EvanL
02-05-2004, 11:28 PM
By LES PERREAUX
Canadian Press
POSTED AT 5:45 PM EST Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004
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Kabul — The suggestion that a suicide bomber who killed a Canadian soldier in Kabul had his own roots in Canada was met with astonishment and skepticism Thursday among troops who were at the scene of the attack.
And Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the top commander of Canada's contingent in Afghanistan, dismissed the rumour of a Canadian connection 36 hours after the attack last week.
"I don't suspect, I know: It's crap," Gen. Leslie said when asked whether a terrorist linked to Canada might be responsible.
The Jan. 27 attack and a second suicide bombing the next day that killed a British soldier were part of one chain of events, Gen. Leslie said. He suggested NATO, not Canada, was the real target.
Soldiers who were at the scene of the first attack said they saw no signs — before or afterward — that the attacker might have a Canadian background. He used stealth, rather than anything to do with Canada, to get close to the soldiers who were patrolling by jeep.
Canadian troops and Afghan police officers who saw the head of the dead bomber said he appeared to be 30 to 40 years old — not 22, like the son of an Egyptian-Canadian man recently killed by the Pakistani army and suspected of being an al-Qaida operative.
"In my opinion, and from what I saw at the accident site, the individual appeared to be much older," said Maj. John Vass, who was leading the patrol when the bomber struck.
"I would have estimated he was between 35 and 40 years old. But again, I only had a quick look at him and it was at a high-stress time. There was also the fact he had just detonated himself, and there were foreign objects all around him and on his face as well."
Afghan police and Canadian military investigators are probing the suicide bombing and a military board of inquiry has been called. So far the military has revealed none of their findings.
Citing a Taliban spokesman, Agence France-Presse published a report Wednesday naming the suicide bomber as Mohammed Abdullah, son of an Egyptian-Canadian who was suspectd of being a member of al-Qaeda and was killed in Pakistan last October.
While names did not match, details in the AFP report gave rise to speculation that Abdullah Khadr, 22, who has been accused of running an extremist training camp in Afghanistan, might be the same person.
Abdullah Khadr, who was born in Toronto, is the son of Ahmed Said Khadr, an Egyptian-Canadian who was alleged to have al-Qaida links and was killed by Pakistani troops in October.
A brother in Toronto, Abdurahman Khadr, said he doesn't believe Abdullah was the suicide bomber.
"I wouldn't want to have anything to do with anyone that would do such a terrible thing," Abdurahman Khadr said. "[But] I don't think my brother would do this because I know my brother; he wouldn't do such a thing."
While the report of a Canadian connection for the bomber was met with skepticism at Camp Julien, the main Canadian base in Afghanistan, it still shook the soldiers who served with Cpl. Jamie Murphy, who was killed in the attack.
"As a soldier, especially a Canadian soldier ... another Canadian? Physically assaulting and killing one of our own? It would be the last thing you would think of," said Sgt.-Maj. Wayne Bartlett, one of the men in charge of Murphy's company.
"When I saw this report, I was totally astonished that something like this could have or may have taken place. It's unbelievable."
Wednesday's report was not the first admission of responsibility by someone claiming to represent the Taliban. The Associated Press reported last week that a Taliban spokesman called to identify the bomber as Hafiz Abdullah, 22, from Khost province.
Neither the AP or AFP reports could be independently confirmed.
The Taliban are known to conduct misinformation campaigns, said Lt.-Col. Don Denne, the Canadian commander at Camp Julien.
"You have to take what the Taliban says with a grain of salt," Col. Denne said.
Sgt.-Maj. Bartlett, who saw the head of the bomber several times and pegged his age at 28 to 35, said he is confident the mystery will clear up soon.
"I'm quite sure with DNA, and modern medical technology, they should be able to find the answer out in short order," he said.
"I know they have the remains of the suicide bomber, and I believe they have the DNA of the father. It should be a quick diagnosis if both are lined up."
There was no indication how long the DNA identification process would take. After Ahmed Said Khadr was killed Oct. 2 in Pakistan, the DNA tests that conclusively identified him took several months to complete.
Witnesses interviewed by Afghan police officers said last week's suicide bomber did not stand out as he lingered by a bus stop with many other Kabul residents. They described a man who was dirty and dishevelled.
Muhammed Ibrahim, a duty officer whose district includes the road where the bombing took place, said the man aroused no suspicion among witnesses.
Mr. Ibrahim suggested the man was working with a partner, both to drive him to the scene and to prepare the mortar bomb that was strapped to his chest.
"At least two people were involved in this," Mr. Ibrahim said. "This was some big planning."
Canadian Press
POSTED AT 5:45 PM EST Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004
Advertisement
Kabul — The suggestion that a suicide bomber who killed a Canadian soldier in Kabul had his own roots in Canada was met with astonishment and skepticism Thursday among troops who were at the scene of the attack.
And Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the top commander of Canada's contingent in Afghanistan, dismissed the rumour of a Canadian connection 36 hours after the attack last week.
"I don't suspect, I know: It's crap," Gen. Leslie said when asked whether a terrorist linked to Canada might be responsible.
The Jan. 27 attack and a second suicide bombing the next day that killed a British soldier were part of one chain of events, Gen. Leslie said. He suggested NATO, not Canada, was the real target.
Soldiers who were at the scene of the first attack said they saw no signs — before or afterward — that the attacker might have a Canadian background. He used stealth, rather than anything to do with Canada, to get close to the soldiers who were patrolling by jeep.
Canadian troops and Afghan police officers who saw the head of the dead bomber said he appeared to be 30 to 40 years old — not 22, like the son of an Egyptian-Canadian man recently killed by the Pakistani army and suspected of being an al-Qaida operative.
"In my opinion, and from what I saw at the accident site, the individual appeared to be much older," said Maj. John Vass, who was leading the patrol when the bomber struck.
"I would have estimated he was between 35 and 40 years old. But again, I only had a quick look at him and it was at a high-stress time. There was also the fact he had just detonated himself, and there were foreign objects all around him and on his face as well."
Afghan police and Canadian military investigators are probing the suicide bombing and a military board of inquiry has been called. So far the military has revealed none of their findings.
Citing a Taliban spokesman, Agence France-Presse published a report Wednesday naming the suicide bomber as Mohammed Abdullah, son of an Egyptian-Canadian who was suspectd of being a member of al-Qaeda and was killed in Pakistan last October.
While names did not match, details in the AFP report gave rise to speculation that Abdullah Khadr, 22, who has been accused of running an extremist training camp in Afghanistan, might be the same person.
Abdullah Khadr, who was born in Toronto, is the son of Ahmed Said Khadr, an Egyptian-Canadian who was alleged to have al-Qaida links and was killed by Pakistani troops in October.
A brother in Toronto, Abdurahman Khadr, said he doesn't believe Abdullah was the suicide bomber.
"I wouldn't want to have anything to do with anyone that would do such a terrible thing," Abdurahman Khadr said. "[But] I don't think my brother would do this because I know my brother; he wouldn't do such a thing."
While the report of a Canadian connection for the bomber was met with skepticism at Camp Julien, the main Canadian base in Afghanistan, it still shook the soldiers who served with Cpl. Jamie Murphy, who was killed in the attack.
"As a soldier, especially a Canadian soldier ... another Canadian? Physically assaulting and killing one of our own? It would be the last thing you would think of," said Sgt.-Maj. Wayne Bartlett, one of the men in charge of Murphy's company.
"When I saw this report, I was totally astonished that something like this could have or may have taken place. It's unbelievable."
Wednesday's report was not the first admission of responsibility by someone claiming to represent the Taliban. The Associated Press reported last week that a Taliban spokesman called to identify the bomber as Hafiz Abdullah, 22, from Khost province.
Neither the AP or AFP reports could be independently confirmed.
The Taliban are known to conduct misinformation campaigns, said Lt.-Col. Don Denne, the Canadian commander at Camp Julien.
"You have to take what the Taliban says with a grain of salt," Col. Denne said.
Sgt.-Maj. Bartlett, who saw the head of the bomber several times and pegged his age at 28 to 35, said he is confident the mystery will clear up soon.
"I'm quite sure with DNA, and modern medical technology, they should be able to find the answer out in short order," he said.
"I know they have the remains of the suicide bomber, and I believe they have the DNA of the father. It should be a quick diagnosis if both are lined up."
There was no indication how long the DNA identification process would take. After Ahmed Said Khadr was killed Oct. 2 in Pakistan, the DNA tests that conclusively identified him took several months to complete.
Witnesses interviewed by Afghan police officers said last week's suicide bomber did not stand out as he lingered by a bus stop with many other Kabul residents. They described a man who was dirty and dishevelled.
Muhammed Ibrahim, a duty officer whose district includes the road where the bombing took place, said the man aroused no suspicion among witnesses.
Mr. Ibrahim suggested the man was working with a partner, both to drive him to the scene and to prepare the mortar bomb that was strapped to his chest.
"At least two people were involved in this," Mr. Ibrahim said. "This was some big planning."