The 'pucker factor' is a little higher for Canadian soldiers on patrol in rural areas around Kabul than the city itself, says a Canadian officer.

Lt.-Col. Donald Denne -- commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment battalion group -- said in a telephone conference call from Kabul Friday with reporters that the inner city itself feels "claustrophic," with streets that could be described as labrynthine.

That being said, "97 to 98 per cent (of residents)are just trying to eke out an existence," he told CTV.ca News.

In rural areas south of Kabul that were recently added to their patrol responsibilities, the population seems to have a "little more potential sympathy" for the deposed Taliban and their al Qaeda allies who are trying to topple the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he said.

"I couldn't say any (area) is more dangerous than the other," he said, adding his troops had to be alert wherever they were.

Denne was speaking at the end of a second day of patrolling in Kabul, in which the 656 soldiers under his command have completed 44 patrols in the nearly 400-square-kilometre area for which they are responsible. The official hand-over from the German troops they are replacing came Thursday, but they had been going on joint patrols before that to learn the terrain.

Canadian troops will be in Kabul for the next year as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The mission is called Mission Athena, after a Greek goddess who protected cities. They are the largest single national force within ISAF. Denne's troops will be there for six months.

The German troops they are replacing have suffered more than 50 casualties. Four German troops died in a suicide bombing in June. Department of National Defence officials have estimated that between five and 10 Canadian soldiers will die in Afghanistan in the coming year.

Denne said they are trying to take as many precautions as possible. For example, Canadian soldiers will not be moved in buses, which is what the German troops were in when the suicide bomber struck, or in open-backed vehicles. As a result, they will travel in smaller groups of more vehicles.

Armored vehicles are available to Canadians for patrolling, but they also have to use the Iltis, which is an open, Jeep-like vehicle. A more heavily-armoured vehicle won't be available until the second rotation of Canadian troops arrives.

Asked if there were any signs of Taliban or al Qaeda forces operating in Kabul, Denne said the intelligence reports haven't indicated as such, but added they probably were around. "We're keeping our ears and eyes wide open."

No weapons have been confiscated by Canadian troops on any of their patrols, but Denne said he couldn't discuss what his rules of engagement would be should his patrols come across an armed individual or group.

Some munitions found by Afghan civilians have been blown up by Canadian engineers, he said.