3 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
IED blast kills Edmonton-based soldiers travelling through Zhari district
Last Updated: Thursday, August 21, 2008 1:57 PM ET Comments280Recommend154
CBC News
Three Canadian soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan after a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle Wednesday morning, the Canadian military said Thursday.
Sgt. Shawn Eades, one of the three Canadian soldiers who were killed on Wednesday, is shown in an undated photo testing a powder substance found in a wagon for traces of explosives. (Master Cpl. Karl McKay/DND)The soldiers were conducting a patrol in the volatile Zhari district in Kandahar province when an improvised explosive device exploded around 10:30 a.m. local time, Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson said at a news conference late Thursday morning in Kandahar.
Sgt. Shawn Eades, 33, was identified as one of the fallen soldiers. The military has not released the names of the other two at the request of the families. A fourth soldier was also injured and is in serious but stable condition.
The three soldiers were members of the 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton and were attached to the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group while in Kandahar.
Thompson described Eades as a veteran soldier well-respected by all for his "outstanding professionalism and his operational experience and his competence."
Eades a devoted father of 2
Sgt. Shawn Eades was a combat engineer with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Edmonton, Alberta. (DND)Eades, a father, was on his third tour in Afghanistan. Interviewed before departing for the country in 2005, he told CBC News: "We are just raring to go. We've been basically building up to this point for the last 3½ months. We just want to get going, get working on our job and come home."
Lisa Eades told the Canadian Press that it was her husband's dream to help people by serving in the military and that he believed strongly in the Afghanistan mission.
She said he had strong values and relished his family, his military comrades and especially his two young daughters, who are seven and four.
The three soldiers were part of a tight-knit crew of combat engineers who were en route to a site to survey a route for use in a future operation, said Thompson.
"As combat engineers, they were proud, resourceful and armed with the technical knowledge that they generously used to assist the mission in helping the people of Kandahar province," said Thompson.
Deadly month for foreign troops
The latest deaths come during a deadly month for both Canadians in Afghanistan and foreign troops stationed in the war-torn country as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Ten French soldiers died Tuesday in a gun battle near the capital, Kabul, in the largest single loss of life for any of the international forces engaged in combat in Afghanistan in more than three years. Three Polish soldiers also died Wednesday in the central Ghazni province.
Word of the Canadian deaths came as troops gathered in Edmonton for the funeral of another soldier killed in Afghanistan earlier this month, Master Cpl. Erin Doyle.
Doyle, of B.C., died Aug. 11 when insurgents attacked his combat outpost in the Panjwaii district in the province of Kandahar.
His death came two days after Master Cpl. Josh Roberts of Saskatchewan was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Zhari district.
On Aug. 13, two Canadian aid workers were shot dead when insurgents ambushed their SUV in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province. Jacqueline Kirk of Montreal and Shirley Case of Williams Lake, B.C., were killed, along with Trinidadian-American aid worker Nicole Dial and the group's Afghan driver, Mohammad Aimal.
Taliban more aggressive: Thompson
Thompson said the string of deaths are not a sign that the Taliban are gaining strength, but acknowledged they have become more aggressive.
He said roadside bombs planted by the Taliban, which account for many foreign soldier fatalities, inflict casualties, but don't indicate that the Taliban are holding that ground.
"They're not holding any of the ground that they attack us on," he said.
"So really the net effect is zero, other than it whittles away at our resolve," said Thompson, but added that it is not affecting Canadian soldiers who remain resolved to continue the mission.
With the latest three deaths, the number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan has now risen to 93. Canada launched its Afghan mission in February 2002, and about 2,500 Canadian soldiers are now serving in the war-torn country, most of them in the volatile south.With files from the Canadian Press
