Canada's Elite Counter-IED Unit

CTV.ca Toronto: Elite unit uncovers roadside bombs in Afghanistan ~ An elite team of Canadian soldiers is tackling a growing threat from Taliban militants that strikes without warning: roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices.
The bombs have killed more than a dozen Canadian soldiers, including the eight men recently killed this week in two separate incidents.
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"If we don't have counter-IED we're done," Warrant Officer Ward Gapp told CTV News. "It's probably going to get more critical in the future." Last month, the Canadian Forces doubled the size of its Counter-IED Unit to six. Part of the team's job is to train other troops how to spot roadside bombs. Although eight soldiers died this week, 15 other bombs were discovered in time. "IEDs are placed along the road or on a black track, and the troops are finding more of them then they are driving over and hitting," said Warrant Officer Burton White. Full story.
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+ Al-Sadr orders followers to quit Iraqi government
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+ GlobalSecurity.org: Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) / Booby Traps

+ New 84th USARRTC course helps Soldiers deal with threat from IEDs: The streets of Fort McCoy became the roads of Iraq in mid-March as the 84th U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Command (84th USARRTC) conducted a new training program designed to help Soldiers avoid roadside bombs during deployment.





Private Raphael Fortin, a member of the Force Protection Company stands guard on the Dahla dam on the Arghandab River. Pte. Fortin was at the site with the FP Company to provide security for Canadian Civilian Engineers during the site visit. The Force Protection Company, made up of members from the Royal 22ieme Regiment based out of Valcartier, Quebec, is tasked with providing security, defence, protection, and escort duties to the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team as they go about their various duties and tasks.
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The KPRT consists of Canadian Forces members, a civilian police contingent led by the RCMP, Correctional Services Canada, representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency. The KPRT conducts coordinated interdepartmental operations to promote good governance, assists the Government of Afghanistan in extending its authority in the province of Kandahar, and facilitates the development of a stable, secure and self-sustaining environment for the people of Afghanistan. Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) is Canada’s military contribution to Afghanistan. Canadian operations will focus on working with Afghan authorities to improve security, governance and economic development in the country.

The Canadian Forces (CF) contribution in Afghanistan comprises over 2,500 soldiers, most of whom serve with JTF-Afg at Kandahar Airfield and Camp Nathan Smith, Canada’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), in Kandahar City. Additional personnel are assigned to various military headquarters, support bases, and civilian organizations.