Two Canadian soldiers were injured in Afghanistan Tuesday when their LAV-3 armoured vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber west of Kandahar City, in the Zhari district.
The soldiers were travelling in a small convoy just east of Patrol Base Wilson in an area called "Ambush Alley" when Taliban fighters began launching rocket-propelled grenades, military officials confirmed.
The platoon, from the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, drove through the attack but was then hit by a car suicide bomber in an area known as Ambush Alley.
Capt. Matt Allen, the commander of the convoy, praised the response of his soldiers.
"They were brilliant, their performance was outstanding,'' Allen told The Canadian Press.
"It seemed like an hour but it was under a minute. And then things were sorted out and we kept going.''
The convoy managed to return fire on the Taliban but there were no reports of enemy casualties.
After the suicide bombing attack, the convoy managed to link up with troops of Charlie company, 3 Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
Initial reports said the convoy had driven over a roadside bomb.
One of the injured soldiers suffered a badly broken arm and is being flown to Germany for treatment. The second soldier suffered minor injuries. Neither reported their injuries until after the attack.
"They continued to perform their jobs like there was nothing wrong with them,'' said Allen, who hails from Lindsay, Ont.
"When the opportunity presented itself to stop and assess it, that's when they reported their injuries. It was amazing.''
The military has not released the names of the soldiers involved.
Roadside bombs, random rocket attacks and suicide bombers are the most common dangers facing troops as they struggle to bring security to the Kandahar province.
Canadian troops have been reporting a spike in insurgent attacks this week in the Zhari, Panjwaii and Maywand districts of the province.
Maj. David Quick, speaking from Patrol Base Wilson, told CP that local Afghans have warned his troops to be on the lookout for trouble.
"Every local we have spoken to while patrolling, every Afghan National Security Force individual that we have worked with have said the time is coming. They have said 'standby'," he said.
"There is no doubt in my mind that there are Taliban operating right outside this gate."
As spring arrives in southern Afghanistan, the number of clashes are expected to rise.
Speaking in Ottawa, Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, said the military is expecting a variety of tactics from the Taliban and other insurgents.
"We think it will be a mixture of improvised explosive devices being used more frequently and ... we will have more suicide bombers," Hillier said. "They'll try and combine more of those two things with small ambushes, hit-and-run tactics.
"We're taking a whole variety of measures ... to pre-empt much of that, to focus our intelligence and our operations to take away their agility to do those kind of things."
Military officials don't expect the Taliban to attempt to engage in stand-up fights this year. They tried that tactic during fierce battles in the Panjwaii district last fall, and NATO soldiers killed hundreds of Taliban fighters.
With files from The Canadian Press
