Canada will increase its troop contribution to Afghanistan, sending as many as 1,250 soldiers to the southern part of the country.

Roughly 1,000 new troops will be sent to the southern city of Kandahar by February 2006, where they'll stay for up to a year, said Defence Minister Bill Graham on Monday.

As well, a 250-person Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) will arrive in the region in August 2005 and remain for about 18 months.

"This commitment is consistent with our new international and defence policies, which demonstrate Canada's emphasis on bringing stability and humanitarian relief to fragile states," said Graham in a news release.

About 700 Canadian soldiers are already serving in the Kabul area under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), known as Operation Athena. They're in the middle of a six-month deployment.