KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- As Canadian soldiers spent a fourth day sweeping through villages west of Kandahar in search of Taliban fighters, insurgents launched a rocket attack Saturday on the Canadians' home base. No one was injured when a lone rocket hit the sprawling Kandahar Air Field coalition base at 11:03 p.m. There was also no physical damage even though the base contains hundreds of structures and is home to almost 7,000 military personnel and civilian workers.
Those numbers include approximately 1,500 of the 2,200 Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. A loud roar echoed over the base when the rocket exploded, followed by the deafening howl from a public address that meant everyone had to go to the concrete bunkers for protection against any subsequent attacks. Forty minutes later, with no more rockets hitting the base, the public address system sounded the all clear. |