Another Cdn. Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Canada’s 77th soldier has died in Afghanistan after the vehicle he was riding in struck an improvised explosive device early Tuesday in southern Afghanistan.

Trooper Richard Renaud, 26, of Alma Que.,  (left) a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada was killed in the blast involving a Coyote light armoured vehicle.

Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche said Renaud and three other soldiers were involved in a reconnaissance patrol in the Arghandab district, about 10 kilometres north of Kandahar city, when the attack occurred around 7:15am local time.

One other soldier suffered minor injuries and was evacuated by land to hospital at Kandahar Airfield. He has since been released.

“This is a very emotional time for the family and friends of Trooper Renaud and our thoughts are with them,” Laroche said. “Our brave men and women have a dangerous but important job to do but our determination to carry out our mission is stronger than ever.”

This was the third IED strike against Canadian soldiers in as many days but Laroche said the attacks have happened in different places and don’t appear to be co-ordinated.

Laroche said troops have been conducting regular patrols in Arghandab since beating back Taliban insurgents during an operation in late October.

While the lush fruit-growing region has typically been calm, insurgents sought to move in following the death of revered warlord and Taliban enemy Mullah Naqib.

Naqib’s son and newly appointed district leader Kareemullah Naquibi has since been struggling to win the support of his constituents.

Noting this doesn’t appear to be a sign the Taliban is moving back into the district which is considered a strategic gateway into Kandahar city, Laroche said IED attacks are simply the Taliban’s “weapon of choice.”

Improvised explosive devices are responsible for most of the 77 deaths suffered by Canadian soldiers since the mission began in 2002.

An IED attack in the volatile Panjwaii district Monday resulted only in property damage.

Four soldiers, however, were injured Sunday in Zangabad, about 35 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city, when their vehicle struck an IED that was planted along a dirt road.

The troops were involved in a road clearance patrol aimed at finding and defusing mines.

Jonathan Dion, a 27-year-old gunner with 5e Regiment d’Artillerie legere du Canada from Val-d’Or, Que., was the last soldier to die as a result of a roadside bomb Dec. 30.

It appears Taliban insurgents have escalated attacks across the country over the last few days.

Some 10 Afghan police officers were massacred Sunday in Maywand district of Kandahar, while another cop died when a suicide bomber blew himself up in neighbouring Helmand province.

Eight people, including several foreigners, were killed Monday night when armed militants loaded with explosives stormed the posh Serena Hotel in Kabul.

The Taliban vowed Tuesday to step up attacks against foreigners, noting they will be targeting restaurants frequented by non Afghans.

While insurgent attacks have typically slowed down during the winter months, Laroche said he didn’t expect that to happen this year.

“We haven’t seen a lot of change between this summer and what we are living at the present time,” he said.

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Cdn. Casualties In Afghanistan

 

2008

 

Jan. 15: Trooper Richard Renaud of Alma, Quebec is killed and another soldier is wounded when their armoured vehicle hits a hidden explosive not far from Kandahar City.

 

Jan. 6: Eric Labbe, 31, corporal with Van Doos from Rimouski, Que, and a 2nd unidentified soldier killed when their armoured vehicle rolled over in rough terrain southwest of Kandahar City.

 

2007

 

Dec. 30: Jonathan Dion, 27, a gunner with the 5th Regiment d’Artillerie legere du Canada from Val-d’Or, Quebec is killed when a light armoured vehicle hits a roadside bomb just outside of Kandahar.

 

Nov. 17: Twenty-eight year-old Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp and 25-year-old Pte. Michel Levesque of Quebec perished when their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb not far from Kandahar.

 

Aug 22: Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne from Quebec’s Royal 22nd Regiment are killed by a roadside bomb.

Aug. 19: Quebec soldier Private Simon Longtin of the 3rd Batallion, Royal 22nd Regiment killed when roadside blast hits light-armoured vehicle.

 

July 4: Cpl. Cole Bartsch, Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, Pte. Lane Watkins and Cpl. Jordan Anderson, all of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton; Master Cpl. Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment based in New Westminster, B.C., and Capt. Jefferson Francis of the 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based in Shiloh, Man., killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

 

June 20: Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, all of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar.

 

June 11: Trooper Darryl Caswell, 25, of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, by a roadside bomb north of Kandahar.

 

May 30: Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede dies after a Chinook helicopter is apparently shot down. Five Americans and two British soldiers are also killed.

 

May 25: Cpl. Matthew J. McCully killed during “Operation Hoover” in Zhari district. Another soldier wounded.

 

April 18: An unidentified Canadian soldier working with special operations forces in Afghanistan died in a non-combat related incident.

 

April 11: Master Cpl. Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick James Pentland killed when their Coyote vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

 

April 8: Sgt. Donald Lucas, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, Pte. Kevin V. Kennedy, Pte. David R. Greenslade, Cpl. Christopher P. Stannix and Cpl. Brent Poland killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

 

March 6: Kevin Megeney a 25-year-old reservist with the 1 Battalion of the Nova Scotia Highlanders dies in a friendly fire accident while sitting in his tent in Kandahar.

 

2006

 

Nov. 27: Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, his battalion’s regimental sergeant major, and Cpl. Albert Storm, both of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in CFB Petawawa, killed when a suicide car bomber attacked their Bison armoured personnel carrier on the outskirts of Kandahar city.

 

Oct. 14: Sergeant Darcy Tedford and Private Blake Williamson were killed in a rocket-propelled grenade explosion in Panjwaii distict.

 

Oct. 7: Trooper Mark Wilson was killed when his armouored vehicle was hit by a roadside explosion in the Panjwaii distict.

 

Oct. 3: Sergeant Craig Gillam and Corporal Robert Mitchell of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont., killed in series of mortar, rocket attacks.

 

Sept. 29: Pte. Josh Klukie, 23, was killed when he stepped on an insurgent’s explosive device while on foot patrol in Kandahar province.

 

Sept. 18: Private David Byers and Corporals Glen Arnold, Shane Keating, and Keith Morley killed in suicide bicycle bomb attack on foot patrol in Panjwaii.

 

Sept. 4: Pte. Mark Graham who was based at CFB Petawawa killed when two NATO planes accidentally strafed Canadian troops in the Panjwaii district. About 30 others wounded, five seriously.

 

Sept. 3: Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Pte. William Cushley and Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, all based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., killed in fighting in Panjwaii district.

 

Aug. 22: Cpl. David Braun, who was based at Shilo, Man., killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kandahar City.

 

Aug. 11: Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom, 23, of Comox, B.C., stationed with 1st Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, killed in suicide attack.

 

Aug. 9: Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, 33, of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man., killed by apparent accidental discharge of rifle.

 

Aug. 5: Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, 31, of Loyal Edmonton Regiment, killed when large truck collided head-on with his G-Wagon patrol vehicle.

 

Aug. 3: Cpl. Christopher Reid, 34, of 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, killed by roadside bomb. Three other members of same battalion killed in rocket-propelled grenade attack by Taliban forces west of Kandahar: Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, 35, Cpl. Bryce Keller, 27, and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, 22.

 

July 22: Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, based in Montreal, killed when car packed with explosives rammed their armoured vehicle.

 

July 9: Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21, reservist from Lake Superior Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., killed in firefight.

 

May 17: Capt. Nichola Goddard, artillery officer based in Shilo, Man., with 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, killed in Taliban ambush during battle in Panjwaii region. She was first Canadian woman to be killed in action while serving in combat role.

 

April 22: Cpl. Matthew Dinning of Richmond Hill, Ont., stationed with 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade in Petawawa, Ont., Bombardier Myles Mansell of Victoria, Lieut. William Turner of Toronto, stationed in Edmonton, and Cpl. Randy Payne, born in Lahr, Germany, stationed at CFB Wainright, Alta., all killed when their G-Wagon destroyed by roadside bomb near Gumbad.

 

March 29: Pte. Robert Costall of Edmonton, machine-gunner, killed in firefight with Taliban insurgents in Sangin district of Helmand province.

 

March 2: Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., killed when their armoured vehicle ran off road in Kandahar area.

 

Jan. 15: Glyn Berry, British-born Canadian diplomat who had served with Foreign Affairs Department since 1977, killed in suicide bombing near Kandahar.

 

2005

 

Nov. 24: Pte. Braun Woodfield, born in Victoria and raised in Eastern Passage, N.S., killed when his armoured vehicle rolled over near Kandahar.

 

2004

 

Jan. 27: Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 26, of Conception Harbour, Nfld., killed in suicide bombing while on patrol near Kabul.

 

2003

 

Oct. 2: Sgt. Robert Short, 42, of Fredericton, and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 29, of Ottawa, killed in roadside bombing southwest of Kabul.

 

2002

 

April 17: Sgt. Marc Leger, 29, of Lancaster, Ont., Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24, of Montreal, Pte. Richard Green, 21, of Mill Cove, N.S., and Pte. Nathan Smith, 27, of Tatamagouche, N.S., all killed when U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombed Canadians on pre-dawn training exercise. Eight other Canadians wounded in friendly-fire incident.