Western Canadian Troops in Afghanistan: Task Force 2-13

Task Force 2-13 represents Canada’s final deployment as part of OPERATION ATTENTION, Canada’s contribution to the International Assistance Force (ISAF) / NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan.

Canadian soldiers are currently deployed at 14 locations and advise at 24 schools or training centres in Afghanistan – many which are not based in classrooms or confined to coalition camps.

The bulk of the soldiers will come from CFB  (Canadian Forces Base) Edmonton, CFB Shilo and Reserve Force soldiers from across Western Canada – A point of pride amongst LFWA soldiers, as it was troops from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry who first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States.

Approximately 1,100 troops are slated for the final deployment, with an expected 550 Regular Force soldiers from both CFB Shilo, Manitoba and CFB Edmonton. In addition, LFWA will deploy approximately 34 Reserve Force soldiers from 39 Combat Battle Group headquartered in Vancouver, 41 CBG (Canadian Brigade Group) headquartered in Calgary and 38 CBG who is headquartered in Winnipeg. The remainder of troops will come from other trades and elements from across Canada.

This final deployment is expected to last eight to 12 months with the first group of soldiers deploying mid-June, 2013.