Canadian military officials in Afghanistan have grown concerned in recent weeks over the level of support provided by Afghan security forces in reconstruction efforts.

Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie told CBC News that without sufficient support from Afghan forces, the Panjwaii district has grown even more volatile for Canadian soldiers.

Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie talks to reporters about the progress of Canadian troops in the battle to retake the Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan on Sept. 9.
(Les Perreaux/Canadian Press)

"The real challenge is getting sufficient numbers of both the Afghan national army and Afghan national police forces in the area to support the operations that we're conducting," said Lavoie.

Canadian troops said they were impressed with the abilities of the Afghan security forces during NATO's Operation Medusa, the large-scale offensive aimed at driving Taliban fighters from their strongholds in the southern part of the country.

But the Afghan forces face shortages of equipment and weapons. Manpower is also an issue for positions that are extremely dangerous and don't pay well.

Since the Afghan mission began four years ago, 40 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed.

In a similar time span, over 800 Afghan security personnel have been killed, according to NATO figures.

Spreading insurgency

Canadian soldiers told the CBC it's difficult to know who the enemy is, as the Taliban have been known to pose as farmers and plant roadside bombs.

The insurgency hasn't been strictly among Taliban militants, but their sympathizers as well.

Cpl. Alexander Darroch said securing the border is critical to helping Afghans police their own country.

"We're going to have to close down the borders and get the Afghan security forces on their feet, so they can do the job and we're just sitting back supporting them," said Darroch.

"I think they kind of pulled back. We haven't seen them in probably about two weeks."

Gen. David Richards, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press this week that there has been a noticeable surge in violence along the eastern border with Pakistan since that country's government signed a so-called peace agreement in early September with Taliban allies in the Waziristan region.

Lt.-Col. Fahid Ahmadi of the Afghan army agreed that the country's forces need to show that they can keep the peace, so "people can be convinced that we don't allow bad guys, the enemy of Afghanistan, to come back and destroy their houses."

Establishing that presence is of critical importance in the coming weeks, according to Richards.

He said Afghans are likely to switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there are no visible improvements in people's lives in the next six months.

With files from the Associated Press