Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on Canada to maintain its military presence in Afghanistan after 2009, saying his country will fall into the hands of terrorists without Canada's help.
Karzai spoke to members of the Canadian media in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Tuesday.
He told reporters he is aware of the controversy over Canada's military role, but said 2009 is fast approaching and Afghanistan won't be ready to take over security by the deadline.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set February 2009 as a deadline for Canada to end its combat role unless consensus can be reached in the House of Commons to extend the mission.
"He was talking about what would happen if Canadian troops were to pull out in February of 2009," said CTV's Steve Chao in Kabul.
"He said that unequivocally it would mean that Afghanistan would fall back into anarchy -- that it would bring back the safe havens to terrorists and terrorists would be able to strike once again into the United States and Canada."
Karzai didn't set a timeline for when he believes Afghanistan will be ready to stand on its own feet.
Karzai said Canadian troops have made a major difference in southern Afghanistan, where most of their efforts have been focused.
"He says the last two years that they have been there, there has been a remarkable change in terms of the safety. And despite the insurgency he says that they are actually bringing education, bringing reconstruction, the things that Canadians most care about," Chao said.
Karzai also took a share in the responsibility, pledging that if Canada committed its troops to a longer stay in Afghanistan, he would personally work on ending corruption, rebuilding infrastructure and trying to bring good governance to the country.
He also sent a special message to Quebec. Karzai said he is aware that the debate over Canada's role in Afghanistan is perhaps most intense in Quebec, and he said the province's "sons and daughters" serving in there are accomplishing important work.
Nearly six years after helping topple the Taliban government, Canadians are still fighting and dying in Kandahar province.
"We have to have patience," said Karzai. "It's not going to be fixed in a day or two.''
Omar Samad, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, stressed in a CTV interview that Canadian troops have helped his forces protect civilians as well as pave the way for his people to reform the judiciary and other institutions
"We are focused on rebuilding the country," he said. "Hopefully Canadians will see over time that not only is Afghanistan a country that is moving forward, but that Canadian aid has helped and continues to help."
Samad also said that if it weren't for the deployment of Canadians, Kandahar would have fallen into Taliban hands.
