Canadian parliament debates Afghan role

OTTAWA, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Canada's future role in the NATO mission in Afghanistan was up for parliamentary debate in Ottawa Monday, a day after words of caution from the U.S. military.

The bill being debated was proposed last week by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Globe and Mail reported. It proposes extending the military commitment to NATO from February 2009 through November 2011 and also changing the focus from combat to training Afghan police and troops, which was a key element of a similar bill earlier offered by the opposition Liberals.

However, Adm. William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command and the officer responsible for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the CTV network on Sunday separating roles isn't strategically possible.

"You can't say, 'We're going to do this and not this.' You need a comprehensive and coordinated approach to this problem," Fallon told CTV.