Canadian soldiers said goodbye on Tuesday to five comrades killed on Sunday and Monday while taking part in a major offensive in southern Afghanistan.
About Canadian 800 soldiers gathered at Kandahar airfield and a piper played as five flag-draped coffins were carried onto a C-130 Hercules airplane. Some of the pallbearers were crying.
Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Mellish and Warrant Officer Richard Nolan and an as-yet-unidentified soldier were killed on Sunday during fighting with Taliban insurgents in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province.
Pte. Mark Graham died on Monday when two U.S. aircraft mistakenly fired on a Canadian platoon during the operation.
All of the identified soldiers were based at CFB Petawawa.
The Canadians are taking part in a major operation aimed at taking control of two dangerous districts west of Kandahar City.
The plane carrying the coffins is expected to arrive at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario late Wednesday.
Lieut. Grant McDonald, a platoon commander, told the Canadian Press that the deaths of the two warrant officers will affect the troops because warrant officers provide stability, but he said the soldiers are eager to return to the fight against the Taliban.
"The warrant officer is basically like a grandfather to the platoon," he said. "He provides advice and a lot of stability to the platoon and he's someone who the troops look towards as a strong leader."
After the ceremony, Canadian soldiers did return to the fight to clear the Taliban from their strongholds.
"No one wants to sit and wait for anything," McDonald said. "We'd rather get out there and take the fight to the enemy and give them our two cents."
Thirty-one Canadian soldiers have died since Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan in early 2002. Canada has about 2,200 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, mainly in Kandahar.
In addition to fighting the Taliban insurgency, Canadians are helping to rebuild the country which was left in ruins after decades of war.
The five deaths during the most recent fighting, known as Operation Medusa, are the most sustained by Canada within 24 hours since early 2002.
Last Updated Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:09:52 EDT
CBC News
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