In an all time Taliban low.....
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Suicide bomber who injured Canadians was a boy
Updated Fri. May. 16 2008 1:01 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The suicide bomber who killed an Afghan soldier and wounded two Canadian soldiers Friday was a young boy, CTV News has learned.
A second Afghan soldier was also injured in the attack.
The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting a foot patrol in a village in Zhari district, just west of Kandahar City, around 10 a.m. local time.
Military sources said the boy was around 10 years old, CTV's Paul Workman reported Friday from Kandahar.
The sources said the bomb was possibly detonated from a distance by remote control.
"We do know that the soldiers saw the kid approaching," said Workman.
"There's some suggestion that he had his arms in the air and that's why they suspect that it may have been detonated by somebody else."
Workman said the bombs could have also been on a timer.
"This is a very, very unusual attack, the Canadians really don't know what to expect," said Workman.
"The Taliban seem to be trying new tactics."
Workman said he was told that all of the right procedures were followed by the soldiers.
The injured soldiers were all brought back to Kandahar Airfield for treatment.
Capt. Amber Bineau, a spokeswoman for the Canadian army battle group in Kandahar, said the two Canadians were able to "walk into the medical facility on their own."
The military does not usually release the names of injured Canadians.
Foot patrols
Canadians seem to be going back to foot patrols as a means of demonstrating they are on the ground and in the community.
But they are typically acting in a support role to the Afghan National Army soldiers, who are taking more of a leadership role in southern Afghanistan, Workman said.
With Friday's attack, and other violence in eastern and southern Afghanistan that left eight militants dead, there are fears the spring offensive could be reaching its peak.
On May 6, Cpl. Michael Starker, a Calgary paramedic, was shot and killed while on foot patrol in the Pashmul region, outside Kandahar City.
Another Canadian was injured in the incident but is expected to recover.
With files from The Canadian Press
