Canwest News Service– Canada’s task force in Kandahar is to grow by nearly 1,000 soldiers this month as U.S. troops pour into the provincial capital to work alongside Canadians mentoring Afghan police there.

The move was confirmed by Canadian and American civilian officials. It is part of what may be the first overseas civilian-military co-operation agreement signed between Canada and the U.S. since the Second World War.

The latest addition of U.S. forces in Kandahar City is a clear signal that the precarious security situation in the south has become a major source of concern of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, in command of NATO forces in Afghanistan.