NATO has answered Canada's demand for 1,000 more troops to be deployed to Kandahar, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed Wednesday.
The announcement comes as world leaders from the 26 NATO nations have gathered in Romania for a summit.
Sandra Buckler, director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, told reporters that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered a battalion of soldiers -- normally around 700-800 troops -- to be deployed to the eastern region of Afghanistan.
"Subsequently, the Americans have confirmed that, as a result, they will commit additional resources in the south, including Kandahar province," she said.
It is understood that American troops in eastern Afghanistan will be redeployed to the south once they are replaced by the French.
The U.S. troops being sent to the south are expected to number 1,000.
The announcement is expected to officially be confirmed on Thursday, possibly in a speech by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The agreement partially meets Canada's demands from its NATO allies for extending the deployment of the Canadian troops to the Afghanistan mission until 2011.
Harper, who was not immediately available for comment Thursday night, has also demanded more equipment if Canada is to remain involved in the military mission.
CTV reported Tuesday night that Canada will also lease aerial drones from the U.S. at a cost of $165 million, and procure between four to six Chinook helicopters and an unspecified number of light-armoured vehicles from the U.S. army.
Troop levels in Kandahar
The Pentagon, which has sent 3,500 U.S. marines to Kandahar for a seven-month deployment, said Thursday that those troops are currently not scheduled to be replaced once their tour is done.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that the U.S. will find it difficult to maintain the surge in Iraq while increasing troop levels in Afghanistan.
"So I have no expectation that we would generate additional -- could generate additional forces this year,'' he said during a routine briefing.
The size of U.S. forces in Afghanistan "would then be tied to availability of forces which are tied specifically to conditions on the ground in Iraq.''
"And until forces become available with respect to that, I would not expect us to be able to provide additional forces to Afghanistan, which is also a priority.''
Meanwhile, NATO Spokesperson James Appathurai said Wednesday that the military forces in Afghanistan will now have to work out all the details following Wednesday commitment from France and the U.S.
"Let's let the military now get to work and figure out how this should go, obviously with the close participation of the NATO headquarters in Brussels," Appathurai told CTV's Mike Duffy Live Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Pamela Wallin, who was part of a panel on Canada's role in Afghanistan that called for additional NATO troops, said the decision to send American troops to Kandahar instead of the French directly was most likely strategic, not political.
"We have, for example, a lot of interoperability in terms of equipment with the Americans," Wallin told Â鶹´«Ã½net Wednesday.
"So it makes sense if we're going to take on that job together that you've got equipment and people that fit and that mesh."
Canada has about 2,500 troops currently serving in Kandahar province.
With files from The Canadian Press
