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Topic: Afghanistan - 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment - 2006-2007 (Read 15568 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Outstanding effort by the lads in their first combat mission in Afghanistan (this tour)
Congratualations and, by the Lord's Grace, keep up the good work!
Mike.
72 Taliban killed in Canadian-set military trap
Nine-hour battle. No Canadian, few Afghan casualties
Donald McArthur
CanWest News Service
Monday, August 21, 2006
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Less than three hours after taking command of Canada's battle group in southern Afghanistan, Lieutenant-Colonel Omer Lavoie sprang what amounted to a carefully laid trap on Taliban insurgents that left as many as 72 militants dead with Canadian troops suffering no casualties and Afghan forces only a handful.
It was one of the bloodiest days for the Taliban since its ouster in 2001 and by far the most devastating blow coalition and Afghan forces have struck against the insurgency since assuming command of the volatile south three weeks ago.
The lopsided nine-hour battle occurred near the same disputed ground where four Canadian soldiers were killed and 10 injured in fierce fighting little more than two weeks ago. It began about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Afghanistan's Independence Day, when insurgents picked a fight with Afghan security forces and were met and routed by a NATO aerial and artillery assault that left the bodies of dozens of insurgents in the streets and orchards of Panjwaii -- a Taliban hotbed coalition forces now claim to control.
"The posturing of our forces was very deliberate. The way we postured the forces was based on a high expectation of how we thought the enemy would react to the posture itself," said Lt.-Col. Lavoie, who crafted the plan while working beside Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hope, the battle group commander he replaced in the hours leading up to the fighting.
"They acted the way that we expected they would act and became decisively engaged and had insurmountable difficulties breaking contact with us."
NATO officials estimate the Taliban's strength in the south at about 1,000 fighters, which, if accurate, would mean nearly 10% of its force was felled in the fighting that continued -- in "troughs and crests," according to Lt.-Col. Lavoie -- into the dark and early hours of Sunday.
"A 10% casualty figure is an extremely big blow to your combat effectiveness," said Lt.-Col. Lavoie.
The Taliban is known to quickly replenish its diminished ranks by paying and arming impoverished male Afghans of fighting age.
Troops with the Royal Canadian Regiment, mostly from Petawawa, suffered no casualties in their first major test since arriving as part of a month-long relief-in-place operation but reports say anywhere from four to seven Afghan police officers and soldiers were killed. Thousands of civilians have been fleeing fighting in the Panjwaii area in recent months and there were no reports of civilian casualties.
Afghan officials said between 60 and 72 suspected insurgents were killed and NATO included those figures in an official statement, which claimed the insurgents in the area had been "defeated."
NATO has generally refused to provide estimates on insurgent casualties and provided no tally after the Aug. 3 battle in Panjwaii where four Canadian soldiers were killed.
Lt.-Col. Lavoie dismissed suggestions the weekend operation, a "deliberate" one, was a form of payback for those deaths and the deaths of other Canadian soldiers in Panjwaii in recent months.
"We don't keep a scorecard and you certainly don't win counter-insurgency operations through any sort of a body count or a tally," he said.
CanWest News Service
"It was to deny freedom of action and freedom of movement to insurgent forces in the area and demonstrate that the Afghan national security forces, and the Canadian forces and NATO forces supporting them, do have freedom of movement and control of the area."
In other fighting this weekend, four U.S. soldiers and an Afghan soldier were killed in separate Independence Day clashes and a British soldier was killed and three wounded yesterday in the southern province of Helmand.
Panjwaii has spiritual and emotional significance to the Taliban and is considered key ground for exerting control on Highway 1, a vital east-west artery, and on Kandahar, the economic centre of southern Afghanistan and the country's second-largest city.
Lt.-Col. Lavoie said the area is now under the control of NATO forces but whether his confidence is enough to convince the hundreds of families who fled their homes to return remains to be seen.
Although he stopped short of saying the battle plan was designed to draw out the insurgents who had been massing in Panjwaii in recent days, Lt.-Col. Lavoie said Canadian and Afghan forces anticipated the Taliban attack and stood ready to meet it fiercely without putting themselves at unnecessary risk.
"I don't like to use the word trap when we're talking counter-insurgency operations but certainly we were postured so that we would not become decisively engaged or commit all of our forces at one time so that we always had the ability to manoeuvre in the battle space," he said.
"We were able to engage the enemy through fire and manoeuvre without ever having to have ourselves backed into a corner."
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
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1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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Mike Blais
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And because we are fine, outstanding gentlemen, we even gave the corpses back. 
Taliban ask Canadians to return bodies
Aug. 21, 2006. 07:33 AM
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) — The Taliban fighters remaining after a weekend of bloody battles with Canadian and Afghan forces have asked for their warriors' bodies back.
Afghan government officials say 72 Taliban fighters died in a massive ground, air and artillery assault west of Kandahar.
NATO officials say the losses were a big blow to the Taliban, eliminating up to 10 per cent of their estimated numbers in southern Afghanistan.
Sources tell The Canadian Press that 18 bodies have been returned so far in a gesture of reconciliation.
Late last week, moderate Taliban leaders expressed an interest in ending the fighting with Afghan government and NATO forces in the region.
Haji Niamatullah, a member of the Kandahar provincial council and part of the government's reconciliation program, says those efforts continue despite the weekend violence.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
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Mike Blais
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CTV Report.
Intersting words from LCol Lavoie.... By God, theres a man you'd follow through the gates of helll ..... "I planned that operation to the level not as if I was sending in a faceless, nameless soldier. I planned that operation to the same level of detail as if I was sending out my 17-year-old daughter, or my brother," said Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, just three days into his job....
Taliban asks Canada to return fighters' bodies
Updated Mon. Aug. 21 2006 8:43 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Taliban fighters are asking Canadian and Afghan forces to return the bodies of their fighters killed over the weekend in bloody battles.
As many as 72 Taliban insurgents were killed in the offensive west of Kandahar, according to NATO officials.
"Witnesses at the scene say there were bodies everywhere, in and around this village that has been a Taliban hotbed where they had been amassing recently," reported CTV's Matt McClure from Kandahar.
Sources tell The Canadian Press that 18 bodies have been returned so far in a gesture of reconciliation.
No Canadians were killed in the fighting west of Kandahar that began late Saturday and lasted through the night, thanks in part to careful planning by the soldiers' new battle group commander.
"I planned that operation to the level not as if I was sending in a faceless, nameless soldier. I planned that operation to the same level of detail as if I was sending out my 17-year-old daughter, or my brother," said Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, just three days into his job.
However, The Canadian Press cited sources who reported that as many as seven Afghans were killed in the fighting.
Though it is not clear who initiated the fighting, it took place after suspected Taliban insurgents attacked a market in Panjwaii and overran a police checkpoint, according to McClure.
"Afghan forces battled on their own for some four hours trying to repulse these insurgents before Canadian forces arrived on the scene in their Light Armoured Vehicles," he told CTV Newsnet.
"We're told the battle then raged through the night, some 12 hours, almost into the morning time."
Heavy artillery and coalition air support were called in before the fighting ended, McClure said. By the time the battle did come to a close, bodies and body parts were scattered around the area in a gruesome display of bloodshed, according to reports.
NATO said in a statement the fighting was part of "deliberate operations," in the region.
''Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF inflicted heavy casualties against Taliban fighters in Kandahar's Panjwaii district,'' the statement read.
It was ''a deliberate operation to extend security along southern Afghanistan's Highway 1 corridor.''
While the battle is considered a success, it is by no means the end of the campaign, says the multinational brigade commander, Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Fraser.
"There's no such thing as one decisive battle that they're finished," he told McClure in an interview.
"There's no such thing as the end of summer when they throw in the towel and they throw in the rifles and they say, that's it, we're done."
When asked about the mounting Canadian casualties, Fraser said troops understand the importance of the mission.
"Every soldier that I've talked to has said that they believe in what they're doing here and they're more determined than ever to go back out there and do what they were doing."
Twenty-six Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan since the Forces were deployed there in 2002.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Thanks for these reports and a jolly good show by the RCR,job superbly well done... and may they continue with the same success all round. good stuff here Mike, thanks again , ranrad
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Oh to be young again....
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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Let us all have a prayer for a speedy recovery for Corporal Jesse Melnyck who is currently enroute to Germany for treatment after an encounter last night.
Pro Patria.
Mike
Two Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan
TERRY PEDWELL
Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — An attack on a treacherous highway in southern Afghanistan has left two Canadian soldiers injured, one seriously.
"The incident of last night was an ambush," said Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hope, the outgoing commander of Canada's battle group in Kandahar.
The patrol was struck at around 9:30 p.m. local time while driving on Kandahar's infamous Highway One, in an area known by Canadian soldiers as ambush alley.
"There have been dozens of ambushes on that highway in the past two or three months," said Col. Hope. "There were dozens last year as well."
The two Canadians were hurt when their patrol came under small arms fire about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar.
One of the injured, Corporal Jesse Melnyck, was listed in stable, non-critical condition in Kandahar before being flown to a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for further treatment.
The other soldier was in hospital at Kandahar Air Field, and was in good condition. His name was not released.
The patrol was on its way back to Kandahar Airfield from the Zhari District centre, very near where Canadian and Afghan government soldiers fought intense battles with Taliban forces over the weekend in the volatile Panjawaii District, west of Kandahar.
Afghan government officials said 72 Taliban were killed in a massive ground, air and artillery assault.
NATO called the battles, which began late Saturday and ended in the early morning hours Sunday, a "big blow" to the Taliban, eliminating up to 10 per cent of their estimated numbers in southern Afghanistan.
Col. Hope predicted further ambushes along Highway One were inevitable, but said that Canadian soldiers were well equipped to take the hits.
"In most of the ambushes, we actually do very well," said Col. Hope.
"We're in armoured vehicles and we have 25 millimetre cannons and machine guns. We're actually able to turn in and fire at an enemy who we can see at night, but who can't see us."
As well, Taliban insurgents would take more casualties than NATO forces in the area, based on past experience, he added.
"We've inflicted, conservatively, 50 casualties on these enemy ambush groups since April."
Canada has roughly 2,200 soldiers working under the NATO umbrella as part of its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Most of the soldiers currently in place are newly arrived in Kandahar within the past few weeks, and are mainly from CFB Petawawa in eastern Ontario as well as CFB Shilo in Manitoba.
They have replaced an almost equal number who are in the process of returning to Canada, mainly out of CFB Edmonton.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, there has been a series of explosions in Kandahar City in southern Afghanistan near a Canadian compound.
Eyewitnesses say the first explosion was enormous, erupting into a giant fireball followed by a giant black plume of smoke.
A series of smaller explosions was also heard shortly afterward.
All of the blasts took place near the camp housing Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Witnesses say Canadian troops could be seen crouching behind a mud wall in the area.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Aye Mike, got that itch a bit huh? Well, good on you , and yes let us all offer our prayers and thoughts for Cpl Melnyck and all the troops welfare "over there" and everywhere. Very nice Mike, good stuff, ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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An itch that is now quite pissed off, my brother! Blooody suiciders....
It is with a heavy heart... but unwavering resolve...
Tonight we must pray for our dead and those who have been injured. God bless The Regiment and those valiant brothers in arms who are standing proud for those of us who's time has passed. At such a solemn time, two words about sum it up.
Pro Patria.
Cdn. killed, 3 hurt in Afghanistan suicide attack
Updated Tue. Aug. 22 2006 9:18 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A Canadian soldier is dead and three others wounded in a suicide attack near a Canadian compound in Kandahar City on Tuesday.
One civilian and the attacker were also killed in the blast that took place just outside the base that's home to Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
Two hours after the attack, a Canadian soldier shot to death an Afghan teenager and injured a young Afghan boy when a motorcycle broke through the security perimeter around the bombing site.
The soldiers were on a NATO patrol when the attack occurred, said NATO spokesman Maj. Scott Lundy.
The attack was followed by a series of explosions not far from the PRT compound.
The blasts prompted a lockdown of the main base.
The suicide attack brings to eight the number of Canadian soldiers to die in southern Afghanistan in August.
In all, 27 Canadian soldiers have been killed since Canada deployed ground forces to the country in early 2002.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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In light of recent disclosures, allow me to revise my last comments and in honour of Corporal Braun, PPCLI, and say...
VP!
As you may have noticed, things are getting a tad hairy in the combat zone. Newsworld is reporting another explosion shortly after ten this morning but, at the moment, no word of casualties. As you may know, a young boy was slain when the driver of a motorbike penetrated a police line and advanced on the side of the suicider's attack. Clearly, a decision had to be made and, although tragic when one so young dies, IMO the right decision was. This is no time for hesitation when the threat level is so extreme...
Time to rally round the troops, let em know we are thinking about them and support their decisions. Would anybody know how we could set up an e-mail registry wherein we could write to any Royal Canadian? I'm sure our support, as former members, would be greatly appreciated.
Most recent update.
Backlash feared over shooting of Afghan boy
Updated Wed. Aug. 23 2006 9:51 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadian soldiers are preparing for a backlash abroad and at home after they shot dead a 10-year-old Afghan boy and injured a teenager yesterday.
The body of the 10-year-old boy has been returned to his grieving parents, military officials said Wednesday. His name has not been released.
The shooting took place just hours after a suicide attack killed a Canadian soldier and injured three others in Kandahar City.
Cpl. David Braun, who was based at CFB Shilo in Manitoba, died when a vehicle packed with explosives ploughed into a Canadian resupply convoy.
A young Afghan civilian girl, and the attacker, were also killed in the blast that took place just outside Camp Nathan Smith -- the home of Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the city.
Several hours later, an Afghan teenager and young boy on a motorcycle ran through a cordon that had been set up around the perimeter of the attack site.
Canadian military officials said a single bullet passed through the 17-year-old driver, and then struck and killed his 10-year-old passenger.
The teen fled the scene, but later returned to the Canadians for medical help. He was then airlifted to the military hospital at Kandahar Air Field.
The shooting will b e investigated by the military's National Investigation Service.
Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said the soldier may have believed the motorcycle was carrying an explosive.
"Clearly the soldier thought they were (a threat). The soldier went through the standard escalation of the rules of engagement, giving verbal and visual warnings," said Lewis.
CTV's Matt McClure, reporting from Kandahar, said this is a very difficult situation, and that soldiers on the base feel as if they are "damned if we do and damned if we don't."
"It's a very, very difficult job; a split second decision," McClure told CTV's Canada AM.
He said there are fears the Taliban will try and use the death of the Afghan boy as propaganda to try and recruit more members.
However, military analyst Scott Taylor said the mission is more likely to receive criticism back in Canada.
"I think they're most concerned about it here at home," he said.
Another Canadian killed
Braun is the eighth Canadian to be killed in southern Afghanistan this month. He is the 27th to die in Canada since ground forces deployed in 2002.
His body is expected to be returned to Canada within the next few days.
One of the three injured soldiers is expected to be released from hospital and return to his Kandahar unit, while the other two are listed in good condition and will remain in hospital.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to the family and friends of Braun, and hoped for a speedy recovery for the injured soldiers.
"We are proud of Corporal Braun's contribution to our mission in Afghanistan, and of all our Canadian Forces men and women who soldier on in the name of democratic values and freedom," Harper said in a statement Wednesday.
McClure described the scene following the blast as "very chaotic." A Canadian LAV-3 light armoured vehicle burned for hours after the massive blast. Another lesser-armoured G-Wagon jeep was also destroyed.
"There were huge plumes of smoke and fireballs as ammunition and grenades inside these vehicles blew off," McClure said.
Afghan journalists also reported that Canadian soldiers fired over their heads as they attempted to capture video and photographs at the bombing site.
Military officials could not confirm that account.
The suicide bombing came just hours after two Canadian soldiers were injured, one seriously, when their patrol was ambushed on a treacherous highway in southern Afghanistan.
The two Canadians were hurt when their patrol came under small arms fire while driving on Kandahar's infamous Highway One, nicknamed ambush alley by Canadian soldiers.
"There have been dozens of ambushes on that highway in the past two or three months," said Lieut.-Col. Ian Hope, the outgoing commander of Canada's battle group in Kandahar.
"There were dozens last year as well."
One of the injured, Cpl. Jesse Melnyck, was listed in stable, non-critical condition in Kandahar before being flown to a military hospital in Germany for further treatment.
The other soldier, who was not named, was in hospital at Kandahar Air Field, and is listed in good condition.
With files from The Canadian Press
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Gerry Connors
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RIP and a seedy recovery to our brethern
Thoughts, prayers anf condolences to familiies..
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Great report to us all Mike, fills in things sometimes missing with the media. And i agree lets get some way we can all offer direct email contact and support with the troops over there. How? Being a bit of a neophyte on this blessed contraption, i have to rely on those with more "knowledge". Anyone know how to get a system for contact set up?? Thanks again Mike ,hope this gets up and running soon, ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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Update. I wish there were more news coming out of Afghanistan as the resources for picking through seem rather limited. I think we can be grateful that the expected surge of violence in the aftermath of the young lad being killed has not happened and the city, Afghanistan's second largest, has not devolved into choas as did happen when an American soldier was invovled in a similar incident in Kabul. Hopefully, the situation will remain calm.
A couple of blurbs... Globe and Mail and te Star.
THE AFGHAN MISSION
Afghans mute rage in wake of shooting
Calm prevails in Kandahar one day after Canadian soldier killed boy at roadblock
GRAEME SMITH
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- The people of Kandahar did not rush to blame a Canadian soldier yesterday after a 10-year-old boy was shot dead at a roadblock and the city braced for a backlash.
Tense but calm, Afghanistan's second-largest city appears to have avoided the kind of rioting that shook the country's capital after another incident in which Afghans died at the hands of foreign troops.
Word about the shooting spread slowly, partly because it happened on the northeastern edge of the city with relatively few people watching on late Tuesday afternoon as a motorcycle broke through an Afghan police roadblock and sped toward a Canadian military cordon.
The troops were protecting the scene of a bomb blast that killed a Canadian soldier, and many Afghans who heard the story about the shooting said they understood why foreign troops might shoot at youths, a 17-year-old and a 10-year-old, who drove straight toward them like suicide bombers.
The Globe and Mail
Provincial council members in Kandahar discussed the shooting briefly during their day-long session, but did not condemn the Canadian actions. Relatives of the dead boy expressed anger and disgust to reporters who reached their home in a suburb about seven kilometres south of Kandahar city, but they kept a respectful silence during a short ceremony at a Canadian military base where their son's body was delivered to them. The 17-year-old remained at a military hospital yesterday in serious condition. Both were struck by the same bullet.
Even the boys who work as street vendors near the blast site, who are similar in age to the two youths, defended the Canadian troops as they picked through the rubble of their shops for anything they could salvage from the latest clash between insurgents and foreigners.
"Police waved them away, but he went through anyway," said Agha Shereen, 10, clutching a pomegranate he salvaged from the remains of his family's store.
"These are stupid people if they don't know the rules," said Sami Ullah, 15, who's worried about whether the Canadians will help rebuild his store and restock it with grapes, bread, soda and other goods destroyed by the bombing. But he's not concerned, he says, about whether the Canadian troops should have been more careful with the youths on the motorcycle.
"Canadians said to the driver, 'Don't come here,' " Sami said. "Why did they go there?"
The military now has no reason to suspect the motorcyclists were trying to harm the troops, said Colonel Fred Lewis, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan. But Taliban insurgents have previously packed motorcycles with explosives and used them as improvised explosive devices, he said. Soldiers are also warned to watch for follow-up attacks after bombings.
"They [troops] have seen pictures of suicide bombers using motorcycles," he said. "So I have a sneaking suspicion that that's exactly what was going through the mind of a soldier, that this was a secondary IED."
General Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, said a full investigation was under way, but initial reports indicate protocol was followed.
"Unfortunately in this mission, which is complex and dangerous, the conditions which caused that death to occur are set by a Taliban who refuse to accept the fact that a stable Afghanistan is better for all people," Gen. Hillier said yesterday in St. John's. "It's always devastating when you lose anybody, particularly a child."
It remains unclear why the two youths disobeyed the warnings.
Talatbek Masadykov, head of the United Nations office in Kandahar, said the government could improve its education programs about how to behave around foreign troops.
"Most people here know it's dangerous to violate the rules," Mr. Masadykov said. "The international forces have lost so many people that they don't have a lot of tolerance for mistakes. We're trying to share this information with local people, but it would be better if the local administration took up this issue, on radio and TV."
Despite fears that insurgents will use the shooting as a propaganda tool, Mr. Masadykov said there's no evidence of that happening yet.
The foreigners in Kandahar have reason to be watchful, however.
Sentiments in this southern city are more xenophobic than inside the relatively cosmopolitan capital city of Kabul. But a similar incident in Kabul, in which a runaway American military truck killed three pedestrians, sparked widespread riots in late May. At least 17 people died in the unrest.
Hoping to avoid such anger, NATO's International Security Assistance Force issued a high-level apology yesterday. "We are very sad at what happened and we express our deep regret and condolences to the family and community," said Colonel Arie Vermeij, deputy commander of ISAF's Regional Command South.
People in the south are more reluctant to protest in the streets, because they're worried about upsetting the fragile balance in this volatile region, said Haji Syed Jan, a provincial council member in Kandahar. But the situation could reach a tipping point, he said.
"Today was quiet," Mr. Jan said. "We don't know about tomorrow.
and the Star.
Afghans vent anger at Canadians
Death of boy, 10, stirs support for bombers: Witness
Some want foreign troops to get out of the country
Aug. 24, 2006. 05:36 AM
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA—In the tense hours after a Canadian soldier shot and killed a boy of 10, angry Kandahar shopkeepers voiced a chilling sentiment — support for suicide bombers who had just attacked a military convoy and a desire to see foreign troops out of their country.
That marks a dangerous watershed in the battle for public support, as Canadian troops struggled with the aftermath of a tragic day in Kandahar that saw the deaths of the boy and a soldier.
"They're very angry about that, the shopkeepers, the bakery man, all the people that are living in this place," said a Kandahar resident who was at the scene.
"They're angry and they get upset and they get out of patience, and they said, `Yeah, we support the suicide (bombers)," he told the Star in a telephone interview.
"We support them and the international community should leave Afghanistan. We want to build our country by ourselves," he quoted other residents as saying.
The Kandahar resident works for a non-governmental agency. He spoke to the Star on condition that neither he nor his employer would be identified out of concern it could impede their work.
The tragic chain of events began Tuesday when a suicide bomber triggered his explosive-laden car next to a convoy just outside the gates of a Canadian base in Kandahar City. The blast destroyed two vehicles, killing Cpl. David Braun, 27, of Raymore, Sask., and wounding three others. They are reported in good condition.
Two hours later, two Afghan youths riding a motorcycle "at high speed" broke through the security cordon around the bombing site and were fired on by a Canadian soldier.
The 10-year-old passenger was killed. The driver, believed to be 17, was wounded and remains in the military hospital at Kandahar airfield.
A defence department statement said the driver "failed to heed multiple warnings to stop. A Canadian ISAF personnel ... opened fire on the two in a defensive application of our rules of engagement."
Local shopkeepers were initially angry at the suicide bomber, whose attack also killed a young Afghan girl. But their fury quickly focused on the Canadians after the motorcycle riders were shot, the resident said.
"They have been telling me that they had better leave, all the ISAF, the security forces, the peacekeepers, they have to leave our country," he said."It's a very bad situation. It's dangerous and you can't trust anyone. The Canadian soldier had to do something but sometimes ... mistakes are made."
When approached by Canadian Press at his home, the father of the boy denounced Canada's military for the shooting.
He refused to speak about the incident or give his name. Several women in the family compound began screaming and crying, their fists shaking as they tried to contain their anguish.
Top commanders hoped to defuse the public anger.
"We are very sad at what happened and we express our deep regret and condolences to the family and community," said Col. Arie Vermeij, deputy commander of International Security Assistance Force Regional Command South.
Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of Canada's ISAF contingent, was concerned about a potential negative response. He urged people to be calm. "The message is that we're here to help them and we certainly would never want to hurt them."
Gen. Rick Hillier, head of Canada's armed forces, expressed remorse.
"It's always devastating when you lose anybody, particularly a child," he told reporters yesterday in St. John's, Nfld.
The military's National Investigation Service is to probe the shooting.
The general also expressed condolences to the family of Braun, who was based in Shilo, Man.
Last night, Braun's casket was carried onto a C-130 Hercules at Kandahar for the trip home.
Braun, 27, is the eighth Canadian killed in Afghanistan this month, and the 27th to die since Canada deployed ground forces here in 2002.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement paid tribute to Braun's sacrifice, saying, "While deeply saddened by his loss, I hope his family may find some comfort in knowing that Canadians share their sorrow,"
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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I need a bit of help from the resident historians. I'm getting a little miffed that the media continues to miswrite The Regiment's name by not capitalizing the The in The Royal Canadian Regiment. Franklky, I don not trust my memory! and I need to know the precise circumstances when the The in The was mandated....
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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To Mikes report on the incident of the shooting of the 10yr old boy: Thanks for this great report, and i think anyone can find many things here, including ,i think that our guys are gaining trust and suport.. if one reads between the lines.. of course,there is anger and great grief, as there should be.. but no one wants to harm a child, and circumstances in a tense situation can very quickly escalate to diaster.. and shoulkd there be blame?? No, i don't think so, no one i am sure wanted to be hurting anyone let alone killing a 10 yrold boy.All need some time to think thru all that happened and to hope and pray it can be prevented another time.. but how? there can be no assurances in a war zone. I too ,feel for the soldier who did his duty. I can only imagine how that all is affecting him now. I hope you will remember that you had a duty to yourself and most importantly to your buddies... you simply did your duty.. and that is an end of that as far as i see it.....and alt | | | |
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