|
Afghan Land Mine Kills 2 Canadian soldiers
EFL A land mine hidden in a sandy track in the Afghan capital exploded Thursday, killing two Canadian peacekeepers and wounding three others. The blast came 24 hours after engineers checked the road for explosives and found nothing. However, officials said it was too early to determine whether the explosion was caused by an old land mine or one laid recently in an effort to target international peacekeepers. ``It was an explosive device of some magnitude,ââ Gen. Raymond Henault, the Canadian chief of defense staff, said in Toronto. Damn. The peacekeepers were on a routine patrol about two miles southwest of their camp, in foothills where attackers have previously launched rocket attacks, said Canadian Gen. Andrew Leslie, the deputy commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force. Canadaâs Defense Minister John McCallum said that ``this tragedy will in no way lessen our commitmentââ to the peacekeeping mission and that ``the security of Canada and of the greater international community depends on it.ââ The Canadian government identified the dead as Sgt. Robert Alan Short and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger. The injured were Master Cpl. Jason Cory Hamilton, Cpl. Cameron Lee Laidlaw and Cpl. Thomas Stirling. Two of the wounded had light injuries while the third was ``seriously illââ but not in life-threatening condition, said peace force spokesman Squadron Leader Paul Rice. Thank you, Canada, and deep condolences to the families of the dead. Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-03 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=19402 |