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Canada to withdraw from Afghanistan

17 November 2010 | Afghanistan Canada  By Will Inglis 
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The Canadian government has confirmed that it will pull combat troops out of Afghanistan next year.

A deadline of July has been set for the withdrawal of troops from Kandahar.

There are currently more than 2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan. After intense political pressure the government confirmed that they would not be asking parliament to extend the stay of combat troops.

However, around 1,000 troops will stay in the country after next year to train the Afghan forces. They are likely to be based near Kabul.

The announcement comes just days ahead of the NATO summit in Lisbon.