An increase in “kinetic activity” in Afghanistan has led to the deaths of three Canadian soldiers:
Three Canadian soldiers were killed by a bomb Friday morning, marking the 100th military death in the Afghan mission.
The troops were travelling in a vehicle in Arghandab district, west of Kandahar city, when an improvised explosive device detonated nearby around 9 a.m. local time, according to a Canadian military statement.
Until Friday, the troops had gone their longest period without a death since the first Canadian battle group deployed to Kandahar in early 2006. The last death happened on Sept. 7, when Sergeant Scott Shipway was killed by a roadside bomb in Panjwai district.
The total number of IEDs in Afghanistan, including ones that exploded and other safely disposed of, has increased about 50 per cent this year as compared with the same period last year, Brigadier-General Richard Blanchette said this week.
“The good news is there have been a lot more finds than in the past,”
Brig-Gen Blanchette said during a visit to Kandahar Air Field. “The people are reporting more IEDs than before and the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police are getting better at finding these devices of death.”
The Canadian brigadier-general, who serves as chief spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, also predicted that next year’s arrival of thousands more U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan will mean a higher level of violence.
“There is a risk that it gets worse before it gets better,” Brig-Gen Blanchette said. “When you have more troops you have more interface between the insurgents and the forces from ISAF. This is pretty much bound to happen. We will see more kinetic activity.”
From the Globe and Mail
mirabile dictu 