KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canada would be committing a grave error by pulling its troops out of Afghanistan by 2009, the newly appointed police chief of Kandahar province said Sunday.
Sayed Aka Sakib also urged NATO countries to maintain their presence on Afghan soil for as long as it takes to quell the terrorist threat and stabilize the region.
Sakib, who's been police chief for less than a month, told the Canadian Press in an interview at the Kandahar police headquarters that Afghanistan remains a fertile ground for terrorist groups.
His comments followed the recent kidnapping by Taliban militants of 23 South Korean aid workers while they were travelling to Kandahar from Kabul, and the kidnapping and slaying of two Germans, who along with five Afghan colleagues were abducted while working on a dam project.
Afghanistan has seen a sharp spike in violence recently, leading to a mounting number of civilian casualties -- deaths and injuries sapping support for foreign troops and the government of President Hamid Karzai.
Sixty-six Canadian military personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of the mission in 2002. Of those, 24 have died as a result of improvised explosive devices. One-third of the fatalities have taken place this year alone.
The mounting death toll has renewed the political debate back home over the mission's future, with the opposition parties urging the government to inform NATO allies that Canada will not be renewing its combat commitment after 2009.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he won't extend the mission beyond 2009 if he doesn't have political consensus from the four political parties, an implausible goal in the face of stiff resistance from the opposition.
"It's a mistake,'' said Sakib.
Even if some Canadian soldiers are killed during the war against terrorism, Canada must resist internal pressures calling on the government to recall its troops, Sakib said.
"What's happening here, it's not just an Afghan problem. It's an international problem. What is happening here could happen elsewhere,'' Sakib said through an interpreter.
"Terrorism could easily make its way to Canada, in the same way it came to the United States, if the work here is not completed.''
Sakib said that 30 years of war, guerrilla warfare and tyrannical rule has left Afghanistan in shambles. In his eyes, Sakib predicted, it will take 15 to 20 years before the country can hope to regain control of its destiny.
Until then, the task at hand is to rebuild the country's education and health systems as well as infrastructure and economy. A well equipped and well trained Afghan army is also key, the police chief said.
But those efforts will be in vain if the international community, which is heavily involved in reconstruction projects, decide to pack its bags and leave prematurely. By intending to remove its troops in February 2009, Canada is sending the wrong message, Sakib said.
Not everyone in Kandahar, however, shares his conviction.
Abdul Wasay says he won't miss the Canadian troops when they're gone.
"They've made some terrible mistakes recently. Innocent people, civilians were killed because of their mistakes,'' say Wasay, 38. "They should not stay here.''
Ina Yatullah believes the opposite, convinced of the importance of Canadian military participation as part of the NATO's International Security Assistance Force, but has just one warning for the Canadian troops.
"The training given by the Canadian troops to the Afghan army is a good thing. But the Canadians must respect our customs, between us and them, there are huge differences. If they respect those differences, there won't be any problems here,'' he said.
