Canadian Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

A Canadian soldier nearing the end of his tour in Afghanistan was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb.

The blast happened in a persistent trouble spot for the Canadian military in Kandahar, a group of villages about 45 kilometres west of Kandahar City.

Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, had been on a supply mission in the area when his armoured vehicle struck the improvised explosive device, also known as an IED, around 3:45 p.m. No one else was injured in the blast. Hayakaze was from Lord Strathcona’s Horse, based out of Edmonton.

A statement from the Department of Defence said he was immediately evacuated from the scene by helicopter but later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Kandahar Airfield.

“Our comrade died in the service of his country,” Brig-Gen. Guy Laroche said in a briefing with reporters at the airfield. “His sacrifice will not be forgotten and his memory will be with us as we continue to carry out our mission, with the same determination and resolve to see it through.”

Hayakaze had been serving in Afghanistan since July or August, Laroche said.

Cpl. Jonathan Ouellet, who is also part of Lord Strathcona’s Horse, said Hayakaze was deployed to Afghanistan later than the rest of the regiment — just before Christmas — to replace a driver who had been injured.

Ouellet met Hayakaze when the trooper joined the regiment less than a year ago.

“He’s brand new, he’s a new trooper,” Ouellet said from Edmonton, where he is recuperating after being injured himself following an IED attack in the same region of Afghanistan where Hayakaze was killed.

Hayakaze was a little nervous to be sent overseas due to the short time he’d been involved with the army, said Ouellet.

“Like everybody, you know, he was scared. Didn’t know exactly, because he was pretty much new to the whole deal, the regiment and everything,” he said, adding his friend was constantly eager to learn.

“He was always there to listen, to learn anything new that would help.”

Hayakaze told the Toronto Star in 2006 that he was frustrated by debates over whether Canada should pull out of Afghanistan.

“When we hear of these tragedies, it’s always depressing and always makes me go quiet and think about why we’re really there,” he told the newspaper. “What happens to all those men and women who’ve died if we just leave?”

Once in Afghanistan, Hayakaze kept up a cheerful attitude, said Ouellet.

“We kept each others’ morale up. He was a good guy, always ready to help, willing to help anybody. We’d joke around a lot, tease each other. He was a smart guy.”

Hayakaze had once lived in Japan and the two had planned to take a trip to Tokyo after his return from Afghanistan, said Ouellet. He wasn’t sure when Hayakaze moved to Canada, but said he had family in Edmonton and Vancouver.

Hayakaze’s love of travel had sparked his interest in the military as a career, said Ouellet.

“He liked to travel and learn new things and have the chance to do things you don’t do in a normal life.”

The bulk of soldiers who made up the rotation that began during the summer of 2007 were from Quebec’s 22nd Regiment, known as the Van Doos.

But attached to them were the members of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), an armoured regiment from Edmonton.

The Strathconas were working together with the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Petawawa, Ont., and the 12e Regiment Blinde du Canada in Valcartier, Que., making military history as the first sub-unit made up of tankers from across the country, rather than just a single regiment.

Eleven soldiers have been killed since the fourth roto, as it is known, arrived in Kandahar this summer.

“This is a very difficult time for the family, friends and colleagues of our lost comrade,” Laroche said.

“Our men and women know we are engaged in a dangero

Since 2002, 79 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan . Here is a list of the deaths:

2008

Mar. 2 — Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25, was on a supply mission about 45 kilometres west of Kandahar City when his armoured vehicle struck the improvised explosive device.

Jan. 23 — Sapper Etienne Gonthier, 21, was killed and two other soldiers were injured when their light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Panjwaii district.

Jan. 15 — Trooper Richard Renaud, 26, of Alma Que., a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada, killed when the Coyote light armoured vehicle he was travelling in hit a roadside bomb while on patrol in the Arghandab district, north of Kandahar city.

Jan. 6 — Warrant Officer Hani Massouh, 41, and Cpl. Eric Labbe, 31, of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, killed when their armoured vehicle rolled over in wet, rugged terrain southwest of Kandahar City.

2007

Dec. 30 — Gunner Jonathan Dion Jonathan Dion, 27, a gunner with the 5th Regiment d’Artillerie legere du Canada , killed and four others injured when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan .

Nov. 17 — Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp of the 5th Field Ambulance in Valcartier and Pte. Michel Levesque of the Royal 22nd Regiment, killed when their light armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Bazar-e Panjwaii.

Sept. 24 — Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, 24, with the King’s Own Calgary regiment, killed by a mortar shell while trying to repair a Leopard tank in southern Afghanistan .

Aug. 29 — Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul dies from gunshot inside a secure NATO compound in Kabul .

Aug. 22 — Master Warrant Officier Mario Mercier and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne killed by roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

Aug. 19 — Pte. Simon Longtin killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

July 4 — Cpl. Cole Bartsch, Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, Pte. Lane Watkins, Cpl. Jordan Anderson, Master Cpl. Colin Bason and Capt. Jefferson Francis, killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

June 20 — Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar city.

June 11 — Trooper Darryl Caswell killed a roadside bomb north of Kandahar .

May 30 — Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede, killed when a U.S. helicopter was reportedly shot down by the Taliban in Helmand province.

May 25 — Cpl. Matthew McCully killed by an improvised explosive device in Zhari district.

April 18 — Master Cpl. Anthony Klumpenhouwer, who served with elite special forces, died after falling from a communications tower while on duty conducting surveillance in Kandahar city.

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 — Cpl. Kevin Megeney killed in accidental shooting at NATO base in Kandahar .

2006

Nov. 27 — Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard and Cpl. Albert Storm killed by suicide car bomber.

Oct. 14 — Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson killed in ambush.

Oct. 7 — Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson killed by roadside bomb.

Oct. 3 — Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell killed in series of mortar, rocket attacks.

Sept. 29 — Pte. Josh Klukie killed by explosion in Panjwaii while on foot patrol.

Sept. 18 — Pte. David Byers, Cpl. Shane Keating, Cpl. Keith Morley and Cpl. Glen Arnold killed in suicide bicycle bomb attack while on foot patrol in Panjwaii.

Sept. 4 — Pte. Mark Graham killed when two NATO planes accidentally strafed Canadian troops in Panjwaii district.

Sept. 3 — Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Pte. William Cushley and Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan killed in fighting in Panjwaii district.

Aug. 22 — Cpl. David Braun killed in suicide attack.

Aug. 11 — Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom killed in suicide attack.

Aug. 9 — Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh killed by apparent accidental discharge of rifle.

Aug. 5 — Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt killed when his G-Wagon patrol vehicle collided with truck.

Aug. 3 — Cpl. Christopher Reid killed by roadside bomb. Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, Cpl. Bryce Keller and Pte. Kevin Dallaire killed in rocket-propelled grenade attack.

July 22 — Cpl. Francisco Gomez and Cpl. Jason Warren killed when car packed with explosives rammed their armoured vehicle.

July 9 — Cpl. Anthony Boneca killed in firefight.

May 17 — Capt. Nichola Goddard killed in Taliban ambush. She was first Canadian woman to be killed in action while serving in combat role.

April 22 — Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell, Lt. William Turner and Cpl. Randy Payne killed when their G-Wagon destroyed by roadside bomb.

March 29 — Pte. Robert Costall killed in firefight with Taliban.

March 2 — Cpl. Paul Davis and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson killed when their armoured vehicle ran off road.

Jan. 15 — Glyn Berry , British-born Canadian diplomat, killed in suicide bombing.

2005

Nov. 24 — Pte. Braun Woodfield killed when his armoured vehicle rolled over.

2004

Jan. 27 — Cpl. Jamie Murphy killed in suicide bombing while on patrol.

2003

Oct. 2 — Sgt. Robert Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger killed in roadside bombing.

2002

April 17 — Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green and Pte. Nathan Smith killed when U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombed Canadians.

us mission. They also know how important their presence is to the people of Afghanistan.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement Sunday offering condolences to Hayakaze’s family.

“The people of Canada will remember that Trooper Hayakaze’s sacrifice was not in vain, that he laid down his life for the safety of citizens in both Canada and Afghanistan,” said Harper.

Improvised explosive devices have been responsible for the majority of the 80 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan; 79 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed. Laroche said it is not a sign of effective Taliban tactics but rather one of a weakened insurgency.

“I think they are more desperate, they are still using the IED, their weapon of choice,” he said. “We have seen another example of that today.”

The current rotation of troops is on their way out of Afghanistan, being replaced primarily by the second battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, MB.

They’ll likely fan out to the four zones of Kandahar province considered key by the Canadian military in the fight against the Taliban — Zhari, Panjwaii, Spin Boldak and Kandahar City.

The military has said direct attacks on Canadian troops in those areas are down over the past six months, though officials have refused to release specific numbers. But IEDs are exploding on a regular basis.

The last Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, Sapper Etienne Gonthier, 21, of St-Georges, Que., near Quebec City, died when his light armoured vehicle was hit by roadside bomb in the Panjwaii district on Jan. 23.

Sunday’s explosion happened on the western edge of the same district, a fertile swath of land along the banks of the Arghandab river. Panjwaii has been the scene of fierce fighting between Canadian forces and insurgents, specifically during the massive Operation Medusa in 2006. Pockets of insurgents have been operating in and around the Mushan region since last year, even after coalition troops conducted operations in the area in the winter of 2006.

Insurgents have targeted Canadian convoys, reportedly beheaded a local police officer and have ambushed local police convoys. In January, American forces reportedly arrested several Taliban insurgents during a raid.

But trouble in Mushan has also been homegrown — last summer, local police forces fought each other after a simmering dispute between local elders exploded, allowing the Taliban to make inroads on the edges of the town.