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Canadian defense minister takes cover in Afghan rocket attack

by Ray Keating | November 6, 2007 at 10:52 am

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Insurgents launched two rocket attacks on a Canadian base in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, where Defense Minister Peter Mackay was visiting troops, media reported.

According to reports, MacKay was not wounded in the 105-milimeter rocket attacks on Forward Operating Base Wilson, a small Canadian outpost about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) west of Kandahar City.

Four Canadian soldiers inside the base were slightly injured, said the daily Globe and Mail.

Mackay reportedly told journalists he heard the whistle of the rockets overhead and threw himself to the ground, before being whisked into an armored vehicle by his bodyguards.

"There was an explosion. It was a loud bang," he said. "When it happened, we heard the explosion, we heard the whistle overhead, we were told to get down and we did."

The defense minister was due to fly later by helicopter to Canada's main base at Kandahar Airfield.

Canadian officials were unavailable for comment.

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Ray Keating

at 11:07 on November 6th, 2007

It's nice to see that the government is over there supporting the troops, and maybe it's a good thing old Pete MacKay got a good old fashioned scare. The question is, will it scare the government enough to recognize that we shouldn't be there in the first place? Or will it just get Pete all fired up "Dick Cheney style" and make him want to turn the whole place into a parking lot?

All that aside, it seems rather poor judgement to send the Minister of Defense to an insecure location in a war zone... wouldn't the Taliban just love to be able to claim they eliminated the "Infidels' Leader". Somebody's head should roll for putting Pete in the position in the first place.