Returning Home

The bodies of two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan are on their way home. A ramp ceremony was held Sunday for Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, 28, of the 5th Field Ambulance in Valcartier, Que., and Pte. Michel Levesque, 25, of the 3rd battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment, also in Valcartier.

Their bodies will be flown to CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario.

Three other soldiers who were wounded the in the roadside blast were sent to Landstuhl, Germany for treatment. They are suffering from non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition. An interpreter was also killed by the improvised explosive device.

The attack came in the Sangisar region, where Canadian and Afghan forces battled the Taliban in heavy fighting Friday and Saturday.

NATO bombardment on the weekend killed more than 20 insurgents and wounded several others. Operations west of Kandahar City continue, military spokesman Capt. Sylvain Chalifour said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement of condolence Saturday. "These are all exceptional Canadians who deserve the gratitude and respect of this nation," he said. "The actions of these brave soldiers have brought hope to the Afghan people."

The last Canadian to die in combat in Afghanistan was Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, a 24-year-old reservist with the King's Own Calgary Regiment. Hornburg was killed as he tried to repair a track that had fallen off one of the Leopard tanks of the Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse near a cluster of villages known as Zangabad in Panjwaii district Sept. 24.

In the almost two months since then, the fighting in Kandahar province has continued - and escalated into a major counterattack against the Taliban - but until Saturday there had been no new Canadian deaths.

The Canadian death toll in Afghanistan now stands at 73 soldiers and one diplomat since 2002.