Kandahar, Afghanistan: Car bomb Attack on Canadian military convoy

Canadian soldiers, part of the NATO- forces, stand guard at a road block after a suicide car bomb explosion in Kandarhar province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 26, 2007. A suicide car bomber detonated himself near a NATO convoy Thursday in Kandahar, but there were no injuries among the troops, said Lt. Desmond James, a Canadian officer at the site of the blast. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)


July 26, 2007
Attack on Canadian military convoy in Kandahar
No injuries after suicide bombing

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide car bomber detonated near a Canadian military convoy Thursday southeast of Kandahar City, but there were no reports of injuries.
The explosion happened at 5:30 p.m. local time, when a convoy of three Canadian military vehicles — two RG-31 Nyala vehicles and one LAV-3 light armoured vehicle — was returning to Kandahar City from the town of Shur Andan, about 18 kilometres southeast of the Canadian base, said Maj. Chip Madic.
Military sources said that Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant, the commander of Canada’s current mission in Afghanistan, was riding in one of the three vehicles in the convoy at the time of explosion.
When the suicide car bomb blew up, the force of the blast caused one of the Nayala vehicles to roll into a ditch, Madic said.
There were at least four troops inside the vehicle, but no one was injured, said Madic.
Military officials said Grant was not in the vehicle that flipped over.
The RG-31 Nayala vehicle is considered the safest in the Canadian army’s fleet when it comes to protecting troops from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
Canada has 2,500 troops in the war-torn country, most of them based in the southern province of Kandahar.
Sixty-six Canadian soldiers have been killed since 2002, when Canada first sent its troops to Afghanistan, following the fall of the Taliban regime.



Afghan bomber targets Canadians TheStar.com

Troops and top general, riding in one of three vehicles at time of the blast, escape injury
July 27, 2007

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan–A suicide car bomber detonated yesterday near a military convoy carrying Canada's top commander in the country, but there were no reports of injuries.
The explosion happened at 5:30 p.m. local time, when a convoy of three Canadian military vehicles – two RG-31 Nayala vehicles and one LAV-3 light armoured vehicle – was returning to Kandahar city from the town of Shur Andan, about 18 kilometres southeast of the Canadian base, said Maj. Chip Madic.
Military sources said that Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant, commander of Canada's current mission in Afghanistan who is only days away from ending his nine-month tour, was riding in one of the three vehicles in the convoy at the time of the explosion.
When the suicide car bomb blew up, the force of the blast caused one of the Nayala vehicles to roll into a ditch, Madic said.
There were at least four troops inside the vehicle, but no one was injured, said Madic.
Military officials said Grant was not in the vehicle that flipped over.
The RG-31 Nayala vehicle is considered the safest in the Canadian army's fleet when it comes to protecting troops from improvised explosive devices.
Canada has 2,500 troops in the war-torn country, most of them based in Kandahar province.
Earlier this month, one of deadliest explosions on NATO forces in Afghanistan destroyed an RG-31 vehicle, killing all six Canadians and an Afghan interpreter inside.
Sixty-six Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since 2002, when Canada first sent its troops to Afghanistan, following the fall of the Taliban regime.
Canadian Press, Agence France-Presse