A holiday of losses for Canadian soldiers...

RackMaster

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The month of December is becoming a very bad month. I hope that the rest of my brothers and sisters make it through to the new year and then home safely.

RIP Brothers!

2 more Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Last Updated: Sunday, December 28, 2008 | 12:33 AM ET Comments351Recommend129

CBC News


Two Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city on Saturday, bringing to three the number of Canadian troops killed there since Friday.


kruse-dnd.jpg

Sgt. Gregory John Kruse.
(DND)

Warrant Officer Gaetan Joseph Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were on a security patrol in the Panjwai district around 12:15 p.m. local time when the explosion occurred.
An Afghan police officer and Afghan interpreter were also killed in the blast about 25 kilometres west of Kandahar city.
Four Canadian soldiers were wounded and airlifted to the hospital at the Kandahar Airfield. They are listed in good condition. An Afghan interpreter suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from hospital.
"There are no words to properly express our sorrow at this moment. Every one of our soldiers is very dear to us. They are our friends and our brothers," the Canadian commander of coalition forces in Kandahar, Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, said Sunday.
"We also grieve for our Afghan brothers with whom we have been working side by side to help make their country more secure and stable."
Roberge was a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment who was serving with the Irish Regiment of Canada in Sudbury, Ont. He was part of the Canadian team mentoring Afghanistan's fledgling national police force.
Kruse was from 24 Field Squadron, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. He was serving as a member of 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.


roberge-dnd.jpg

Warrant Officer Gaetan Joseph Roberge.
(DND)

News of the latest deaths came as the body of Pte. Michael Freeman, who was killed in Kandahar on Friday, was being flown back to Canada early Sunday.
The 28-year-old soldier died when his armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Zhari District of Kandahar province during a security patrol around 12:45 p.m. local time.
Freeman's body was being flown back to Canada following Saturday's ramp ceremony, which was attended by Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk.
The men learned of the three Canadian soldier deaths while in Afghanistan on Saturday as part of a secret three-day visit to the country.
The two latest deaths bring to 106 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission since 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also been killed.
Roadside bomb attacks have killed nine Canadian soldiers in December alone, making it the bloodiest month for Canadian troops since April 2007, when nine soldiers died.
MacKay, whose visit couldn't be reported until he left the country, attributed the deaths to a seasonal spike in violence — even though the number of Canadian combat casualties usually eases over the harsh winter months in Afghanistan.
"In any insurgency, you're going to see, shall we say, hills and valleys, spikes in violence at certain times of the year," MacKay said Saturday.
"There are a number of factors, a number of cultural factors here as well. We know that the sophistication and the types of methods and the types of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] have changed as well and we've had to adapt."
Canada has about 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly based in the south around Kandahar. The military mission is slated to end in 2011.
Canadian forces have staged several major offensives aimed at driving the Taliban from the Panjwai and the neighbouring district of Zhari, both considered to be Taliban heartland, since taking responsibility for Kandahar province.
"Zhari and Panjwai are the traditional problem areas in Kandahar province, largely because there's a quite complex tribal mix there," Thompson said Sunday.
"And, frankly, this is where the movement started, so it's where its rooted the deepest."

Body of Canadian soldier killed by bomb begins journey home

Defence minister, top soldier attend ramp ceremony

Last Updated: Saturday, December 27, 2008 | 9:53 PM ET Comments78Recommend62

CBC News


The flag-draped casket of the latest Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan was loaded into a military plane at Kandahar Airfield for the long journey home on Saturday.


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Pte. Michael Freeman, 28, was from 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment based at CFB Petawawa.
(DND)

Pte. Michael Freeman, 28, died Friday when his armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Zhari District of Kandahar province during a security patrol around 12:45 p.m. local time.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk, who were in Afghanistan on Saturday as part of a three-day visit, attended the ramp ceremony for the fallen soldier.
"Pte. Freeman served his country bravely with pride and dedication. His sacrifice will not be forgotten," MacKay said in a statement.
Freeman, who lived in Peterborough, Ont., leaves behind his parents and a fiancée.
"He had a great sense of humour, [was] a dependable driver and member, and had the natural gift of complaining in a very nice way," a eulogist said at the ceremony.
Three other soldiers were wounded during Friday's blast but are said to be in good condition. One of them watched the ramp ceremony from a hospital bed wheeled onto the tarmac.
Freeman served with November Company, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in eastern Ontario. It was his first tour of duty in Afghanistan.
He was described as an avid golfer who staunchly believed in what he was doing.
Friends say Freeman loved to hit a bucket of balls into the barren flatlands from a makeshift driving range at the outpost where he was stationed.
They say Afghan children would eagerly retrieve the golf balls he had driven deep into the dusty plains in exchange for candy.
Lt.-Col. Roger Barrett, commanding officer of 3 RCR Battle Group, called Freeman a "very down-to-earth, typical Canadian boy.
"He was an easy-going, professional, well-liked soldier. [He] had a great camaraderie with his section mates in his platoon," Barrett said.


mackay-cp-6021273.jpg

Chief of Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk, left, and Defence Minister Peter MacKay, right, attend Saturday's ramp ceremony for Pte. Michael Freeman in Kandahar.
(Steve Rennie/Canadian Press)

Freeman's death brings to 104 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission since 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also been killed.
Roadside bomb attacks have killed seven Canadian soldiers in December alone.
MacKay, whose visit couldn't be reported until he left the country, attributed the deaths to a seasonal spike in violence — even though the number of Canadian combat casualties usually recedes over the harsh winter months in Afghanistan.
"In any insurgency, you're going to see, shall we say, hills and valleys, spikes in violence at certain times of the year," MacKay said.
"There are a number of factors, a number of cultural factors here as well. We know that the sophistication and the types of methods and the types of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] have changed as well and we've had to adapt."
Canada has about 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly based in the south around Kandahar. The military mission is slated to end in 2011.
Also Saturday, a suicide bomb attack at a police checkpoint east of the town of Senjaray in Kandahar province killed three police officers and two civilians.
Two police officers and at least two civilians were also wounded in the attack, said Muhammad Akbar, a local police officer.
With files from the Canadian Press
 
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