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Topic: Afghanistan, 3rd Bn, R22R, Part Duex... (Read 4623 times)
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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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Deployed soldiers live for smaller victories
Troops say their focus is on the seven months they’re in Afghanistan
By STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press
Sat. Feb 23 - 4:47 AM
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The soldier hobbled over the rough gravel ground, his crutches slipping on the rocks.
He’d been hurt in an explosion from a roadside bomb, he said, and had two more weeks to go in his tour in Kandahar.
He couldn’t wait to get out.
"We’re all delusional if we think we can fix this place by tomorrow," he muttered.
"It won’t be tomorrow. Not even next year. It won’t be fixed for years."
Even as the Canadian government gets ready to set a firm date for the end of the mission in Afghanistan, soldiers involved in the work say a deadline means nothing in Afghanistan.
It’s not that they want Canada to remain in Afghanistan indefinitely. Some, like the injured soldier, wish the mission would end much sooner than the newly proposed pullout date of 2011.
But in Kandahar, the focus isn’t on what might happen in a matter of years but what can happen in months.
"We come for seven months, we focus on seven months," said a soldier named Adrian, 26, who asked that his rank and last name not be used.
"There is an evolution over that time, short things you see immediately. But it’s impossible to know what will happen after you leave."
Soldiers like Capt. Helene Lescalleur say they’ll be content with small victories, one day at a time.
During her tour in Kandahar, she has organized three one-day medical capacity clinics for Afghans, the first largescale military medical outreach programs since 2006.
"The thing is, these persons don’t have access to anything," she said.
"So giving them the chance one day to be seen by a doctor can be the action they need to go further for something else."
The Canadian military has been in Afghanistan since 2002 and focused its operations in Kandahar province in early 2006. About 10,000 soldiers have now rotated through Kandahar.
The current rotation, mostly soldiers from the 22nd Regiment in Quebec, is coming to an end. The Van Doos, as they’re known, are being replaced by soldiers mostly from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Alberta.
It’s been a busy seven months for this rotation.
Twelve soldiers have died — eight from improvised explosive devices, one from a mortar round, two in a vehicle accident and one in a suicide in Kabul.
A new forward operating base is under construction and a series of police checkpoints have been built and are manned around the clock by Afghan police and Canadian soldiers.
Ground lost in the Panjwaii and Zhari districts at the start of the rotation has been recaptured, though some areas still remain fragile.
The Afghan army, under Canadian tutelage, is growing with two full Kandaks — or battalions — on the ground and a third expected to stand up soon.
Hundreds of projects have come out of the Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Kandahar city, the headquarters for Canada’s development work, including the start of a $4.5-million road-paving project.
But security incidents across the country have jumped 64 per cent in the last year.
Close to 100 schools have been burned down and almost 600 more closed for security reasons. In the last week alone, more than 140 civilians have died in Kandahar province in three bombings carried out by insurgents.
None of the activity happens on a clock. The military must be able to respond to whatever happens.
"We’re setting the conditions for more progress with Afghan capacity building and, more important, with reconstruction," Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, commander of all of the military’s overseas missions, said on a recent visit to Kandahar.
"This team that’s been in theatre has set the conditions for sustained and sustainable progress, put in the context of a finish line that is still pretty far down the road."
Canada’s current military commitment to Afghanistan is set to expire in 2009, but the finish line for the international community has always been 2011. That was the date agreed upon in the Afghanistan Compact, an international agreement on development and security in the country.
The compact lays out a series of benchmarks for military and development efforts.
The guidelines govern how Canada directs the $100 million a year in aid money allocated to Afghanistan by the Canadian International Development Agency.
The benchmarks range from clear targets, like having 100,000 students in university by 2010, to more general statements like strengthening counter-narcotics programs to increase the amount of drugs seized and destroyed.
The fact that Afghanistan’s opium production in 2007 was twice that in 2005 speaks to the challenges in meeting the guidelines.
In Zhari and Panjwaii, development efforts are still focused on basic humanitarian needs; the lofty goals set by the compact still a long ways away.
The challenge is the same with the Afghan National Army and Afghan police.
The compact states that by 2010 there will be 70,000 ANA soldiers and 62,000 police officers, but it’s generally acknowledged that having a professional and capable security force will take a long time.
"People must understand we don’t build an army in a year or two years," said Col. Stephane Lafaut, the outgoing commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, the 200 soldiers who train the Afghan army and police.
"If we look at the capabilities that the coalition forces have, it took years to build."
’We’re all delusional if we think we can fix this place by tomorrow.’
Wounded soldier
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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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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Canadian soldiers hold memorial for blast victims
Afghans carry a coffin containing the body of a victim who was killed by Sunday's suicide attack for a funeral service, in Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Feb. 18, 2008. (AP / Allauddin Khan)
Afghans carry a coffin containing the body of a victim who was killed by Sunday's suicide attack for a funeral service, in Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Feb. 18, 2008. (AP / Allauddin Khan)
The Canadian Press
Updated: Sun. Feb. 24 2008 7:49 AM ET
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Canadian soldiers have honoured families of Afghans killed in a deadly suicide bombing one week ago.
Thirty-six men and boys who lost their sons, brothers and fathers in the blast at a dog fighting festival last weekend gathered with the Canadian military at a ceremony this morning.
More than 100 people were killed in Afghanistan's deadliest explosion, which was believed to have targeted an influential local police commander.
One man said he was grateful the Canadians took the time to honour the victims and their families but he is still angry and sad about his son's death.
Maj. James Allen, the head of the Canadian Civil Military Co-operation Team, said the ceremony was meant to show Afghans that all of Canada grieves with them when they suffer such a tragic loss.
Twelve arrests have been made in connection with the bombing.
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Meet Canada's new head reconstruction official in Kandahar
Brian Hutchinson, National Post Published: Sunday, February 24, 2008
Brian Hutchinson/National Post
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The woman recently appointed to direct civilian Canadian efforts in Kandahar province stepped into the spotlight for the first time Sunday, pledging to provide "overall leadership and strategic direction" to what has been a difficult and controversial reconstruction mission.
Elissa Golberg, who assumes the new role of representative of Canada in Kandahar, met briefly with reporters at this large military base.
Among other things, she said, the next few weeks will be spent "talking to a lot of people to see how we can further advance the work that we're doing here. Frankly, I'm just looking forward to getting on with the job," added Ms. Golberg.
She did not identify her main priorities. The 34-year-old diplomat arrived in Afghanistan just a few days ago.
But she has been here before; previously, she served as executive director of the Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan, chaired by former cabinet minister John Manley.
As well as recommending that Canada extend its mission here beyond 2009, the Manley panel suggested the federal government should "revamp" its reconstruction and development role and give "higher priority to direct, bilateral project assistance that addresses the immediate, practical needs of the Afghan people, especially in Kandahar province."
That is where Ms. Golberg comes in.
Described by some as a wunderkind, she joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1996. She has since developed a strong background in disaster relief and in what she called "high stakes environments."
Last year, Ms. Golberg helped co-ordinate Canada's relief response to the summer hurricane season in the Caribbean. She helped direct relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. She has also worked on conflict solutions Sudan, Haiti, and Kosovo.
Arif Lalani, the Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan, introduced her to reporters Sunday. Col. Christian Juneau, acting commander of the Canadian Forces in Kandahar also took part in the introductions.
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Taliban will target Canadians if they sense political weakness
Christie Blatchford
From Monday's Globe and Mail
The last time I was in Kandahar, last fall, I had a few calls from one of The Globe and Mail's fixers, the man whose particular job it is to make contacts with local elders and the Taliban and to report back to the journalist in the field.
These conversations were all pretty much of a piece.
I was then out in the middle of nowhere with the Canadian soldiers then just newly in theatre -- the Van Doos, or Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Que. The fixer was somewhere else. The cell service was sketchy, the fixer's English rudimentary but infinitely better than my Pashto.
I should say that unlike other Globe correspondents, who sometimes bravely cover the war in Afghanistan as unembedded reporters, or free agents, I spend most of my time embedded with Canadian troops, am able to write what I see or hear with my own ears and eyes, and don't have to rely on our fixers for very much except the occasional ride into the city.
Anyway, as I recall, this fellow initiated every call, and would begin always by doing what I took to be establishing his bona fides: He would mention a cousin or friend of his who was either in village A or who had a cousin or friend in village A, and who was thus allegedly in a position to know what was happening there.
Then he would give me the news, such as it was.
But one day, he volunteered that his Taliban contacts were talking about this new group of Canadian soldiers, that they were French-speaking, and that they'd noted their purported unwillingness to go out of their forward operating bases or to fight. He actually chuckled, making me wish I could smack him, as he delivered this last bit.
I was stunned, to be honest - not because I believed what he said was true or had seen any evidence of it, not because I relied on his information or used it, but because he or his informants were sophisticated enough not only to be aware of the recent shift in Canadian troops but also of nuances in the realpolitik of our country.
I thought of this when I read and saw coverage this weekend of a speech given last Friday by the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier.
I wasn't there when he spoke and haven't been able to find a complete transcript of his remarks, but from all I've found there was nothing remotely controversial in what he had to say.
Contrary to some reports, Gen. Hillier didn't push MPs to extend the mission so much as he strongly urged them to give soldiers "clarity of purpose" (in other words, give them clear marching orders and do it as quickly as possible) and to suggest that if MPs are, as it now appears, going to extend the mission (past the now-artificial deadline of 2009 to a new artificial deadline of 2011), to do so with one firm voice.
Part of Gen. Hillier's rationale, perfectly within his mandate as the head of the Canadian Forces and his duty to speak for his soldiers, was that young troops deserve to know what it is their Parliament is asking of them.
The other part was that with the fate of the mission uncertain, "we are, in the eyes of the Taliban, in a window of extreme vulnerability. And the longer we go without that clarity, with the issue in doubt, the more the Taliban will target us as a perceived weak link," he said.
Well, if the Ottawa press corps didn't directly pronounce the very idea preposterous, (though I thought some of the all-knowing smiles and body language of the TV reporters hinted at that), it was implicit in story lines suggesting the speech had "raised eyebrows" or that the general had somehow "crossed a line."
Certainly, NDP defence critic Dawn Black's reaction, that it was "beyond belief" for the CDS to even suggest that recent suicide bombings could be linked to the Canadian debate, was widely repeated. That is hardly a shocker: Ms. Black has been to Kandahar all of once, on one of those VIP-type quickie visits that are largely confined to the big base at Kandahar Air Field and environs, and the lead item on her website is a "Peace Advocacy" page. Those eyebrows are easily raised.
Truth is, it is quite believable that the Taliban would target Canadians if they sense that it is a useful time to inflict casualties.
Afghanistan may be a country reduced to rubble by decades of war and invasion, its infrastructure in tatters, its people mostly illiterate, but that doesn't translate to a primitive enemy, as my instructive chat with the fixer reminded me. A senior Canadian commander once described Afghanistan as "Babylon with cellphones," and it remains the best description I've heard, precisely because it incorporates both the roughness of the place and the clever, self-sufficient adaptability of the people.
If only because Afghans have been fighting for so long on their own turf - in recent history against the invading former Soviet Union, against one another - they are singularly good at it. It is no happy accident that virtually everything in that bloody country, whatever else its function, is also purpose-built for fighting.
Where a decade ago the word Taliban meant the group of religious zealots who controlled the country for a few exceptionally brutal years, the word now is shorthand for a veritable soup of fighters - the young and impoverished, drawn in by money, boredom or intimidation; those affiliated with tribal bosses or drug lords who share only the Taliban's goal of instability; foreign fighters from Pakistan and elsewhere, and old-school ideologues. But the one sure thing is that they are a smart and informed fighting force, as capable of recognizing political weakness in NATO home countries as they are a military one in the field.
There was nothing in Gen. Hillier's remarks to suggest that there should not be a debate about Afghanistan. And Lord thundering Jesus, as they say in Gen. Hillier's native province, there has been nothing but debate in this country since our soldiers first went to Kandahar. With every Canadian soldier's death, there is debate; with every Senlis Council report, there is debate; with every public opinion poll, there is debate.
Nor was there anything in his remarks to suggest that Parliament's authority ought to be usurped, or undermined. Gen. Hillier said that Parliament's servants, the soldiers, await Parliament's direction. He merely asked that the direction be clear, cogent and given swiftly.
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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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Well, for sure , Ms Blatchford has once again done her profession proud.. something rare these days in the owrld of journalism. Gen Hillier did his duty , and did it very well. To him, i say , thank you Sir, for there have been many who would likley not have.. and as for the Taliban, i believe our people know they are up against an enemy that commands the respect of a formidable foe, it is no wonder they understand the rudiments of Cdn society as it is...great report Mike, thanks for getting it up here...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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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Explosive device kills Canadian soldier
By Matthew Fisher
CanWest News Service
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, the 79th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, and only days away from returning to Canada, was killed by an improvised explosive device March 2, 2008.
CREDIT: DND
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, the 79th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, and only days away from returning to Canada, was killed by an improvised explosive device March 2, 2008.
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The 79th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan - a soldier only days away from returning to Canada - was killed by an improvised explosive device Sunday afternoon while taking part in a supply mission.
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, was a member of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), based out of Edmonton and was to have returned to Canada in days after completing a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
"He has been with us since July or August," Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan said in answer to a question from a reporter. There were no details yet available about the exact nature of the latest fatal IED attack, which was under investigation, he said.
Hayakaze died while riding in an armoured vehicle that was part of a resupply mission in support of the Afghan army, Laroche said. His vehicle was struck about 45 kilometres west of the main Canadian base at Kandahar Airfield.
According to a Canadian Forces statement, Hayakaze was immediately evacuated from the scene by helicopter but was pronounced dead upon his arrival at the Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield.
The nearest town to the scene of the explosion was Mushan, in the Panjwaii District, which has been a persistent trouble spot for Canadian troops since they began a combat mission in the area nearly two years ago.
No Canadians have died while involved in direct combat against the Taliban since last summer. Most of the troops to have killed since then have been in vehicles that have struck IEDs.
"I think they are more desperate," Laroche said in explaining the Taliban's non-confrontational tactics. "They are still using IEDs as their weapon of choice."
Actual fighting between the Taliban and the Canadians has dropped off to zero in Kandahar this year, according to Lt.-Col. Alain Gauthier, who was the commander of the Van Doo battle group which was responsible for the war here for six months until he handed over command to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in a ceremony on Friday.
"In the past two months the enemy has not had any direct contact with the coalition," Gauthier said before beginning his return journey to Canada early Saturday.
Because the Arghandab River runs through Panjwaii, it is one of the few farming areas in the province of Kandahar. It is relatively heavily populated compared to most other parts of the province, which with neighbouring Helmand, is the most hotly disputed area in Afghanistan.
"This is a very difficult time for the family, friends and colleagues of our lost comrade," Laroche said.
"Our men and women know we are engaged in a dangerous mission. They also know how important their presence is to the people of Afghanistan. They defend those who cannot defend themselves at the risk of their own lives, and they help build a better future for Afghan children by setting the stage for lasting stability."
Canada's battle group in Kandahar numbers about 2,200 soldiers. A little more than half the troops are based at Kandahar Airfield with the rest living and operating from small forward operating bases.
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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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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Lest We Forget
Canadian death toll in Afghanistan: 79 soldiers, one diplomat
5 hours ago
Since 2002, 79 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan. Here is a list of the deaths:
2008
March 2 - Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, from Lord Strathcona's Horse, Edmonton, killed by roadside bomb in Mushan, 45 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
Jan. 23 - Sapper Etienne Gonthier, 21, of St-Georges, Que., near Quebec City, a combat engineer serving with 5ieme Regiement du Genie de Combat, killed in a mine-clearing operation when his light armoured vehicle was hit by roadside bomb in the Panjwaii district.
Jan. 15 - Trooper Richard Renaud, 26, of Alma Que., a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada, killed when the Coyote light armoured vehicle he was travelling in hit a roadside bomb while on patrol in the Arghandab district, north of Kandahar city.
Jan. 6 - Warrant Officer Hani Massouh, 41, and Cpl. Eric Labbe, 31, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, killed when their armoured vehicle rolled over in wet, rugged terrain southwest of Kandahar City.
2007
Dec. 30 - Jonathan Dion, 27, gunner with 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada from Val-d'Or, Que., killed when his light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.
Nov. 17 - Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp of the 5th Field Ambulance in Valcartier and Pte. Michel Levesque of the Royal 22nd Regiment, killed when their light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Bazar-e Panjwaii.
Sept. 24 - Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, 24, with the King's Own Calgary regiment, killed by a mortar shell while trying to repair a Leopard tank in southern Afghanistan.
Aug. 29 - Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul, 42, died from a gunshot wound in his room at the headquarters of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Kabul. He was an armoured officer based at the NATO Allied Land Component Command Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.
Aug. 22 - Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, Royal 22nd Regiment; Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 5th Field Ambulance unit, both based in Valcartier, Que., killed when light armoured vehicle struck by roadside bomb after battle for strategic hill west of Kandahar city.
Aug. 19
-Pte. Simon Longtin, 23, of Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's south shore, a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment, killed when his light armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.
July 4 - Cpl. Cole Bartsch, Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, Pte. Lane Watkins and Cpl. Jordan Anderson, all of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton; Master Cpl. Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment based in New Westminster, B.C., and Capt. Jefferson Francis of the 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based in Shilo, Man., killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.
June 20 - Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, all of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb near a forward-operating base at Sperwan Ghar, west of Kandahar.
June 11 - Trooper Darryl Caswell, 25, of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, killed when an improvised explosive device detonated underneath his vehicle north of Kandahar City.
May 30 - Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede, a combat photographer based at CFB Gagetown, N.B., killed when a U.S. helicopter was reportedly shot down by the Taliban in Helmand province.
May 25 - Cpl. Matthew McCully, 25, a signals operator from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron based at Petawawa, Ont., killed by an improvised explosive device in Zhari district.
April 18 - Master Cpl. Anthony Klumpenhouwer, 25, of Listowel, Ont., died after falling from a communications tower while on duty with the elite Special Operations Forces Command, conducting surveillance in Kandahar City.
April 11 - Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 30, and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23, both of the Royal Canadian Dragoons based in Petawawa, Ont., killed when their Coyote vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
April 8 - Pte. Kevin V. Kennedy, 20, of St. Lawrence, Nfld., Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, of Burton, N.B., Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, of Lincoln, N.B., Pte. David R. Greenslade, 20, of Saint John, N.B., Cpl. Brent Poland, 37, of Sarnia, Ont., all of Gagetown, N.B.-based 2nd Battalion, RCR; and Cpl. Christopher Stannix, 24, of Dartmouth, N.S., from the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers, killed when their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Maywand district.
March 6 - Cpl. Kevin Megeney, 25, of Stellarton, N.S., a member of 1st Battalion of Nova Scotia Highlanders, killed by accidental shooting at NATO base in Kandahar.
2006
Nov. 27 - Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, his battalion's regimental sergeant major, and Cpl. Albert Storm, both of Royal Canadian Regiment based in CFB Petawawa, killed when suicide car bomber attacked their Bison armoured personnel carrier on outskirts of Kandahar City.
Oct. 14 - Sgt. Darcy Tedford, based at CFB Petawawa, and Pte. Blake Williamson from Ottawa killed in ambush west of Kandahar.
Oct. 7 - Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson of Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed when his armoured vehicle hit by roadside bomb in Panjwaii district.
Oct. 3 - Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell of Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in series of mortar, rocket attacks just west of Kandahar City.
Sept. 29 - Pte. Josh Klukie of First Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed by explosion in Panjwaii while on foot patrol.
Sept. 18 - Pte. David Byers, Cpl. Shane Keating and Cpl. Keith Morley, all of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man., and Cpl. Glen Arnold, 2 Field Ambulance, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in suicide bicycle bomb attack while on foot patrol in Panjwaii.
Sept. 4 - Pte. Mark Graham, based at CFB Petawawa, killed when two NATO planes accidentally strafed Canadian troops in Panjwaii district.
Sept. 3 - Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Pte. William Cushley and Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, all based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., killed in fighting in Panjwaii district.
Aug. 22 - Cpl. David Braun, based at Shilo, Man., killed in suicide bomb attack in Kandahar City.
Aug. 11 - Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom, 23, of Comox, B.C., stationed with 1st Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, killed in suicide attack.
Aug. 9 - Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, 33, of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man., killed by apparent accidental discharge of rifle.
Aug. 5 - Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, 31, of Loyal Edmonton Regiment, killed when large truck collided head-on with his G-Wagon patrol vehicle.
Aug. 3 - Cpl. Christopher Reid, 34, of 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, killed by roadside bomb. Three other members of same battalion killed in rocket-propelled grenade attack by Taliban forces west of Kandahar: Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, 35, Cpl. Bryce Keller, 27, and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, 22.
July 22 - Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, based in Montreal, killed when car packed with explosives rammed their armoured vehicle.
July 9 - Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21, reservist from Lake Superior Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., killed in firefight.
May 17 - Capt. Nichola Goddard, artillery officer based in Shilo, Man., with 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, killed in Taliban ambush during battle in Panjwaii region. She was first Canadian woman to be killed in action while serving in combat role.
April 22 - Cpl. Matthew Dinning of Richmond Hill, Ont., stationed with 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade in Petawawa, Ont., Bombardier Myles Mansell of Victoria, Lt. William Turner of Toronto, stationed in Edmonton, and Cpl. Randy Payne, born in Lahr, Germany, stationed at CFB Wainright, Alta., all killed when their G-Wagon destroyed by roadside bomb near Gumbad.
March 29 - Pte. Robert Costall of Edmonton, machine-gunner, killed in firefight with Taliban insurgents in Sangin district of Helmand province.
March 2 - Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., killed when their armoured vehicle ran off road in Kandahar area.
Jan. 15 - Glyn Berry, British-born Canadian diplomat who had served with Foreign Affairs Department since 1977, killed in suicide bombing near Kandahar.
2005
Nov. 24 - Pte. Braun Woodfield, born in Victoria and raised in Eastern Passage, N.S., killed when his armoured vehicle rolled over near Kandahar.
2004
Jan. 27 - Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 26, of Conception Harbour, Nfld., killed in suicide bombing while on patrol near Kabul.
2003
Oct. 2 - Sgt. Robert Short, 42, of Fredericton, and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 29, of Ottawa, killed in roadside bombing southwest of Kabul.
2002
April 18 - Sgt. Marc Leger, 29, of Lancaster, Ont., Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24, of Montreal, Pte. Richard Green, 21, of Mill Cove, N.S., and Pte. Nathan Smith, 27, of Tatamagouche, N.S., all killed when U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombed Canadians on pre-dawn training exercise. Eight other Canadians wounded in friendly-fire incident.
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Several Taliban Killed in Afghanistan
By FISNIK ABRASHI – 2 hours ago
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Clashes and raids in southern Afghanistan killed or wounded more than 20 Taliban fighters, while a Canadian soldier died in a roadside blast, military officials said.
In the southern Helmand province, U.S.-led coalition troops targeted a Taliban commander in Garmser district on Sunday, the coalition said.
"Several insurgents were killed when they fired on coalition forces," who detained four men with suspected links to the militants, the coalition said in a statement late Sunday.
Also Sunday, Afghan and foreign troops clashed with militants in Helmand's Sangin district, resulting in 20 casualties, according to a Defense Ministry statement that did not provide a breakdown of the number of dead and wounded militants.
Four other suspected militants were detained by coalition troops in the Qalat district of Zabul province. The men were accused of involvement in attacks along the main highway connecting Kabul with the country's south, the coalition said.
Separately, a Canadian soldier was killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city on Sunday, said Brig. Gen. Guy Laroche, the commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.
Since 2002, 79 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan, including five soldiers this year. Most have been killed by roadside bombs.
Canada has deployed about 2,500 troops to fight the Taliban in the volatile south, but has threatened to withdraw if other NATO countries fail to provide 1,000 additional troops for Kandahar province, one of the centers of the Taliban-led insurgency.
Afghanistan's intelligence chief, meanwhile, rejected an assessment by his U.S. counterpart that 10 percent of the country is under Taliban control, calling the figures "completely baseless."
Michael McConnell, the U.S. National Intelligence Director, told a Senate committee last week in Washington that Afghanistan's central government controls just 30 percent of the country, the Taliban controls about 10 percent, and local tribes control the rest.
Afghan and Western officials have disputed the figures.
"All the percentages given are completely baseless for us," Afghan intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh told a news conference Monday in Kabul.
Saleh said only eight of Afghanistan's 364 districts — comprising 2 percent of the Afghan population or 5 percent of its territory — are not government controlled.
Saleh also took issue with McConnell's assertion that the 60 percent of the country controlled by tribal leaders is not under direct government control.
"We are a very distinct country, in our culture, in our way of governance, in our history," Saleh said. "While in America, an administration fully backed by tribal chiefs or dominated by tribal chiefs may be seen as liability ... here we see it as a very strong asset."
Last year was the deadliest in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. More than 6,500 people — mostly militants — were killed in violence linked to the insurgency, according to an Associated Press count.
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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
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Sacrifice was on mind of slain soldier
TheStar.com - Canada - Sacrifice was on mind of slain soldier
Said last year deaths in Afghanistan remind him 'why we're really there'
March 03, 2008
Richard Brennan
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA–A Canadian soldier who last year movingly described the experience of hearing about comrades dying in Afghanistan was himself killed there yesterday by a roadside bomb.
The military said Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, of Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), arrived in Kandahar last summer and was nearing the end of his deployment.
Hayakaze was on a resupply mission when his armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device about 45 kilometres west of Kandahar City, Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche told reporters in Kandahar. It happened in a group of villages known as Mushan, which has been a persistent trouble spot for the Canadian military.
Last July, Hayakaze told the Toronto Star's Petti Fong in Edmonton he expected to be in Afghanistan the following month and felt frustrated by debates about whether Canada should pull out of the combat mission before 2009.
"When we hear of these tragedies, it's always depressing and always makes me go quiet and think about why we're really there," he said. "What happens to all those men and women who've died if we just leave?"
Yesterday, Hayakaze was flown to the multinational medical unit at Kandahar Airfield but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
"Our comrade died in the service if his county. His sacrifice will not be forgotten," Laroche said.
In a statement last night, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Hayakaze's "sacrifice will long be remembered."
Laroche said, "His sacrifice will not be forgotten and his memory will be with us as we continue to carry out our mission, with the same determination and resolve to see it through."
Improvised explosive devices have been responsible for the majority of the 80 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan; 79 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed.
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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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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To me , this all makes it of paramount importance to get the troops needed over there , to get the job done right...i know the latests is still being debated, i would ask, why so long?? Lets get on with it, and if necessary do a major recruitment and send our own over there to get enough boots to do the job ...well, we have done it before.. no reason why we cant again, the other member nationns have difficulty putting theirs on the line, and as far as im concerned should be expelled from Nato...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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Why so long? The Euros got a bad case of coockledooodledooo, Ron. Freaking pathetic.
Edmonton soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan is mourned by many
Mon Mar 3, 2:10 PM
By The Canadian Press
EDMONTON - Condolences are pouring in after the death of an Edmonton soldier in Afghanistan.
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, who was due to end his tour later this month, was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb - becoming the 79th Canadian soldier to die in the war-torn country since 2002. Col. Jon Vance has issued a news release saying the 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group will do its best to help and support Hayakaze's family.
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean issued a statement saying the loss is deeply felt by all of his comrades on the Afghan mission, as well as by all Canadians.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement offering condolences to the family of the 25-year-old soldier, saying his sacrifice was not in vain.
And bloggers are weighing in with tributes and memories.
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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
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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