Think of a number and double it ...

The NATO operation in Afghanistan was well down the road to self-perpetuation when the magic pull-out date of 31December 2014 was announced, and I believe that was the only reason the Canadian government was talked into re-upping last year and joining the training advisory mission based in Kabul. For all hs faults, Mr Harper is not famous for reinforcing failure.

Mind you, if the rate of "green on blue" attacks increases, look for the Canadian contingent in the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan to be on sprinters' blocks in March 2014, with the Mission Closure Unit yanking their phones out and cutting the lights at the earliest possible moment.