It is with regret that I report of a fatal car bomb attack on a Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team, (PRT), in Khandahar today. The attack on the PRT convoy struck an uparmoured Mercedes G-Wagon being used by Canadian soldiers and a diplomat. The blast was so large that it picked up the vehicle and dumped it on the other side of the street. Victims also included many Afghan innocents who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Killed in the attack was a senior Canadian diplomat from our Foreign Affairs Dept., and 3 Canadian soldiers were seriously wounded, with 2 in critical condition. One soldier was from an ambulatory unit, another from an engineer regiment, and the 3rd was a member of the 3rd Bn. of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, (PPCLI). More will follow as information becomes available.
In the final week of our federal election, this may have been done with the idea of forcing Canada out of Afghanistan. Well think again scumbags. All you have done is to make us all the more focussed on taking you out. No doubt our JTF-2 and our troops already in country will be looking for some payback, and when they do, the price is usually much larger on the bad guys side. The Taliban, which took credit for the attack, may have been counting on us leaving Afghanistan, like what the Spanish did in Iraq, however they didn't bargain on our resolve. Both the Liberal Party leader and current Prime Minister Paul Martin, and the leading opposition Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper have indicated we would not change our policy of supporting the US and Afghan people who are resolved in obtaining democracy and a better way of life.
I hope this also has the added effect of making those Canadians who feel they are too busy, or not interested in politics and voting on January 23rd. to reconsider their self-centred approach and really undertake to understand what real freedom is, and the costs of that freedom, which at times require our military personnel and others to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
May the families of the deceased diplomat's family take comfort in the thoughts that the 60-year was doing what he wanted to do in making the world a safer place. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the wounded and their families.
Paul
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