Bernier unveils security training facility in Kandahar

After a day-long visit to Afghanistan's capital, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier continued his tour to the Central Asian country on Sunday by discussing the latest efforts to train Afghans for a larger security role in their nation.

He said he was in the country to listen to the concerns of diplomats, humanitarian aid workers and military officials like Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, the commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan.

Bernier began his day by touring military facilities at Kandahar Airfield with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner. The two men inspected military equipment, including Canadian armoured vehicles and French Mirage and Rafale fighter jets.

But a key part of their visit took place at Canada's provincial reconstruction team at Camp Nathan Smith, on the other side of Kandahar city, where Bernier unveiled a newly built $111,000 training centre.

Canadians will be using the centre to train members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) to take over security duties in Kandahar province.

Bernier said he will monitor the facility's success when he returns to Canada.

"We have to go back in Canada and will have a discussion about the future of our mission, so we will have to set benchmarks on the training of the ANA, the training of the ANP," Bernier said.

"It was important to have a meeting with the general and other officials to understand pretty well what is the challenges that we face concerning the training of the national army and the national police."

The Canadian government is hoping Afghanistan's army will be able to take over leadership of military operations in the south by 2011.