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Almost 600 relatives of fallen Canadians from the Afghan war will gather in Ottawa on the weekend for the rededication of the Kandahar cenotaph, one of the largest family gatherings to pay tribute to those who died as a result of the war.

The rededication of the Kandahar Airfield cenotaph takes place on Saturday at the new National Defence headquarters in west-end Ottawa. The ceremony will be closed to the public.

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On Sunday, the public will be invited to visit the memorial at the defence headquarters located at the former Nortel campus.

The weekend event comes after the Canadian Forces faced intense criticism from the families and the public when it dedicated the cenotaph in late May with only senior officials present.

The event was inexplicably kept secret for several days until the military quietly announced it on social media. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance later apologized for the military’s mishandling of the event.