Canadian soldiers were attacked by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan for the third day in a row on Wednesday, but only two were slightly injured when a roadside bomb hit an armoured vehicle.
Two soldiers injured in the roadside bombing were taken to a forward base for medical treatment but will likely return to duty quickly, a Canadian military official said.
Also Wednesday, several rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a Canadian camp.
The attacks come a day after two Canadian soldiers, Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell, were killed and five other soldiers injured.
They were providing security for a road construction project 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City when they were attacked at about 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Gillam was born in Stephenville Crossing, N.L., while Mitchell was born in Owen Sound, Ont. The Afghan mission had been the first deployment for both men, who left for Kandhar in August.
The latest attacks also occurred west of Kandahar City. The region was considered to be Taliban hotbed before Canadian troops led a NATO operation to clear insurgents out of the area. NATO officials said the operation, dubbed Medusa, killed hundreds of insurgents.
Mark Laity, spokesperson for NATO in Kabul, told CBC News early Wednesday that the area where the most recent attacks have occurred is still very dangerous for NATO soldiers, although it is safer after Operation Medusa.
He said the Taliban have resorted to their usual tactics involving improvised explosive devices, hit-and-run attacks, sneaking in under the cover of darkness to launch attacks, and disguising themselves as civilians so that they can detonate bombs without warning.
"This is, I'm afraid, a marathon, not a sprint. This is hard to stop," he said early Wednesday. "Without doubt, this is a dangerous area. It's safer but still dangerous. It requires good competent soldiering."
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 2:29 PM ET
CBC News
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment