Recently deployed Canadians troops have begun to arrive in Afghanistan, in the violent Kandahar region.

The soldiers arrived by two C-130 Hercules military aircraft to a U.S. military base Thursday. They will be joined by the remainder of the Canadian troops in the next two days, and will eventually number 250.

The group will help the region as a Provincial Reconstruction Team, encouraging diplomacy and development. They will also provide security for communities trying to rebuild.

Their tasks will include training local police and soldiers, patrolling Kandahar's streets, and ensuring that international supplies get through.

The soldiers will get two days of rest before they accompany U.S. forces on patrol, who recently had four soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack.

The Taliban's influence was especially strong in Kandahar, where troops continue to fight with insurgents.

Gen. Rick Hillier said last week that Canadian troops will likely encounter Taliban fighters and their al Qaeda allies.

Joint Task Force 2 -- Canada's secretive, elite special forces unit -- has been deployed for combat operations there.

The majority of Canadian soldiers are from Edmonton.

Most of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group is made up of soldiers from Edmonton Garrison's 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, 3 Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and 1 Service Battalion, reports The Canadian Press.

The mission has already met with some controversy.

Eric Margolis, a seasoned war correspondent and author of a book on conflict in Afghanistan, War at the Top of the World, believes the mission could increase chances of a terrorist attack on Canadian soil.

He also believes Canadians might be unprepared for the possibility of troops suffering casualties.

"You cannot go into a war and expect you're not going to get shot at. It's foolish and it's illusory to do so, so Canadians have to be prepared," he told CTV.ca on Saturday.

"If they want to send troops to go and kill Afghans, Afghans are going to come and kill Canadians."