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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061004/afghanistan_attack_061004/20061004?hub=TopStories
Canadian troops attacked for third straight day
Updated Wed. Oct. 4 2006 11:06 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadian troops came under attack in southern Afghanistan Wednesday for the third straight day.
This time several rocket propelled grenades were launched at a Canadian camp and a roadside bomb hit an armoured vehicle in Panjwaii district.
Two Canadians were slightly injured in the bomb attack, but remain at a forward base and are set to return to duty soon, military officials say.
CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Kandahar, said he was not surprised by the latest attack.
"The insurgency is far from broken in that area," he told CTV's Canada AM Wednesday.
"There's still a lot of Taliban around and they are trying to show that they can infiltrate and move back into the Panjwaii, which is a very, very tough terrain for the Canadian military to maneuver in."
The attacks come just one day after Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell were killed and five soldiers injured near the town of Sperwan, in Panjwaii district.
The soldiers were manning an observation post near an area earmarked for a road construction project when they were attacked at around 4:50 p.m. local time.
"They were members of the surveillance troops," said Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of Task force Afghanistan. "They were conducting vehicle checkpoints and observation posts at the time."
The patrol managed to return fire after coming under sustained fire from mortars and possibly rocket propelled grenades. The attack involved between two and five insurgents.
The injured soldiers were evacuated to an alliance medical facility at Kandahar airfield.
Panjwaii district, around 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City, is a hotbed of Taliban activity and was the target of a major NATO and Canadian offensive last month that killed hundreds of insurgents.
In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers.
"Canada is forever grateful to these brave men who put their lives on the line and made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of promoting peace, stability and security in Afghanistan," he said.
Gillam, who was from South Branch, N.L., and Mitchell, who grew up in Owen Sound, Ont., were both with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.
N.L. Premier Danny Williams said Gillam dedicated his life to an admirable cause and "is a true representation of our willingness to help those in the international community who do not have the same opportunities and privileges that we enjoy."
They are the 38th and 39th Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since 2002.
Canadian troops attacked for third straight day
Updated Wed. Oct. 4 2006 11:06 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadian troops came under attack in southern Afghanistan Wednesday for the third straight day.
This time several rocket propelled grenades were launched at a Canadian camp and a roadside bomb hit an armoured vehicle in Panjwaii district.
Two Canadians were slightly injured in the bomb attack, but remain at a forward base and are set to return to duty soon, military officials say.
CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Kandahar, said he was not surprised by the latest attack.
"The insurgency is far from broken in that area," he told CTV's Canada AM Wednesday.
"There's still a lot of Taliban around and they are trying to show that they can infiltrate and move back into the Panjwaii, which is a very, very tough terrain for the Canadian military to maneuver in."
The attacks come just one day after Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell were killed and five soldiers injured near the town of Sperwan, in Panjwaii district.
The soldiers were manning an observation post near an area earmarked for a road construction project when they were attacked at around 4:50 p.m. local time.
"They were members of the surveillance troops," said Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of Task force Afghanistan. "They were conducting vehicle checkpoints and observation posts at the time."
The patrol managed to return fire after coming under sustained fire from mortars and possibly rocket propelled grenades. The attack involved between two and five insurgents.
The injured soldiers were evacuated to an alliance medical facility at Kandahar airfield.
Panjwaii district, around 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City, is a hotbed of Taliban activity and was the target of a major NATO and Canadian offensive last month that killed hundreds of insurgents.
In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers.
"Canada is forever grateful to these brave men who put their lives on the line and made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of promoting peace, stability and security in Afghanistan," he said.
Gillam, who was from South Branch, N.L., and Mitchell, who grew up in Owen Sound, Ont., were both with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.
N.L. Premier Danny Williams said Gillam dedicated his life to an admirable cause and "is a true representation of our willingness to help those in the international community who do not have the same opportunities and privileges that we enjoy."
They are the 38th and 39th Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since 2002.