Afghan president calls to give his condolences over Canadian deaths

CANADA – Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday to give his condolences following the deaths of six Canadians in Afghanistan in the last few days.

Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, said Karzai highlighted during the call that “Canada has been a good friend to the Afghan people.” “President Karzai asked the prime minister to share his deepest condolences with the relatives of those who lost their lives and all Canadian people,” Soudas said.

The bodies of four Canadian solders and one reporter, Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang, 34, were on their way home Friday after all five were killed earlier in the week in a roadside bomb blast outside Kandahar. Their deaths came just one week after Lt. Andrew Nuttall, 30, was killed during a foot patrol outside the Afghan village of Nakhoney. Since the Afghan mission started in 2002, 138 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed. Lang is the first Canadian reporter to died as part of the assignment.

Last Thursday, Harper said it was with “very heavy hearts” that the nation found out about the death. “These four brave soldiers lost their lives seeking to help Afghans build a better future for themselves,” Harper said. “They represent the best Canada has to offer and they perished in a far away land, working tirelessly to advance Canadian values.” Lang, Harper said, “courageously risked her life reporting from one of the world’s most dangerous countries.” Gov. Gen Michaelle Jean called the tragedy “shocking.”