2 Canadians killed in Afghan suicide bombing

A suicide bomber rammed into the last vehicle of a coalition convoy near Kandahar City then blew himself up. Two Canadian soldiers died and eight others were wounded.

CTV.ca News Staff


Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren (left) and Cpl. Francisco Gomez are seen in these images made available by the Department of National Defence.

The blast killed Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, and Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren, 29, of the Black Watch, the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, based in Montreal.

Gomez was a native of Edmonton. He was unmarried with no children. Warren was a native of Quebec City. His marital status wasn't immediately known.

"Many of these soldiers are just finishing a tough six-month mission here. Cpl. Warren had just three weeks to go," CTV's Steve Chao reported from Afghanistan on Saturday.

The eight wounded soldiers suffered non-life threatening injuries, but Chao said one was airlifted to Germany for further medical treatment. Two of them were from Shilo, Man., and the others from Edmonton.

It was the largest single-day number of total casualties Canada has suffered in Afghanistan since the 2002 "friendly fire" incident that killed four and wounded eight.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Cpl. Gomez and Cpl. Warren," said Col. Tom Putt, deputy commander of Task Force Afghanistan. "We will not forget their sacrifice."

Eight Afghan civilians were also hurt in the explosion.

The suicide bomber struck a Canadian Forces Bison armoured vehicle, traveling near the end of a 20-kilometres-long convoy returning to Kandahar Air Field, around 5:30 p.m. local time.

Chao says he interviewed soldiers at the convoy's head who were amazed no one died in the tough fighting they had experienced over the previous 12 days. At that time, they didn't know about the bombing.

Lt.-Col. Tom MacKay, commanding officer of the Black Watch, said Warren had lived in Montreal since 1995.

"He was a soldier under my command for several years," said MacKay. "I knew him to be an outstanding soldier, a very tough soldier, and someone we could rely on.

"My understanding is that he was very keen to go (to Afghanistan), he volunteered to go. This was his second mission overseas. He wanted to do his duty to his country."

Since early 2002, 19 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan.

Second suicide bomb attack

Some claim Canadian soldiers fired on Afghan vehicles after the first blast. "They shot at everybody, including women and children," said one witness. Canadian commanders denied that claim.

About one hour after the first attack, a second suicide bomber struck just 30 metres away from the first blast. Up to 10 Afghan civilians died and 30 more were wounded.

"We all came running to see what happened," said one Afghan, "but when we got here, another man with explosives came at us. I can't believe this happened."

"This is the first time in Afghanistan that we've seen follow-up suicide bomb attacks like this one," said Chao. "It's a tactic we've often seen in Iraq, but not one employed here."

Afghan government and Canadian military officials say the second attacker was on foot. No coalition troops were involved in the second attack.

Both suicide bombers died in the attacks.

A purported Taliban spokesperson, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attacks and said both were undertaken by Afghans.

He also warned that more suicide attacks and ambushes will follow.

However, Chao said this type of double-suicide bombing is a hallmark of al-Qaeda operations in Iraq, and this was the first instance of the tactic being used in Afghanistan.

"We believe they probably are bringing in foreigners with very strongly religious beliefs to carry out suicide bombings," said Maj. Jim Blackburn, a British explosives expert.

Witnesses said a military helicopter airlifted the injured soldiers out of the area. A coalition statement later said they were taken to the multinational hospital at Kandahar airfield, where they received treatment for their injuries.

Official reaction

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces, said in a statement that she was "very saddened to learn today in Italy about the incident near Kandahar, Afghanistan that cost the lives of Corporal Francisco Gomez and Corporal Jason Patrick Warren and that also injured eight other Canadian military personnel.

"The increasing toll of our brave soldiers killed or injured while conducting reconstruction operations in Afghanistan, on behalf of Canada and in solidarity with a civilian population that has suffered such hardships, serves as a painful illustration of the tense predicament in which this country finds itself.

"With each new incident, we are getting a sense of the sacrifice and efforts needed to restore peace and justice to this part of the world. We lack the words to properly recognize the immense determination and selflessness of the members of the Canadian Forces who day in and day out carry out their noble mission to ensure the safety and improve the living conditions of the Afghan people.

"Corporal Gomez and Corporal Warren served their country admirably. From the bottom of our hearts and with the utmost respect, we wish to express our deepest sympathies to their families, friends, loved ones and comrades and to assure them that all Canadians stand with them during these very trying times.''

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also issued a statement.

"On behalf of Canadians, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of Corporal Gomez and Corporal Warren, who lost their lives today as a result of a suicide vehicle attack in Afghanistan.''

"Today's tragic incident also injured eight other Canadian Forces members, who are currently receiving treatment.''

"Canadians will never forget the sacrifice these men made on behalf of our country. While deeply saddened by their loss, we are proud of the men and women of the Canadian Forces, who continue to stand on guard for Canadian values around the world, in spite of personal risks to their own safety.''

Brits may pull back: report

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper in Britain reported that the British Army may pull back from some isolated Afghan village outposts that have been the focus of numerous Taliban attacks.

They quoted officers as saying the rationale was to concentrate on a smaller geographic area and get reconstruction work underway.

The British hope to staff the outposts with Afghan National Army or Police personnel.

The British are operating in Helmand province, which is adjacent to Kandahar province, the area of operations for Canada's military. In the past two months, six British soldiers have been killed in Helmand. The total British force is about 3,600, with plans to raise that to 4,500 by October. Canada has about 2,200 troops in Kandahar.

A senior British defence ministry official refused to confirm or deny the Telegraph story.

With a report from CTV's Steve Chao and files from The Canadian Press