Pte. Robert Costall killed in Afghanistan firefight 29 Mar 2006

[jc5778]

RIP my fellow Patricia

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/28/kandahar060328.html

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan firefight
Last Updated Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:15:55 EST
CBC News

One Canadian soldier was killed and three others injured Tuesday night during a firefight with Taliban insurgents in a remote area outside Kandahar, Afghanistan.

    * INDEPTH: Canada in Afghanistan

Pte. Robert Costall was with the 1st Battlion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. (HO, DND/Canadian Press))

Pte. Robert Costall was killed in a battle which took place in Helmand province about 110 kilometres northwest of Kandahar, Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. David Fraser confirmed early Wednesday.

Fraser said Costall died "defending his fellow soldiers and we will not forget his sacrifice."

Costall was with the 1st Battlion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

Canadians had been repositioned to the area in response to an earlier incident in which eight Afghan army soldiers were killed.

Fraser said Taliban insurgents attacked coalition forces at about 10 p.m. local time.

The firefight lasted for several hours, he said, adding that a significant number of Taliban were killed during the battle.

The three Canadians injured were in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, he added. The Department of Defence said it wouldn't release their identities because they are expected to return to duty.

Earlier, the Pentagon confirmed that one U.S. soldier was also killed in the attack.

A U.S. soldier and an Afghan National Army soldier were also wounded.

The injured soldiers were taken to a coalition medical facility in Kandahar for treatment.

Twelve Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002 – 11 soldiers and one diplomat.

Earlier this month, Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., were killed when their light armoured vehicle smashed into a taxi and flipped during a routine patrol near Kandahar.

 

[rick7475]

May our prayers be with the family.

 

[Sig_Des]

Another...

RIP to both fallen soldiers, and speedy recovery to the injured.

Prayers to the families.

NEVER Forget

 

[Jake]

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Having just gone through this my prayers to those that will be affected by this.  I also hope I don't have to go through it again.  Selfish I know.

 

[scm77]

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan

CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, March 28, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - At least one Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan has been killed in a remote area outside of Kandahar.

In a news conference late Tuesday night, Brigadier-General David Fraser identified the fallen Canadian soldier as Pte. Robert Costall. No further details were released.

The U.S. military did announce Wednesday that insurgents in Afghanistan had attacked U.S.-led forces, killing two coalition soldiers. Twelve of the attackers were also reportedly killed, and three more coalition soldiers were reportedly injured.

It’s not clear if the incident is related to the report of the killed Canadian. Reuters reports that one of the foreign troops killed in the attack in the southern province of Helmand was American, but the U.S. military did not identify the nationality of the second foreigner.

The story comes a day after the Kandahar base, home to more than 2,000 Canadian soldiers, came under mortar attack. Shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday, three loud explosions shook the base, driving troops to their bunkers. No one was believed injured in the attack as the mortars reportedly landed in the sparsely inhabited northern section of the base.

Earlier this month, Lt.-Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan, said he expected more attacks as Taliban insurgents grow bolder with warmer weather approaching.

“There will be an increase in violence this spring and we can forecast an increase in violence in the summer,” the U.S. army general said. “But at the end of the day, the government of Afghanistan is winning this fight ... (and) that means that the coalition's winning and that means that NATO’s winning.”

To prove Lt.-Gen. Eikenberry’s point, Canadian soldiers endured a tense and violent day in Afghanistan just a little more than a week ago, twice firing on armed insurgents and encountering a roadside bomb - all as a threatening statement was issued, purportedly by Taliban rebels, warning of a deadly summer for western forces in this country.

Both encounters with suspected Taliban occurred in the rugged Shah Wali Kot region north of Kandahar, where a Canadian battle group, consisting mainly of troops from the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, is in the midst of a major operation to disrupt an influx of enemy forces among villages in the area.

In the first incident on March 16, military officials say a Canadian patrol spotted eight enemy suspects armed with assault rifles, running away from the oncoming patrol toward the village of Safi.

Later in the day, near the village of Shinkay - where Canadian Capt. Trevor Greene was struck down by an axe-wielding attacker on March 4 - a separate Canadian patrol surprised a man setting a bomb, or improvised explosive device (IED), beside a dirt road.

The grim news raises the death toll to 11 soldiers and one Canadian diplomat killed since the military deployed to Afghanistan in 2002.

• April 17, 2002: Sgt. Marc D. Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard A. Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith, were killed by friendly fire when an American fighter jet dropped a laser-guided 225-kilogram bomb on the soldiers during training near Kandahar.

• Oct. 2, 2003: Sgt. Robert Alan Short and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger were killed and three more wounded when their Iltis jeep struck a roadside bomb outside Camp Julien near Kabul.

• Jan. 27, 2004: Cpl. Jamie Murphy was killed and three soldiers wounded by a suicide bomber while patrolling near Camp Julien in an Iltis jeep.

• Nov. 24, 2005: Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed in a traffic accident in the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) northeast of Kandahar. Three others soldiers suffered serious injuries.

• Jan. 15: Glyn Berry was killed and three soldiers wounded by a suicide bomber in Kandahar. They were patrolling in a G Wagon.

• March 2: Cpl. Paul Davis was killed and six others injured when their LAV III collided with a civilian taxi just west of Kandahar during a routine patrol.

• March 5: Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson dies at a hospital in Germany from injuries he sustained in the March 2 LAV III rollover that killed Cpl. Paul Davis.
© CanWest News Service 2006

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=35e1bc54-12dc-4ec7-80b1-dd573bca9de6&k=74365
-------------
RIP 

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

This is reporting he died in a fire fight not that it matters really.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/28/kandahar060328.html

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, 3 injured
Last Updated Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:34:19 EST
CBC News
One Canadian soldier has been killed and three others injured in a remote area outside of Kandahar.

Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. David Fraser said Robert Costall was killed in a firefight with the Taliban in Helmand province about 110 kilometres northwest of Kandahar.

He said Canadians had been repositioned to the area in response to an earlier incident in which eight Afghan army soliders were killed.

Fraser said that around 10 p.m. local time, Taliban insurgents attacked coalition forces.

The three Canadians injured were in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, he said.

Earlier, the Pentagon confirmed that one U.S soldier and one coalition soldier were killed and one U.S. soldier, three coalition soldiers and an Afghan National Army soldier were injured during an attack on a forward operating base in Helmand province.

The wounded soldiers were taken to a coalition medical facility in Kandahar for treatment.

 

[Pea]

RIP.. My thoughts are with the family and friends of the fallen and the injured. 

 

[CSA]

RIP and I would like to express my condolances to the family and friends of the fallen,  as well as my thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the injured.

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

i am sorry  for his family and his friends.

not time to make statements, hope his family finds the support they need from the army, friends and family in this time of need.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060328/Afghanistan_soldier_060328

A picture of the young fella.

 

[William Webb Ellis]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/28/kandahar060328.html

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan firefight
Last Updated Wed, 29 Mar 2006 00:07:53 EST
CBC News
One Canadian soldier has been killed and three others injured during a firefight with Taliban insurgents in a remote area outside of Kandahar.


INDEPTH: Canada in Afghanistan

Pte. Robert Costall was killed in a battle which took place in Helmand province about 110 kilometres northwest of Kandahar, Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. David Fraser confirmed early Wednesday.

Fraser said Costall died "defending his fellow soldiers and we will not forget his sacrifice."

Costall was with the 1st Battlion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

Canadians had been repositioned to the area in response to an earlier incident in which eight Afghan army soliders were killed.

Fraser said that around 10 p.m. local time, Taliban insurgents attacked coalition forces.

A significant number of Taliban were killed during the battle, he said.

The three Canadians injured were in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, he said.

Earlier, the Pentagon confirmed that one U.S soldier was also killed in the attack.

A U.S. soldier and an Afghan National Army soldier were also wounded.

The injured soldiers were taken to a coalition medical facility in Kandahar for treatment.

12 Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002 – 11 of them soldiers and one a Canadian diplomat.

Earlier this month, Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., were killed when their light armoured vehicle smashed into a taxi and flipped during a routine patrol near Kandahar.

 

[Whiskey_Dan]

RIP Soldier. My condolences and sincere apologies go out to his friends and family.

 

[Zartan]

 

[couchcommander]

My sincere condolences to his friends and family, as well as my heartfelt thanks for their sacrifice. His service, like those before him, will not be forgotten.

 

[canuck101]

Rest In Peace

 

[fat kid]

Well we should all take time to think about what we rave about ,then sum-up smile and nod cause we are still solders.As I'm in KAF would like others to have and make a toast to all fallen .mbr.

 

[Patricia13]

Rob was a father and husband, and a good friend.  I will miss him, and I hope too see him again.  Hopefully the other guys are ok and make a speedy recovery

 

[Kirkhill]

  Safe Home.

 

[Kev T]

My thoughts and prayers are with all the troops overseas in Afghanistan - Canadian and Allied. I wish all those injured a complete and fast recovery and my condolences to the soldiers' families and units. Good luck to the troops, you all have my support. Your efforts and sacrifices will not be forgotten.