Two Canadian peacekeepers reported dead in Kabul

[John Nayduk]

Two Canadian peacekeepers reported dead in Kabul
Globe and Mail Update
UPDATED AT 10:54 AM EDT Thursday, Oct. 2, 2003

Two Canadian peacekeepers were killed and three were injured in a land-mine blast in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday, Reuters News Agency reported Thursday, citing a government source.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Defence in Ottawa would neither confirm nor deny the report.
"The only information I have is an incident did occur involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan today," Jae Malana, a civilian spokesman for the DND, told globeandmail.com.


More to come

 

[Gunnar]

Two Canadian soldiers killed in Kabul blast

CTV.ca News Staff

Two Canadian soldiers have been killed and three injured in a landmine explosion in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Government sources in Ottawa confirmed the deaths of the soldiers who were patrolling the city in a jeep.

Next of kin were being notified and no names were immediately released.

Canadian troops make up the largest portion of the 5,500 soldiers who form the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) charged with security in Kabul.

Canada has about 1,800 soldiers stationed with the 31-country force. A second rotation of 1,800 will go in early next year.

The ISAF is charged with stabilizing the capital of the troubled country and to act as a bulwark for the interim government of President Hamid Karzai.

These are Canada‘s first deaths in Afghanistan since sending troops to join the ISAF in August.

In April 2002, four Canadian soldiers were killed when a U.S. warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on them during a training exercise.

 

[holywars33]

Here: cbc

 

[Enzo]

This sucks...

Right off, I‘m wondering about the jeep. I know that Humvee‘s for example, are far from perfect, but they‘ve been designed well enough so that the personnel inside can expect high survivability from anti-vehicle mines.

Can we say the same about our vehicles?

Just a thought.

 

[Devlin]

Deepest regards and sympathies to the families and members of the RCR still over there.

Stay safe over there.

 

[Danjanou]

I think Enzo and Devlin summed it up for all of us.

I know I felt relieved when they posted the names and saw that they weren‘t friends or family of mine and then shame when I remembered that they are someone‘s friends and family.

I know that this is "part of the risk involved with the job" and all that, but overall not a good day people.

Doug and the rest of you still there, and the families, my condolences and stay safe.

 

[Jungle]

Rest In Peace...

To their Families and Friends, my condolences...

To the injured, a speedy recovery.

 

[OLD SCHOOL]

Much will be written and much will be said,
Canada has lost two of the best,bow your head.

Their power and strength in performance of tasks,
will never be forgotten,remember is all I ask.

Families and friends grief and sadness not deserved,
may they draw strength from those that passed as they served.

For sense of duty,service of Country is not taken lightly,
by those brave Infantry whos stars will ever shine brightly.

For the injured may they heal,armed brothers carry on,
for our hearts and thoughts are always with you and for your safety we pray at dawn.

This was written by a friend and sent to me.

 

[Doug VT]

Sgt Rob Short was my friend. This shouldn‘t have happened. The guys did what they had to do, I‘t could have happened to anyone. Bottom line was it happened to our guys! I don‘t care what you say, they were still ours. I really don‘t have much to say about this...

 

[Infanteer]

Rest in Peace....


"The universe is so vast and ageless that the life of one man can only be measured by the size of his sacrifice."
- Flying Officer VA Rosewarne, RAF, killed in the Battle of Britain.

 

[patrick666]

Thank you to the fallen soldiers, and rest in peace guys.

Deepest sympathies to families and friends.

 

[Doug VT]

It wouldn‘t matter what vehicle they were in. We don‘t have the best equipment, nobody does. We can‘t replace the dead today. We never will. Both their wives, whome I know, will never replace them. Their children will never have their father come home again. They were exemplary to their profession, everone did more then they were expected to do. They were our brothers, our friends. I don‘t know what to say, this shouldn‘t have happened. this wasn‘t my first time, this won‘t be the last time. God help us

 

[Jarnhamar]

I have the sinking feeling, especially watching the news and the direction that the interviews are going, that pretty soon this issue will be used by the politicans in their stupid little mud slinging campaign. "Why are our soldiers over there with 20 year old equipment? Why is the iltis unarmored ? etc.. " They know **** well why we are using ****ty equipment. I really hope they respect the dead and don‘t use this to further their own agenda but i‘m not holding much faith in it.
Honours to the fallen and watch your *** Doug

 

[John Nayduk]

It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.

General George Patton

Kind of sums thing up.

 

[Highland Lad]

First off: The Iltis is not quite the piece of crap that some people think. Nor could it realistically be considered a combat vehicle. It is what the CJ was: a "battlefield taxi" that carries troops around in an environment where no direct, immediate threat is seen, or where speed and concealability are more important than mass and firepower (like a patrol through areas not currently occupied by active hostiles...).

That being said, if the size of the explosion was such that it could be heard at Camp Julien (about 3.5 km from the blast site), it really wouldn‘t have mattered how well armoured the vehicle was. an explosion that size is aimed at taking out a significantly larger vehicle (i.e., it was an anti-tank mine, or an extremely large improvised booby-trap.

Bottom line: the guys were doing what was right for the situation as they understood it at the time the mission started. The route had been proven, and Engineers had cleared it earlier that day. Now 3RCR knows that the situation has changed, and can react accordingly. (Don‘t you just wish that all the bad guys would tell us before they changed the rules?)

You do the best you can with the best you have. Sometimes, sh*t just happens.

"Sgt Short and Cpl Beerenfenger would say the same thing -- Buck up, suck it up, carry on, and do the job." - from the Ottawa Sun (quoting a Para Sgt, colleague of Sgt Short)

Pro Patria - RIP.

 

[Armymedic]

Dougs right,

Vehicle doesn‘t matter.......it happened

Lets just silently remember two good men.

RIP Rob, I‘ll miss you

 

[Recce41]

Yes I seen a Hummer, folder in two. It was in Somalia. The only vehs so far that have, in away survived were the two Cougars and bisons.

 

[nhb388]

We will remember them. Airborne!!

 

[Recce41]

Highland lad
The iltis is the biggest piece of crap. I was around when we had the old 64 Pat jeep,and ferret.
I knew both of them.
Airborne. Fellas RIP. Fair winds, soft landings. :evil: :tank:

 

[Armymedic]

Enough about the vehicles on this string....

go make another, and discuss it after the funerals....

For now let‘s honour and remember.