• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Canadian Soldier Injured in Landmine Blast As Fighting Rages in Afghanistan

Posted on: Thursday, 11 January 2007, 15:00 CST

By MURRAY BREWSTER

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - A Canadian soldier suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries Thursday after stepping on a landmine in southern Afghanistan.

The army identified the wounded man as Master Cpl. Jody Mitic, who is based in Petawawa, Ont., as part of the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment. Mitic was evacuated by helicopter to hospital at Kandahar airfield, the main coalition base in southern Afghanistan, but military doctors decided late Thursday to transfer him to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

"After assessing his condition, it was determined he will be sent to Germany and eventually back to Canada for treatment," said Capt. Joanne Blais, a spokeswoman for Task Force Afghanistan.

Mitic's age and hometown were not released.

The explosion of the improvised device came on the same day that NATO claimed to have killed a significant number of Taliban militants in a separate, large-scale battle in the eastern portion of this war-torn country.

The Canadian soldier was part of a routine pre-dawn patrol in the western Panjwaii district of Kandahar province, where the last major engagement was fought with militants during the Canadian-led Operation Medusa last September, said army spokeswoman Lt. Sue Stefko.

The patrol was being conducted as part of a new offensive, Operation Falcon Summit, which has been targeting the Taliban leadership and bomb-making facilities in the district since mid-December.

Mitic was reported in stable condition late Thursday with wounds to the lower portion of his body, but the military refused to discuss the extent of his injuries.

Canadian troops have faced light resistance and suffered relatively few casualties since the start of this latest offensive, which is meant to solidify NATO's hold on the Panjwaii district, which was used last year as a major staging point for Taliban attacks into Kandahar City.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman called the Alliance's claim Thursday of a major victory in Paktika province "a complete lie."

Dr. Muhammad Hanif, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said in a text message to an Associated Press reporter in Pakistan that the Americans only want to boost morale of their troops by making such claims.

Gen. Murad Ali, the Afghan army regional deputy corps commander, said two groups of militant fighters were attacked late Wednesday and early Thursday in the Bermel district as they travelled into Paktika province with several trucks of ammunition.

Afghan officials estimate the number of insurgent fighters killed to be in the range of 50 to 80.

Elsewhere in Helmand province, British forces fought a four-hour battle with Taliban forces that ended with air strikes being called in.

The clash in the village of Gereshk apparently resulted in the death of a local Taliban group commander identified as Mullah Faqir Mohammad.

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category