KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A small group of Afghan army soldiers shot at a Canadian convoy after a recent road accident southwest of Kandahar city.
The incident occurred on Boxing Day when a Canadian re-supply convoy struck an Afghan truck near the Dand district centre.
The Canadians stopped to fill out paperwork and then started off down the road.
But the Afghan soldiers didn’t want the Canadians to leave the scene and fired their weapons at the convoy and into the air.
The Canadian military says none of its soldiers were injured, nor did they return fire.
“(Task Force Kandahar) and 1-205 Corps ANA soldiers have been working extremely well together and this isolated incident does not reflect the close working relationship that both our organizations enjoy,” Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner, the Canadian commander of troops in Kandahar, said in a statement.
“I work closely with Brig.-Gen. (Ahmad) Habibi each day and he has addressed the issue with his staff. I have complete confidence that once all the facts are gathered the appropriate actions will be taken.”
The military says it is investigating the incident and the Afghan army plans to prosecute the troops involved.
Two Canadian journalists were kept at a distance Monday during a stop at the Dand district centre as Habibi, who commands the 1st Brigade of the Afghan Army’s 205 Corps, dressed down his troops as Milner looked on.
Word of the shooting has made its way around Kandahar Airfield. Several soldiers in a bomb shelter openly chatted about the incident during a recent rocket attack.
The Afghan army is considered far more disciplined and professional than the country’s fledgling police force. Afghan troops accompany U.S.-led coalition soldiers on missions across the country.