Command of Joint Task Force Afghanistan changes hands

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan; 19 February 2009 — Command of Joint Task Force Afghanistan was transferred from Brigadier-General Denis Thompson to BGen Jonathan Vance during a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield today. Held at the Chai House, the change of command was attended by key Afghan and coalition force leaders, as well as the senior staff of Task Force Kandahar, the Canadian task force operating in Kandahar Province as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

“We faced many challenges during the course of our mission. I have seen first-hand the progress being made by Afghan national security forces and the determination of the local people to build better lives for themselves and for their children,” said BGen Thompson while reflecting on his experience in Kandahar Province. “Our soldiers are proud of this mission, and wholeheartedly believe in what they are doing here. In the end, it’s about helping our Afghan friends determine their own destiny,” he said.

“We will continue to build on the excellent work done to date by Brigadier-General Thompson and his team in the hope that Afghans can one day live in peace,” said the incoming commander, Brig.-Gen. Vance. “I believe the insurgency is increasingly marginalized, and Afghans will be able to assume greater freedom from the scourge of insurgent activity and follow the destiny they have chosen,” he said.