OTTAWA — About 500 Canadian troops will remain in Afghanistan after Canada turns over command of the international peacekeeping force there later this year, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Wednesday.

"We're going to leave 500," Martin told the wife of a Canadian soldier currently stationed in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Martin was asked about the stress overseas deployments place on soldiers and their families during a town hall meeting with Canadian voters televised by the CBC. Canada currently has about 2,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Canadian Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier is due to take command of the NATO troops in Kabul next Tuesday, replacing Lt.-Gen. Goetz Gliemeroth, of Germany. Troops from Canada and Germany currently make up the bulk of the force.

But the Canadian commitment ends in August and NATO is still trying to muster troops from member countries to replace them and the German forces currently stationed in Kabul.

Martin said he told NATO's leadership two weeks ago that Canada could not extend the deployment of its force there beyond August apart from the 500-member contingent.

He also said he was sensitive to soldiers' complaints that frequent deployments were wearing them and their families down.

"We are not going to send our troops abroad unless we are able to provide the proper rotation," he said during the town hall meeting.

"We are not going to send our troops abroad unless they are as well-equipped as any troops in the world."

Defence spending was reduced while Martin was finance minister. He has promised to re-equip Canadian forces after a review of defence and foreign policy is complete later this year.