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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian military engineers have taken the first step in plans to rebuild dilapidated apartments that serve as barracks for Afghan National Army soldiers and their families in the Kandahar area.

On Sunday, the engineers inspected the barracks, mostly bombed out shells of 1960s-style apartments originally built by American involved in airport construction.

Despite that, more than 1,000 people live in the apartments, officially known as Camp Shirzai but which the Americans have tried to rename Camp Hero. Canadian troops started making supply drops at the camp's school soon after they arrived in February 2006 and planned to do renovations.

But instead an entirely new school was built nearby. Now, the Canadians want to do more for the soldiers and their families.

Warrant Officer Steven Beaudet, who is stationed in Moncton with the First Engineer Support Unit, said he figures about 60 per cent of the six apartment buildings can be safely rebuilt. Many of the buildings had holes blown in them by artillery fire in 2001. .