Four Soldiers & Calgary Herald Journalist Michelle Lang Killed In Afghanistan

Four Canadian soldiers and a journalist for the Calgary Herald were killed while traveling through what was supposed to be a safe area of southern Kandahar City.

An improvised explosive device hit their armoured vehicle Wednesday during a routine patrol in Kandahar’s District 2, an area Canada considered to be a model village. Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, commander of coalition forces in Kandahar, believes this was an isolated incident.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack that resulted in Canada’s worst single-day loss of life in Afghanistan in two-and-a-half years. The blast came one week after Lt. Andrew Nuttall and an Afghan soldier were killed during a foot patrol in Panjwaii district.

Since the Canadian mission in Afghanistan began eight years ago, 138 soldiers and two civilians have been killed.

The soldiers killed Wednesday have been identified as Sgt. George Miok, 28, Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21, both of Edmonton, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28, of Yarmouth, N.S., and Pte.Garrett Chidley, 21, of Cambridge, Ont.

The journalist, Michelle Lang, was on her first assignment in Afghanistan and had only arrived in the country just over two weeks before the blast. She is the first Canadian journalist to die in the war-torn nation.

Several soldiers and another civilian were also hurt in Wednesday’s blast.

Lang, an award-winning journalist, was on the back of the armoured vehicle when the explosion occurred on her first trip “outside the wire”, away from the safety of the Kandahar Airfield, as an embedded reporter.

Lang’s readers, colleagues at the Calgary Herald and fellow journalists in the field in Afghanistan are reeling from the shock of her death and are remembering her professionalism and strong work.

Calgary Herald’s memorial page for Michelle Lang

Michelle Lang’s blog

“I’ve seen a lot of reporters come here who seem like action junkies or kind of ‘Hey, look at me, I’m in Afghanistan’,” said James Murray, a CBC reporter who has spent the past six of seven months in the country.

“She was the kind of journalist you would want to have here. She was kind and decent, and curious.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaelle Jean offered words of condolence.

“This new tragedy, like all those before it, is shocking. It reminds us of the underhanded, blind, daily violence facing our Canadian soldiers, journalists and humanitarian workers in Afghanistan, who are working alongside the local population already hard hit by decades of terror,” Jean said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with the families, the loved ones and the colleagues of the deceased.  We also wish the injured a prompt recovery.”

Harper also praised the efforts of the soldiers and noted the risks journalists face while covering the Canadian mission.

“Four brave soldiers paid the ultimate price while courageously serving their country in Kandahar. They perished seeking to help the Afghans build a better future for themselves while working tirelessly to advance Canadian values,” Harper said in a release.

“While not regularly the subject of news, those journalists who risk their lives reporting alongside the men and women of the Canadian Forces in one of the most dangerous regions in the world should not be forgotten.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai also extended his condolences to the Canadian families who lost their loved ones.

“Your children sacrificed their lives for the people of Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism,” he said.

“The Afghans will not forget your sacrifice.”

  • Eight Americans and an Afghan were also killed in a suicide attack at a CIA base Wednesday in Khost in Eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that attack. 

With files from the Canadian Press

Canadian Journalist Casualties

Statement By Canwest Publishing On Death Of Michelle Lang

Condolence Messages Pouring In For Reporter Killed In Afghanistan

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