During a ceremony in Ottawa on Tuesday, Canada officially ended its 12-year military engagement in Afghanistan by welcoming home the last 93 soldiers who had deployed to the country.
Since the war started in October of 2001, Canada has sent more than 40,000 troops to Afghanistan and 158 of them lost their lives.
"You have seen the suffering of a population under the tyranny of deliberate violence, enforced poverty and perverse fanaticism," Gov. Gen. David Johnston told them, according to the CBC. "Many of you have witnessed the worst and the best of humanity."
As the Ottawa Citizen reports, it was a ceremony marked by warm embraces and emotional reunions. Pictures tell this story better than words, so we'll leave you with a few:
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The plane carrying the last of Canada's troops in Afghanistan is escorted through the air by fighter jets.
Cole Burston
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Soldiers take photos from the cockpit of the plane carrying the last of Canada's troops in Afghanistan.
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The last of Canada's troops to return from Afghanistan are greeted by dignitaries, including Gov. Gen. David Johnston and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, as they arrive on Tuesday at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa.
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The last Canadian troops to leave Afghanistan deplane as they return to Canadian soil, in Ottawa, Ontario on Tuesday, bringing an end to Canada's longest ever military engagement.
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MCpl Anthony Alliot and Sarah Tooth kiss after the last Canadian troops from Afghanistan returned at Ottawa International Airport.
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Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson listens to speeches during the welcoming ceremony for the last of Canada's troops from Afghanistan.
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