Canadian Soldier killed, two injured by roadside bomb in Afghanistan
CEFCOM / COMFEC - NR–07.017 - June 11, 2007
OTTAWA – A Canadian soldier was killed today when a roadside bomb
detonated near the vehicle he was travelling in, about 40 km north
of Kandahar City. The incident occurred at approximately 6:25 p.m.
Kandahar time (10:05 a.m. EST).
 Two
Canadian soldiers suffered non-life threatening injuries from the
blast. They have been evacuated by helicopter to the Canadian-led
multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield for further treatment
and are expected to return to duty soon.
Killed was Trooper Darryl Caswell of The Royal Canadian Dragoons
(RCD), based at Petawawa, Ont. Trooper Caswell was deployed in the
south of Afghanistan with the RCD Reconnaissance Squadron as part of
the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) Battle Group.
Trooper Caswell was part of a Combat Logistics Patrol (CLP) convoy,
conducting a resupply mission for Canadian troops based at a forward
operating base in Kahkrez when the incident occurred. The convoy was
operating in support of the ongoing security efforts conducted
jointly by the Afghan national security forces and International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers in the northern region of
Kandahar province.
Family members of the deceased and injured soldiers have been
notified.
Our priority at this time is to ensure that our wounded soldiers
receive the best possible medical care and that the remains of
Trooper Caswell are repatriated to Canada in the most dignified and
respectful manner. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of
our wounded and fallen soldiers.
Jered Stuffco, Canadian Press
Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2007
CLARINGTON, Ont. - Trooper Darryl Caswell's family was waiting for a
phone call from half a world away Monday to mark his brother's
birthday at the family home in this quiet bedroom community east of
Toronto.
Instead came the knock at the door that every military family
dreads, and the terrible news that Caswell had become the 57th
Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan when his vehicle struck an
improvised explosive device.
"He was going to do all he could to call," Caswell's stepmother
Christine said Wednesday.
"It wasn't the call we were expecting."
Caswell had six weeks left in Afghanistan before he was set to
return home, she added.
"He was due to come back on his birthday on the 31st of July,"
Christine said. "He was so young, he had so much to do and (so much)
he wanted to do."
Caswell, 25, was a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in
Petawawa, Ont. He was deployed with Reconnaissance Squadron from the
2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.
He was riding in the lead vehicle in what the Canadian Forces call a
combat logistics patrol - a perilous mission that involves
restocking forward operating bases and soldiers in the field with
everything from ammunition and equipment to rations and water.
Darryl had been serving in Afghanistan since January, his stepmother
said. "He was doing what he wanted to do and what he believed in."
The convoy was en route to the district of Khakriz in northwestern
Kandahar province when it struck the IED - an ever-present threat in
Canada's ongoing battle with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
Caswell was providing security for the convoy as it travelled along
a secondary road 40 kilometres north of the city of Kandahar when it
was struck.
"Without security there can be no development in Afghanistan, and
thanks to soldiers like Trooper Caswell, we are making significant
progress," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that
offered Canada's condolences to the Caswell family.
"He has left a valuable legacy and we will be forever grateful for
the ultimate sacrifice he has made for our country."
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor
also offered their own words of comfort to the family, and echoed
the sentiment that Caswell was doing important work in Afghanistan.
"I speak not only for our party but all Canadians when I say that we
greatly appreciate all the hard work and sacrifice (soldiers)
undertake on our behalf to help the people of Afghanistan and bring
stability to the region," Dion said.
Canadian forces have been in Khakriz working with the Afghan
National Army in Operation Adalat, an offensive against insurgents
in the northern sector of Canada's command area - a place where
Canadian forces have already suffered heavy losses.
Last year, an IED killed four Canadians in the neighbouring district
of Sha Wali Kot. Until recently, Canadian forces had been slowly
pulling back from the region.
"The Taliban have consistently demonstrated their disregard for
peace and improvements to the quality of life for those Afghan
citizens that desire peace," O'Connor said.
"We are making a difference and the Government of Canada stands
proudly with our soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen as they
strive to protect Canadians, our interests and our values."
Born in Bowmanville, Ont., Caswell grew up in Clarington - an hour's
drive east of Toronto - and later lived with his mother in nearby
Whitby, as well as the southwestern Ontario border city of Sarnia.
When he turned 12, Darryl moved to Clarington to live with his
father and stepmother.
"He just kept wanting to live with his dad. He took to it like a
fish to a worm," Christine Caswell said. "He and his dad had a
special bond."
After high school, Caswell enrolled in the Police Foundations
program at Sir Stanford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont.,
before joining the Canadian military in 2004.
© The Canadian Press 2007
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