OTTAWA - The federal government's latest report on the Afghan mission shows the number of roadside bomb or booby trap attacks in Kandahar skyrocketed by 108 per cent last spring.
The report says the bombings, which coincided with the arrival of thousands of U.S. reinforcements in southern Afghanistan, sharply slowed progress on development projects.
No new schools have been completed of the 50 promised by the Conservative government as part of its 2011 exit strategy.
The Canadian government set as a benchmark the creation of 10,000 seasonal jobs in the reconstruction of the Dahla dam, but, so far, only 199 Afghans are working a year after the project was announced.
The latest quarterly report on the mission also says the American troop buildup has allowed Canadian troops to concentrate on defending Kandahar city itself.
But separate U.S. reports have said American commanders are alarmed by the tide of violence and plan to focus further reinforcements on the city.
