Roadside Blast Kills Canadian Soldier Outside Kandahar

One Canadian soldier was killed yesterday and four others were injured as their convoy was heading back from the front lines for a long-awaited New Year's break.

Gunner Jonathan Dion was the first Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since Nov. 17 and the 74th to die since the mission began.

The highway bomb attack occurred about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar as the light armoured vehicle was bringing the soldiers back to the secure base. At the same time, an infantry group marched through Taliban territory and found no battles.

The roadside bomb attack speaks to the kind of invisible enemy the Canadian Forces face as they push deeper into insurgent territory in the south. Insurgents often prefer to fight by stealth rather than along front lines.