A Canadian Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) is seen in this file photo while travelling in a convoy near Kandahar in Afghanistan. (Sergeant Carole Morissette / Task Force Afghanistan)
Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt's remains are carried aboard a military transport.(CTV photo/Steve Chao)
No injuries after rocket attack on Kandahar base
CTV.ca News Staff
The base where Canadians are stationed in southern Afghanistan came under attack on Monday for the second consecutive night, officials reported.
A NATO spokesman told The Canadian Press there were no injuries nor damage after the rocket struck the Kandahar Air Field at about 11 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT).
On Sunday, three rockets struck the base in attacks that came about a half-hour apart.
The rockets were launched shortly after a Taliban spokesman threatened to ramp up attacks against foreign troops stationed in the war-torn country.
There were no injuries nor significant damage in those attacks.
Thirty-seven rockets have been fired at the base since nearly 2,200 Canadian troops moved into the air field in February.
Soldiers' remains on way home
The remains of the fifth Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan in the past week are on their way home and are due to arrive on Canadian soil on Tuesday.
Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt -- a 32-year-old Peers, Alta. reservist from the Loyal Edmonton Regiment -- died in a vehicle crash on Saturday.
Arndt was killed when the G-Wagon he was travelling in as part of a resupply convoy collided head-on with a civilian truck about 35 kilometres southeast of Kandahar.
His death occurred as the remains of four other Canadian soldiers who were killed in combat began their journey home.
More than 2,000 NATO troops lined the runway at Kandahar Airfield to pay their respects on Monday morning as Arndt's remains left Afghanistan.
A lone piper played and a long corridor of uniformed soldiers stood at attention as Arndt's flag-draped coffin was carried onto a military transport plane for the journey to Ontario's CFB Trenton.
Arndt is believed to be the first reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment to die overseas in recent history.
Until now, the regiment had gone unscathed in the Afghan conflict which has claimed 24 Canadian lives since 2002, including five in the last week alone.
'A stand-up guy'
About 20 members of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment gathered at an Edmonton armoury on Sunday to remember their fallen comrade.
They tried to come to terms with the fact their friend was gone and discuss his life and the impact of his death.
They described him as a passionate and proud but friendly and fun-loving solider who was a drummer in the regiment band.
"He was a stand-up guy," one told CTV News.
In a letter that was sent to the regiment from Cpl. Greg O'Neill in Afghanistan, Arndt was described as a soldier who "had a hard jaw, but soft eyes; and he was always up for a joke or a laugh.''
The exact circumstances of the accident that claimed Arndt's life and injured three others are not yet known, although enemy action has been ruled out.
The reservists were travelling to Spin Boldak, an outpost near the Afghan-Pakistani border, when the armoured G-Wagon collided with a local truck.
The reservists were delivering medical supplies as part of a resupply convoy.
Cpl. Jared Gagnon of Sherwood Park, Alta., suffered head injuries and is in serious condition. Cpl. Ashley Van Leeuwen of St. Paul, Alta., is recovering from a broken leg, ankle and rib, and Pte. Adam Keen of Edmonton has returned to duty.
The accident is being investigated by Canadian and Afghan authorities.
With files from The Canadian Press
Over 2,000 NATO troops stood at attention at Kandahar Airfield Monday morning to mourn the death of the fifth Canadian soldier in a week to die in Afghanistan. Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, a 32 year-old reservist from Peers, Alberta, was killed in a traffic accident August 5th when the G-Wagon he was travelling collided head-on with a civilian truck 35 kilometres southeast of Kandahar. The vehicle was part of a convoy delivering medical supplies. Three other soldiers were injured in the crash which occurred as the military was preparing to transport home the bodies of four other Canadian soldiers who were killed August 3rd during heavy combat with Taliban insurgents. Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, Cpl. Bryce James Keller, Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, all members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were killed by a  rocket-propelled grenade near the village of Pashmul, west of Kandahar. Their bodies were returned to Canadian Forces Base CFB Trenton on Sunday where a memorial service was held. Master Cpl. Arndt's remains will arrive at the eastern Ontario military base on Tuesday.

In all, 24 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the beginning of Canada's military presence in Afghanistan in March 2002. Sixteen soldiers have died in the past six months. Canada has approximately 2,000 soldiers stationed around Kandahar in the south of Afghanistan where Taliban resistance is strongest.