Canada's outgoing military commander in Afghanistan says the Afghan National Army is making great progress, but it's unlikely the fledgling force will be able to take over frontline responsibilities by next spring.
Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant's comments come one week after Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said he expects Canadian troops to begin shifting to a training role by next spring as the Afghans take on more combat duties.
Grant told CTV's Canada AM the Afghan army is improving dramatically, but he offered a cautious response to O'Connor's prediction.
"They're doing well. Will they be able to carry the entire burden by the end of this upcoming (rotation)? Probably not, but we're hopeful," Grant said.
"They're keen to make a success and we're doing everything we can to make sure they're as successful as they can be."
O'Connor had pointed to the Canadians' successful mentoring of one Afghan battalion that is now out in the field conducting operations on its own, and said that was to be a model used to train other Afghan battalions, eventually taking weight off the Canadians.
But Gen. Rick Hillier also downplayed his political boss's comments, saying that handing over front-line duties to the Afghan army wouldn't be easy.
"We'd like to see that it was in that position to be able to do so by next February, but that would be certainly a significant challenge for them," Hillier said Sunday on CTV's Question Period in the wake of O'Connor's comments.
Grant, who had a narrow brush with death recently when a suicide bomber attacked the convoy he was travelling in, said the situation on the ground is definitely improving, and there is reason to hope.
"We've seen tremendous improvement in the one (Afghan) infantry battalion ... we have on the ground right now," said Grant, who is coming to the end of his nine-month rotation in Afghanistan.
"We've got two more we will start to mentor, and we hope to see the improvement of them as they move forward and as they become more capable they will take on a bigger leadership role and a bigger weight of the fight against the Taliban."
However, he said Canadians must remain committed to training and mentoring their Afghan counterparts, even if they don't meet Canadian timelines, to ensure they can take over security duties after the Canadians and other NATO troops eventually leave.
"If they're not ready we keep at it," Grant said.
"Truly, we need to continue that at every level, through the infantry on the ground to their brigade and corps headquarters, that they are capable and professional enough to carry on this fight when we leave."
Grant pointed to other ongoing successes in Afghanistan, noting that Canada's security efforts have made it possible for development and reconstruction to take place, health care has improved and the childhood mortality rate has fallen dramatically.
"Forty thousand additional kids are alive today in Afghanistan because of things Canadians and others have done," Grant said.
