A contingent of 76 soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier left Monday evening for a dangerous mission of several months in Kandahar, the scene of violent clashes with insurgent Taliban fighters.

"The army is respected throughout the world now," Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor told soldiers before their 22-hour flight to Afghanistan.

"I would say that you are the best army we have in the world. You are the best-trained soldiers and I know that you're going to succeed."

O'Connor said the soldiers are embarking on a noble mission.

"The people of Afghanistan need our help. They have spent more than 30 years either under the Soviet yoke or civil war or under the Taliban."

More than 50 of the soldiers will protect rebuilding projects in the dangerous Kandahar region during their nine-month stay.

The conditions are extremely difficult. Violent acts, including suicide bombings have grown in frequency since August.

According to the Defence Department, improvised explosive devices (IED) remain the most serious threat to Canadian soldiers.

'A dangerous mission'

"It's a dangerous mission," said Lieut.-Col. Stephane Lefaut. "It is dangerous but essential for the protection of the reconstruction team."

The remaining 23 soldiers will join the Canadian contingent over four months to help to train the Afghan national army, which needs foreign support to maintain security inside the country.

"They can't function by themselves but they work with NATO troops," said public affairs officer Eric Chamberland.

International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner, who recently returned from Afghanistan, also defended the Canadian mission "so that women can finally have rights and so that young girls can continue to go to school."

Another 100 soldiers will leave the end of November for Afghanistan, increasing the number of soldiers from Valcartier, near Quebec City, to 300. 

The soldiers are not the first contingent from CFB Valcartier to go to Afghanistan.

In August, 39 soldiers left the base to help train the Afghan army and are due to return home in March.

Another group of 32 came home earlier in the month after spending about six months in Afghanistan.

About 2,000 soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment, better known as the Van Doos, will head over in the fall of next year.

This latest departure comes as Canadian and other coalition troops are seeing their worst violence since the Taliban was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.

It also comes just a few days after rallies were held across Canada demanding that the Conservative government end its military mission in the war-torn country.

Since 2002, 42 Canadian soldiers have lost their lives. Canada has about 2,300 soldiers in Afghanistan.