The first group of Quebec-based soldiers to land in Afghanistan are being briefed about their new jobs after arriving at Kandahar Air Field early Tuesday.
About 50 soldiers, mostly from the 22nd Regiment known as the Van Doos, based in Valcartier, Que., arrived on a Hercules aircraft and were greeted in French from army personnel.
CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Kandahar, said the soldiers will now be involved in numerous briefings to get them up to speed on the situation.
"They'll spend a few days on the base and then head out to their forward operating bases, the places they'll be working for the next few months," said Workman.
Over the next several weeks, more planeloads of troops will arrive, most of them members of the Van Doos.
By August, there will be about 2,500 new soldiers on the ground -- 2,330 from Quebec.
"There will be a handover ceremony in the coming weeks where the general who runs the Van Doos will take over the mission here and become the new leader of Canada's force here," said Workman.
Politically, the deployment of the Van Doos comes amid waning support in Quebec for the Afghan mission.
Since 2002, 66 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002. About 14,900 troops have served in the region.
Language issue
Workman said there are concerns about the language barrier once the entire Francophone force arrives in Afghanistan.
However, he said NATO is confident that the adjustments will not have any negative bearing on the mission.
Members of the Van Doos have already served in the Kandahar mission. A company of 156 have worked at the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) base in Kandahar City since November.
Many of the new arrivals will also be deployed to the PRT base.
Maj. Kevin Mead, the assistant chief of staff for the current mission, said the operational tempo will be maintained over the current transition period.
The current rotation in Afghanistan will begin to leave next week, following a six-month tour and the deaths of 22 soldiers.
With a report from CTV's Paul Workman and files from The Canadian Press
