Canadian soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Based in Kandahar, where they have been actively engaged in fighting the Taliban, the Canadian deployment also helps train the Afghan Army and police. The Canadian Air Force is a major presence, with three CC-130 Hercules transport planes, six Chinook and eight Griffon helicopters. Ground forces include some 30 Leopard tanks. Canada has the third highest fatality rate in Afghanistan; the government says it will start withdrawing troops from 2011.