A ROMANIAN SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGANISTAN

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gentlemen

A Romanian soldier was killed and four others were injured in an explosion near Kandahar, Afghanistan, bringing the death toll of Romanian troops in the country to four.

Yesterday morning's blast targeted a four-vehicle convoy just outside the southern city of Kandahar as the troops were returning to their base, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

One armored vehicle drove over an explosive device, killing a 38-year-old corporal instantly and wounding three other soldiers, one seriously, the statement said.

A fourth soldier suffered leg wounds when he stepped on another explosive device after the remaining Romanian vehicles stopped to help the targeted vehicle, the statement said.

The attack came amid a large-scale U.S.-led offensive across four southern provinces aimed at curbing the deadliest spike in Taliban violence since the extremist regime's 2001 ouster.

The explosion was so powerful that it split the APC in which the corporal was riding in two pieces and left its hull engulfed in flames, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

Bucharest authorities have not made any decision regarding the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and do not have any intention in doing so soon, said Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu in Rome yesterday.

The minister had a meeting with his Italian counterpart Massimo D'Alema and discussed the situation in Iraq, given that Italy will pull back its troops from the Middle East country by the end of the year.

"As for the Romanian presence in Iraq, no decision has been made regarding the withdrawal of our troops and we do not have any intention of this kind in mind. It is not wrong, however, that we do not plan to increase the number of troops," said Ungureanu, answering a question about Romania's intentions, given that Italy is pulling back from Iraq.

D'Alema explained that Italy considers its military experience in Iraq over and its contribution in human lives and financial costs has ended.

More information to follow.

[Michael Johnson]

News reports here in Canada state that there was a Canadian vehicle in the convoy which had medical personnel on board.

CBC News

Edited June 20, 2006 by Michael Johnson

[Kev in Deva]

News reports here in Canada state that there was a Canadian vehicle in the convoy which had medical personnel on board.

CBC News

Hallo Mike here is some more information about the incident:

A Romanian serviceman was killed and other four injured in an incident in south Afghanistan near the military base in Kandahar, Monday night. The victim is Corporal Ionel Gheorghita Dragusanu R.I.P. (38), with Battalion 341 Infantry in Topraistar since 2001. He was married, with one child.

Corporal Ionel Gheorghita Dragusanu had only a few more days to stay in Afghanistan, having already been on mission for almost six months. His wife, Mariana, says that she spoke on the phone with him on Monday, and he told her that he felt very tired and was hardly waiting to return home. Dragusanu lived at Basarabi, Constanta County, and had a daughter 12 years old. The commander of his unit, Major Paul Moglan, said that Dragusanu was a very ambitious man, and had been the first to request to go on mission to Afghanistan.

The other soldiers injured are under-lieutenant Dinu Razvan Manoila (25), warrant officer Iosif-Adrian Luca-Micu (37), sergeant Costinel Valerica Slaniceanu (28) and sergeant Laurentiu Serban (27), the National Defence Ministry reports. Three of the soldiers injured are stable at the Kandahar base hospital, and the forth one, sergeant Salniceanu, is in very serious condition. If necessary, the victims will be flown to the hospital in Germany.

The coalition military convoy was returning to the base from a patrol mission. The soldiers were in a reconnaissance mission with an armored transporter, the first in a row of four such vehicles, and drove over an explosive device.

After the convoy came to a halt, the patrol head and two other soldiers went to the first transporter, according to the protocol in such situations, to help the victims. While doing so, sergeant Serban triggered a second explosive device and suffered a leg injury, according to the Ministry of National Defence (MoD). The heads of the MoD are extending their regret for the tragic event and sends condolences to the family of the dead corporal, who was promoted to the rank of under-lieutenant, post mortem.

The Ministry of Defence has cancelled the celebrations occasioned by the 175th anniversary of the set up of the Military Music in sign of respect for late corporal Ionel Gheorghita Dragusanu. The celebrations were scheduled for Thursday and Sunday, this week.

Three other victims

Another Romanian soldier was killed in April 2005, and, in November 2003, two died in Afghanistan under an attack launched against their convoy on their way back to base.

On the 11th of November 2003, an armoured convoy was shot at near the border with Pakistan. Sergeant major Silviu Fogorasi was killed and sergeant major Mihail-Anton Samuila was injured. Samuila died on the 14th of November in a US army hospital at Bagram.

In April 2005, Narcis Marius Sonei (under-lieutenant post mortem) was killed in a Taleban attack. Several Romanian soldiers have been injured while on mission in Afghanistan over time: sergeant Gabriel Hanganu suffered serious burns in a Taleban attack in April 2005. In the same month, same year, sergeant Adrian Dogaru was also injured.

In March 2006, two other were injured in a blast while carrying out a patrol mission approximately 30 km S-E of the Kandahar base. There are nearly 500 Romanian troops currently deployed in South Afghanistan where they guard the coalition air base. Thirty-seven soldiers of the coalition forces have been killed on a mission in Afghanistan this year. . . . .

by Dana Fagarasanu in:

http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=de...d=20060620-5259

[Kev in Deva]

Another Update this time from: BUCHAREST DAILY NEWS:

Soldier injured in Afghanistan blast in critical condition by Alecs Iancu

One of the Romanian troops injured on Tuesday morning in a blast near Kandahar, Afghanistan is in critical condition and was transported to a German hospital later during the night.

Sergeant Costinel Valerica Slaniceanu has multiple head traumas and injuries to his legs and torso, according to the Defense Ministry.

Slaniceanu and three other soldiers were injured in a blast that targeted a Romanian convoy heading back to base from a patrolling mission. One soldier, Corporal Ionel Gheorghita Dragusanu, died in the blast as the APC he was riding in drove over an explosive device.

Two other soldiers injured in the blast, Sub-Lieutenant Dinu Razvan Manoila and Sergeant Laurentiu Serban were also transported to Germany. They have wounds in their legs, but they are medically stable.

The fourth soldier, Iosif-Adrian Luca-Micu is outside any danger and is being monitored by doctors at the Kandahar base.

Dragusanu and the other four soldiers were part of 341st Infantry Battalion, which is scheduled to end its mission to Afghanistan at the beginning of next month. Dragusanu was advanced to the rank of sub-lieutenant post-mortem.

The incident brought the death toll of Romanian troops that lost their life in Afghanistan to four and heated talks about the presence of the troops in the Middle East.

A non-governmental organization called the LIDER Association for Human Rights, based in Targu Mures, publicly asked President Traian Basescu yesterday to establish a timetable for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq. Romania has about 900 troops in Afghanistan and 800 in Iraq.

The head of the association, Cornel Briscaru, said that several states that took part in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts next to U.S.-led coalition forces have set a timetable for pullout, "out of respect for their citizens and for the citizens and democratically-elected institutions in the two countries."

END OF UPDATE.

[Kev in Deva]

Corporal killed in Afghanistan buried in his home-town.

by

Denisa Maruntoiu BUCHAREST DAILY NEWS:

The Romanian Corporal killed last week in an explosion near Kandahar, Afghanistan, was buried on Saturday in his native town, Basarabi.

The funerals of Ionel Gheorghita Dragusan were attended by Defense Minister Teodor Atanasiu, Army Chief of Staff Eugen Badalan and the soldier's colleagues.

Dragusan had been a part to the 341st Infantry Battalion since 2001. He was married and had a 12-year-old girl. He had been working at a military unit in Topraisar, Tulcea County since 1992 and he was one of the first members of the unit who applied to go to Afghanistan.

The funeral procession that was accompanied by military fanfare stopped in front of the block of flats where Dragusan lived together with his family so the Archbishop of Tomis Teodosie could hold a special religious service.

The blast near Kandahar targeted a four-vehicle convoy just outside the southern city of Kandahar as the troops were returning to their base. One armored vehicle drove over an explosive device, killing the 38-year-old corporal instantly and wounding three other soldiers, one seriously. Dragusan was killed a week before he was supposed to return home. A fourth soldier suffered leg wounds when he stepped on another explosive device after the remaining Romanian vehicles stopped to help the targeted vehicle.

Dragusanu was advanced to the rank of sub-lieutenant post mortem, by order of the Defense minister, according to a press release from the ministry later yesterday. "It is a great loss for his family, but also to Ionel's other family, the Romanian Army, whose uniform he wore with so much love," said Badalan.

The attack in Afghanistan came amid a large-scale U.S.-led offensive across four southern provinces aimed at curbing the deadliest spike in Taliban violence since the extremist regime's 2001 ousting.

END OF UPDATE.

Kevin in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gents;

seen online at: http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=de...d=20070501-6736

Romanian soldier wounded in Afghanistan

Spain?s ?El Pais? daily reported in its yesterday?s electronic issue that a Romanian soldier with the coalition forces in Afghanistan, who had been wounded in a clash with Shindad district insurgents, was rescued Monday by Spanish troops on a mission in Heart at the time.

Sergeant-major Ioan Constantin was diagnosed with a haematoma in his right eye, further to a blast, but is currently out of danger, Major Romeo Feraru, of the ?Al. Averescu? Joint Operational Command 2 stated Tuesday.

According to Feraru, the soldier was wounded Monday in a blast during a patrol mission in the area covered by Romanian troops. At present, Sgt. Constantin is out of danger and is to resume regular tasks within the ?Enduring Freedom? mission in about four days.

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Kevin in Deva.