Suicide bomb wounds Canadian troops in Afghanistan

By Ismail Sameem

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Five Canadian soldiers
were wounded, one seriously, in a suspected suicide car bomb
attack on Friday on their armored vehicle in southern
Afghanistan, the Canadian military said.

The attack happened about 15 km (10 miles) outside the city
of Kandahar, and about 10 km (six miles) from the airport,
where Canadian troops are based. Taliban spokesman Qari
Mohammad Yousuf said the guerrillas were responsible.

“A car full of explosives blew up near a Canadian armored
vehicle. The bomber was killed,” General Rahmatullah Raufi,
commander of the Afghan army’s southern region, told Reuters.

A spokesman for the Canadian military, Lieutenant Mark
MacIntyre, said the badly wounded soldier was expected to be
evacuated to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl in
Germany, while the others were expected to return to duty
shortly.

In Helmand, another southern province, the local government
spokesman said police killed eight Taliban guerrillas and
arrested 10 who were planning an ambush on a police convoy.

Ghulam Mahyuddin said the clash in Sangine district of the
province lasted about two hours and four police officers were
wounded. Taliban spokesman Yousuf said eight policemen were
killed and only two guerrillas wounded.

Afghanistan has been hit by a wave of suicide bombings in
recent months that have killed dozens of people.

Many of the attacks have been in Kandahar province — a
bastion for the Taliban before they were overthrown by U.S.-led
forces in 2001.

About 2,300 Canadian troops are based in Kandahar and have
come under attack several times in recent months. In January, a
Canadian diplomat was killed in a suicide car bombing in the
city.

Friday’s blast came a day after a Canadian soldier was
killed and seven hurt when their vehicle overturned on a road
near Kandahar. Police said that was an accident and it brought
Canadian fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 to at least 10.

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper railed
against opposition critics of his country’s military mission to
Afghanistan and said all Canadians had a responsibility to
support the armed forces.

Friday’s attack came two days after a surprise first visit
to Afghanistan by U.S. President George W. Bush more than four
years after U.S.-led forces overthrew the militants.

The insurgency has claimed more than 1,500 lives since the
start of last year, the bloodiest period since the Taliban’s
overthrow. The U.S. military has warned of stepped up militant
activity in the coming spring.