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.
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