http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e0a0acfb-927e-42b5-ae0 f-541dd84690a6 <http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e0a0acfb-927e-42b5-ae 0f-541dd84690a6&k=27655> &k=27655
Twenty-fifth Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan due to 'weapons-related-incident' Donald McArthur, CanWest News Service Published: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The 25th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan was accidentally shot by a fellow Canadian soldier about noon Wednesday, just days after arriving in Kandahar to begin his tour of duty. Master Cpl. Jeffrey Scott Walsh, based out of Shilo, Man. with the second battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was conducting routine operations along Highway One near the Zhari district centre, about 20 km west of Kandahar city, when the accident occurred. He arrived in Kandahar less than a week ago as part of a month-long relief-in-place operation that will see fresh troops replace more than 2,000 troops returning to Canada. He is the first soldier in this incoming rotation to be killed. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Walsh will not be forgotten. "I was deeply saddened today to learn of the death of Master Corporal Jeffrey Scott Walsh. He will be greatly missed," he said. "On behalf of Canadians, I extend my sincere sympathy to the family, friends and loved ones of Master Corporal Walsh, and am hopeful that they find strength in knowing that our nation mourns at their side. "We wish to express our condolences to the family and friends of Master Cpl. Walsh," said Lt.-Col. Brian Irwin, chief of staff for Task Force Afghanistan. "Our thoughts and prayers go to him, his family, his wife, his children and to his friends." The incident is being probed by the National Investigation Service, an independent and internal body within the military. An investigator has already visited the site of the incident. Troops coping with the tragedy came under insurgent mortar fire in the hours after the shooting but the military said the two incidents were not connected. The base near Zhari frequently comes under fire. Earlier in the day, about 7:45 a.m., six Canadian soldiers bound with supplies for Spinboldak on the porous border with Pakistan were injured when their vehicle collided with a truck on Highway 4 about 30 km south of Kandahar. They were airlifted by helicopter to the air field hospital where four were treated and released for minor injuries. Two remain in hospital. One is listed in good condition and the other in fair condition. The fatal mishap occurred while Master Cpl. Walsh, who touched down in Kandahar on Aug. 3 or 4, was on patrol and learning the ropes from soldiers bound for home in what the military refers to as a left-side-right-side operation. Incoming soldiers sit beside the soldiers they are relieving in these exercises and then their roles are reversed. The military wouldn't say whether the weapon involved was a sidearm or the C-7 assault rifles Canadian soldiers carry and wouldn't confirm whether the mishap occurred inside or outside of a vehicle. It is also unclear whether the gun involved belonged to a soldier who had just arrived in theatre or was bound for home. Irwin said Canadian soldiers come to Afghanistan only after receiving the best possible training and come outfitted with the "best possible" weapons and equipment. "In a theatre like this, though, there is always a small degree or margin for error," he said. "Regrettably, in this incident it appears that there was an accident and certainly appears that that margin of error may have been crossed." The military has already ruled out enemy fire as playing a role in the incident and Irwin confirmed that when soldiers are on patrol their "weapon would be loaded, it would be readied but the weapon would be on safe." Master Cpl. Walsh is the sixth Canadian soldier killed in less than a week and the 17th since operations moved to volatile southern Afghanistan in February. The grim week - the grimmest Canada has endured since joining the war on terror in 2002 - is a bitter pill but soldiers' support for the mission hasn't wavered, said Irwin. "Without a doubt, losing a soldier is something that we all take to heart, without a doubt a tragic loss that affects us all," he said. "Without a doubt, the resolve remains within the task force. The soldiers are committed and understand the necessity of this mission that they've undertaken." The toughest seven days Canada has faced in Afghanistan began last Thursday when four soldiers were killed and ten injured during a fierce and protracted fight with Taliban insurgents in and around an abandoned school near Pashmul, west of Kandahar City. Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid was killed when insurgents targeted his light armoured vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Several hours later, shrapnel from a rocket propelled grenade killed Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller and Pte. Kevin Dallaire. On Saturday, just hours after more than 3,000 soldiers from several NATO countries bid farewell to their four fallen comrades in a sombre ramp ceremony here, Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, a reservist with the Loyal Canadian Regiment in Edmonton, was killed and three soldiers injured, when a G-Wagon making a supply run to Spinboldak collided with a civilian truck. Wednesday's collision that injured six soldiers occurred on the same highway and in the same area. The almost daily tally of casualties involving Canadian soldiers is coming at a time when opinion polls indicate wavering support on the home-front for the mission in Afghanistan. The latest incidents occurred the day after Lt.-Gen. David Richards, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Force here, visited the Kandahar air field and urged Canada not to cut and run in the face of mounting casualties. "We've got 37 nations here firmly alongside us and I think that's giving the Afghan people great strength and I hope, in a sense of solidarity, it will give the Canadian people that same spirit of optimism," said Richards. "We're in this together and we can win. I have absolutely no doubt." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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