{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}

[[Image:Air Field to salute.jpg|thumb|right|[[Canadian Forces]] personnel carry the coffin of a deceased comrade onto an aircraft at Kandahar Air Field, 1 February 2009]]

The number of [[Canadian Forces]]' fatalities resulting from Canadian military activities in Afghanistan is the largest for any single Canadian military mission since the [[Korean War]] between 1950 and 1953. A total of 159 Canadian Forces personnel have been killed in the war since 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx |title=Operation Enduring Freedom &#124; Afghanistan |publisher=iCasualties |date=31 March 2010 |accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref>

==Specifics==

[[Image:Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial, Trenton, Ontario 10 Nov 2012.JPG|thumb|right|[[Royal Military College of Canada]] cadets attend unveiling of Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial, [[Trenton, Ontario]] 10 Nov 2012]]

The first casualties occurred in the [[Tarnak Farm incident]], in which four Canadians were killed and eight seriously wounded when a United States warplane dropped a bomb on a training exercise in the belief that the Canadians were enemy soldiers. The four servicemen were honoured at an event unprecedented in Canada 2002, [[Skyreach Centre]] in [[Edmonton]], Alberta, was filled to capacity for a tribute ceremony for the four deceased soldiers that included personal messages from the Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Chief of Defence Staff]], [[Premier of Alberta]] and [[Premier of Manitoba]], and the Mayor of [[Edmonton, Alberta]], most of whom also attended the service. Subsequently, deceased soldiers have been honoured by much smaller services. On 9 April 2007, [[Elizabeth II]] made reference to all the deceased Canadians in Afghanistan when she rededicated the [[Canadian National Vimy Memorial|Vimy Memorial]] "to their eternal remembrance, to Canada, to all who would serve the cause of freedom, and to those who have lost their lives in Afghanistan."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2007/TheQueensspeechatthe90thanniversaryoftheBattleofVi.aspx| title=Latest News and Diary > Speeches and articles > 2007 > 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9 April 2007| publisher=Buckingham Palace| date=9 April 2007| accessdate=9 April 2009}}</ref> Further, in honour of all those who died during the Afghan mission, the section of [[Ontario]]'s [[Highway 401 (Ontario)|Highway 401]] along which deceased soldiers are carried from [[CFB Trenton|Canadian Forces Base Trenton]] to [[Toronto]] after repatriation was named the ''[[Highway 401 (Ontario)#Highway of Heroes|Highway of Heroes]]''.<ref>{{cite news| title=Section of the 401 to be renamed to The Highway of Heroes| publisher=CTV| date=24 August 2007| url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070824/online_petition_070824/20070824/| accessdate=9 April 2009}}</ref> All those Canadian Forces personnel who are killed during the mission are posthumously awarded the [[Sacrifice Medal]] and their spouse or next of kin receive the [[Memorial Cross]].

The first deployed Canadian woman to die in combat was Captain [[Nichola Goddard]], and the death of Anthony Boneca initiated debate around the combat readiness of [[Canadian Forces#Canadian Forces Reserve Force|Canadian reservists]], wherein questions were asked not only about the suitability of employing reservists, but also the role of the media in reporting comments by grief-stricken relatives, such as those made by Boneca's partner's father. The suitability of the [[Volkswagen Iltis|Iltis]] vehicle was also questioned heavily following a land mine incident that claimed the lives of Canadian soldiers, leading the military to thereafter acquire [[Mercedes-Benz G-Class]] and [[RG-31 Nyala]] armoured patrol vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Canadian Press| title=Defence Minister, military at odds over G-wagons| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=13 August 2006| url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060813.wgwagon0813/CommentStory/National/| accessdate=9 April 2009| postscript=. |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070930041503/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060813.wgwagon0813/CommentStory/National/ |archivedate = 30 September 2007}}</ref>

The first Canadian woman to commit suicide on an overseas deployment was [[Major (Canada)|Major]] Michelle Mendes, an intelligence officer, who died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds at [[Kandahar Airfield]] only a few days after her arrival.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.680news.com/news/national/article/87150--forces-closes-book-on-officer-s-suicide-but-troubling-questions-persist|title=Forces closes book on officer's suicide, but troubling questions persist|last=Brewster|first=Murray|publisher=The Canadian Press|date=10 August 2010|accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref>

The first gravely injured Canadian soldier to redeploy in Kandahar was [[Captain (Canadian army and air force)|Captain]] [[Simon Mailloux]] in November 2009. Capt Mailloux had been gravely injured in November 2007 following an IED incident in the Panjwayi district and his left leg had to be amputated. Two more Canadian soldiers, [[Corporal#Canada|Corporal]] Nicholas Beauchamp and [[Private (rank)|Private]] Michel Levesque, died in the same incident. [[File:Cpl_Jacques_Larocque.jpg|thumb|Cpl Jacques Larocque]]The highest ranking casualty was sustained on 18 May 2010, when [[Colonel (Canada)|Colonel]] Geoff Parker was killed after a suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into a NATO convoy during a morning rush hour on the edge of Kabul. 5 U.S. soldiers and 12 Afghan civilians were also killed in this attack.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadian-colonel-among-six-soldiers-killed-in-kabul-suicide-attack/article1572436/| title=Canadian colonel among six soldiers killed in Kabul suicide attack, 18 May 2010|work=Globe and Mail |location=Canada | date=18 May 2010| accessdate=18 May 2010}}</ref>

On November 28 2014, Veterans Affairs Canada attributed Cpl Jacques Larocque's (8 AMS Trenton) death (August 27, 2005) to the Afghanistan mission. On September 21, 2015 the city of Quinte West confirmed they were to add another name to the monument, Cpl Jacques Larocque's name was added on October 16, 2015 as the 159th Canadian solider who died in active service on the Afghan mission.

==Statistics==

===Fatalities by rank===

{| border="1" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0; background:#fff; border:1px #36c solid; border-collapse:collapse;"

|-

! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center;"| Rank !! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center;"| Number

|-

| colspan="2" |'''General Officers (officiers généraux)'''

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"|'''0'''

|-

| colspan="2" |'''Senior Officers (officiers supérieurs)'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Colonel]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Major (Canada)|Major]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"|'''4'''

|-

| colspan="2" | '''Junior Officers (officiers subalternes)'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Captain (Canada)|Captain]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Lieutenant (Canada)|Lieutenant]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"|'''9'''

|-

| colspan="2" |'''NCM Senior Rank (Rangs supérieurs)'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Chief Warrant Officer]]

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Master Warrant Officer]]

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Warrant Officer]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Sergeant]]s (17 [[Sergeant]]s, 1 [[Petty Officer 2nd Class]])

| style="text-align:center;"|18

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"|'''26'''

|-

| colspan="2" |'''NCM Junior Ranks (Rangs subalternes)'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Master Corporal]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|16

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Corporal]]s (55 [[Corporal]]s, 3 [[Bombardier (rank)|Bombardiers]])

| style="text-align:center;"|58

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Private (rank)|Privates]] (30 [[Private (rank)|Privates]], 10 [[Trooper (rank)|Troopers]], 1 [[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]], 5 [[Sapper]]s)

| style="text-align:center;"|46

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"|'''120'''

|-

! style="text-align:left; background:darkGrey;"| <span style="font-size:10;">TOTAL

! style="text-align:center; background:darkGrey;"| <span style="font-size:10;"> 159

|}

===Fatalities by cause===

{| border="1" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0; background:#fff; border:1px #36c solid; border-collapse:collapse;"

|-

! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center;"| Cause !! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center;"| Number

|-

| colspan="2" | '''Enemy action'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Improvised explosive device|Explosive]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|97

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Direct fire

| style="text-align:center;"|22

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Suicide attack]]s

| style="text-align:center;"|13

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"| '''132'''

|-

| colspan="2" | '''Non-enemy action'''

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Friendly-fire]]

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vehicle accidents

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Helicopter accidents

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Accidental falls

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Accidental gunshots

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suicides

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unspecified

| style="text-align:center;"|4

|-

| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Illness

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

| style="text-align:right;"| '''TOTAL'''

| style="text-align:center;"| '''27'''

|-

! style="text-align:left; background:darkGrey;"| <span style="font-size:10;">TOTAL

! style="text-align:center; background:darkGrey;"| <span style="font-size:10;"> 159

|}

==Notable fatalities==

On 17 May 2006, 26-year-old Captain [[Nichola Goddard]] from the [[Royal Canadian Horse Artillery|1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery]] was killed during operations against insurgents. She was the first Canadian female soldier to die in combat.<ref>{{cite news| title=CBC News > Indepth: Afghanistan > May 17, 2006: Female soldier killed| publisher=CBC| date=17 May 2006| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/casualties/20060517.html| accessdate=9 April 2009}}</ref> On 4 September the same year, Olympic athlete Private [[Mark Anthony Graham]] from the [[The Royal Canadian Regiment|1st Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment]] was killed by a US [[A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Warthog attack aircraft]] in a [[friendly fire]] incident. Dozens of other Canadians were wounded in the incident.<ref name=Canoe101108>{{cite news| last=Canadian Press | title=Canada's Afghan war dead| publisher=Canoe| date=10 November 2008| url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2008/11/10/7363916-cp.html| accessdate=9 April 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Canadian killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan| publisher=CTV| date=5 September 2006| url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060813/friendly_fire_060904/20060904?hub=TopStories| accessdate=9 April 2009}}</ref>

== Non-fatal casualties ==

Figures released by DND in January 2011 show that the total number of Canadian soldiers injured and wounded in more than nine years of war reached 1,859 by the end of December 2010.<ref>{{cite news| title=Canadian Forces' Casualty Statistics (Afghanistan)| url=http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=583079| publisher=Canada News Center| date=12 January 2011| accessdate=14 February 2011}}</ref> 1,244 of these are listed as NBI (Non battle injuries) and 615 are listed as WIA (wounded in action).

Following a policy change at the beginning of 2010, the Canadian military began to withhold all injury reports, releasing only statistics after the end of a calendar year, citing security reasons.<ref name="Another Canadian soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan">{{cite news|last=Potter |first=Mitch |url=http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/804124--another-canadian-soldier-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-afghanistan |title=Another Canadian soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan |work=Toronto Star |date= 4 May 2010|accessdate=20 February 2011 |location=Toronto}}</ref>

The Department of National Defence also refuses to disclose the nature or severity of injuries and wounds, as it is an operational secret.<ref name="Cpl. Steve Martin 154th soldier to die as a result of Afghanistan war">{{cite news|author=The Canadian Press |url=http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/909383--cpl-steve-martin-154th-soldier-to-die-as-a-result-of-afghanistan-war?bn=1 |title=Cpl. Steve Martin 154th soldier to die as a result of Afghanistan war |work=Toronto Star |date= 19 December 2010|accessdate=20 February 2011 |location=Toronto}}</ref>

==See also==

{{Portal|Canadian Armed Forces}}

* [[Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan]]

* [[Coalition casualties in Afghanistan]]

* [[Criticism of the War on Terror]]

* [[Opposition to the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]]

* [[International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan]]

* [[Protests against the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]]

==References==

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==

*[http://www.ottawacitizennews.com/soldiers/ Ottawa Citizen searchable database of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan]

*[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/casualties/total.html CBC News Indepth: Afghanistan, Canadian casualties]

*[http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/focus/fallen-disparus/index-eng.asp DND site for Afghanistan casualties]

*[http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem The Canadian Virtual War Memorial] (allows search for information about the dead by name)

*[http://www.ctv.ca/generic/WebSpecials/canadian_forces/casualty_bios/frameset/L_nav.html CTV.ca News article listing casualties]

*[http://icasualties.org/OEF/Nationality.aspx?hndQry=Canada icasualties.org list of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan]

*[http://www.casr.ca/ft-vehicle-casualties-2.htm CASR: Hard Numbers – CF Afghanistan Casualties by Vehicle Type], [http://www.casr.ca/ft-vehicle-casualties-1.htm listed Chronologically] (up to 18 Feb 2008)

*[http://www.intelligencer.ca/2015/09/23/w-brice-mcvicar-name-addition-perfect-ending?utm_source=addThis&utm_medium=addthis_button_facebook&utm_campaign=W.+BRICE+MCVICAR%3A+Name+addition+perfect+ending+%7C+The+Belleville+Intelligencer#.VgQ4adyn7GI.facebook] Cpl Jacques Larocque name officially announced as number 159 to Afghan Memorial

{{Afghanistan War}}

{{Canada in Afghanistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Forces Casualties In Afghanistan}}

[[Category:Canadian military personnel]]

[[Category:Canadian military personnel killed in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)| ]]

[[Category:Military of Canada]]

[[Category:War in Afghanistan (2001–present) casualties]]

[[Category:War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]]