Canada's outgoing commander in Afghanistan believes he's ending his tour with real progress being achieved in some of Kandahar's toughest districts.
In the Zhari and Panjwaii districts, families that left because of conflict are now returning to their homes, Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.
"We have been able to conduct many projects in the area with the help of our Canadian partners ... I think life is better for the Afghan people in Kandahar."
Any progress has come at the cost of 17 Canadian lives since Laroche took command last August, most lost to so-called improvised explosive devices planted on roads.
Last fall, the military brought in some specialized bomb detection equipment and The Canadian Press reported earlier this month that the military is planning on buying even more such equipment.
Meanwhile, Canada is paying for a 6.5-kilometre road-paving project in Panjwaii. The project provides much-needed employment for hundreds of Afghans, will make it easier for Afghan farmers to get their products to market -- and make it tougher for insurgents to plant bombs.
There are plans to eventually build about 22 kilometres of paved road in the district.
"I think we have done a lot of things to improve the security of our people," Laroche said.
Working closely with Canada's Afghan partners will help improve security further, he said.
"We see more Afghan national security forces in places like Zhari-Panjwaii again," Laroche said.
"They are now in charge of Zhari district, which is a very difficult piece of ground."
Laroche is about to hand the job of commanding Task Force Afghanistan off to Brig.-Gen. Dennis Thompson.
Thompson has said he expects an increased emphasis on development and reconstruction.
The military has been working with Canadian diplomats and CIDA, the development agency, over his tour to establish the groundwork for that shift, Laroche said.
"Our main task for the forces is to support that effort by the other departments," he said.
One controversy that arose during the mission was reports that Canadian troops were "negotiating" with Taliban insurgents.
A poll released Tuesday by Angus Reid Strategies found that 48 per cent of respondents oppose active negotiation with the Taliban, while 37 per cent were open to the idea.
More than 1,000 people were interviewed for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
"We don't negotiate as such with the Taliban," Laroche said.
The Afghan government drives the reconciliation program, he said. There were discussions "at the tactical level" between soldiers and possible insurgents, he added .
"But again, we cannot call that negotiations," Laroche said.
