Canadian troops in Afghanistan now face their most dangerous mission yet as Canada assumes the lead of multinational forces in scorching Kandahar -- widely known as a hotbed of militant activity and a retreat for remnants of the Taliban regime.

National attention has focused on the region in recent times -- particularly after a suicide bombing near Kandahar in January killed a senior Canadian diplomat and seriously wounded three soldiers.

As Brig.-Gen. David Fraser took command of coalition forces in Kandahar on Feb. 28, he upped the battle rhetoric, asserting that Canadian soldiers are not only ready to kill, but also to die in Afghanistan to prevent the nation from becoming a safe harbour for terrorists.

Fraser is now in charge of a multinational force, including 2,200 Canadians, that will patrol six provinces in the southern part of Afghanistan, which spreads over some 220,000 square kilometres.

Fraser, in an interview with CTV's Lisa LaFlamme on the day of the handover, warned that as more troops go into the sanctuaries where the Taliban live, including into the volatile city of Kandahar, "it will look bad."

"But in fact what we're doing is we're going into their yard," he said. "We're going to start kicking them."

Ottawa says increased military might in Afghanistan is crucial to back Canada's goal of helping a nation wracked by decades of civil war get back on its feet.

Kabul's Camp Julien was closed at the end of November, 2005, and with the exception of about 85 Canadian Forces personnel, the Canadian contingent had relocated to Kandahar by December.

Canadian troops will be responsible for facilitating a smooth transition from the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom mission to NATO leadership, which is scheduled to occur gradually in southern Afghanistan in 2006.

"I've seen what the Americans have done, I have seen what the British have done to prepare their troops and we do not take a back seat to any other nation in the world," Fraser said at a news briefing in early February.

PRT

Charged with the task of extending the authority of Afghanistan's government and attempting to rebuild some of the nation's shattered infrastructure is Canada's 250-member Provincial Reconstruction Team (or PRT), which took over the American-led PRT in 2005's summer months.

The PRT is the first such team that Canada had sent to Afghanistan to work with other NATO countries on security and reconstruction efforts, while promoting Afghan government policies, and liaising with political, social, and religious leaders.

The PRT includes representatives from Foreign Affairs Canada, the RCMP and the Canadian International Development Agency, who work together under the team's military leadership to co-ordinate humanitarian and reconstruction projects throughout the province of Kandahar.

While the PRT is certainly an extremely visible aspect of Canada's commitment to Afghanistan, it is but one part of a larger Canadian contribution to the fight against terrorism.

Aid contingent

CIDA, the federal agency with the mandate of reducing poverty and improving conditions in failed and failing states, claims Afghanistan has made great strides since U.S.-led forces toppled Taliban militants from power in late 2001.

Since then, says CIDA, a number of milestones have been achieved, including the creation of a new constitution and the reintegration into the country of nearly 3 million Afghan refugees.

Afghanistan is the leading recipient of Canadian foreign aid, with Ottawa pledging more than $600 million in funding over the past ten years.

"We hope that over time that people of Afghanistan will support throughout the country a democratically elected government. This will not happen overnight but it is happening," said Bob Johnston, director general of CIDA's Strategic Planning and Policy division in Asia.

But strong pockets of resistance, bitter over the western presence, have entrenched themselves in the region.

Analysts say the insurgency is bolstered by funding from the nation's highly lucrative narcotics trade as well as links with militants in neighbouring nations.

Once banned under the Taliban, the nation's largest industry is the poppy-growing trade.

The country's vast poppy fields yield opium, the main ingredient of heroin.

A top-secret Canadian threat assessment prepared last year by the federal Integrated Threat Assessment Centre warns the trade is also helping fund terrorist attacks.

The report, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, says that cash from the country's vast poppy fields is fuelling terrorism.

But the trade is feeding the insurgent ranks not only financially, but by boosting its manpower.

Analysts say impoverished farmers who are frustrated that foreigners are trying to destroy their main source of income are proving to be a fresh source for Taliban recruits.

Some suspect the Taliban strength is also bolstered from neighbouring Pakistan, where the Inter-Services Intelligence agency has a long history of supporting Afghan insurgents.

Indeed, the changing face of the Taliban means coalition troops must be on alert.

While the old guard forced men to wear large turbans and grow large beards, new insurgents are shaving their facial hair to avoid attention.

Sgt. Rob Dolson, who is serving in Afghanistan, told CTV last month that it can be difficult to identify militants.

"You can't tell who is and who isn't ... They don't go running around with Taliban party cards that says they're Taliban. They could be anyone," Dolson said.

Col. Steve Noonan, Commander of Task Force Afghanistan, acknowledges that the threat level in Kandahar is greater than what troops dealt with in Kabul.

"We acknowledge and understand the risk," he said in August. "This is what we have trained for. This is what we've prepared for."

Despite the mounting threat to security, Canadian commanders say they're confident they can ensure their troops' safety by winning over the hearts and minds of local people, thus making it more difficult for the Taliban to operate.

"We will persevere. We'll lean into this mission and make sure that we are successful because at the end of the day, it's important that Afghans have a secure environment that they can go and take for granted what you and I take for granted here," Fraser told reporters ahead of the mission.

With files from The Canadian Press