KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Combat operations will soon be ramped up in the hotly contested region of Afghanistan where Canadian troops play a major role.
A show of force is planned for southern Afghanistan when the bulk of fresh American troops promised by U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year finally arrive.
Dutch Maj.-Gen. Mart De Kruif, the current NATO commander for the region, said Sunday that the new American soldiers will reinforce their Canadian counterparts on the ground.
"We will go into areas we've never been before," he told a news conference at the Kandahar military base. "There will be an increase in operations"
The tough-talking officer said the 17,000-strong American deployment will allow NATO forces to increase pressure on the Taliban and to pursue them straight to their hideouts.
He expects the influx of troops to place a stranglehold on the development of homemade explosives -- destructive devices that are the Taliban's most affective weapon against the coalition. The proliferation of improvised explosive devices is a major hurdle in gaining control of the country's southern territory.
De Kruif said that soon his soldiers will be able to hold their position instead of withdrawing after brief forays into Taliban territory because the troops are spread too thin in the theatre of operations.
The coalition currently holds a number of towns and bases but aren't numerous enough to fully secure the Pakistani border.
He said the new troops will fill the gaps in the current deployment and help prevent the from Taliban from terrorizing the local population.
"This will prove to be more a reinforcement for Canadian soldiers than a replacement," he said, adding, however, that the fresh soldiers may also pick up a couple of districts now under Canadian control.
"Next year, you'll see a marked improvement in security."
The security campaign will also reinforce the Afghan government as well as reconstruction and development efforts and the training and mentoring of Afghan security forces, De Kruif said.
But he denied the upcoming deployment is an admission of defeat.
"Three years ago, the plans we worked out were appropriate," he said.
"But we were only able to cover 60 per cent of the areas where people lived and instead of attacking the International Security Assistance Force, the insurgents began attacking the population. This means we now need to be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
In 2008, civilian deaths spiked by 40 per cent in Afghanistan, according to Arabic television network Al-Jazeera, sparking concern that problems seen in Iraq will also spread to Afghanistan.
The eagerly awaited arrival of the American troops will begin this spring.
The 82nd Airborne Division Aviation Brigade, with 3,000 soldiers and 100 helicopters, will be established at the NATO stronghold in Kandahar.
The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, with 8,000 soldiers, will be deployed in the centre and the north of the Helmand province by the end of spring.
Finally, the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, comprised of 4,000 troops, will arrive in this summer in the Zabul province and also be stationed in the north and the south of Kandahar province.
