OTTAWA - Just over a month ago, we all paused and celebrated when Osama Bin Laden was finally tracked down. Soon after, details began to emerge regarding the daring SEAL Team-6 operation that led to his death.

As it turns out, Bin Laden had been living in a compound in northern Pakistan. The building itself was incredibly suspicious; it was surrounded by large walls and has no connecting phone lines or internet cables. With a heavy military presence, it is inconceivable that this compound would not pique the curiosity of anyone who happened upon it. Many people around the world have been wondering how the world's most wanted man could be allowed to live so undisturbed in Pakistan – a supposed ally of the west against Al Qaeda.

It is perhaps not a surprise that the United States was hesitant to involve Pakistani authorities in their now infamous raid on Osama Bin Laden's stronghold. After all, there are only a few ways Bin Laden could have secured such a cushy exile:

a) Bin Laden bribed the right people
b) Pakistani officials knew of his whereabouts, but were sympathetic to his cause.

More likely than not, Bin Laden relied upon both factors. To those who have followed our military efforts in Afghanistan and the role Pakistan has played, all of this will not come as a surprise – Pakistan is certainly not a staunch, reliable ally.

Over the past decade the Americans have directed billions of dollars to the Pakistani army, hoping the money will encourage them to secure Waziristan, Pakistan's jihadist-infested northern province. The Pakistani military, however, has not acted and continues to demand more money. Pakistan's Intelligence Agency, "Inter-Service Intelligence" (ISI), is so porous in terms of security that many international observers fear it is actually being directed by Al Qaeda.

Considering all the recent interest in Pakistan's role in this conflict and the fact that our Afghan mission is partially winding down in July, Canadians must know what has been happening in the region. 

Unfortunately, this means it is time to discuss Pakistan's involvement in actively fighting Canadians over the past five years.

Though we arrived in the region in 2001 - our defining military contributions didn’t begin to take shape until the beginning of 2006. That year our forces were deployed to the southern Afghanistan province of Kandahar. At the time, NATO was looking for someone to take the lead in securing Kandahar from the Taliban; General Rick Hillier took up the task when no one else would. 

Our first offensive maneuvers in Kandahar province were labeled Operation Mountain Thrust, Operation Medusa and Operation Falcon Summit. These operations helped extinguish the Taliban threat in the area – however, only for a limited timeframe. 

Geographically speaking, Kandahar province shares its southern and eastern borders with Pakistan. Unbeknownst to us, our initial combat successes had driven the Taliban across the border into southern Pakistan – reportedly to an area around the city of Quetta. It is there that the remaining Taliban loyalists regrouped and waited – and more importantly were joined by Al-Qaeda fighters and others sympathetic to their cause.

In late 2007, the Taliban and their brethren started sending fighters back across the border into Kandahar. Of course, our forces thought they had scored a lasting victory earlier in 2006, so initially we were caught off guard by the jihadist resurgence. But we adapted, and we dug in. What ensued was three more years of battling for a secure Kandahar.

As you may know, our forces successfully held their ground and secured the province.  We have now transferred all operations in the region to the Americans and other groups. Our role in Kandahar must never be understated. Our forces took, and then held, one of the three most violently-contested areas of Afghanistan. If Kandahar had fallen, it would have carried disastrous consequences for the rest of the country.

It is necessary for Pakistan to shoulder its responsibility for prolonging the conflict in Kandahar.  To this day, the Taliban/Mullah Dadullah/Al Qaeda groups continue to operate without recourse in the area around Quetta. Our forces had to fend off waves of jihadists coming directly from Pakistan, knowing all the while that we could never enter Pakistan to deal with the problem directly. Seen in this light, the Americans' decision to raid Bin Laden's compound without involving the Pakistani military can be more readily understood.

It seems that our conventional forces are now headed home for good. We will remain active in the region of Kabul, where our efforts will be focused on training the Afghan National Army and infrastructure building projects.  Our time spent in Kandahar will be remembered as a success, but a hard-won success.

Placed between hostile forces and an uncooperative ally, our Canadian Forces delivered where others failed. For this, and countless other reasons, the Canadian Forces deserve our ongoing support and admiration.