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"We never rule out any possibility of any engagement," [Chretien] said. Toronto Star March 19, 05:52 EDT Canada's troops may stay in Afghanistan: PM Tim Harper Ottawa Bureau Chief OTTAWA � Canadian troops involved in perilous fighting on the ground in Afghanistan may be asked to stay beyond their six-month mandate, Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien said yesterday. But even as the Prime Minister praised the professionalism and bravery of the Canadians fighting terrorism abroad, he said he has not "fundamentally" changed his view that the military in this country is properly funded. "There are always more demands, by every department, and defence is one of them, all the time," Chr�tien said in an interview aired last night with the CBC's Peter Mansbridge, anchor for The National. "They are the ones who got more than probably any other department since the (government spending) cuts have been stopped," the Prime Minister added. Chr�tien was speaking after 500 Canadian troops from the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry just finished combing the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan to roust pockets of Al Qaeda terrorists, successfully and professionally completing the first week of active ground combat by this country in half a century. Operation Harpoon, involving nearly 500 Canadian and 100 U.S. troops against Al Qaeda and Taliban forces, ended Sunday with no allied casualties and large quantities of enemy weapons destroyed, said Commodore Jean-Pierre Thiffault, the officer in charge of Canada's anti-terror forces in Afghanistan. There will be other tough missions ahead, Defence Minister Art Eggleton told Canadian Press. Thiffault said the soldiers and about 100 Americans attached to the outfit, did a superb job clearing the ridge, and that now they'll have a chance to rest before getting another assignment. "Al Qaeda and Taliban operations were dealt a severe blow by this operation," Thiffault said. "Their base of operations in Shah-e-Kot Valley has been destroyed." Canadian forces have focused their efforts in recent decades on peacekeeping rather than combat operations, and Thiffault said the success of Operation Harpoon � conducted in support of Operation Anaconda, which ended yesterday � had been a "very uplifting experience" for the troops. Some critics had questioned whether Canada's soldiers were adequately equipped for combat duty in Afghanistan. "This goes again to show that our training is spot on," Thiffault said. Chr�tien said he was aware the defence department wanted heavy military aircraft to transport troops and equipment to combat and there had been adverse publicity because they did not have their own means of transportation to Afghanistan. "We can rent planes," he said. "We don't have to have a series of planes waiting on the tarmac. When you transport troops, you need a plane with seats. You might as well rent it." That is a practice followed by most countries, except the United States and the United Kingdom, he explained. The Prime Minister said he would agree to bring the 800 Canadians home in July if three conditions were met � the Taliban is no longer operating, Al Qaeda terrorists are no longer on the ground and there is a stable government in Kabul. Chr�tien also dealt with his own future in the Mansbridge interview, but continued to play coy. He said the public infighting among his would-be successors has not hurt their performances in key cabinet posts and he promised to give a new Liberal leader at least a year to put his or her own stamp on the party before needing to call an election. The Prime Minister has sent signals that he plans to go through a mandatory review of his leadership at next February's Liberal convention. If successful, he would have the option of seeking a fourth mandate. Most of the interview dealt with Canada's participation in the war on terrorism and Chr�tien would not rule out joining U.S.-led forces on an expanded war on terrorism, possibly in Iraq. He repeated his earlier statements that he would have to be given proof of a link between the Iraqi regime and international terrorism, a link he has not yet seen. "If you give me the proof that there is a link between Al Qaeda and terrorism in Iraq, the situation might change,'' he said. "We never rule out any possibility of any engagement," he said. U.S. President George W. Bush offered him no proof and made no requests for Canadian involvement when the two men met in Washington last week, Chr�tien said. "We are not running away from our responsibilities. Ever. But I am not dealing with a hypothetical situation here," Chr�tien said. Opposition politicians slammed Chr�tien for musing about extending the Canadian mandate in Afghanistan without pledging proper support for soldiers who are putting their lives on the line. "If he doesn't think the military is ill-equipped, then he's dealing with a much larger problem than simply Art Eggleton's refusal to pass information along to him," said Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark. "Anybody who knows anything about the Canadian military knows it is seriously ill-equipped now," Clark added. "It is a major problem for Canadians sent to Afghanistan. It is a major problem with regard to carrying on any other kinds of obligations. "He's wrong and he has to face the facts," Clark said. Interim Canadian Alliance Leader John Reynolds reacted in a similar vein. "They didn't get a lot of money. He's wrong, he's misleading Canadians," Reynolds said. Earlier this month, a Senate committee said it believed the Canadian military needed another $4 billion per year and 15,000 more personnel to keep protecting Canadian values. The military now receives $12 billion per year and has about 60,000 personnel. "The bottom line is a significant deterioration of Canadian Forces equipment," the committee report said. "Maintenance is becoming extremely manpower-intensive and expensive. Training has been curtailed, and personnel are being asked to perform at an unacceptably high level of operations tempo." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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