OTTAWA, Ontario – Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam awas killed on 3 October in an attack on International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops. Both soldiers were members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ontario.

The attack occurred at approximately 4:50 p.m. Kandahar time, about 20 km west of Kandahar City, as ISAF forces worked to clear a route of mines and improvised explosive devices for a future road construction project.

A number of ISAF soldiers, including Canadians, suffered injuries in the attack. All of the injured Canadian soldiers have non-life threatening injuries. They are being treated at the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield.

The Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement today on the deaths of Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam and Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell:

"Two Canadian soldiers, Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam and Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell, were killed today in the Panjwayi area in Afghanistan, and I extend my deepest condolences, on behalf of all Canadians, to their family and friends.

These soldiers lost their lives in a mission to prevent Afghanistan from reverting to a safe haven for terrorists and their destructive networks. Canada will remain forever grateful for their service, and we are all saddened by this loss."

Gillam, 40, was about a month away from a visit home to Petawawa, where he planned to spend time with his wife, Maureen, and two teenage children.

Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam was a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ontario.