I. Introduction
Summer has come to be known in Afghanistan as “the fighting season”—when insurgents mobilize for their most aggressive offensives. In Afghanistan generally, and in Kandahar specifically, this summer was especially violent. Numbers of insurgent incidents, and casualty rates among civilians and soldiers, reached levels higher than in any year since the Taliban regime was overthrown in 2001. Security conditions in this quarter were worse than in the previous quarter, and worse than a year ago.
Despite these unprecedented levels of insurgent violence, Canada strengthened its engagement in Afghanistan during the quarter. Training and mentoring of Afghan National Security Forces have advanced. Progress has been achieved in three Canadian signature projects—to rehabilitate the Dahla Dam and its irrigation system in Kandahar, to build or restore 50 schools in the province, and to continue polio vaccinations to protect some seven million children across the country. Canada and international partners have acted to support border-security cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we have invested more resources in the necessary long-term work of improving Afghanistan’s own capacities for democratic governance and reconciliation.
All of these actions are directed to fulfilling our commitment to the six priorities that define Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, priorities affirmed in the first quarterly report on the mission tabled in Parliament last June.
During this quarter we developed and published an extensive set of benchmarks, by which Canadians and Parliament can assess what progress is or is not being made in the mission between now and 2011. The benchmarks can also help us identify changing circumstances and adapt to new conditions as they arise.
While Canada remains an influential player and has a growing embassy in Kabul, we are now concentrating both our civilian and military contributions to Afghanistan in Kandahar. Our strategic objective is straightforward. It is to make measurable progress by 2011 toward building a safer and better governed Kandahar supported by a national government more able to advance Afghanistan’s own security and development.
This is a dangerous and arduous undertaking. Afghanistan is at war against a fierce insurgency, and these last several months have been particularly difficult. But by understanding the Afghan conflict more clearly, and tracking Canada’s successes and setbacks carefully, we can direct our efforts for the best effects possible in Afghanistan’s violent context.
This quarterly report addresses the summer period extending from mid-June to the end of September. The next report will cover the fall quarter ending December 31.
