. | . |
Finnish soldier killed in Afghanistan blast: military Helsinki (AFP) Feb 15, 2011 An explosion killed a Finnish soldier in the northern Afghan province of Samangan on Tuesday, the military said. "The peacekeepers were on the way to the shooting range when the explosion occurred," the military said in a statement. "The explosion caused the peacekeepers' vehicle to roll over, killing Senior Lieutenant Jukka Kansonen," the statement added, without specifying whether the blast was caused by a roadside bomb or another type of device. The explosion occurred near the city of Aybak. Kansonen is only the second Finnish soldier to die in Afghanistan since the Nordic country began taking part in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war-torn country in 2002. The first soldier died in a roadside bomb explosion in 2007. "I offer my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the peacekeeper who was killed in the line of duty," Finnish President Tarja Halonen said in a statement. Kansonen's next of kin had been informed and preparations were underway to bring the body back to Finland for burial, the military said. Finland has around 180 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly in an ISAF base in the north, near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links News From Across The Stans
Three British troops killed in Afghanistan London (AFP) Feb 14, 2011 A British soldier was killed Monday by an explosion in Afghanistan after it was announced earlier in the day that two soldiers had died in a blaze at the main British base in the war-torn country. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London announced that a soldier from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the restive Helmand ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |