"Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan, Report to Parliament, September 2008"

Text is here, haven't had a chance to read. This is at the end of a Toronto Star story on the Griffons for Afstan:

...a new Canadian report warned that overall security in Afghanistan is worse now than a year ago, with more, better-organized, and increasingly spectacular insurgent attacks and higher civilian and military casualties than any time since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.

The quarterly report suggests slow progress is being made on training Afghan troops, as well as on humanitarian efforts like inoculating children against polio, or completing development projects like building schools.

Although the report claims progress, it also makes clear the government is far off many of the targets Ottawa has set before the withdrawal of Canadian troops in 2011.

So far, only one of five Afghan army battalions that have been trained are at a high level of "effective strength," and capable of taking over security for one of six key districts.

From Canwest News:

Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated to a seven-year low, Canada admitted Wednesday, as President Hamid Karzai continued to vent frustration at the slow pace of progress and accidental civilian deaths caused by Western forces...

International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, chair of the cabinet committee on Afghanistan, acknowledged, "there's been a deterioration" but insisted - just as the government's progress report stated - that Canada could still reach a series of benchmarks such as training enough Afghan army and police personnel before the Canadian Forces leave Kandahar in 2011.

Despite Day's best efforts to highlight the gains made in children's health and education, the construction of roads, and the optimism of launching the major Dhala Dam irrigation project, the government did not attempt to sugar-coat the grim security situation...