Canadian Major General Mark Lessard handed over command of NATO troops in Afghanistan's six southern provinces to Dutch General Mart de Kruif on Saturday.
The handover took place at a ceremony at Kandahar Air Field, where Lessard said the past nine months have shown him the commitment NATO and local leaders have to building a secure Afghanistan.
"Together with my Combined Regional Command Team partners, Brigadier General Zazai and Major-General Wahdat, we have evolved a true partnership based on brotherhood ... As I leave today, I will do so knowing that Team South will carry on the struggle for a better future for the men and women of Afghanistan," Lessard said in a press release.
Lessard said the "common determination" of NATO soldiers and Afghans for a better future will help their fight against the Taliban and insurgents. He said understanding tribal dynamics and local conditions will be crucial to winning the hearts and minds of the local population.
De Kruif promised he would ensure that NATO and Afghan cooperation continues under his leadership.
"We will continue to support the Afghan National Security Forces in their development of capabilities, working to an end (a) state in which they are capable of independently planning, executing and evaluating operations in order to establish a secure Afghanistan," he said in a transcript of a speech delivered at the handover ceremony.
De Kruif also noted some of the changes expected in the coming year in Afghanistan. They include:
- An increase in the capacities and capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces.
- More coalition forces deployed into Afghanistan.
- A continuing voter registration process, followed by elections after next summer.
British Commander quits
Meanwhile, Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday that the commander of the Special Air Service has quit, citing poor equipment and insufficient funding for armoured vehicles.
The paper's online edition said Major Sebastian Morley claimed in his resignation letter that "chronic underinvestment" in equipment was a factor in the deaths of four British soldiers in June. Their Snatch Land Rover light armoured vehicle split apart when it hit a landmine.
Britain's defence ministry has confirmed that Morley quit, but gave no details about the reasons behind the resignation.
The paper reported that the Ministry of Defence released a statement noting: "Equipping our personnel is a clear priority and we are absolutely focused on providing them with a range of vehicles that will protect them from the ever-shifting threats posed by the enemy."
The Daly Telegraph quoted an unnamed British soldier describing the Snatch Land Rovers as "mobile coffins."
