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Stories from the Field
Remembrance Day Commemorated in Kabul
The Canadian Embassy in Afghanistan commemorated Remembrance Day on Wednesday November 11, paying tribute to Canada’s veterans and in particular those who have lost their lives serving the cause of peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan. Full story....
Eid Al-Fitr at Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT)
Eid Al-Fitr, an Afghan term, which means to « break fast », is a three day celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. The KPRT participated in this custom by arranging a series of meals to thank its Locally Engaged Professionals (LEP) for their contribution to the daily operations of the camp and to show respect for their culture. Full story....
Joint Afghan-ISAF operation disrupts insurgents in Zhari District
With their Canadian mentors from the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team in Task Force Kandahar, soldiers from Kandak 6, 1st Brigade 205 Corps Afghan National Army (ANA) recently participated in Operation SPIN ARWA I, near Howz-e-Madad in Zhari District, in conjunction with the ISAF Regional Battle Group (South), which is based on the Black Watch (3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland), and Canadian soldiers from Task Force Kandahar’s Counter IED and Psychological Operations teams. Full story....
KPRT stands by its Afghan neighbours and friends for the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr
On September 14, 2009, the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) donated goods to 275 needy families living near Camp Nathan Smith as a goodwill gesture in preparation for Eid-al-Fitr. Full story....
Training Afghan National Police for the Elections
Along with the rest of our contingent, I arrived in theatre on June 26th, 2009. It is hard to believe that more than two months have passed since then. For most of us it has been a very busy summer. Full story....
Shoemaking as an alternative livelihood in Kandahar
In Kandahar City and its outskirts, the Afghan government has launched a vocational training program for unskilled men recovering from addiction. Full story....
KPRT goes greener while helping local business
Every month, some 8,000 empty water bottles make their way from Camp Nathan Smith, home of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT), to Faizul Haq Moshkani’s recycling plant. Full story....
In action with Stab A
March 20, 2009, marked the long-awaited outcome of more than a year of training for members of the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, when they deployed to serve with Stabilization Company A (Stab) of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT). This day was a big step for most of the soldiers, who were facing their first tour. Full story....
Kandahar PRT operations going great
Camp Nathan Smith, Afghanistan — And here we are, already four months in Kandahar and less and less is truly new to us. The city, the landscape and the people are now more familiar, and we’re into the groove. But watch out — it’s the old electrician who gets the shock! Full story....
Operation Kantolo - Canada’s Approach To Security, Governance, Reconstruction And Development In Kandahar
Operation Kantolo concentrates Canada’s efforts in Kandahar province by focusing on key geographic areas, particularly those where the population density is the highest – such as the areas in and around Kandahar City. Full story....
Outgoing Ambassador Hoffmann reflects on two years in Afghanistan
After two years in Afghanistan, first as deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada in Kabul and then as Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan since September 2008, Ambassador Hoffmann reflects on the endeavours Canada has undertaken and the successes our country has achieved in Afghanistan during this time. Full story....
Government of Canada congratulates Afghan graduates from Canadian-sponsored Junior Officer Staff Course (JOSC)
The Staff and Language Training Centre is a joint initiative between Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM) and Canada’s Military Training Assistance Programme (MTAP). Canadian Forces educational experts worked side-by-side with the ANA to develop the JOSC, which helps prepare junior Afghan National Army officers for such things as the planning and coordination of military operations. Full story....
How to Celebrate and Serve Canada
Canadians serving overseas took every opportunity to celebrate our country’s 142nd birthday on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Canada Day started off with a sports afternoon for all available personnel, which is a big deal when you work 12+ hours a day, seven days a week during a tour of 6-10 months! Full story....
NATO recognizes achievements of CF member
MCpl Dickinson received the NATO Meritorious Service Medal for his work with the Kandahar Intelligence Fusion Center during his tour in Afghanistan in 2007. A corporal at the time of his tour, MCpl Dickinson is the most junior member of the Canadian Forces to receive this decoration. Full story....
Civilian Participation at Exercise Maple Guardian
For the first time, Exercise Maple Guardian 0902 saw the full-scale participation of Canadian civilians deploying to the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan, with more than 70 civilians from DFAIT, CIDA, Corrections Canada, PCO and the RCMP engaging as full-partners with their Canadian Forces counterparts both within the exercise and in the planning phases of Maple Guardian. Full story...
Building Peace with More Police
With the sun shining brightly overhead and the Hindu Kush mountains of Kabul all around, the Afghan National Police (ANP) honour guard anxiously awaited the arrival of their guests. Making last minute adjustments under the watchful eye of their commander, the young officers were at ease, and ready for the special event. As the guests of honour began to arrive, they snapped to attention, and awaited inspection. Full story....
Close Encounters of an Educational Kind: Afghan students’ unique connections with two Canadian schools
Education is part of Canada’s priority to support basic service delivery in Afghanistan, and is a major focus of Canadian efforts there. Canada is in fact the lead donor in Afghanistan’s national education program, and this has led to new bonds between Afghan students and Canadian educational institutions. Read the story from the field
Building bridges in Afghanistan : Multinational effort improves infrastructure for Afghans
In the sweltering summer heat of southern Afghanistan, field engineers from Canada and the United States are teaching 60 Romanian Army counterparts how to construct steel bridges over the streams and wadis of the region. Full story....
Charities in two nations benefit from Air Force 'Shadow' Run
There is a connection between troops deployed overseas and those still serving at home. Never is that connection more evident than when we work together on something, both in Canada and thousands of miles away in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Like the inaugural Air Force Run on May 31. The oven-like weather did nothing to quash enthusiasm for the run. Full story....
Crime scene management in Kandahar
Tuesday evening. The sun is about to set. A tragedy occurred in a small community east of Kandahar where everyone knows each other. There is a body. The man, around 30 years old, is not showing any signs of life.. | Full story...
KPRT trains local Afghan National Police
Approximately 30 members of the Afghan National Police (ANP) are currently being trained by a team of Canadian police officers with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) in preparation for joint operations with Task Force Kandahar, the Canadian contingent of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). | Full story...
Soldiers serve as door gunners on helicopters in Afghanistan
Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, are flying as helicopter door gunners in Afghanistan. They are the first Canadian air gunners to engage in combat since the Second World War. With the deployment of CH-146 Griffons and CH-147 Chinooks to Kandahar, gunners are back as integral members of helicopter crews. They protect the aircraft, the crews, their cargo, and the road convoys being escorted by the Griffon tactical helicopter. | Full story...
Heron UAV ready to go to work
The Heron is a long-range UAV that can carry a wide variety of sensors and information systems to gather data for intelligence analysis and provide surveillance and target acquisition over a large area. The information gathered by the Heron is in high demand, and will help reduce the number of insurgent attacks by scouting out convoy routes and surrounding areas, scanning for insurgents, and observing suspicious activities such as the planting of improvised explosive devices. | Full story...
New capability in Afghanistan will help save lives: Air Force commander
Canada’s new assets in Afghanistan will boost the Air Force presence in the skies over Kandahar Province, and make Canadian soldiers safer by reducing their reliance on ground transport, said Lieutenant-General Angus Watt, Chief of the Air Staff. “You can’t hit an IED when you’re flying,” he said, talking about the benefits of Canada’s new air wing. | Full story...
Artillery development in the Afghan National Army
Canada will be providing up to $99 million over the next three years toward training, mentoring and equipping the Afghan National Army and Police; building capacity in administration and logistical support. | Full story...
Working in Afghanistan: CSC employees help bring security and stability to a war-torn region
When we think of the mandate of the Correctional Service Canada – to help protect public safety by operating our correctional institutions in a safe and humane way and assisting offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens – we think of our own society. | Full story...
Telling the story of 20 years of Canadian police serving in peace missions
For 20 years, Canada has deployed police officers to international peace missions around the world. Today, Canadian police in mission may patrol streets, train and mentor recruits, provide monitoring or security services for elections, conduct criminal investigations, share their specialized expertise in forensics or police administration, or even help out in the case of a humanitarian crisis. | Full story...
A Year in Review, by RCMP Supt. Joe McAllister
When I arrived in Afghanistan on November 10, 2007, my first impression was a dirty and dusty, noisy airfield. Being the only civilian police officer on Kandahar Air Field (KAF) at the time, I was a bit of a novelty and was constantly asked what I was doing here. Very few people it seems knew that we had been doing police mentoring since 2005. | Full story...
Reading and Rifles in Kandahar
One of the most important skills that Canadian Police teach the Afghan Police are survival skills. In the current counter-insurgency environment, the ability to aim a rifle, take cover, administer first aid and detect explosive devices rates high on the list of must have skills that the average Afghan National Police (ANP) officer needs if he or she expects to stay alive. | Full story...
Walking Tall: On the POMLT beat in Afghanistan
If Zharey District in Kandahar Province is the Wild West of Afghanistan — and it often looks like it — then the beleaguered men of the Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP) are the often outnumbered and outgunned, and always under-appreciated, frontier lawmen. In the thick of it with them are the Canadian soldiers and military police of the Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (POMLT). | Full story...
Operation SANGA FIST: Canadian infantry and helicopters execute first air-mobile mission
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan — At 5:00 a.m. on 7 March 2009, when most of the garrison was still in bed, Operation SANGA FIST began with last-minute equipment checks for the soldiers of November Company, the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group; 2-2 Infantry Battalion of the United States Army; and elements of the Afghan national security forces. | Full story...
CIVPOL Diary: One year later
Kandahar, Afghanistan— It’s hard to believe this journey started just over a year ago. Lately things have been moving ahead at 100 miles an hour. We are at a very important, if not critical part of our mentoring process in the south and every bit of energy is going into that effort. | Full story...
Army mission specialists help plan Canadian helicopter operations in Afghanistan
Pilots and flight engineers are no surprise among Air Force mission planners, but an observer new to Afghanistan might wonder why there are infantry soldiers on the staff of the Operations Centre of the Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan. | Full story...
A year in Kandahar: Profile of Rob Cater, Correctional Service Canada
Inside the tall, shiny blue gates of Kandahar’s Sarpoza prison, Rob Cater, a Correctional Service Canada official, sits hunched over a small table, drinking tea. It’s bitter, but in the year he’s been in Kandahar, he’s become accustomed to the taste. | Full story...
Reconstructing a Karez to Build Agricultural Capacity
In the Takhtapol district, which is 70 km east of Kandahar City, Canada has been working with Central Asia Development Group (CADG) to reconstruct an old Karez (namely Hayat Aka Karez). | Full story...
Canadians Assist Local Media In Kandahar
Since 2002, the media industry in Afghanistan has continued to grow and develop. In Kandahar, Canadians are working with the local media community to support that development by addressing issues ranging from professional development to personal security. | Full story...
Canadian Police Presence Doubles in Kandahar
The Afghan National Police (ANP) is one of the cornerstones for Afghans to build stability in their country. In November 2008, Canada doubled the size of its civilian police contingent in Kandahar, going from 12 to 24, allowing for more sustained training and mentoring in six crucial districts of the Province. | Full story...
Supporting Basic Services: The Khalishak Retaining Wall
Khalishak village is located along the northern bank of Arghandab River. Because the region is prone to flash floods and river erosion, each year Khalishak village loses valuable land to water damage. | Full story...
Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes
Canada Supports Opening of Local Photo Exhibition
"Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes", the joint Canada-U.S.-funded display featuring a collection of 50 original photographs taken by young photojournalists, has opened to rave reviews. | Full story...
