OTTAWA - A Canadian soldier working with Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan died in a non-combat related incident earlier today. The soldier was working on a communications tower when the accident occurred.

The name of the casualty is being withheld at the request of the family.

An investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances of the accident. No other details are available at this time.

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC – The ongoing commitment of Canada’s New Government to the safety of Canadian Forces members engaged in deployed operations was front and centre today when the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Michael Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff, confirmed plans to renew the Canadian Forces’ tank capability.

To replace the Canadian Forces’ 30-year old Leopard 1 tanks, the Government will purchase up to 100 Leopard 2 tanks, as well as securing the loan of 20 Leopard 2A6 tanks for use in Afghanistan this summer. The Leopard 2 tanks are newer, more heavily armoured and more technologically advanced than Canada’s Leopard 1s. Their advanced features include significantly increased personnel protection against explosive devices and landmines, an ability to travel considerably faster in difficult terrain, more powerful engines, and stronger firing capabilities.

“Equipping Canada’s soldiers with the best protection is my top priority. By immediately acquiring stronger and more heavily protected tanks, our soldiers in Afghanistan have the best equipment possible to offer them protection during this mission,” said Minister O’Connor. “This government is committed to providing our Canadian Forces with the equipment they need to do the very demanding jobs we have asked of them.”

Minister Fortier said: “This announcement demonstrates Canada’s New Government’s commitment to procure critical operational equipment as quickly as possible for the Canadian Forces, while getting the best value for Canadian taxpayers.”

When examining the surplus tank option, Canada approached six allied nations to enquire about availability and thoroughly evaluated all formal proposals.

“Simply put, tanks help save lives and provide soldiers the right tools for the mission while enhancing their protection,” said General Hillier. “In Afghanistan, Canada’s Leopard 1 tanks have provided close direct fire support and mitigated the threat of mines and improvised explosive devices. This acquisition will further enhance the protection available to our soldiers.”

The 100 Leopard 2 tanks will be purchased from the Netherlands for the long-term requirements of the Canadian Forces, and should be delivered to Canada soon after completion of the government-to-government agreement, anticipated by end of summer 2007. They will be upgraded in Canada to final Canadian Forces standards.

The 20 combat-ready Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks will be loaned by Germany for short-term requirements and will be deployed to Afghanistan this summer with the next rotation of Canadian troops. In addition to being newer, more heavily protected and more technologically advanced, the Leopard 2A6s will generate significantly less heat than the hydraulic systems of Canada’s 30-year-old Leopard 1 fleet.

The Leopard 1 tanks were first deployed in Afghanistan fall 2006 to meet new operational requirements of the Canadian Forces.

Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are preparing for another ramp ceremony after two more comrades were killed.

Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 30, and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23, of the Royal Canadian Dragoons were based in Petawawa, Ont. They died Wednesday in the third roadside blast in a day, and just three days after six of their comrades were killed in the worst attack since Canada's mission in Afghanistan began.

The explosions on Wednesday occurred within hours of each other, in locations just 750 metres apart. Two other Canadian soldiers were wounded in the same attack, one seriously. They were in stable condition.

"This is not a loss just for Canada but a loss for the larger NATO community as a whole," Lt.-Col. Angela Billings, a spokeswoman for the NATO-led mission, told CBC News Thursday morning.

The deaths of Stewart and Pentland bring the week's death toll for Canadians in Afghanistan to eight, making it the deadliest week in combat for the Canadian Forces in more than 50 years.

Col. Mike Cessford, the deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, has denied suggestions that an apparent spike in violence is an early indication of a planned Taliban spring offensive.

Hundreds of soldiers held a sombre ramp ceremony in Kandahar Tuesday as the bodies of six Canadian soldiers were loaded on to a plane to begin the journey home.

A lone bagpiper played Amazing Grace as 60 pallbearers — all from the same battle group the dead soldiers had served in — slowly carried the flag-draped coffins on their shoulders.

More than 1,000 soldiers saluted and stood to attention in the dark to bid farewell to the six Canadian troops killed by a roadside bomb Sunday.

(John Cotter/Canadian Press)

The Canadians were killed Sunday when their armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the desert region near Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Two others were injured in the attack, which happened at about 1:30 p.m. local time. One was treated and released while the other is recovering in an American military hospital in Germany.

The explosion killed Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, Pte. Kevin Vincent Kennedy, 20, Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20, Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, and Cpl. Brent Poland, 37.

Stannix was a reservist with the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers Army Reserve Infantry Regiment. The others were members of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, based in CFB Gagetown, N.B.

OTTAWA – Six Canadian soldiers were killed and two of their comrades were injured today in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time, west of Kandahar City. Four soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield for further medical assessment. One soldier suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries from the blast and will likely be transferred to the U.S. military facility at Landstuhl, Germany. Another soldier who only received minor injuries was released from the hospital along with the other two who had not suffered any physical injuries.

The dead men were identified as Sgt. Donald Lucas, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, Pte. Kevin Vincent Kennedy and Pte. David Robert Greenslade, all of the Gagetown, N.B.-based 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment.

Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, a reservist from the Halifax-based Pricess Louise Fusiliers, also died.

The identity of the sixth victim was not released at the request of his next of kin.

Though very saddened by the news several of their comrades have fallen in the line of duty, Canadian troops in Afghanistan remain staunchly committed to the critical mission of helping the Afghan people achieve peace and stability and rebuild their country and institutions.

ISAF’s Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) has a mandate to facilitate the development of a stable, secure and self-sustaining environment for the people of Afghanistan. As part of this mandate, the training of Afghan National Police (ANP) patrolmen is a job that requires a co-ordinated effort.

Training and mentoring of ANP started in August 2005 at the KPRT, and to date, almost 600 ANP patrolmen have received training and mentoring, “To have an opportunity to help train and mentor new police recruits in Afghanistan is a chance of a lifetime,” stated Staff Sergeant Higgins Elliott, with the RCMP.

“There are challenges including the low literacy rate and ongoing ANP operations but the recruits I have seen so far are keen, ready to learn and are very patriotic towards helping to rebuild their country. We are making progress with our ANP recruits every day; this is very rewarding for all the trainers,” added Elliott.

The New Year celebration hosted by the government of Kandahar, supported by the Regional Command-South and U.S. National Command Element, offered a chance for both sides to express gratitude and hope as the nation continues to move forward.

“On behalf of the [Afghan National Army] 205th Corps, we wish to say happy New Year to all Afghans. We will pray for peace and prosperity in this New Year, and we fight to continue to do the best for our people and the future of our country,” said Maj. Gen. Rahmatullah Raufi, 205th ANA Corps commander.

Addressing a rise in security and countering the insurgency while moving forward with reconstruction efforts and humanitarian assistance will remain at the heart of joint efforts by Coalition and Afghan forces this year, he added.

“I’ve been impressed by the determination of the people of Afghanistan, who have chosen the path of reconciliation rather than the path of hate and destruction. I am speaking of those Afghans who today stand together to build a bolder Afghanistan for themselves and future generations,” said RC-South Commander Maj. Gen. Ton van Loon.

“As we launch into this New Year, I feel that it is important to accept that we have many challenges remaining ahead, and that we will continue to work diligently toward peace and reconciliation. But, this evening, it is equally important to look at our accomplishments and our successes as a reminder that we are, indeed, making progress,” van Loon said.

Recent joint efforts include emergency assistance offered to hundreds of residents of Uruzgan Province during floods, as well as the launch and maintenance of RC-South-led Operation Achilles. The focus of the operation is on improving security to facilitate reconstruction and development in areas where Taliban extremists, narcotic-traffickers and other elements are trying to destabilize the Afghan government.

“As ISAF and Afghan relations continue to strengthen in the New Year, the government of Kandahar Province can continue its intended path toward peace, stability and prosperity knowing it has the support of the International Security Assistance Forces,” said Sqn Ldr Dave Marsh, Regional Command – South spokesman.

“There is progress being made in the way that ANSF troops and ISAF military personnel from dozens of countries have successfully learned to work together to defeat our common enemy. Together, we are allowing the people of Afghanistan to live their lives without the influence of extremists who intimidate them,” van Loon said. “Let this celebration be an opportunity for all of us to pray together for security, peace, and prosperity for all who live in this beautiful country of Afghanistan.”

ISAF troops from the French battle group hand out school supplies at Orphanage Allahoudine to the children of the orphanage.

The families and friends of the ISAF Regional Command-Capital soldiers, originally from the French 16ième Bataillon de chasseurs, conducted a drive in the villages surrounding their home garrison near Saarburg, Germany in an effort to gather donations of clothes, school materials and toys.

ISAF troops from the French battle group hand out the donated toys from the charity to the grateful children.

School children pose with the French ISAF troops to send a “big thank you” to the villages near their home garrison near Saarburg, Germany.

A charity working for the French Army, MEDIACAT, also participated to the donation, by giving school materials for the 350 pupils to celebrate the beginning of the school.

Also at this event, a medical team from the French battle group based at RC-C with a local doctor carried out a medical clinic for the children of the orphanage.

Working out of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team’s (PRT) base in Camp Nathan Smith, the CIMIC team reaches out to Afghans to help provide a link between Afghans and their government. “This helps Afghans understand their government, how it works, and where they can go for aid and assistance. CIMIC teams will also provide immediate assistance if there is a requirement. This assistance could come in the form of projects to clear canals and allow water flow, digging of wells, or rehabilitation of buildings,” said Sqn Ldr Dave Marsh, an RC-South spokesman.

The PRT consists of Canadian Forces members, a civilian police contingent led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Correctional Services Canada, representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency. “The PRT conducts coordinated interdepartmental operations to promote good governance, assists the Government of Afghanistan in extending its authority in the province of Kandahar, and facilitates the development of a stable, secure and self-sustaining environment for the people of Afghanistan,” said Marsh.

The Uzbeks are believed to have killed more than 1,500 local tribesmen in the past two years.

By Massoud Ansari

Islamic militants linked to Osama bin Laden have been offered a safe haven by the Taliban in Afghanistan, bringing them into conflict with British troops patrolling the lawless province of Helmand.

Uzbek gunmen, who fought a series of bloody battles last week with Pakistani tribesmen in the border region of Waziristan, where they had been living, have been told they should join the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan instead.

The move raises the prospect of a major upsurge in violence in Helmand, where 43 British soldiers have been killed in clashes with militants over the last five years.

The group of around 10,000 Uzbeks are led by Tahir Yuldashev, a close associate of the al-Qaeda terrorist chief, who is believed to be hiding out in the mountainous border area with his chief henchman Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The members of the Islamic Movement Union of Uzbekistan fell out with their Pakistani hosts after accusing some tribal leaders of acting as agents of the Pakistani government, which is under huge pressure from the US to crack down on Islamic militants. Pakistan government officials said that nearly 160 people, including 130 Uzbeks, were killed in the battle.

Taliban fighters intervened to broker a ceasefire but local officials have told The Sunday Telegraph that neither side is likely to back down. Taliban sources have revealed that they have offered the Uzbeks safe passage into Afghanistan in order to bring an end to the violence.

The militant group are wanted by the Uzbek government of President Islam Karimov and cannot return to their own country.

Lateef Afridi, a tribal leader and former national assembly member from the Frontier province, who is privy to details of the discussions, said: "These tribesmen are quite determined to flush them out. Given that these Uzbeks cannot be extradited back to their own country because they are all wanted there, one way they are considering to accommodate them is to send them to Afghanistan."

Mr Afridi said the Taliban felt compelled to give the Uzbeks a way out because if the battle continued between the local tribesmen and the foreign fighters, the Taliban elements would have to choose which side to back, unleashing further bloodshed. Another source added: "Both the sides are led by highly trained militants and if the fighting is not stopped, there will be massive killings."

A second tribal leader said the local and Afghan Taliban forces had already approached the Uzbeks and asked them to continue their jihad in Taliban-dominated areas in Afghanistan, in a bid to "reinvigorate their campaign of violence against Nato troops". They have been offered safe passage to either Kunar, Paktia or Helmand, where British troops are braced for a spring offensive from the Taliban.

Britain has announced plans to raise the UK military presence in Afghanistan to more than 7,000 troops. But the presence of a new wave of heavily armed guerrilla fighters is likely to leave troops stretched further and strengthen calls for an even greater military presence.

For Pakistan, forcing out the Uzbeks has the advantage of undermining support for Osama bin Laden.

His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has been spotted in Waziristan several times. If the local tribesmen succeed, it will deny bin Laden one more safe haven for his associates, according to one western diplomat.

The Uzbeks are believed to have killed more than 1,500 local tribesmen in the past two years and are blamed for kidnapping others.

Mr Afridi said: "The partial ceasefire was achieved only for a time being, when the Taliban leaders intervened, but it did not give both the parties enough time to carry out the dead. The corpses and broken limbs of the dead are scattered all over the area."