Blame bad luck for the deaths of nine Canadian soldiers in southern Afghanistan this month, say military officials at Kandahar Airfield.
Officials insist the recent uptick in violence across Kandahar province and beyond owes more to misfortune than an emboldened Taliban insurgency.
Although violence typically ebbs in Afghanistan over the winter, this December – which saw Canada surpass the psychological milestone of 100 deaths since the Afghan mission began in 2002 – has been deadly for Canadian troops.
So far this month, nine Canadian soldiers have died – the same number killed in April 2007, which had been the mission”s deadliest month to date.
It”s a change from past years, when snow clogs the mountain passes and bitter cold sends insurgents back to their hideouts to regroup in anticipation of the coming spring fighting season.
Prior to 2008, only five soldiers died in the period between December and March since Canada took over security in Kandahar province in mid-2006.
Military officials referred questions about the apparent increase in the death toll in Kandahar province to remarks made last week by Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, Canada”s top military commander in Afghanistan.
Thompson”s comments came after Pte. Michael Freeman was killed when his armoured vehicle struck an explosive during a security patrol in Zhari district.
He was asked if there was special significance to the high number of deaths in a winter month.
“It”s not a linear process. There things unfortunately come, and there are spikes and valleys,” Thompson said. Prior to December, Canada went several months without fatalities, but suffered plenty of injuries, he added.
“There”s not much to observe in terms of the time of year, other than, obviously, there”s an increased incidence of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at this particular point in the campaign.”
