Cold War Veterans Blog

Fort Erie soldier Killed in Suicide Attack

Attacks continue to increase in Afghanistan 2 Canadian soldiers were killed in a suicide
bombing near kandahar. Canadian Forces in Southern Afganistan have been increasingly coming under attack. Nato members met in Riga yesterday and came up up short in adding combat forces to support Canadian and American Forces in the south.

RIGA, Latvia – Canada's quest for more help for its troops fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan received a modest response from allies as the NATO summit ended today in this tiny Baltic nation.

Read more on NATO Summit

Lest We Forget Their Ultimate Sacrifices

Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, His Battalion's Regimental Sergeant Major


Cpl. Albert Storm, of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in CFB Petawawa


Two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan have been identified; meanwhile, a separate suicide attack on Tuesday slightly injured another soldier.

Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard and Cpl. Albert Storm have been named as the soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack near Kandahar. Both soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, based in Petawawa, Ont.

Girouard was from Bathurst, N.B, and Storm was a native of Fort Erie, Ont.

The soldiers' identities have been released amidst news of another suicide attack against Canadians on Tuesday.

The attack occurred near a Canadian convoy in Panjwaii as a patrol made its way back to the main base, confirmed CTV's Steve Chao in Afghanistan.

One soldier was injured receiving flash burns but his condition is not considered serious.

Lt. Cmdr. Kris Phillips called the attack "completely ineffective."

The vehicle was the same Bison Armoured Carrier that was targeted in Monday's attack that killed Girouard and Storm.

The soldiers on Monday had been helping with reconstruction projects outside Kandahar where heavy clashes had taken place over the past several months.

Chao said the suicide bomber pulled alongside the Canadian convoy in a vehicle and detonated his explosives. The bomber was reported to have been driving a small minivan.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his condolences in a statement.

"The resolve and courage demonstrated by Chief Warrant Officer Girouard and Cpl. Storm represent Canadian values and beliefs in the finest tradition," said Harper. "They will be missed by the Canadian Forces family, and their loss is also Canada's loss."

Harper is in Latvia Tuesday for a NATO summit where he is expected to seek more support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Also Tuesday, Phillips said Canadian and Afghan troops were involved in the fatal shooting of a civilian in the Panjwaii district.

The man was on foot and ignored orders, including warning shots, to stop as he approached a position taken by Canadian and Afghan troops.

It is unknown if he was shot by Canadian or Afghan fire.


Recent calm is broken

Kandahar province has been relatively calm recently aside from some sporadic fighting.

"There has been talk for a while of a relative peace, and a hope that peace would last through the winter," Chao said Monday. "This obviously has not happened."

"It's also becoming more clear the Taliban is using suicide bombers as a main key tactic to attack NATO forces down here and instill a sense of fear in Kandahar City."

Brig.-Gen. Grant said the most common type of attack by insurgents is either small arms, or rocket-propelled grenades.

So the fact they're resorting to suicide bombings "shows they are desperate right now and they are trying to send a message."

"The professionalism, though, of NATO forces and the Canadians in particular will make sure they carry on with their mission here. We are not deterred by this attack," he added.

For Canada, there had been no fatalities since Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson died in an ambush west of Kandahar City on Oct. 14.

There are about 2,500 Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. Including Monday's deaths, 44 have died since 2002, plus one diplomat.








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