- Reaction score
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- Points
- 410
Canadian soldier shot in Kabul sleeping quarters; investigation underway
LES PERREAUX
Canadian Press
Sunday, February 15, 2004
KABUL (CP) - A Canadian soldier was in critical condition with a bullet wound to the face Sunday afternoon after his rifle went off in his sleeping quarters at Camp Julien.
Col. Alain Tremblay, the commanding officer of the Canadian operation in Kabul, said the man is expected to survive.
Investigators believe the shot went off while the soldier was alone.
"Obviously if he was alone, only two options remain open," Tremblay said. "Either it was an accident, or potentially a suicide attempt."
The incident happened at 1:30 p.m. local time in the tent village where soldiers sleep at the camp. He was shot by his C-7 rifle, the common weapon carried by most Canadian soldiers on the base, Tremblay said.
Soldiers in the area ran to help the man and doctors arrived about five minutes later from the camp hospital, which is a few hundred metres away from the tent. Fifteen minutes later the soldier was in surgery, said Lt.-Col. Carl Walker, the chief surgeon at Camp Julien.
A surgical team worked on the soldier through much of the afternoon at the camp hospital, restoring his air passage and stabilizing him. He is expected to recover but will need months of surgery to repair his wound, Walker added.
"He is very lucky to be alive indeed," said Walker. "If the bullet had been half a centimetre further back, he would have been finished for sure."
The soldier will probably stay in Kabul for a couple of days, returning to Canada once he is stable.
The soldier‘s name was not released. He arrived in Afghanistan on Feb. 10. His family, who are from Quebec, was notified by a Canadian Forces padre Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, military police combed the tent for evidence in their investigation Sunday afternoon.
Soldiers at Camp Julien always have access to their weapons and ammunition and frequently clean their guns in their sleeping quarters. However, guns are not supposed to be loaded on the base.
When soldiers come back to camp from missions, they are supposed to follow a strict procedure to clear their weapons of all ammunition. The process includes pointing the barrel of the weapon into a box of sand and pulling the trigger to make sure the weapon has not ammunition in it.
Tremblay said soldiers also undergo a strict screening process, including an interview with social workers or psychologists, before they leave Canada to ensure they are mentally fit.
"It would be doubtful that there were signs," Tremblay said. "But we will review files to see if any indicators were missed."
It is unlikely the incident would lead to a review of the army‘s policy on the storage of guns and ammunition, Tremblay added.
"People have their arms and their ammunition with them," he noted. "It‘s the nature of the profession and standard protocol."
LES PERREAUX
Canadian Press
Sunday, February 15, 2004
KABUL (CP) - A Canadian soldier was in critical condition with a bullet wound to the face Sunday afternoon after his rifle went off in his sleeping quarters at Camp Julien.
Col. Alain Tremblay, the commanding officer of the Canadian operation in Kabul, said the man is expected to survive.
Investigators believe the shot went off while the soldier was alone.
"Obviously if he was alone, only two options remain open," Tremblay said. "Either it was an accident, or potentially a suicide attempt."
The incident happened at 1:30 p.m. local time in the tent village where soldiers sleep at the camp. He was shot by his C-7 rifle, the common weapon carried by most Canadian soldiers on the base, Tremblay said.
Soldiers in the area ran to help the man and doctors arrived about five minutes later from the camp hospital, which is a few hundred metres away from the tent. Fifteen minutes later the soldier was in surgery, said Lt.-Col. Carl Walker, the chief surgeon at Camp Julien.
A surgical team worked on the soldier through much of the afternoon at the camp hospital, restoring his air passage and stabilizing him. He is expected to recover but will need months of surgery to repair his wound, Walker added.
"He is very lucky to be alive indeed," said Walker. "If the bullet had been half a centimetre further back, he would have been finished for sure."
The soldier will probably stay in Kabul for a couple of days, returning to Canada once he is stable.
The soldier‘s name was not released. He arrived in Afghanistan on Feb. 10. His family, who are from Quebec, was notified by a Canadian Forces padre Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, military police combed the tent for evidence in their investigation Sunday afternoon.
Soldiers at Camp Julien always have access to their weapons and ammunition and frequently clean their guns in their sleeping quarters. However, guns are not supposed to be loaded on the base.
When soldiers come back to camp from missions, they are supposed to follow a strict procedure to clear their weapons of all ammunition. The process includes pointing the barrel of the weapon into a box of sand and pulling the trigger to make sure the weapon has not ammunition in it.
Tremblay said soldiers also undergo a strict screening process, including an interview with social workers or psychologists, before they leave Canada to ensure they are mentally fit.
"It would be doubtful that there were signs," Tremblay said. "But we will review files to see if any indicators were missed."
It is unlikely the incident would lead to a review of the army‘s policy on the storage of guns and ammunition, Tremblay added.
"People have their arms and their ammunition with them," he noted. "It‘s the nature of the profession and standard protocol."
