What was Canada's mission in Afghanistan?

Canada deployed about 40,000 Canadian Forces personnel to Afghanistan from October 2001 to March 2014, the longest combat deployment in Canadian military history. Canada participated in the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom (2001 to 2003) and the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF, 2003 to 2014). About 159 Canadian Forces members and 7 Canadian civilians (including diplomat Glyn Berry on January 15, 2006 and journalist Michelle Lang on December 30, 2009) were killed in the conflict. The mission's evolving phases reshaped the Canadian Forces and Canadian foreign policy.

Canada's initial deployment was Operation Apollo (October 2001 to October 2003), Canada's contribution to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom against al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime that had sheltered them. Initial deployments included Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) special forces, a Royal Canadian Navy task group in the Arabian Sea (operating from October 2001), and the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group (deployed to Kandahar in January 2002 to support US Operation Anaconda in March 2002). The first Canadian combat death came on April 17, 2002 when four Canadian soldiers (Sergeant Marc Léger, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, Private Richard Green, and Private Nathan Smith) were killed by an American friendly-fire incident.

Operation Athena (August 2003 to March 2014) was Canada's main Afghanistan operation under ISAF. The first phase (2003 to 2005) saw Canadian forces (the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group and support elements, about 1,900 personnel) based in Kabul providing security in the capital. The second phase (2005 to 2011) saw Canadian forces redeployed to Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, the Taliban heartland. About 2,500 to 3,000 Canadian personnel were based at Kandahar Airfield, with combat operations including Operation Medusa (September 2006, the largest Canadian combat operation since the Korean War, in which Canadian forces defeated a Taliban offensive in the Panjwaii and Zhari districts).

The Kandahar combat phase was the deadliest. About 138 of the 159 Canadian deaths occurred there, primarily from improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Notable losses included the December 30, 2009 IED that killed four Canadian soldiers and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang. The federal Parliament voted on March 13, 2008 to extend the combat mission until July 2011. The Canadian combat mission ended in July 2011 with the transfer of Kandahar to American forces. Operation Attention (May 2011 to March 2014) saw a smaller Canadian training mission in Kabul, training Afghan National Security Forces. The last Canadian forces left Afghanistan on March 12, 2014. The August 15, 2021 Taliban return to power produced controversies about the mission's legacy. About 4,000 Afghan refugees who had worked with Canadian forces were eventually resettled in Canada through Operation Aegis from 2021 onward.