News

A Canadian platoon commander leading a foot patrol in Kandahar province's hotly contested and dangerous Panjwai district was shot and killed yesterday morning, marking the second combat death for Canadian Forces in the past month.

"Steve was what we in uniform are expected to be: He was a soldier and he was a leader," Colonel Jamie Cade, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar, said yesterday.

Captain Richard (Steve) Leary, 32, who was serving his first tour in Afghanistan, is the second soldier since May 6 to be killed in an ambush.

The majority of the 27 Canadian casualties in Afghanistan since June of 2007 have been the result of homemade bombs placed on roads. Only three deaths have occurred in combat.

Capt. Leary, with Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man., was killed about 9:30 a.m., local time, in the rural district, which is dotted with grape and wheat fields.

The Brantford, Ont., native had been leading a foot patrol with several Canadian and Afghan National Army soldiers when they came under attack by Taliban and engaged in several running gun battles with the insurgents. The soldiers were taking cover when Capt. Leary was shot.

No one else was injured.

The battle continued after Capt. Leary's death, until a NATO-coalition air strike "defeated" the enemy, according to Major Jay Janzen, a Canadian military spokesman.

Capt. Leary was flown by helicopter to the military hospital at Kandahar Air Field, but died of his wounds.

"Our medical personnel fought very hard to change the outcome, but sadly, they were unsuccessful," Col. Cade said.

Since the Canadian mission in Afghanistan began in 2002, 84 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed. Capt. Leary's death is the 10th this year.

On May 6, Corporal Michael Starker, a Calgary paramedic with the Edmonton-based 15 Field Ambulance Regiment, was shot and killed in an ambush about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.

He was also on a military foot patrol at the time of the ambush.

"It's dangerous business, there is no question about that, but if we aren't out there doing our jobs, we'll never be successful," Major Janzen said, when asked whether military foot patrols are becoming too dangerous in certain areas.

Capt. Leary had been stationed at a small combat outpost in Panjwai before his death.

The turbulent and ultraconservative district has become so dangerous in recent months that road convoys to resupply soldiers living at outposts in the area have become extremely rare because of concerns about roadside bombs.

Soldiers posted to the area rarely drive, and are usually left to hike in and out of the volatile area with all their belongings.

Security is low, with many locals in the district afraid of the Taliban.

They will sometimes stay silent about possible attacks against soldiers or even assist insurgents, for fear of reprisals against them or their families.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered condolences on behalf of Canadians to Capt. Leary's family and friends.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time," he said in a statement.

"[Capt. Leary] was making a difference, working alongside his fellow soldiers, to rebuild a war-torn country."

It has already been a difficult week for the Canadian military.

On Monday, four Canadians solders were injured, one seriously, in two separate incidents during security operations in nearby Zhari district. Two have been flown to a U.S. military hospital in Germany for further treatment.