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CFB Trenton, Ont. — Canadian Press Published on Saturday, Apr. 01, 2006 12:32PM EST Last updated on Sunday, Apr. 05, 2009 2:52AM EDT
The body of the first Canadian soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan returned home Saturday.
Pte. Robert Costall died Wednesday during a vicious firefight with Taliban insurgents at a forward base northwest of Kandahar.
The 22-year-old was reportedly killed when Taliban fighters tried to overrun the outpost. Three other Canadian soldiers were wounded.
Pte. Costall's wife, Chrissy, was overcome with emotion as she wept over her husband's flag-draped coffin after it was placed in a hearse at CFB Trenton, Ont.
Pte. Costall's parents, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor were also on hand for the return of Pte. Costall's body.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ont., leaves behind his wife and their one-year-old son, Colin.
Pte. Costall was the third Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan last month.
Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and MCpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta., were in a light armoured vehicle that collided with a taxi March 2 just outside Kandahar city limits.
Cpl. Davis died in the crash while Wilson succumbed to his injuries two days later at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.
CTV News reported that Costall's body was to be taken in a hearse to Toronto where an official autopsy was to be conducted.
There are about 2,200 Canadian soldiers serving with the coalition in the Kandahar area.
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