Canada in Afghanistan

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP MCpl. Giesebrecht and Pte. Miller. You shall not be forgotten.

An improvised explosive device struck an armoured vehicle in Afghanistan, killing two Canadian medics, the military said Saturday.

Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht, 34, and Pvt. Andrew Miller, 21, were responding to a report that a mine was found in the doorway of a home when an IED detonated at about 11 a.m., killing them both about 20 km southwest of Kandahar.

A third soldier is in steady condition in a hospital at the Kandahar Airfield Base.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of our fallen soldiers during this difficult time. We will not forget the sacrifice of these soldiers as we continue to bring security and hope to the people of Kandahar Province,² said the Department of National Defence in a media release.

Both soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.

Miller was born in Sudbury, Ont., and was based at CFB Petawawa. This was his first overseas mission.

Giesebrecht, the third Canadian woman to be killed in Afghanistan, was from Wallaceburg, Ont., and was also based at Petawawa.

Capt. Nicola Goddard of the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery was the first Canadian woman killed in Afghanista, in a grenade attack on May 17, 2006. Trooper Karine Blais of Les Mechins was killed by a roadside bomb blast last April.

The tragic news brings the death count of Canadians in Afghanistan to 150 soldiers and four civilians.

This comes less than a week after Sgt. James MacNeil of Glace Bay, N.S., was killed on June 21.