[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Insurgents kill 2 Canadians
Oct. 3, 2006. 07:47 PM
CANADIAN PRESS


SPERWAN, Afghanistan — Emboldened insurgents killed two Canadian soldiers and wounded five others Tuesday in a series of attacks on ground the Canadians took from the Taliban just weeks ago.
The soldiers were providing security for road construction and holding an observation post in the Taliban heartland about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar city when they came under attack from insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles in the late afternoon.

Canadian military officials identified the dead as Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam and Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell, both members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons based in Petawawa, Ont.

“They were members of the surveillance troops,” Col. Fred Lewis, deputy commander of the Canadian contingent, told reporters in Kandahar. “They were conducting vehicle checkpoints and observation posts at the time.”

Two of the wounded soldiers were reported in serious but stable condition. All were evacuated to Kandahar Airfield, the main coalition base, and described as having “non-life-threatening injuries.”

Lewis said the casualties were probably caused by mortars or rocket-propelled grenades. “The injuries right now: there don’t seem to be any sort of bullets involved,” he said.

But the attack happened shortly before dark, so further checks at the site will have to wait until Wednesday, he said.

The attack on the small group of soldiers prompted a quick response.

“Almost immediately other forces responded to it, treated and medevaced the casualties, and carried on with the operation,” said Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, the ground-level commander of Canada’s fighting force.

Two U.S. soldiers were also wounded nearby. It was not clear whether they were hit by the same group of insurgents or in a separate ambush.

The fighting comes exactly one month after the launch of Operation Medusa, the NATO operation led by Canadian troops that officials boasted killed hundreds of Taliban. NATO and Canadian officials said they had driven insurgents out of the area west of Kandahar city and had done serious damage to the ability of the insurgents to mount attacks.

Lavoie said the latest attacks are a shift back to familiar insurgent tactics after the Taliban were devastated in a more conventional fight.

“They’ve learned they can’t take us on head-to-head in a conventional battle, so they’re going back to typical insurgent tactics, (roadside bombs) and hit-and-run tactics,” Lavoie said.

The attack on the observation post was the last in a series aimed at Canadians on Tuesday.

The soldiers of Charles Company were the first to come under fire in the morning as they pushed along the Arghandab River, a few kilometres west of the deadly attack that would come hours later.

Insurgents fired mortars, rockets and automatic weapons at Seven Platoon of Charles Company, the unit that was hit with a deadly ambush Sept. 3.

The soldiers and their Afghan army counterparts returned fire and emerged unscathed.

“Luckily, they’re not very good aim,” said Warrant Officer Ray Macfarlane, a senior platoon leader.

Closer to Kandahar city and a few hours later, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a Canadian convoy, setting a G-wagon jeep aflame. The suicide bomber died; no one else was injured.

Local civilians and soldiers have said Taliban have quietly seeped back into the area.

“The Taliban has threatened (civilians) with their lives from any kind of association with the coalition,” said Maj. Steve Brown, commander of Charles Company.

“They’ve gone back to the tactic that has consistently worked for them, that is to infiltrate and conduct guerrilla-type operations. Now they’re back at it threatening people and their property. That’s consistent with this enemy.”

Macfarlane said he saw unarmed young men whom he suspected were insurgents as his troops and Afghan Army units moved along the river. As they returned toward their camp, the shooting started.

The insurgents have learned how to exploit the Canadians’ rules of engagement to escape attack, Macfarlane said. Those rules cannot be disclosed under the embedding agreement that allows The Canadian Press to travel with Canadian soldiers on their missions.

“They’re smart. I wouldn’t say I respect them, but they’ve learned to play to our weaknesses,” Macfarlane said.

Two suspected Taliban members were detained in the morning clash.

A Canadian soldier died last week in a mine explosion on a road that the Canadians have cut through fields to avoid such attacks.

The soldiers killed Tuesday were protecting a similar road-building project aimed at avoiding improvised explosive devices — roadside bombs.

The spate of violence came on Oct. 3, a day of the month that has proved deadly for Canadians recently.

On Sept. 3, the Taliban ambushed Macfarlane’s Seven Platoon, killing four soldiers and wounding several more. The next day, the company was accidentally strafed by a U.S. warplane, killing another soldier and wounding more than 30.

On Aug. 3, four soldiers of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry died nearby in a roadside bomb and firefight.

The foiled rebel ambush Tuesday in the rocky, dry river bed of the Arghandab River was a test of resolve for soldiers of Seven Platoon who were still recovering from the Sept. 3 attack.

“Honestly, the troops performed extremely well in combat, better than I expected,” said Macfarlane.

Macfarlane said he saw no signs of fear or hesitation among the troops.