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Updated Thu. Apr. 21 2005 7:25 AM ET
Cdn. killed in insurgent car ambush in Baghdad
CTV.ca News Staff
A Nova Scotia man working for a British private security firm was killed during a car ambush on the road to the Baghdad airport, his family confirmed.
Family members in Saint-Anne-du-Ruisseau, N.S., confirmed that Stefan Surette, 30, died from gunshot wounds after an insurgent attack on Wednesday.
He had been working in Iraq as an employee of Edinburgh Risk Inc., a British firm.
His mother Elaine Surette told The Canadian Press that her son was caught in an insurgent ambush Wednesday, on a day of multiple bombings and shootings in the nation, which killed at least 13 people and wounded 21.
"What they told us is that they had been on the road to go to the airport and the road had been closed because of a previous bombing," his mother said.
"They were waiting for the road to reopen when insurgents came along and opened fire. That's as much as I know."
Police Capt. Hamid Ali told The Associated Press that two foreigners were killed and three wounded in an attack on the highway leading to Baghdad's airport Wednesday, but U.S. Embassy and military officials could not confirm the casualties.
Surette moved away from Nova Scotia more than ten years ago to join the British military.
"He has friends around the world, and this is devastating," his mother said.
John Armstrong, a friend of the family, who knew Surette since he was an infant, described him as an adventurous youth.
Surette joined the Canadian Forces and did a tour of Bosnia.
He returned to Canada and studied at the Radio College of Canada in Toronto.
When he joined the British Army, he participated in tours in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan and was promoted to Master Corporal.
"He lived a full life and a life on the edge," said Armstrong, a retired school teacher.
After seven years with the British army, Surette joined a security company and returned to Afghanistan.
In a 2002 Reuters article about Afghanistan, Surette was quoted as saying that the hardest thing to teach the first battalion of the brand new Afghan National Guard was that they must not shoot at everything.
"It was very difficult. But if they want a better country, hey have to try to control their aggression," Surette said in the article.
He later joined Edinburgh Risk, where his job was to escort election and government officials.
His friends and family were long worried for his safety in a country where news of insurgent attacks were reported daily.
"It was certainly in the back of his parents' minds. Whenever I thought of him, it was in my mind," Armstrong said.
But when he visited his family in the mainly Acadian community in southwestern Nova Scotia, Surette refrained from discussing his work in Iraq.
"He didn't talk a whole lot about it. He kind of downplayed it to put his parents' minds at ease," Armstrong said.
Instead, Surette played videos for his parents that showed peaceful scenes in Baghdad.
"I think it was to put their minds at ease," Armstrong said.
With files from The Canadian Press
Updated Thu. Apr. 21 2005 7:25 AM ET
Cdn. killed in insurgent car ambush in Baghdad
CTV.ca News Staff
A Nova Scotia man working for a British private security firm was killed during a car ambush on the road to the Baghdad airport, his family confirmed.
Family members in Saint-Anne-du-Ruisseau, N.S., confirmed that Stefan Surette, 30, died from gunshot wounds after an insurgent attack on Wednesday.
He had been working in Iraq as an employee of Edinburgh Risk Inc., a British firm.
His mother Elaine Surette told The Canadian Press that her son was caught in an insurgent ambush Wednesday, on a day of multiple bombings and shootings in the nation, which killed at least 13 people and wounded 21.
"What they told us is that they had been on the road to go to the airport and the road had been closed because of a previous bombing," his mother said.
"They were waiting for the road to reopen when insurgents came along and opened fire. That's as much as I know."
Police Capt. Hamid Ali told The Associated Press that two foreigners were killed and three wounded in an attack on the highway leading to Baghdad's airport Wednesday, but U.S. Embassy and military officials could not confirm the casualties.
Surette moved away from Nova Scotia more than ten years ago to join the British military.
"He has friends around the world, and this is devastating," his mother said.
John Armstrong, a friend of the family, who knew Surette since he was an infant, described him as an adventurous youth.
Surette joined the Canadian Forces and did a tour of Bosnia.
He returned to Canada and studied at the Radio College of Canada in Toronto.
When he joined the British Army, he participated in tours in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan and was promoted to Master Corporal.
"He lived a full life and a life on the edge," said Armstrong, a retired school teacher.
After seven years with the British army, Surette joined a security company and returned to Afghanistan.
In a 2002 Reuters article about Afghanistan, Surette was quoted as saying that the hardest thing to teach the first battalion of the brand new Afghan National Guard was that they must not shoot at everything.
"It was very difficult. But if they want a better country, hey have to try to control their aggression," Surette said in the article.
He later joined Edinburgh Risk, where his job was to escort election and government officials.
His friends and family were long worried for his safety in a country where news of insurgent attacks were reported daily.
"It was certainly in the back of his parents' minds. Whenever I thought of him, it was in my mind," Armstrong said.
But when he visited his family in the mainly Acadian community in southwestern Nova Scotia, Surette refrained from discussing his work in Iraq.
"He didn't talk a whole lot about it. He kind of downplayed it to put his parents' minds at ease," Armstrong said.
Instead, Surette played videos for his parents that showed peaceful scenes in Baghdad.
"I think it was to put their minds at ease," Armstrong said.
With files from The Canadian Press
