Canadian Casualty in Afghanistan

The latest Canadian soldier to be killed on active service in Afghanistan is Trooper Karine Blais, who was serving with the 12th Armoured Regiment when the vehicle she was riding in struck an improvised explosive device near Kandahar City on 13 April. Four other soldiers were wounded in the incident. She is the second Canadian female soldier to be killed in theatre since the Afghan mission began, the first being Captain Nichola Goddard. The DND announcement of Trooper Blais' death can be found here Her body is being repatriated to Canada today.



The death of a Canadian female soldier happened to coincide with a march in Kabul this Wednesday by 300 Afghan women protesting new laws on the status of women in Afghan society recently signed into law by the Afghan government - coverage on that march can be found in the New York Times here. The day before, April 12, a prominent women's activist, Sitara Achakzai, was gunned down in front of her home in Kandahar. The Taliban have taken responsibilty for her killing. Coverage of this event is found here on the Independent's website.



It is not the place of this blog to make a linkage between these events or to editorialize on them. I simply pray that the courage and self-sacrifice of Trooper Blais, of Captain Goddard, and our other casualties there, along with people like Sitara Achakzai, may yet further the well being of all Afghan people.