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OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's new mission in the perilous southern region of Afghanistan will be dangerous, with no guarantees that everyone will come home safely, says the man in charge of the force. Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, who will lead 2,200 soldiers into the Kandahar region this month, says their training and equipment will reduce the risks. But in a province where suicide bombers and roadside booby traps are part of the landscape, the threat remains high. "This is a dangerous mission, this is a dangerous environment," Fraser said. "We can mitigate the risk, but I can't reduce the risk to...

The Netherlands will send an extra 1,400 troops to southern Afghanistan, after parliament ended six months of wrangling to approve the deployment. Despite opposition from one of three parties in the ruling coalition, most MPs supported the plan, including those from the main opposition Labour party. Nato, the UN and US have been urging the Netherlands to send the extra troops to bolster peacekeeping work. Polls show that Dutch public opinion is almost equally divided on the issue. Many Dutch MPs had demanded assurances that the country's troops would not have to work under US forces in Afghanistan. Democrats-66, the...

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Feb. 1, 2006 – Estonia is helping two nations rebuild in the wake of extremism and a violent dictatorship. Its forces are now deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, and the country is a coalition partner at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla. An Estonian soldier checks a map while patrolling in Iraq. Estonia has troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Photo courtesy of Estonian Defense Forces   Estonia sent 23 soldiers to Afghanistan, a number that will grow to 150 by 2007, said Estonian army Maj. Kuido Pettai, the senior national representative for Estonia...

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Jan. 27, 2006 – Just one day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, nations around the world mobilized and formed a military coalition. Their goal: to combat global terrorism. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the coalition, which is headquartered at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Today, CENTCOM officials said, 63 nations are supporting the global war on terror. Since the coalition's inception, 27 nations have deployed more than 22,000 troops to Iraq. In Afghanistan, coalition nations have deployed more than 3,000 troops hailing from 42 nations. These figures exclude U.S. forces....

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 26, 2006 — The capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces were enhanced Jan. 24 by a donation of 10,000 9mm German Walther P-1 pistols from the German Armed Forces. The weapons were divided evenly between the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police in a ceremony at the Afghan Security Forces Depot. The donation is the result of a weapons request made by the U.S. Embassy in Berlin one year ago, according to Dr. Rainald Steck, German Ambassador to Afghanistan. “This donation will enable (the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police) to contribute...

It was a heroes welcome on Tuesday night for the soldiers injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week that also killed Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry. Cpl. Paul Franklin was the only one of the three conscious for the trip, and he declared himself happy to be home. We're glad to have him home. The more seriously wounded soldiers, Pte. William Salikin and Cpl. Jeffrey Bailey, were heavily sedated for the nine-hour flight from Germany, where all three were sent to start the long road to recovery from their injuries. And a long road it will be. Franklin will...

The number of UK troops in Afghanistan will increase by nearly 5,000, the Defence Secretary John Reid has said. The £1 billion deployment will push the total number of troops there by July to a peak of 5,700, he told the Commons. Mr Reid said the "potent force", which will include attack helicopters, would be there to "protect and deter". The majority will be sent to the south, to the volatile Helmand area, which Mr Reid acknowledged was a "more demanding area" than others in Afghanistan. Heroin The deployment will take place over three years, with the total number of...

Britain plans to order up to 4,000 of its toughest troops to start deploying in Afghanistan from April or May, the Sun tabloid reported on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence was not immediately available to comment on the story. Defence Secretary John Reid on Thursday will inform soldiers from the 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Parachute Regiment of their mission to Helmand province, The Sun said, quoting an unnamed "senior government figure". "There is no doubt this will be a dangerous exercise. But it is a vital mission for Britain to lead," the source told the...

THOUSANDS of British combat troops are expected to be sent to one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan. John Reid, the Defence Secretary, is said to be ready to announce that 4,000 soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade, built around the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, will be sent to the Helmand province to help with its reconstruction. Ministers have said that the rise in suicide bombings in Afghanistan is of great concern. Al-Qaeda forces have killed 100 US soldiers and thousands of civilians, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda group in Iraq is believed to have set up a...

EDMONTON -- It is the life of a soldier to bid farewell to loved ones and face the dangers ahead. And it is the lot of military families to let them go. The tightly knit Edmonton Garrison played out this age-old ritual during an emotional farewell Saturday morning as about 80 soldiers departed for conflict-ridden Afghanistan -- the first wave of a major new deployment of Canadian troops to the danger zone. The planes carrying the soldiers eastward landed at Canadian Forces Base Shilo in Manitoba later Saturday to pick up another 60 soldiers, en route to Germany at first....

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Australia will deploy 110 additional soldiers and two helicopters to help fight rising violence in Afghanistan, the defense minister said Tuesday. The extra forces will support a contingent of 190 Australian personnel already serving in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Robert Hill said in a statement. "I am pleased that Australia is now able to make a further contribution to help build a stable and secure Afghanistan and effectively combat threats of terrorism," Hill said. Australia took part in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 but its troop numbers there had dwindled to one soldier before the...

Aussie forces stay on THE decision by the US to pull 29,000 troops out of Iraq will have little effect on Australia's own plans to reduce its military commitments in the war-torn country. US President George W. Bush announced this week that about 7000 US combat troops were being withdrawn from a base force of 138,000, reducing troop strength in the country by about 5per cent. The withdrawal is in addition to 22,000 troops who were sent to Iraq last year, specifically to bolster security for two elections. The US is also cutting its force in Afghanistan by a further...

ROYAL Scots soldiers today bade a fond farewell to their loved ones as they set off for their final mission before the famous regiment is disbanded. Around 90 soldiers left Dreghorn Barracks this morning bound for Iraq. By Monday, more than 500 members of the 373-year-old Edinburgh-based regiment - the oldest infantry regiment in the British Army - will be stationed in Baghdad and Basra. While they are there, the proud regiment will be consigned to history, with the minimum of fuss. On March 28, the Royal Scots will merge with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers to become one of...

Elite troops bound for Afghanistan Allies consider backing out of dangerous mission Chris Wattie National Post January 04, 2006 The Canadian Forces is sending up to 100 commandos from its elite Joint Task Force 2 to Afghanistan this month, the largest contingent of special forces Canada has ever sent overseas, the National Post has learned. Between 75 and 100 soldiers of JTF-2 will arrive just ahead of a 2,000-member Canadian battle group that is deploying to the restive southern province of Kandahar amid growing warnings of high casualties and a looming enemy offensive in the region. Defence sources familiar with...

<p>Poland's decision to spurn the counsels of retreat and re-up for the war in Iraq deserves not only the applause of the Bush administration but tangible military assistance. The announcement was made yesterday by Poland's new conservative president, Lech Kaczynski, on his second day in office. It was his first major foreign policy decision. He approved the maintenance in Iraq of up to 1,500 troops throughout 2006. These Polish troops help provide security to three Iraqi provinces and, while the numbers seem small, this is no minor commitment for a country like Poland that is still recovering from the nightmare of Nazi and Soviet occupation.</p>

U.S. Air Force Maj. Alberto Mezarina teaches Iraqi engineers to label circuit breakers during final construction inspection. U.S. Army photo by Suzanne M. Fournier U.S. Air ForceMaj. Alberto Mezarina Air Force Engineer Helps Iraqis Rebuild By Suzanne M. Fournier Gulf Region Southern DistrictU.S. Army Corps of Engineers BASE CAMP ADDER, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2005  — Deploying to Iraq with an Army unit offered a unique opportunity for an Air Force officer to be blue in a green Army world. United States Air Force Academy instructor Maj. Alberto Mezarina said he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to...

(PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Dec. 28, 2005) -- Knowledge support in a coalition environment was among the discussion topics as a multinational team of experts making final preparations for Multinational Experiment 4 (MNE4) met during the event's final planning conference earlier this month. Scheduled for Feb. 20 - March 17, 2006, MNE4 will explore use of the full range of effects based operations (EBO) to influence the behavior of adversaries. While U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) from the United States is the overall lead for MNE4, coalition partners lead the specific concepts and processes being explored. The knowledge support (KS) cell...

A Japanese soldier waves while aboard an armoured vehicle in Samawa, 270 km (160 miles) south of Baghdad December 27, 2005. Hundreds of Japanese troops who are in Iraq for humanitarian missions have just completed a water facilities project in Iraq's southern city. (REUTERS/Mohameed Ameen)

U.S. allies withdraw from Iraq Tuesday, December 27, 2005; Posted: 1:52 p.m. EST (18:52 GMT) KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- The U.S. coalition in Iraq saw its size dwindle Tuesday as Ukraine and Bulgaria said all of their troops had left the country while Poland said it would remain, but reduce its number of troops by 600 next year. The Polish government's decision, which must be approved by President Lech Kaczynski, would be a boost for U.S. President George W. Bush, who has faced withering criticism at home and abroad over his handling of the Iraq war and the growing insurgency...

Bulgarian contingent duty in Multinational Division Central South came to an end Dec. 17. Multi-National Force - Iraq CAMP ECHO, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2005 — Bulgarian contingent duty in Multinational Division Central South (MNDCS) came to an end Dec. 17. During the farewell ceremony, MNDCS Commanding General Maj. Gen. Piotr Czerwinski thanked Bulgarian soldiers for their outstanding duty in MNDCS. "I would like to thank you personally and all Bulgarian soldiers who served so far in Iraq," said Czerwinski. "Your commitment has always been contributing to the success of the Multinational Division." During the ceremony, Bulgarian soldiers were awarded by...