OTTAWA (CP) - Canada will provide $15 million to help rebuild the battered rural irrigation system in Afghanistan. The pledge, made personally by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday, came as Canadian soldiers joined an allied offensive to root out Taliban insurgents.

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay denied that the aid announcement was timed to divert attention from the military operation.

"This is not to diminish in any way, shape or form the role that the Canadian military are playing there with the other 37 countries for the stabilization and security," he said.

"It's a holistic approach and we have to ensure that the Afghan people themselves are involved in the rebuilding."

Omar Samad, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, welcomed the news. "I think that this announcement is very good news in the right direction as far as development aid is concerned," he said in an interview.

He said he has outlined a number of economic and development needs to donor nations. "Rural irrigation has been one of the items that we have mentioned as one of our priorities and I am very happy to hear today that the government has allocated $15 million to rebuild the system."

In announcing the money, Harper said it is important to improve irrigation because half the Afghan economy depends on agriculture. He also said that if more land is devoted to growing food, less will be planted with poppies to fuel the narcotics trade.

Opposition politicians have been wary of Canada's military commitment to Afghanistan. A Commons vote on extending that operation just squeaked through last month.

Opponents say Canada should stress aid and reconstruction, not military force. Harper said Canada is committed to rebuilding the country, which has been wrecked by a generation of war.

"This announcement represents one more building block in this work, and another step in the journey we are taking with our allies and the Afghan people to establish a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan."

MacKay said Canadian aid is directed to key areas: "This announcement is specifically aimed at some of the important infrastructure: water, sanitation. These are areas that we felt were lacking and therefore that contribution is aimed specifically and earmarked for those areas of reconstruction."

There are about 2,200 Canadian soldiers on the Afghanistan mission. They are charged with stabilizing a troubled southern region around Kandahar. Canada has also committed $1 billion over 10 years for reconstruction efforts in the country.