Troops board plane to leave

The Canadian military withdrawal from Kandahar has begun.

Hundreds of combat troops have boarded a military aircraft for the long trip home.

The soldiers of Alpha Company, of the Royal 22nd Regiment based in Quebec, departed Afghanistan in the overnight hours after seven months in the Panjwaii district.

Canada is ending combat operations in Kandahar, but will be switching to a mission to train Afghanistan’s National Army and police, which will together take responsibility for the security of afghanistan once NATO forces exit the country in the years ahead.