Canadian Troops Headed Toward Afghan Front Lines

According to an article available at the official website for The Toronto Star, the current commitment of Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan will be phased out and a new, more muscular contingent of troops including those formerly assigned to Kabul will be sent to the front lines.

Canadian troops now patrol areas of Kabul, the country's capital, protecting the city in a peace-keeping role. But by October of year, those troops will be transferred to compose part of a force of 1,500 Canadian soldiers in Kandahar, a far more dangerous region that poses unusually high risks even for the military. Canadian troops will be expected to take command of that region as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, whose overall goal in the postwar period is to suppress insurgent Taliban attacks which have resulted in significant American and other casualties.

Elements of Canada's Joint Task Force 2, an elite counter-terrorism unit, are due to arrive in Afghanistan in the coming months, along with 250 troops based in Edmonton, Alberta.

Canadian troops served with great valor and distinction in World War II, and there is every reason to believe that they will continue to do so in support of Enduring Freedom.