OTTAWA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Canada's minority Conservative government will introduce a parliamentary motion this week to prolong the country's military mission in Afghanistan beyond February 2009, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. She did not specify whether the vote would be one of confidence, which would bring the government down if it lost, triggering an election. The vote on the motion would take place in late March if NATO allies meet the conditions that Canada has set for its troops to stay, she said. Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he will pull Canada's 2,500 troops out of Afghanistan on schedule early next year unless NATO sends in 1,000 extra troops. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Galloway)
Afghan police and security forces arrive at a mosque after a suicide blast in Lashkar Gah city in the southern Helmand province January 31, 2008. A suicide bomber blew himself up ...