KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Auditor General Sheila Fraser wrapped up a five-day visit to Afghanistan on Friday, impressed with what she saw but concerned about the fate of Canadian projects after the pullout next year.

The visit, with members of her defence-audit team, was to gain an understanding of what was going in Kandahar, in both military and development terms rather than do an audit, Fraser said.

In an interview at Kandahar Airfield, Fraser said most Canadians don't have a grasp of the scope of the mission, which will have cost an estimated $18 billion by the time it wraps up next year.

"(There's) really a strong development component to (the mission), which I don't think Canadians are aware of and how important that is," Fraser said.

The auditor general visited several Canadian bases and flew over the Dahla dam -- Canada's $50-million "signature" rehabilitation project that has largely stalled, in part because of security concerns.

It's the fate of those kinds of projects, as well as the training of the Afghan army and police that Fraser said she was concerned about after Canadian soldiers withdraw in 2011.

"Who is going to take over the responsibility that the Canadian military is currently assuming?" she said, admitting it was more of political question than an audit one.

"Will all of those projects be able to continue? That's a question worthy of discussion back home."

Fraser said she had no concerns about how tax dollars were being spent in Afghanistan, saying as far as she could see, everyone was concerned about proper fiscal management.

Last fall, the auditor general's report was mildly critical of some of the military's procurement processes, especially around the urgent purchases of armoured vehicles better equipped to withstand roadside bombs.

It was gratifying she said to close that loop and see how the equipment was now being used.

"Those heavy trucks have actually saved lives," she said.

"You realize sometimes it isn't all about dollars and cents."

Despite the complexity of the mission, Fraser said it was possible to get a sense of where the money was being spent, although the "indirect costs" back in Canada were more difficult to trace.

Still, she said, nickel and diming was not appropriate in a war zone.

"Once the political decision is made to send our troops into a dangerous area, you have to ensure they are well equipped, well protected and have some quality of life."

Fraser said she was apprehensive about her visit, a feeling that never quite left her.

Asked if she found anything scary, she immediately cited a rocket attack the night she arrived on the airfield.

"When there was a rocket attack, I must admit that night, every time I heard a noise I kind of jumped," she said.

"I was glad there were no more."

Fraser may be the only Canadian auditor general in memory to visit an active war zone, although she did say a distant relative -- also an auditor general -- did the same during the First World War, according to family lore.