KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The coming months will be a definitive time for the combat mission in Afghanistan, says the newly appointed commander who will oversee the withdrawal of Canadian troops next summer.

Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner took command of Task Force Kandahar at a handover ceremony Thursday at Kandahar Airfield, the main NATO base in southern Afghanistan.

"This is a critical year. This is going to be a defining year," Milner said after the ceremony.

He said the conditions are set for an overall effort in Kandahar province, where Canadian soldiers have battled Taliban insurgents and their allies for four years.

"This is the main effort. Now we're seeing more both coalition forces and Afghan forces focused in this specific province and also specifically where I'm going to operate, in the Dand and Panjwaii districts."

There are a number of upcoming operations and improving security in the Taliban stronghold of Panjwaii will be a priority, he added.

Canada's combat role ends next July, but the new commander said the impending end of the mission will not tie his hands in the coming months.

Milner took command from Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, who completed his second tour at the head of the mission after Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard was dismissed in May.

Vance paid homage at the ceremony to the dedicated troops "who put it all on the line every day with, and for, our Afghan friends."

Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard, commander of Canadian forces overseas, thanked Vance for his strong leadership of troops in Kandahar, and for producing results against a "ruthless and resilient enemy."

To Milner, he said: "You know very well what has to be done in the next 10 months, and that's to improve our stability efforts and results in Dand and Panjwaii.

"There's one thing I want to reiterate: from a Canadian point of view, the next 10 months is not just solely about doing counter-insurgency operations," Lessard said.

"It's about delivering real, and I mean real, results for security, governance and development in Dand and Panjwaii districts... with our Afghan friends."

Although he will be planning the country's combat exit in the coming months, Milner had no clarity to offer on what the role of the Canadian Forces might be in Afghanistan once that happens.