Canada 'scrambling' to fill Afghan mission

OTTAWA, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Canada's defense minister admits that the country is "scrambling" to find soldiers to meet its obligations in Afghanistan.

Gordon O'Connor, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., said the military is trying to keep its promise to limit Afghanistan service to one tour.

"So that's had them scrambling to figure out where all the troops are coming from," he said.

Canada has 2,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, and Parliament recently extended the mission to February 2009. Gen. Rick Hillier, head of the defense staff, confirmed Sunday that naval and air force personnel are to be sent to Afghanistan as well.

"Minister O'Connor and I have a unity of thought and a unity of effort on this one," he told the CBC. "Our aim is to simply use all the Canadian forces to do this very complex mission, to use every man and woman in uniform rather than have a small number carry the burden, as we have traditionally done over the last decade."

Canada has lost 42 soldiers and a diplomat in Afghanistan.