Canada lost its second soldier in three days when Sapper Steven Marshall was kiled by an IED blast on Friday. Sapper Marshall was a member of the 11 Field Squadron 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, Alta. He has been deployed with his Princess Pat Canadian Light Infantry for less than a week. Fellow Princess Pat, Lieutenant Justin Boyes, 26, was killed by an IED on Wednesday morning, only 10 days into his mission. Lt. Boyes' body will travel down the Highway of Heroes on Saturday, October 31.Twenty-four-year-old Sapper Marshall was patrolling near one of the showcase Panjwaii District villages when the incident occurred late in the afternoon. There were no other casualties.
“At the time of his death, Steven was working toward securing the Panjwaii district in order to provide a more stable environment for the Afghan population living there,” Task Force Commander Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance said Friday.
“A stable environment is the best defence against insurgents, because they have no way to counter the positive effects that soldiers like Steven bring to bear.”
“Know that his death will also sadden the Afghan community where he worked to bring them a better life,” said Brig.-Gen. Vance, who described Sapper Marshall as a popular member of his unit thanks in part to his sense of humour and “contagious grin.”
A Canadian Press reporter who was at a platoon house in Belanday heard the explosion more than a kilometre away. It was followed by a short burst of small-arms fire. There were conflicting reports about whether the gunfire was directed at the base.
Griffon attack helicopters and infantry teams were dispatched to secure the area while Sapper Marshall was taken by helicopter to the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
Belanday, and the five-kilometre area around it, are among a series of villages in Dand district where the Canadian military has been experimenting with a population-centric counter-insurgency strategy. Sapper Marshall's company is based in Belanday.
After clearing the area of insurgents in July, Canadian troops moved into a battered school compound. From this Belanday base they have been mentoring Afghan police and preventing insurgents from returning by offering work projects to locals.
Their presence has led to a growing trust from the local populace. The outgoing company commander, Captain Jean Vachon, says soldiers on patrol walked hand-in-hand with children and received repeated tip-offs about IEDs.
“Soon the village streets filled up, even with women who were walking around without their faces covered.” But there had been worrying signs recently that insurgents were pressing to reassert their presence the area.
On Sept. 13, Canadian soldier Private Patrick Lormand, 21, was killed in an IED explosion. Several days later two young girls were killed in a similar blast.
The death of Sapper Marshall is a sign that“... there are still insurgents out there living among the population,” said Lieutenant Jeremie Verville, who headed a platoon based in Belanday for the past three months. “There is still some work do.”
The army hopes to expand these model villages further west into Panjwaii, but have met stiff opposition from the Taliban.
Sapper Marshall is the 133rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002.
No comments:
Post a Comment