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Institutional Links
Stories from the Field
Bringing stability to the front lines
Embedded with the Canadian Forces is not the typical place you would expect to find a public servant, but a District Operation Coordination Centre in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province is home to Stephanie Duhaime. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Duhaime is one of Canada’s two stabilization officers helping to rebuild areas within Kandahar province – the focus for Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. Full story....
Incorporating culture and religion into a correctional environment
Kandahar may be a long way from the Fraser Valley, British Columbia but many of the lessons that Terry Hackett learned in his early days working for the Correctional Service of Canada have stayed with him. Today, Hackett is the director of the Correctional Service of Canada contingent with the Provincial Reconstruction Team based in Kandahar City. Full story....
Rooting for the Afghans, developing their infrastructure
The first time Joe Goodings visited Afghanistan in March 2003, Canada’s presence in Kabul comprised a small support office and he was one of only two project officers from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) working on the program. Much of the city was in ruins, and with minimal Canadian representation on the ground, Goodings found himself doing everything from visiting projects to attending a donors conference with senior Afghan officials. Full story....
Fresh New Canadian battle group ready for work in Task Force Kandahar
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan — In a ceremonial transfer of command authority on 5 May 2010, the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) Battle Group from Edmonton, Alta., commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Jerry Walsh, handed over its responsibilities in Task Force Kandahar to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (1 RCR) Battle Group from Petawawa, Ont., commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Conrad Mialkowski. Full story....
Fresh Canadian OMLTs start work in Kandahar Province
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan — On 4 May 2010, under a bright sun and both the Canadian and Afghan flags, Colonel Shane Brennan of Edmonton, Alta., handed over command of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) in Task Force Kandahar to Col Ian Creighton of Petawawa, Ont. As presiding officer, Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard, commander of Task Force Kandahar, shared the dais with Major Fazil Haq Bahran of the 1st Brigade, 205 Corps, Afghan National Army (ANA), representing his commander, BGen Abdul Bashir. Full story....
All-day flight is no poisson d’avril
Kandahar Airfield, AFGHANISTAN - It was no joke on April Fools’ Day when the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing gave the Air Force a birthday present in the form of a new personal best. The CU-170 Heron unmanned aerial vehicle broke the record for the longest Canadian UAV flight by staying aloft for almost 25 hours. Full story....
Celebrating Success: The Fabric of Economic Development
An important theme underlying Canada’s work in Afghanistan is to improve the lives of women and girls in that country. Canada works to achieve this goal by supporting projects that strengthen the human rights of women and girls, improve maternal health, generate and support economic opportunities for women and help increase their opportunities for political participation. Full story....
Operation SHER II: Canadians step back as Afghans move forward
The sun was still behind the jagged mountains as Afghan and Canadian soldiers boarded the CH-147 Chinook helicopters for Operation SHER II, an air-mobile operation led by Lieutenant-Colonel Sakhi Barriz of Kandak 2 of the 1st Brigade, 205 Corps Afghan National Army. Full story....
Joint Canadian-Afghan engineer effort restores traffic on Tarnak River bridge
A bridge severely damaged by a suicide bomber has been repaired through the joint efforts of Canadian and Afghan military engineers. A Mabey-Johnson prefabricated truss bridge is now in place on the section of Highway 4 spanning the Tarnak River that was destroyed on March 1, 2010, in an attack that claimed the lives of three people. Full story....
ANA bulldozing its way into a new capability
The Afghan National Army formation in Kandahar Province — 1st Brigade, 205 Corps (1/205) — is reaching a significant milestone in military capacity-building. It will soon have its own heavy equipment platoon. Full story....
My memorable meeting with Agha Jan Kakar
March 8 was International Women’s Day. This day has great meaning in Afghanistan -- it’s a time to stop and think about the place of women in this country. What I wanted was to sit down and talk with my female Afghan counterparts at the headquarters building. The last time I visited, insurgents had set off a car bomb the day before, shattering all of the building’s windows. Full story....
Afghan National Customs Academy Graduation Ceremony
It was the perfect day to celebrate a graduation, the sun was shining, people were smiling, and a crowd had gathered cameras in hand to immortalize this important day. However, this graduation was the first of its kind, these 48 customs officers, from Kabul and across Afghanistan were the first ever class to graduate from the Afghan National Customs Academy (ANCA). Full story....
Personalizing Canada’s Work in Afghanistan
These quotes are taken from interviews conducted by CIDA staff with community papers in their hometowns. In these interviews, CIDA staff had the opportunity to share their first-hand experiences of what it is like to work in Afghanistan, and why they believe that the work they do is an essential part in establishing peace and stability in this country. Full story....
Canadian and U.S. Police Combine Efforts to Mentor the Kandahar Female Police Force
Serve and Protect, Servir et Protéger, Khedmat how azhghorel, no matter what the language, police officers all across the world live by this unwritten code. Afghan National Police (ANP) are no different. Full story....
Kabul celebrates Women's Day
Kabul marked International Women’s Day on March 8, 2010, with a series of events hosted by the Government of Afghanistan, civil society and local and international development agencies, celebrating the progress that Afghan women have made to date but also reminding participants of the tremendous challenges that must still be overcome. Full story....
Comrades in arms: Roto 8 of the Police Operational Mentor and Liaison Team
There are few greater honours for a soldier than to be able to pass along knowledge and expertise garnered over years of professional training and experience to others who have not had the same opportunities. Full story....
Departing Afghanistan
Today I depart Kandahar with mixed emotions. I am very much looking forward to reuniting with my family after having been away for one year. However, I will truly miss all the wonderful Afghans and colleagues I worked so closely with while deployed in Kandahar as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Full story....
My first glimpse of Afghanistan
Today was the first time I left the confines of Camp Nathan Smith since I arrived two weeks ago. I was part of a motorcade off to visit Afghan police headquarters in Kandahar, dressed in full gear... half military, half police. Protection was a must. Full story....
A very special visit
In the evening of Christmas Day, General Walter Natynczyk, the Chief of the Defence Staff, visited the soldiers of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team accompanied by the Honourable Gary Lunn, the Minister of State for Sport. Full story...
