Canadian soldier seriouly injured
Updated at 6:14 AM By Dene Moore
Article Link
MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- One Canadian soldier was seriously injured and three others slightly hurt by a roadside bomb explosion early today.
A supply convoy was headed to Canadian forward operating bases in Kandahar province from the international base at Kandahar Air Field when the blast occurred at 12:30 a.m. local time.
Two wounded soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were taken to the forward operating base at Ma'sum Ghar, seven kilometres away, and later evacuated by helicopter to the hospital at Kandahar.
Two other Canadian soldiers were treated at the operating base and released.
Military officials said none of the injuries was life-threatening.
Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, have become the weapon of choice for Taliban insurgents as they increasingly turn to guerrilla tactics.
A conservative estimate is that one vehicle a week is hit with a roadside bomb. More often, the bombs are discovered and defused by Canadian troops.
Most of the time there are no serious injuries but 38 of the 70 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 have been killed by roadside bombs, along with thousands of Afghans.
The Canadian Press
Chronicle of a roadside bomb attack
Canadian Press reporter Dene Moore chronicles a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan:
MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- The logistics convoy, carrying rations and other supplies to two of Canada's forward operating bases in Kandahar province, rolled through the gates and out the relative safety of Kandahar Air Field around 7:30 p.m. Friday.
A short way into the trip, the vehicles are sidelined into Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar City by a mechanical problem. For the next couple of hours soldiers cool their heels at the base of the provincial reconstruction team.
The problem fixed, the convoy rolls out just shy of midnight. The stars are shining in a big sky over Afghanistan far overhead. A half-hour later, most of the oddball mix of soldiers, civilians, interpreters and journalists are half-asleep in the back of the convoy's Bison.
It seems it will be a long and boring night but this is Afghanistan, and the sands shift quickly.
12:31 a.m. -- A loud boom vibrates the Bison. "We've got contact," yells a voice from the back of the rig. An RG-31 has been hit. One person was thrown through the hatch. Three others, at least, are unconscious inside.
The door of the Bison swings down and Lt. Lindsay Nadeau, Capt. Alastair McMurachy, British Lt.-Col. Charlie Herbert, along with another unnamed Canadian soldier, jump out into the pitch black night to help secure the area.
12:47 a.m. -- There is one "priority 2" injury -- meaning it's serious but not life-threatening.
12:49 a.m. -- A second boom hits in front of the Bison. The soldiers climb back in. "They found an RPG not far away. Awfully close," says one voice in the dark. "It was about five metres away."
12:57 a.m. -- It comes over the radio that there are possible enemy in the area.
1:12 a.m. -- The Bison moves down the highway to create a safety cordon while the injured are treated.
1:20 a.m. -- The Bison moves again, about 150 metres down the road. "Close the ramp," barks McMurachy as he and the three others head out once again into the dark.
1:23 a.m. -- It comes over the radio that it will take 30 to 40 minutes for a medivac helicopter to reach us.
1:35 a.m. -- The radio says it will be 60 minutes for a medivac. The conditions of the injured change constantly as they're assessed and reassessed.
1:37 a.m. -- "Everybody inside. Let's go," yells a voice. The hatch of the Bison slams shut with a bang.
2:08 a.m. -- We'll be heading to Ma'sum Ghar for medivac.
2:29 am. -- We arrive at the base just as the first of the helicopters heads in to retrieve the injured.
2:50 a.m. -- The helicopters are gone, loaded with two Canadian soldiers and an Aghan interpreter injured in the blast. Two other Canadian soldiers are treated for minor wounds in Ma'sum Ghar.
The Canadian Press
End of Article
Updated at 6:14 AM By Dene Moore
Article Link
MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- One Canadian soldier was seriously injured and three others slightly hurt by a roadside bomb explosion early today.
A supply convoy was headed to Canadian forward operating bases in Kandahar province from the international base at Kandahar Air Field when the blast occurred at 12:30 a.m. local time.
Two wounded soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were taken to the forward operating base at Ma'sum Ghar, seven kilometres away, and later evacuated by helicopter to the hospital at Kandahar.
Two other Canadian soldiers were treated at the operating base and released.
Military officials said none of the injuries was life-threatening.
Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, have become the weapon of choice for Taliban insurgents as they increasingly turn to guerrilla tactics.
A conservative estimate is that one vehicle a week is hit with a roadside bomb. More often, the bombs are discovered and defused by Canadian troops.
Most of the time there are no serious injuries but 38 of the 70 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 have been killed by roadside bombs, along with thousands of Afghans.
The Canadian Press
Chronicle of a roadside bomb attack
Canadian Press reporter Dene Moore chronicles a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan:
MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- The logistics convoy, carrying rations and other supplies to two of Canada's forward operating bases in Kandahar province, rolled through the gates and out the relative safety of Kandahar Air Field around 7:30 p.m. Friday.
A short way into the trip, the vehicles are sidelined into Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar City by a mechanical problem. For the next couple of hours soldiers cool their heels at the base of the provincial reconstruction team.
The problem fixed, the convoy rolls out just shy of midnight. The stars are shining in a big sky over Afghanistan far overhead. A half-hour later, most of the oddball mix of soldiers, civilians, interpreters and journalists are half-asleep in the back of the convoy's Bison.
It seems it will be a long and boring night but this is Afghanistan, and the sands shift quickly.
12:31 a.m. -- A loud boom vibrates the Bison. "We've got contact," yells a voice from the back of the rig. An RG-31 has been hit. One person was thrown through the hatch. Three others, at least, are unconscious inside.
The door of the Bison swings down and Lt. Lindsay Nadeau, Capt. Alastair McMurachy, British Lt.-Col. Charlie Herbert, along with another unnamed Canadian soldier, jump out into the pitch black night to help secure the area.
12:47 a.m. -- There is one "priority 2" injury -- meaning it's serious but not life-threatening.
12:49 a.m. -- A second boom hits in front of the Bison. The soldiers climb back in. "They found an RPG not far away. Awfully close," says one voice in the dark. "It was about five metres away."
12:57 a.m. -- It comes over the radio that there are possible enemy in the area.
1:12 a.m. -- The Bison moves down the highway to create a safety cordon while the injured are treated.
1:20 a.m. -- The Bison moves again, about 150 metres down the road. "Close the ramp," barks McMurachy as he and the three others head out once again into the dark.
1:23 a.m. -- It comes over the radio that it will take 30 to 40 minutes for a medivac helicopter to reach us.
1:35 a.m. -- The radio says it will be 60 minutes for a medivac. The conditions of the injured change constantly as they're assessed and reassessed.
1:37 a.m. -- "Everybody inside. Let's go," yells a voice. The hatch of the Bison slams shut with a bang.
2:08 a.m. -- We'll be heading to Ma'sum Ghar for medivac.
2:29 am. -- We arrive at the base just as the first of the helicopters heads in to retrieve the injured.
2:50 a.m. -- The helicopters are gone, loaded with two Canadian soldiers and an Aghan interpreter injured in the blast. Two other Canadian soldiers are treated for minor wounds in Ma'sum Ghar.
The Canadian Press
End of Article
