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Three Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

by julianw | August 21, 2008 at 10:22 am

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Three Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device. Their deaths come two days after 10 French soldiers were killed in the biggest loss of life in a single incident in three years for Western troops in Afghanistan.

The Canadian deaths came amid attacks on French and Polish soldiers in the country, but Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan said Thursday it should not be seen as a sign the Taliban is gaining strength.

"What I'd say is that they're much more aggressive this fighting season than they've been in the past," Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson said.

The three soldiers were on patrol in Zhari district at about 10:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, when they were killed by an improvised explosive device. They were on their way to a site to do a reconnaissance of a route to be used for a future operation.

A fourth soldier was seriously injured. One of the slain soldiers was identified as Sgt. Shawn Eades.

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julianw

at 17:03 on August 21st, 2008

Families and troops at Edmonton Garrison were struggling Thursday to deal with the deaths of three more Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
Word came as troops at the sprawling base were preparing for the funeral of another soldier who was killed in the Kandahar region earlier this month.

Sgt. Shawn Eades, 33, and two others with 1 Combat Engineer Regiment were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle Wednesday. Another soldier was injured.

Lisa Schamehorn, Shawn Eades' wife, said it was her husband's life's dream to help people by serving in the military and that he believed strongly in the Afghanistan mission.

"He died doing what he loved," Schamehorn said in an interview. "He believed that he was making a difference and making things better for people over there."

The other soldiers who were killed were Cpl. Dustin Wasden and Sapper Stephan Stock.