OTTAWA — As a chorus of protest rang out from Parliament’s upper public galleries, the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to extend Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan to 2011.

OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada’s parliament voted on Thursday to extend its 2,500-strong troop deployment in volatile southern Afghanistan to 2011, as long as NATO allies back them up.

NATO urged Russia on Wednesday to tone down its “fiery rhetoric” after repeated Moscow attacks on the growing influence of the military alliance and US plans to base parts of a missile shield in Europe.