Roadside bomb kills Canadian soldier near Kandahar
Private Jonathan Couturier, 23, is dead and 12 others were wounded in attack on armoured vehicle in Afghanistan
Gloria Galloway
Kandahar, Afghanistan — Globe and Mail Update Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 17, 2009 05:07PM EDT
A Canadian soldier known as the little brother of his military section lost his life Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded as he and his comrades were returning home from a mission southwest of Kandahar City.
Twelve troops were wounded when the armoured vehicle in which they were riding was rocked by the bomb. Only Private Jonathan Couturier, 23, succumbed to his injuries.
The explosion occurred less than two hours before a suicide bomber rammed a convoy of vehicles in the capital city of Kabul, killing six Italian soldiers and 10 civilians.
“At the time of his death, Jonathan was returning from an operation designed to protect the population by removing important insurgent command and control networks in the Panjwai district,” Brigadier General Jonathan Vance, the Commander of Joint task Force Afghanistan, said at a late evening news conference.
Pte. Couturier, a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment – the Vandoos – based in Val Cartier, Que., is survived by his mother Celine, his father Yvan, his brothers Nicolas and Mickael, and his common-law spouse Andréanne.
“He knew how to bring humour to the most difficult of times,” Gen. Vance said. “And in moments of down time, he never missed an occasion to talk to us about his passions: hockey, his Mustang, and the love of his life, Andréanne.”
All of the others soldiers who were hurt in the incident were able to return to their duties by the end of the day.
Pte. Couturier is the second young Canadian to die in Afghanistan this week. Private Patrick Lormand, 21, was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday.
Seventy-two of the 131 Canadian soldiers lost in Afghanistan have been hit by improvised explosive devices that have been planted in the roads around Kandahar city.
But Taliban fighters have also deployed suicide bombers to deadly effect.
The Kabul explosion was the fourth major attack in the capital in five weeks. The city has traditionally been one of the safer parts of this dangerous country but emboldened insurgents are increasingly stretching their reach beyond the regions they have reclaimed from pro-government forces.
A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-filled car into two Italian military vehicles about midday. The Taliban later claimed responsibility.
The explosion shattered windows in buildings a kilometre away and shook offices and homes throughout the central Afghan neighbourhood that houses a number of embassies and military bases.
The violence that continues to wrack this country is fodder for critics who advocate for the end of the NATO mission here. It's an argument that was bolstered by widespread allegations of vote-rigging during the Aug. 20 presidential elections.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai held his first press conference since the vote Thursday after preliminary results indicated that 54.6 per cent of the ballots were cast in his favour. He needs just 50 per cent to win, but it will take weeks for officials to investigate the widespread complaints of fraud – a process that could result in a run-off election between Mr. Karzai and his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.
The head of an EU team of observers has said as many as a third of the votes are suspect and recounts have already been ordered at 10 per cent of all polling stations.
But Mr. Karzai said the allegations of vote-rigging have been exaggerated, but admitted for the first time that not all was above board.
“I believe firmly, firmly in the integrity of the election and the integrity of the Afghan people, and the integrity of the government in that process,” he said at the press conference where he was flanked by two of his vice-presidential nominees.
“There were problems and sensitivities in the Afghanistan elections, but it has not been to the extent which the media speak of.”
If fraud was conducted, it must be investigated fairly and without prejudice, Mr. Karzai said.
“We are hopeful,” he said, “that our foreign friends respect the votes of Afghanistan's people and allow the Independent Election Commission and the complaints commission to carry out their work with peace of mind and without interference, so we can announce the final results to the people of Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, at the Kandahar Air Field, the Canadians are preparing to send the body of another soldier back home.
“Jonathan joined the Canadian Forces only three years ago with the hope of serving his country and ensuring peace and security for Canadians and other populations in dire situations around the world,” said Gen. Vance, “and he fulfilled that desire during his time here in Afghanistan.”
With a report from the Associated Press
