OTTAWA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Canada's opposition Liberals promised on Thursday to withdraw the country's 2,500 soldiers from Afghanistan in early 2009, as scheduled, if they win the next federal election. The minority Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which pushed through the extension of the mission from 2007 to 2009 last year, has yet to say whether the soldiers will come back as planned. Canada's troops, part of a larger NATO force, are based in the southern city of Kandahar and spent much of 2006 fighting Taliban militants. Since 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died. "I will say unequivocally that a Liberal government led by me will not extend Canada's combat mission in Kandahar beyond February 2009," Liberal leader Stephane Dion said in a speech in Montreal. Dion said Harper had mismanaged the file and as a result Afghans now associated Canadians with fighting rather than rebuilding the shattered country. "Total coalition spending on military operations in Afghanistan outpaces spending on development and reconstruction by 900 percent. Today, only 20 percent of Canada's development assistance to Afghanistan is spent in Kandahar. This imbalance must be corrected," he said. "Between now and 2009, a Liberal government I lead will adopt a more integrated strategy in Kandahar, with a greater development and diplomatic thrust, and a real effort to win the hearts and minds of Afghans." Political observers and insiders say there is a good chance of a federal election this year. Recent polls suggest the result would be too close to call and say neither major party would win a majority of the seats in Parliament.
