The body of Cpl. Etienne Gonthier -- the 21-year-old combat engineer from Quebec identified Thursday as the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan as a result of a roadside bomb -- is being flown to Canada.
Hundreds of people were at the Kandahar airfield to say goodbye to the fallen soldier.
Gonthier, born in Quebec City, was based in Valcartier, Que., with the 5e Regiment du Genie de Combat.
He was killed Wednesday in the volatile Panjwaii district. Back home, the town of St-George-de-Beauce near Quebec City, is in mourning. Many people in the tight-knit community knew the young soldier.
The mayor told reporters Thursday that Gonthier's father did not want his son to join the military, fearing something horrible would happen. Many of his friends are paying tribute online, where his girlfriend, Cinthia Morin, said a painful goodbye.
"You were my first love, and fate ended it January 23rd at 1:40 pm in Kandahar. You're forever etched in my heart, and I will never forget you," she wrote.
Two other soldiers travelling with Gonthier were slightly injured when their light armoured vehicle triggered a roadside bomb about 35 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.
The soldiers were taking part in a road clearance operation when the bomb exploded.
The two injured soldiers have since been released from hospital.
The Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Thursday that Gonthier was declared dead at the scene.
Including Gonthier, 78 Canadian military personnel and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002.
Many of the deaths have been the result of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Direct engagement with NATO forces and suicide bombings have become increasingly rare.
"It seems (insurgents have) gone through those two phases in the past, and they've realized they don't have to die in order to kill NATO forces. They can do it from a safe distance," Scott Taylor of Esprit de Corps Magazine told Â鶹´«Ã½.
Smith said Canadian troops are constantly trying to maintain gains against the Taliban.
"The roads that the Canadians are clearing has been taken and re-taken a number of times by different Canadian contingents as they win and lose the terrain to the Taliban," he said.
The Manley panel report released Tuesday recommended that NATO provide troops with medium-lift helicopters.
Analysts consider travelling by air much safer than by ground in southern Afghanistan, where the majority of Canadian casualties have been caused by roadside bombs.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement offering his sympathies to the family and friends of Gonthier.
"We pay tribute today to the sacrifice made by Cpl. Gonthier as he put himself in harms way to bring security and stability the people of Afghanistan," Harper said.
"Thanks to his work, and the work of his fellow courageous Canadian Forces members, considerable progress is being made in improving the lives of the Afghan people."
St-George-de-Beauce still has 23 soldiers serving in Afghanistan. They're due to come home in March.
With a report from CTV's Jed Kahane
