Canada handed control over the Kandahar Air Field to the United States on Thursday, officially ending its participation in the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Canada lost 157 servicemen, a diplomat, two employees of non-governmental organizations and one journalist in nine years as a member of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
The Canadian military contingent of some 3,000 was deployed at bases in two districts of Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar.
On Tuesday, the United States assumed control over the bases, and the Canadian military equipment and vehicles were taken to an airfield for further transportation to Canada.
Though Canada ended its participation in ISAF, some 950 Canadian servicemen will remain in Afghanistan to train the country's security forces.
