Canada pledges $132 million in aid for Afghanistan

Canada pledged an aid of $21 million (U.S.$16.5 million) for improving law and order in Afghanistan.

The amount is earmarked for payment of salaries of Afghan national police and prison guards, the visiting Canadian foreign minister Lawrence Cannon said at a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday.

The disbursal of the money is entrusted with the UN through a trust fund, according to Afghan officials.

At the end of the two-day visit, the top Canadian diplomat also promised to donate $111 million (U.S.$87.4 million) for the Afghan presidential election, scheduled to be held in August, and for improving human rights in the next three years.

About 70,000 foreign troops carry out security operations in Afghanistan jointly with national forces since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001. About 2,500 out of them are Canadian troops, deployed in Kandahar.

by RTTNews Staff Writer

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