A suicide bombing in Kabul has claimed the life of a veteran Canadian Forces colonel from Oakville, Ont..
Col. Geoff Parker, 42, died Tuesday when a car bomber attacked a NATO convoy, killing 18 people, including five U.S. soldiers and 12 civilians on a nearby public bus in rush-hour traffic.
Parker had been with the Canadian Forces for 21 years. He is thought to be the highest-ranking member of the Canadian Forces to die in Afghanistan. He also died in the deadliest attack NATO troops have suffered in Kabul this year.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said "there were casualties among the NATO forces as well as among civilians -- women, children and schoolchildren." The deadly blast wrecked nearly 20 vehicles, including five SUVs in the NATO convoy.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid claimed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the bomber was from Kabul and carried 750 kilograms of explosives in his car. The bomber had been deliberately targeting the NATO convoy, Mujahid said.
Parker was commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, RCR, based at CFB Gagetown. He was in Kabul to interact with international organizations to prepare his team for their upcoming mission.
Col. Simon Hetherington, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar, told a news conference that Parker was well known, highly respected and considered a good friend by countless Army officers and soldiers across Canada.
"He was a career infantry officer -- a proud member of the Royal Canadian Regiment -- who excelled in virtually every position he held in the Army," Hetherington said.
"As a battalion commander, he led his soldiers from the front and with distinction. The post he preparing to fill was important and of such high profile, he was hand picked from across the Army to do so. A rising star, his potential was undeniable."
According to his official Department of National Defence biography, Parker was a career solider who signed up for the military in 1989 when he was a student at the University of Western Ontario.
After graduating from UWO with a degree in engineering science, he later earned two master's degrees -- one in electrical engineering, the other in defence studies -- from the Royal Military College.
He was married with two children.
Parker is the 145th Canadian soldier to be killed during the Afghan mission. Two civilians -- diplomat Glyn Berry and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang -- have also died.
Condemning the attack, NATO Secretary-General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said the violence would not deter members from their mission.
"NATO remains committed to its mission to protect the Afghan people and to strengthen Afghanistan's ability to resist terrorism," Rasmussen said in Brussels.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
