Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Friday that a U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan's dangerous Kandahar province doesn't mean other NATO countries can reduce their military and reconstruction efforts.
MacKay, who is hosting a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Cornwallis, N.S., said that some NATO countries aren't pulling their weight in Afghanistan, and that some officials should "examine their ability to do more.
"Other countries should be under no illusion. We're still asking for them to pick up the slack and share the burden," said MacKay, who didn't specify which NATO nations he was referring to.
The comments came as MacKay and defence ministers representing countries involved in the Afghanistan mission discussed details about the U.S. surge during the meeting in the village of Cornwallis.
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates also began to lay out how the 3,500 additional Marines being sent to Afghanistan before year's end will be used. Gates also added the surge will correspond with upcoming Afghan elections.
The U.S. has also committed an Army brigade of about 5,000 soldiers for early 2009. As many as three additional Army brigades could follow in the months after that.
Despite the call for more international involvement, MacKay welcomed the U.S. surge and said that it will lead to "a civilian surge to work on re-construction and development."
Mackay said that such efforts are paramount in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have mounted an increasingly deadly insurgency which has paralyzed efforts at rebuilding the war-torn nation.
"Upping the ante, as far as visible signs of progress, very much matters very much to Afghan civilians; it matters to their government," said MacKay.
"It doesn't mean we should let up, or as Secretary Gates has said previously, this is about reinforcement, not replacement."
The U.S. troop increases are in line with promises President-elect Barack Obama made during his recent campaign.
Also on the agenda, MacKay said ministers will be in discussion on ways to further build the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces.
"I think this is high on everyone's mind, this is not a mission without end," MacKay said.
"Canada will be concluding its combat involvement in 2011 and we want to contribute as much as possible to the ability of the Afghans to defend themselves."
Also critical to the mission is to increase the reconstruction and development in the country, MacKay said.
"The quicker we can secure the ground then allow for things like the Dahla Dam project and building of roads and schools and hospitals to proceed -- this spells good news," he said.
"But we need the absolute buy-in and participation of the Afghan government."
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
