Afghan bomb injures three Canadian soldiers

[John Nayduk]

Afghan bomb injures three Canadian soldiers
 
Private Jon Drew mans a perimeter position at an Afghanistan National Police Sub Station prior to heading out on a foot patrol on the streets of Kandahar City. (image: Canadian Forces)

Canadian Press
 
Updated: Wed. Oct. 5 2005 6:35 AM ET

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Three Canadian soldiers are being treated for minor injuries after a roadside bomb exploded Wednesday near a convoy of Canadian troops on the outskirts of the southern city of Kandahar, a Canadian military spokesman said.

The blast also seriously wounded at least one Afghan civilian, according to an Afghan official. Capt. Francois Giroux, a spokesman for the provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar, said about a dozen Canadian soldiers were in the convoy when the blast occurred.

The military immediately blocked the road where the blast happened and an investigation is underway.

Kandahar provincial Gov. Asadullah Khalid said one Afghan man who was driving past in a tractor at the time of the explosion was badly hurt.

Mohammed Sabir, who witnessed the blast from 200 metres away, said a second Afghan, a child, also was hurt, and that a Canadian jeep was caught in the blast as well.

There was no immediate official confirmation of that.

Sgt. Marina Evans, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Kabul, confirmed a homemade bomb went off near a Canadian patrol, outside their base, but none of its forces were hurt or equipment damaged.

Canadian military officials refused comment.

The bombing came less than a week after Defence Minister Bill Graham warned that the Canadian army's move from Kabul, the relatively stable capital, to the heart of Taliban country boosts the odds of Canadian deaths and injuries.

A small Canadian force of about 250 troops is working in Kandahar right now with about 1,000 more set to deploy early next year.

A small special forces unit is also operating in the area, hunting and killing Taliban and al Qaeda rebels. Canada will also take command of the international operation in the region next year.

 

[The Bread Guy]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/05/content_3584602.htm

"A suspected suicide attacker was killed and a civilian was injured on Wednesday as the attacker tried to target a Canadian convoy in Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban in south Afghanistan, provincial governor said.  "The attacker which planted the explosive material in a Pick-up vehicle was killed on the spot and the driver of a tractor passingthe area was injured when the device went off an hour ago on Kandahar airbase road," Assadullah Khalid told Xinhua...."

 

[career_radio-checker]

anybody know what the troops were riding in?

 

[MOOO!]

The troops were is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx vehicles.   The vehicles did stand up to the blast.   Our troops did take minor injuries and are being treated for them.

Edited for inaccurate info / OPSEC.

 

[Island Ryhno]

I'm glad they were all ok, any word on the unit they were from. Also was it our guys who killed the bomber? I undertand persec/opsec if that's the case. Good on them if it was them that got the sneaky no good ba$tard.

 

[BetterThanTheBest]

The three troops only had light injuries, bruises and minor burns, stuff like that. They're already back on duty. It's too bad about the kid, apparently he died of his injuries. His old man is being treated for serious injuries as well. It sucks that these scumbags attack us and end up doing more damage to the people of their country than they do to us. I really cannot understand how they think. Who sets off a bomb less than a hundred meters from an orphanage and when they can clearly see a man and a child on a tractor next to the convoy?

Island Ryhno: I think they beleive it was a suicide bomber in a car at the moment.

 

[Island Ryhno]

Ok, seen and thanks!

 

[MOOO!]

Yes the bomber was killed in his vehicle.  One would think that these guys would run out of so called martyrs for their cause after seeing what we do to help them, but hey that would be logic.

 

[CBH99]

Those ********.   I'm glad our guys are alright, but you guys said it well.   What kind of decent person sets off an explosive device when a father and his child are nearby in a tractor?   Don't they believe they are protecting Islam from the Crusaders of the West - and yet the only people they kill is the father of a young boy, both of whom are in the wrong place at the wrong time.   He isn't even around to be accountable for his actions, either.   ******.

 

[MOOO!]

I have to say it could have been worse if it was just after school time due to the close proximity to the orphanage.  These guys have to start to help us more get the fanatical goofs within their society that want to hurt anyone they can for their so called cause.

 

[DG-41]

I would think that the sanity of anyone planning on blowing himself up as part of the mission is already questionable.

He probably just didn't notice the civillians - and if he did, I doubt it would have mattered.

DG

 

[CBH99]

I'm even more resentful now.  Not only did they detonate their explosives 100m away from an orphanage (Good thing none of those kids were hurt) - but I just learned it was the BOY who died, and not the father.  Great, so a suicide bomber decides instead of standing up to the forces in his country in which he deems as "Crusaders against Islam" - he'll do it the way that requires the least amount of confrontation, suicide.  And, the only person other than the bomber who dies is a young boy.  Way to serve Allah (editorial comments removed by moderator).

 

[MOOO!]

I believe they know now that it is a bit harder to get close to our guys over there.  The bomber did it when he/she thought it was best.  Thank god they cant practice this skill, it's a one way trip and you don't need to be intelligent for that type of job. 

I hope more of them blow themselves up taking their bomb buddies with them. and all the intelligent people they try to recruit start thinking of the harm they do to their innocents like that little boy.

 

[teddy49]

Unfortunately they seem to have recuritment down to a science.  It seems to be more of a form of Pavlovian style conditioning beginning from a very young age.  And most Suicide bombers usually achieve their goal well before an age where we'd expect Canadian boys and young men to start thinking rationally for themselves.  These kids are killingthemselves at an age when Canadian kids are thinking that the world is ending because they didn't get the cool cell phone or their jeans went  out of style yesterday.  As for the people who dispatch them on their missions, Know your troops and promote their welfare, isn't high on the list of leadership traits.

Unfortunately as the tactics that are being perfected in Iraq make their way back here, we're going to see more casualties.  Here in Iraq, they get 5-10 members of the security forces per day.  Body counts are going to rise in Afganistan.  If the iranians start funding and supplying the insurgency on both fronts, which they probably already are, then things are only going to get more sporty there.

 

[scm77]

Some pictures

click here for hi-res

click here for hi-res

click here for hi-res

 

[McG]

I'm a little surprised that the CF has chosen to publish photos of a post blast investigation.

 

[cbt arms sub tech]

Anyone know how the G-Wagon survived, a true test today compared to the Iltis, if it isn't OPSEC!

 

[DBA]

Lot of memebers of the 82nd Airborne in the photos as well, looks more like some pictures the troops took and posted somewhere.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Nope - these are the official photos.

Dave

 

[Monsoon]

Anyone know how the G-Wagon survived, a true test today compared to the Iltis, if it isn't OPSEC!

Not OPSEC - it's in the papers today.  Apparently it held up very well: broken bumper and smashed headlights and that's it.