OTTAWA - As Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan enters its third full year, there's increasing pressure on Prime Minister Harper's government to do more talking than fighting.
Louis Delvoie, a former high commissioner to Pakistan, says diplomacy is one of the elements that's been missing from the conflict.
There are mounting calls for more dialogue.
For instance, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is encourging the Afghans to recruit moderate Taliban members into the government.
Colonel Dennis Thompson, who will become the commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan this winter, says the army already knows that development and diplomacy are part of the solution.
He says winning in Afghanistan is more than just being in a gunfight.
Canada's chief of defence staff says mastering the complexities and rivalries of war-torn Afghanistan was a major preoccupation for the army throughout 2007.
General Rick Hillier says commanders going into Kandahar are getting some savvy training in the nuances of tribal culture and conflicts.
He says it's setting them up for success.
