept their responsibility and they're very pleased with the kind of progress they've made."

Canada has roughly 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, mostly stationed in the south, where much of the fighting has taken place. Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.

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