OTTAWA — Canada could still have soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2011, although the government maintains that `combat' operations will cease.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada will pull its troops out of Afghanistan by 2011.

But Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the government is considering many options for continuing to help the Afghan population -- including security, which would undoubtedly involve an unspecified number of soldiers.

Other options include continuing development, medical aid and reconstruction work that's currently being done by Canada's provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

When specifically asked Tuesday whether Canada's PRT would remain in Kandahar, MacKay would not rule it out.

The PRT base is entirely separate from the combat units, located at Kandahar Airfield, NATO's principal base in southern Afghanistan.

But it is protected by 150 Canadian military personnel that are often just as much in harm's way as combat soldiers.

The minister's comments came as the European Union's chief military officer stated that nations in the 27-member bloc lack the political will to send more troops to fight the stalemated war.

After meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, NATO's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also said he is confident that allied troops will remain in Afghanistan "as long as it takes."

The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, last week called for an additional 40,000 combat troops.

NATO contributes roughly two-thirds of the more than 100,000 international troops currently in Afghanistan, including more than 3,000 from Canada.