Jan. 27: Canadian soldier killed, other soldiers and civilians injured

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer expressed his concern about the attack against soldiers of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) January 27 in which a Canadian soldier was killed and other soldiers and civilians were injured.

Some news reports have indicated that an Afghan civilian was also killed.

Following is his statement:

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NATO Press Release
27 January 2004

STATEMENT BY THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE ATTACK AGAINST ISAF SOLDIERS

With great regret, I learned about the attack against ISAF soldiers this morning in Kabul, in which one Canadian soldier was killed and three others were injured.

I would like to express my deep condolences to the family of the soldier who was killed and to the Canadian authorities. I would also like to express my concern, through the Afghan and Canadian authorities, for the civilians and soldiers who were injured by the attack.

Canadian soldiers are in Afghanistan as part of NATO's contribution to restore peace and security in a country that has been plagued with conflict and violence for decades. The attack on these soldiers was a shameful act, but it will not detract from our commitment to help Afghanistan build a better, more hopeful future.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)