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| Afghanistan |
| Two Estonian soldiers killed in Afghanistan |
| 2007-06-25 |
| Two Estonian soldiers were killed in a missile attack in Afghanistan on June 23 - the nation’s first casualties in the NATO-led mission. The two men, members of the Estonian mine clearance team, were attacked with a 107 mm missile during their lunch break in the Sangin Valley in the Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan. Sgt. Kalle Torn, 24, the assistant commander of the ordnance disposal team, and Jn. Sgt. Jako Karuks, 33, the driver of the team, were named as the deceased. Four other soldiers sustained injuries in the same attack and remain in medical care at Camp Bastion. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who began an official visit to the United States on June 24, called on the nation to lower its flags to half mast. "Kalle Torn and Jako Karuks as well as their wounded companions were not just soldiers but mine clearance specialists whose duty it was to clear Afghanistan, ridden by decades of war, from deadly explosives planted into its soil," the president said. "This shows how difficult and dangerous our struggle is together with Afghans for a peaceful Afghanistan. This shows that we have no right to break this mission.” Estonia also lost two soldiers in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. “All of them are men who wanted to make the world a better place," the president said. "I will lower the flag to half staff at my home in mourning of the Estonian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Victory Day and ask all my countrymen to do the same.” Estonia has taken part in the operation in Afghanistan since 2003. On December 7, 2005 the Estonian parliament extended participation of the Estonian defense forces in Afghanistan by two years with up to 150 soldiers at any one time. The military deaths will no doubt be the subject of discussion between Ilves and U.S. President George W. Bush, who are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office on June 25. Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and other high-ranking U.S. officials are also to attend the meeting. |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #4 It's a shame that men who come to Afghanistan to help make life better for everyone by removing mines planted over 28 years of fighting are killed by those whose only goal is to keep the Afghan population in bondage. God has a special place for men like these Estonian soldiers, and a far less hospitable place for the perps that killed them. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-06-25 15:21 |
| #3 RIP, indeed. Those most recently freed from tyranny have been on the front lines of this conflict all along. True allies, IMO. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-06-25 12:16 |
| #2 The Estonians in Iraq are called "the Stone Platoon", and for good reason. They are kicking serious butt. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2007-06-25 10:36 |
| #1 Rest in peace, gentlemen, with our thanks. You've done your share to keep the civilized world safe. May that knowledge be of some comfort to those you left behind. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-06-25 08:50 |