Canadian Soldier Killed by IED
Canadian soldier James Hayward Arnal killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan
By Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian soldier was killed by a roadside explosion, the military announced on a violent day that also saw a suicide bomber blow himself up just outside the gate of the main Canadian base in Kandahar.
The suicide attack outside Kandahar Airfield oc
More..curred just moments before the Canadian Forces held a solemn news conference there to announce the death of Cpl. James Hayward Arnal.
Maj. Michael Wright, the commanding officer of the Second Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, said Cpl. Arnal couldn't wait to get back to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty.
"He had already served with distinction in Kandahar province from August 2006 to February 2007," said Maj. Wright. "During that tour he was involved in a massive firefight with the Taliban and participated in September 2006's Operation Medusa.
"As soon as he returned to Canada he was looking for ways to go back, and this past February he got his wish."
Maj. Wright said Cpl. Arnal brought experience and passion to his job.
"His loss is a blow to his fellow soldiers in Bravo Company and to the entire Battle Group.
"Our condolences go out to his family in Winnipeg and we now make a solemn vow to ensure his final voyage home is conducted with the dignity befitting a hero."
In a separate attack in Kandahar province, a roadside blast killed four Afghan police officers. Afghan troops also announced Saturday that they killed nine Taliban militants in Zabul province.
On this blood-soaked day, the Canadian military bluntly described the Afghan mission as a long-term challenge.
Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan lauded Arnal as a fearless fighter who had left a lucrative career in information technology to join the army.
He was on his second tour of Afghanistan and had already volunteered for a third.
Arnal was struck by an explosion Friday night during a foot patrol in Panjwaii district near Kandahar city.
"Clearly, he was a dedicated soldier with a very promising career ahead of him," said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, Canada's commander in Afghanistan.
And that's exactly how Arnal had wished all soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan would be remembered.
In a November 2006 interview with The Canadian Press Arnal, who was fighting on the front lines in the Panjwaii district in Afghanistan, said he believed soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice should be respected.
"We're here so that these people can have the same opportunities we have back home ... and not have dictatorships such as the Taliban telling them what to do," the then-23-year-old private told the reporter.
"I hope they'll be remembered as brave people who stood up for things that other people can't or are too afraid to defend," he said.
The Shilo, Man.-based Arnal was the 88th Canadian soldier killed in the Afghan mission, and the first to die in two weeks.
After paying tribute to his fallen corporal, Thompson addressed suggestions that the Canadian government and military have been sugar-coating the difficult realities of the Afghan mission.
The U.S. and British governments have been casting the violence in Afghanistan in increasingly dire terms that Canada's politicians and military brass have largely eschewed.
But on Saturday, Thompson readily described Afghanistan as a long-term project.
"Of course, soldiers are also not afraid to talk about the challenges faced here in Afghanistan," Thompson said.
"Let there be no doubt - we do have our work cut out for us."
"This insurgency is not going to be defeated in the short term, which is why our focus is on winning the trust of the Afghan people, and building up local government and security institutions."
Thompson said the military is determined to carry on with the mission and is convinced it will succeed.
In a statement on Arnal's death, Prime Minister Stephen Harper also lauded the soldier's bravery and described the Afghan mission as a "challenging" one.
Another Canadian soldier sustained injuries in the blast but was said to be in good condition and expected to return to duty.
Canada's Kandahar-based mission began in late-2005 and has been extended until 2011.
Suicide attacks, roadside bombs and coalition casualties have seen significant increases in each of the last three years.
But the number of Afghan children going to school and the national economy have also grown.
In a stark reminder of the security risk Saturday, a suicide bomber blew himself up just several hundred metres away from the main coalition base in Kandahar.
The bomber was spotted by an Afghan policeman on the main road to Kandahar Airfield. He tried running toward the base through a police checkpoint, drew police gunfire as he fled, and finally detonated himself with nobody close by.
One policeman and one 13-year-old boy were injured in the blast, while the bomber's body was ripped to pieces by the force of the explosion.
In a statement from Ottawa, the prime minister paid tribute to Arnal's bravery and to the goals of the Afghan mission. He also underlined its difficulty.
"It is with much pride that we stand by our Canadian Forces members," Harper said.
"This United Nations-mandated mission is a challenging one, but we remain steadfast in our resolve to help the people of Afghanistan."
Southern Afghanistan is the centre of the country's Taliban-led insurgency.
More than 2,500 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related violence this year in Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press tally of official figures.
On Saturday, a blast struck a police patrol in Kandahar's Maywand district, killing four officers and wounding another.
Meanwhile, Afghan troops clashed with Taliban insurgents attacking a supply convoy for NATO troops, killing nine militants.
They were killed after they attacked a supply convoy for NATO-led troops in Zabul province, said provincial police official Jalali Khan.
The insurgents also fought amongst themselves.
In northwestern Pakistan, at least 10 Taliban died in fierce clashes between two rival militant groups, a government official and Taliban spokesman said Saturday.
Hundreds of supporters of top Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud clashed Friday with a breakaway faction of the group in Mohmand tribal region, said local administrator Syed Ali.
He said both sides used rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons in the fighting, which lasted for several hours. Between 10 and 15 men died, he said. Less..
Added: Jul 19 2008 In: middle_east
By: TheGh0st 
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