Cdn soldier killed in firefight outside Kandahar
CTV.ca News Staff
A Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan has been killed and three others wounded in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in a remote area outside Kandahar, military officials have confirmed.
An American soldier was also killed in the action, which took place Tuesday night in Helmand Province, about 110 kilometres north of Kandahar.
At least eight Afghan National Army soldiers were also reported to be killed.
The Canadian soldier was identified as Pte. Robert Costall, of the 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
Costall, believed to be 22, was born in Thunder Bay, Ont.
He is survived by his wife Chrissy and son Colin, who is one year old. Chrissy and Colin live in Namao, which is just north of Edmonton.
Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, commander of Task Force Afghanistan, said the clash began when the Taliban attacked an Afghan Army convoy with assault rifles and roadside bombs.
A quick reaction force of Canadian troops was sent to a forward base in the area by helicopter. They were lent backup by British fighter jets, U.S. helicopters and B-52 bombers.
Costall was killed as Taliban fighters tried to overrun the outpost using mortars, rocket-
propelled grenades and small arms fire.
Fraser said Costall died in the firefight defending his fellow troops. "We will not forget his sacrifice," Fraser told reporters early Wednesday.
"Our thoughts are with his family today, and with the families of the injured."
The wounded soldiers were evacuated to the multi-national hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
Fraser said they suffered "non life-threatening injuries" and described their condition as "stable."
A release from the Department of Defence said the identities of the injured soldiers would not be released because they are expected to return to duty.
The Sangin district of Helmand Province, where the battle took place, is known to be a hotbed of both insurgency and drug trafficking.
The U.S. military said in a statement: "Coalition forces employed a variety of combined arms to include close air support and are believed to have killed at least a dozen enemy insurgents."
Fraser would only say a "significant" number of Taliban died.
The news comes a day after a suspected mortar attack on Kandahar Airfield -- the base where Canadian and coalition troops are located. No one was hurt in that attack.
There were also several roadside bombings in and around Kandahar in recent days that left several dead.
CTV's Ellen Pinchuk, reporting Wednesday morning from Kandahar, said there have been rumours about stepped-up attacks by the Taliban.
"Their leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, has been saying that there would be a pre-offensive by the Taliban," Pinchuk told Newsnet.
"Military representatives say they believe that's a myth, but they do recognize that the Taliban tend to string together types of attacks, where you'll see three, four, or five in a row, followed by a period of calm."
There are about 2,200 Canadian soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan. The troops are committed in the region until early next year, although Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier has warned the international community may ask for continued support until a NATO-led mission ends in 2011.
Costall is the 12th Canadian to die in Afghanistan since 2002 -- 11 soldiers and one Canadian diplomat, Glyn Berry.
Four Canadians died in 2002 when they were mistakenly bombed by a U.S. fighter jet while on a training mission. Four were killed in suicide attacks or roadside bombs, while three died in two separate vehicle accidents.
The violence in the area has renewed calls for an open debate in Parliament about whether Canada should cut its mission in Afghanistan short.
NDP leader Jack Layton has been the most vocal about having an open debate, demanding an emergency debate be held on the issue as early as April 5.
However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said repeatedly the mission is not open to debate.
Harper has not specified the length of time that Canadian soldiers will remain in the region. Military planners have suggested that Canada could have a presence in the country for the next decade.
A recent survey suggested 52 per cent of Canadians support the mission in Afghanistan.
With a report from CTV's Ellen Pinchuk and files from The Canadian Press
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