Canada PM issues Afghan ultimatum

Nato and Afghanistan want Canadian troops to stay on

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is demanding that a further 1,000 Nato troops be sent to Kandahar province where Canada's 2,500 troops are based.

Canada's current mission in Afghanistan is set to expire in February 2009.

Seventy-eight Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.

An independent report into Canada's mission issued last week recommended that Canadian troops remain in Afghanistan indefinitely.

However, it also said that Canada should pull out if it did not get the support it needs.

'Additional resources'

A spokeswoman for Mr Harper said the prime minister had told Mr Bush that "unless Canada was able to meet the conditions specified by the [report] of additional combat troops and equipment from Nato allies, Canada's mission in Afghanistan will not be extended".

White House press secretary Tony Fratto said that in reply, the president had "noted the deployment of 3,200 additional US marines to Afghanistan".

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