Canada takes charge north of Kandahar city

[Nfld Sapper]

Canada takes charge north of Kandahar city
Taliban attacks intensifying in district
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 | 10:43 AM ET
CBC News

A Canadian soldier stands on alert at a roadside checkpoint in Arghandab district on Tuesday. (Allauddin Khan/Associated Press)

NATO commanders in Afghanistan have put Canada in charge of a district north of Kandahar city that has seen heavy fighting in the past two years.

Brig.-Gen. Frederick Hodges, director of operations for NATO's southern command, said Canada would take control of the Arghandab district.

It's not clear whether the change means a new role for Canada's forces, most of whom are currently stationed in and around Kandahar city.

The fertile Arghandab region has seen an increase in fighting as Taliban-led militants have made efforts to move into the area. NATO forces, including Canadian troops, launched an offensive in June of last year to counter Taliban gains.

The shift comes as U.S. President Barack Obama is set to announce a new strategy in Afghanistan on Tuesday evening. He is expected to commit thousands of American troops to the NATO effort to secure the southern part of the country.

More U.S. troops expected
Hodges said Task Force Kandahar will have an additional American battalion and an Afghan national army unit by the new year. He said the changes would come regardless of whether Obama decides to deploy additional troops.

NATO spokesperson James Appathurai said a number of countries, such as Slovakia and Italy, have announced increases in recent weeks, and on Monday British Prime Minister Gordon Brown committed 500 more troops to the region.

NATO is planning to use Obama's announcement to spur other countries to make further troop commitments, said Appathurai.

"What we want to see from NATO headquarters is for all of the allies to see what more they can do," he said.

Appathurai added that Canada's performance in Afghanistan is considered "A-1" by the NATO alliance.

There are 2,800 Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, primarily in Kandahar province. The government has said all Canadian troops will be withdrawn in 2011.

 

[vonGarvin]

Not being privy to the current footprint over there, I wonder how this will affect the recent efforts south of the city in E. Panjwayi, Dand, etc.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Reviving necrothread with the latest machinations from the Canadian Press:

The influx of thousands of fresh U.S. troops into Kandahar is prompting a major reorganization of NATO's southern command in Afghanistan this summer, The Canadian Press has learned.

The biggest change is expected to see Canada give up authority for Kandahar city and be reduced to commanding a brigade-sized unit south and west of the provincial capital. It's another sign of Canada's shrinking role in the Afghan province that it has defended for four years.

A Canadian general currently oversees the Canadian battle group of infantry, artillery and tanks, as well as three U.S. infantry battalions stetched around Kandahar in what's been described as a ring of stability. That the Pentagon has trusted the Canadian army with so many American soldiers — roughly 2,600 — has been a point of pride for Ottawa.

But as more U.S. troops arrive, the command structure will see Kandahar carved up into what's expected to be three distinct brigade-sized formations — all of them reporting to NATO's southern command.

"It's organizationally better," said one senior NATO officer, who spoke on background.

"At the end of the day, (Task Force Kandahar) is a brigade headquarters. It just happens to be commanded by a one-star general, but at the end of the day it's a brigade. And for one brigade to have all of this, that's too much. That's really what the big generals notice."

At the end of the reorganization, the Canadian battle group and only one U.S. battalion will remain in Canadian hands, likely the 1st Cavalary, 71st U.S. Regiment.

American airborne units fighting in the troublesome districts of Zharey and Argandaud, to the north of the city, will be grouped together as one combat unit.

And Kandahar city will become the responsibility of specialized U.S. brigade ....