Security firm employee killed by Canadian convoy in Afghanistan
Thursday, April 3, 2008
CBC News
A private security employee was killed and three people were injured when a Canadian military convoy fired on their vehicle in southern Afghanistan, the military said Thursday.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. Wednesday when a provincial reconstruction team was leaving Kandahar airfield on an administrative patrol.
The military said the car was fired at after getting too close to the convoy and ignoring repeated warnings to stop. The injured people were airlifted to the Kandahar airfield hospital for treatment.
“These multiple warnings were not heeded to and a shot fired in direction of the vehicle was required, after which, the vehicle stopped,” said Capt. Josée Bilodeau, spokeswoman for Canada’s Joint Task Force Afghanistan, in a release.
The name and nationality of the employee has not been released.
The military said it is investigating the incident and offered its condolences to the victim’s family.
“Incidents like this one are regrettable,”Bilodeau said. “However, our forces took all reasonable steps to prevent injury to the individuals and to protect themselves.”
Compass Security is one of several private security firms operating in the Middle East and Central Asia, particularly Iraq and Afghanistan. It has offices in New York, London, Dubai and Kabul.
The latest incident marks the second time Canadian troops have fired upon a vehicle registered to the company. Seven Afghans were injured in October 2007 when a provincial reconstruction team opened fire on a Compass car outside Kandahar.