Canadian Prime Minister's Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

Stephen Harper's first official international visit: Afghanistan. He left Ottawa very discreetly Saturday morning and turned up in Kandahar Sunday evening.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday in a carefully planned and closely guarded mission to show support for Canadian troops and diplomatic staff. *snip* Harper said the Canadian force in Afghanistan serves the national interest because:

International terrorism is rooted in the country. "It was in Afghanistan that Sept. 11 started."
The country is a major source of narcotics, which have a terrible impact on Canada.
It shows Canada providing international leadership and humanitarian aid.

www.cbc.ca...

Even I have to admit that Harper's move was very clever... nice way to shore up support for the Canadian army's mission in southern Afghanistan, which has come under fire in Canada as two soldiers have died and a third has been wounded...

Not to mention that it draws attention away from Harper's ethics woes.

You know I almost forgot Canada had troops in Afghanistan!!!

good move for Prime Minister, if you want to be global leader, get involved


Afghanistan needs worldwide support in order to succeed as a country.

moving to Global News Discussion..

Good, I'm glad he is there, and I agree very, smart move being discreet.
But, Harper appears to be averse to pomp and circumstance. Refreshing change.

Stephen Harper will no doubt send the message to our troops there, that they have not been forgotten, as seems to of been the case with the previous government, and not to mention some Canadian folks here.

some people I work with didn't even realize we have had troops there since 911

You can bet there will be some opposition MP who will dream up a whiney excuse to find disfavour with this

Harper is heads and shoulders above the prior liberals that ran Canada for 12 years in a row. He is the equivalent of a Republican in the US. But he needs to heed the grass roots more than he has been if he hopes to increase his grip on power I think.

Stephen Harper has certainly demonstrated that he is serious about his support of the Canadian Military by visiting Canadian troops in Afghanistan. His visit has provided the Canadian troops with a much needed boost in morale after the recent deaths and injuries sustained in that very dangerous part of the world. All that I can say is "bravo" Mr. Harper. But, of course, only time will tell whether the Canadian PM will be as compassionate and courageous as a true leader should be. Nevertheless, this visit certainly is a good start.