Canada ends military operations in Afghanistan

The Canadian forces Wednesday ended their military operation in the post-Taliban Afghanistan, the NATO-led coalition forces said.

Canada marked the end of more than 12 years of major military operations in Afghanistan during a flag-lowering ceremony conducted at ISAF (International Security Assistance Forces) headquarters today," Xinhua quoted the NATO-led ISAF as saying in a statement.

"The Canadian Armed Forces have been a reliable and significant partner in the success of the ISAF mission," said Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan.

"Canada played a critical role in securing Kandahar Province and had a strategic impact across the country with their contribution to the NATO training mission.

"Canadian personnel set an example for courage and compassion of which both Canada and NATO can be proud. On behalf of ISAF I extend our sincere thanks and gratitude for Canada's outstanding service and sacrifice," Dunford noted in the statement.

Over 40,000 Canadian service members were deployed to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.

More than 52,000-strong NATO-led foreign troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are currently being deployed in Afghanistan.