National News Executive Summary / Sommaire des nouvelles nationales
ADM(PA) / SMA(AP)
February 14, 2010 / le 14 février 2010
MINISTER / LE MINISTRE
Soldier Killed in Training Accident In Afghanistan
The body of Cpl Joshua Caleb Baker, killed in a training accident in Afghanistan, is on its way home.
Thousands turned out at Kandahar Airfield on Saturday to bid farewell to Cpl Baker. Four soldiers were
also injured in the same accident. They were evacuated by helicopter to the Role 3 Multi-National
Medical Facility at Kandahar Airfield. The Canadian Forces will not release their names, but said they are
in stable condition. An investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is looking into
the circumstances of the training accident. Prime Minister Harper offered his condolences to Cpl Baker's
family, saying he served valiantly in order to build a better future for Afghanistan: "The courage
demonstrated by Canadians on this mission speaks to their dedication to creating a better country for the
Afghan people. Their commitment to this goal is not diminished by this incident." In a statement, National
Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the forces are grieving the loss of Cpl Baker. He also wished the
four injured soldiers a speedy recovery: "My heartfelt sympathies and thoughts are with the family and
loved ones of Cpl Baker, who should be proud of this professional, dedicated soldier. This is a tragic loss
for Canada and for the Canadian Forces." A similar statement was made by Governor-General Michaëlle
Jean. The soldier had been planning to try to join the Edmonton Police Service when he returned home
from his tour overseas, according to his family in a statement (R. Liebrecht: ESun 4, OSun 7, TSun 20,
CSun 3, WSun 7; S. Rennie CP: HCH A5).
Opening of the Canada Pavilion
Heritage Minister James Moore cut the ribbon-cutting to open the Canada Pavilion at the Olympics on
Saturday with help from Defence Minister Peter MacKay and astronaut Julie Payette (J. Ferry: VProv
A11).
Olympics Opening Ceremonies
Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous for his phrase "I'll be back," almost failed to make it to BC Place Friday
night. The bus he and his wife, Maria Shriver, were on to take them to the opening ceremonies got lost.
And the Schwarzeneggers were not alone - Quebec Premier Jean Charest and his wife, Michele Dionne,
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, Environment Minister Jim Prentice, Defence Minister Peter MacKay, and
International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan were all on the wayward vehicle (J. Taber: G&M A7).
CDS / CEM
Arrest of Col Russell Williams
Halifax Chronicle-Herald editorial: The fall from grace of the Ontario base's boss, who oversaw 3,500
military and civilian personnel, also has the Armed Forces poring over his file to see if any warning signs
were overlooked as Col. Williams' career progressed. A shell-shocked Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Walt
Natynczyk, said: "We've put additional rigour over the past five years into the selection of our leadership.
We'll do an administrative review to see, what did we miss?" Clearly, the military is concerned about the
collateral damage to its reputation. During the General's visit to their base, some soldiers even raised the
issue of whether they should wear their uniforms in the community, amid reports of a couple of their
comrades being harassed. Why there'd be any backlash at all against our men and women in uniform is
beyond us. There is no evidence the military covered anything up; in fact, it is co-operating with police.
Besides, allegations against one high-profile individual are not the sort of thing the rank-and-file should
answer for. Nor should any member of the Armed Forces lose confidence in the top brass because of
this. No "sacred trust," as Gen Natynczyk described it, has been broken. To our knowledge, no one has
failed in their duty to stop a string of crimes that happened while Col Williams was off duty (HCH A12).
HAITI
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
MILITARY POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMISSION /
COMMISSION D'EXAMEN DES PLAINTES CONCERNANT LA POLICE MILITAIRE
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
CANADA IN AFGHANISTAN / LE CANADA EN AFGHANISTAN
Marjah (Operation Moshtarak)
Bombs and booby-traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers moving
through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah -- NATO's most ambitious effort yet to break the militants'
grip over their southern heartland. NATO said Saturday it hoped to secure the area in days, set up a local
government and rush in development aid in a first test of the new U.S. strategy for turning the tide of the
eight-year war. The offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. Three
Canadian Chinook helicopters were helping ferry some 1,100 coalition troops to Nad Ali, under the watch
of four Canadian Griffon escorts. The Taliban appeared to have scattered in the face of overwhelming
force, possibly waiting to regroup and stage attacks later to foil the alliance's plan to stabilize the area and
expand Afghan government control in the volatile south. NATO said two of its soldiers were killed in the
first day of the operation -- one American and one Briton, according to military officials in their countries.
Afghan authorities said at least 20 insurgents were killed (AP / CP: WFP A7; G. Motevalli Reuters: Ctz
A9; AFP / Bloomberg: Gaz A7; LA Times: VProv A41; AP: TSun 20, HCH A7, ESun 4, OSun 7; S. Rennie
CP: CSun 30, WSun 7; M. Fisher: EJ A1; P. Baz AFP: CH A6).
Offensive réussie
Les forces de la coalition ont réalisé une "insertion réussie" à Marjah, hier, dans le cadre de la plus
importante offensive conjointe depuis le début du conflit. Pas moins de 15 000 soldats américains,
britanniques, canadiens et afghans ont lancé la vaste offensive dans le but de reprendre le contrôle de la
ville de Marjah et du district de Nad Ali. Vendredi, des hélicoptères CH-147 Chinook des Forces armées
canadiennes s'y étaient posés alors que les troupes de la coalition préparaient l'attaque. Escortés par
quatre appareils de type CH-146 Griffon appartenant au Canada, trois hélicoptères Chinook ont aidé à
transporter à Nad Ali 1100 soldats de la coalition (Sol 13, JM 29).
Ramp Ceremony
Cpl Joshua Caleb Baker was remembered as "one in a million" and an excellent soldier during memorials
Saturday at Canada's two main bases in southern Afghanistan before his flag-draped casket began its
journey home in a C-130 Hercules transport. Thousands of his comrades were on hand at Kandahar
Airfield for a sombre ramp ceremony to say goodbye to the 140th Canadian soldier to be killed in
Afghanistan. The ramp ceremony followed an earlier service in Kandahar. The Edmonton-based soldier
died Friday afternoon in an explosion during a "routine" training exercise at a range four kilometres north
of Kandahar. The military was tight-lipped about the death, which is being probed by senior officials. Four
other Canadian soldiers were injured in the accident (M. Fisher / B. Gelinas: Ctz A5, VTC A12, CH A6,
VProv A39, Gaz A7; B. Gelinas / L. Drake: EJ A3; S. Rennie CP: TStar A15).
Soldat canadien tué
Un soldat canadien a été tué et quatre autres ont été blessés vendredi soir au cours d'un accident
d'entraînement sur un champ de tir situé près de la ville de Kandahar, en Afghanistan. Le caporal Joshua
Caleb Baker, âgé de 24 ans et natif d'Edmonton, a perdu la vie. Il servait au sein de l'équipe provinciale
de reconstruction de Kandahar. Cet accident n'est pas lié au combat et une enquête des Forces
canadiennes a été instituée pour en déterminer les circonstances (Sol 12, JM 10, PD 90).
OTHERS / AUTRES
Williams Investigation / Funeral of Jessica Lloyd
A funeral service was held for Jessica Lloyd at the John R. Bush Funeral Home in Belleville on Saturday,
as well-wishers gathered outside. Hundreds of mourners attended the private ceremony. Col Russell
Williams, who was commander of CFB Trenton, has since been charged with first-degree murder.
Meanwhile, police continued to search the Ottawa home of Col Williams. Coverage also noted that a new
commander was announced Friday for CFB Trenton. LCol Dave Cochrane was selected to replace Mr.
Williams, and he will take command effective next Friday (C. Freeze: G&M A7; L. Stone CNS: Ctz A1, CH
A8, VProv A19, VTC A10, EJ A7; K. Meaney / L. Stone: VProv A18; I. Robertson QMI: TSun 4, ESun 5,
OSun 5, WSun 19; CP: HCH A5; R. Johnson: TStar A2).
- An article highlighted the perception of Tweed resident Larry Jones that Col Willliams attempted to
frame him for the murder of Jessica Lloyd (L. Greenberg: VProv A19).
- Lengthy profile of Col Williams and a backgrounder of the events to date (D. Butler / K. Neas / A.
Humphreys: Gaz A4).
Funérailles de Jessica Lloyd
Des centaines de personnes ont assisté aux funérailles de Jessica Lloyd, cette jeune femme
prétendument assassinée par le colonel Russell Williams, qui se sont déroulées hier à Belleville, en
Ontario. Le corps de la femme de 27 ans, qui avait été portée disparue le mois dernier, a été trouvé lundi
dernier à Tweed. La nouvelle de l'arrestation de Williams, considéré comme une étoile montante des
Forces canadiennes, a consterné la communauté militaire et civile (Sol 11).
Reserve Arctic Exercise
Members of 38 Canadian Brigade Group will carry out the week-long training while living off the land and
sleeping in tents in the snow outside Churchill near the shore of Hudson Bay. The exercise, running until
Feb. 21st, will involve the Brigade Group's part-time military members from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and
northwestern Ontario. Working about 30 km outside Churchill with the military's Northern Rangers, the
reservists will gain skills that might later come in handy for Arctic sovereign missions or emergencies (R.
Romaniuk: WSun 4, ESun 24).
Section: News
Lead: A soldier killed in a training accident in Afghanistan had been planning to try to join the Edmonton
Police Service when he returned home from his tour overseas, said the family of Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker
in a statement.
Headline: Dreams cut short City-based soldier killed in Afghanistan planned on applying to police force
after tour
Page: 4
Byline: BY RICHARD LIEBRECHT, EDMONTON SUN
Outlet: The Edmonton Sun
# Illustrations: photo of CPL. JOSHUA BAKER 'Wonderful uncle'
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
A soldier killed in a training accident in Afghanistan had been planning to try to join the Edmonton Police
Service when he returned home from his tour overseas, said the family of Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker in a
statement.
"He was most excited for the house he just purchased and continuing to foster a budding relationship with
his girlfriend," they said.
The member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment died Friday at about 5 p.m. Mountain Time, on a range 4
km northeast of Kandahar City.
He served with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.
The Canadian Forces said the accident was not battle-related.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED
An investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is looking into the circumstances
of the training accident.
"His death is a great loss to the regiment and the army. We will remember him," said The Loyal Edmonton
Regiment in a statement.
Family described Baker as a loyal uncle with a big heart. He also had a keen aim to help others.
"While he was frustrated that progress was slow, Josh was hoping to make a difference in Afghanistan.
He valued the experience working with Afghans gave him. We were surprised to find out he developed a
real taste for tea from his short time there.
"Josh was a wonderful uncle to his niece and two nephews. He bought a new bike for his niece and
cheered-on his eldest nephew at hockey games. Josh loved kids and would have been a great father
someday.
"Josh will be missed always and loved forever. His memories will always live on in our hearts."
Four soldiers were injured alongside Baker.
They were evacuated by helicopter to the Role 3 Multi-National Medical Facility at Kandahar Airfield. The
Forces will not release their names, but said they are in stable condition.
LOSS GRIEVED
In a statement, National Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the forces are grieving Baker's loss. He also
wished the four injured troops a speedy recovery.
"My heartfelt sympathies and thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Cpl Baker, who should be
proud of this professional, dedicated soldier. This is a tragic loss for Canada and for the Canadian
Forces," said MacKay.
RICHARD.LIEBRECHT@SUNMEDIA.CA
© 2010 Sun Media Corporation
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Section: News
Byline: Jon Ferry
Outlet: The Province
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Glenn Baglo, PNG / Despite its decidedly utilitarian veneer, the Canada
Pavilion, which opened its doors to the public on Saturday, is drawing long lines of families and fans of
the 2010 Games.
Headline: Your Olympics; Tell the world what you're experiencing; Canada Pavilion a temporary lesson in
unspectacularambitions
Page: A11
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Source: The Province
Judging by the barrage of media criticism levelled at the design of the Canada Pavilion, I didn't have great
expectations when I visited it for its carefully staged opening Saturday.
I'd imagined, in fact, it would resemble a cross between a Quonset hut and a giant Port-au-Prince Porta
Potty.
And from the back, it does look like a large army medical tent.
When you get to the front off Georgia Street, though, the view improves . . . and it seems more like that of
a small-town hockey arena.
But it's still distinctly underwhelming, a budget building at a not-so-budget price of more than 10 million
taxpayer dollars.
And you don't have a hard time understanding why the Architectural Institute of B.C. would be throwing a
hissy-fit, claiming Ottawa had broken the law by not hiring a B.C.-registered architect for the job.
Heritage Minister James Moore, who did the ribbon-cutting in the drizzle Saturday with help from Defence
Minister Peter MacKay and astronaut Julie Payette, denied that any laws were broken. He also denied
the structure was Mickey Mouse.
Moore told me it was "brilliant" pavilion with "fantastic" content -- as evidenced by the fact that families
were lined up to get into it. He pointed out that you don't want to build a Taj Mahal at a cost of hundreds
of millions of dollars.
"It's a temporary structure, but it serves us incredibly well for what we wanted to do here, which is to have
a family-friendly, open experience, free to the public, where kids can come in and have an interactive
experience," Moore said. "They can see the Stanley Cup, they can have their picture taken with the
Olympic torch, they can do all kinds of things."
The Stanley Cup? Well, that won't be arriving until Tuesday, according to a spokesman for the U.S.based company that built the pavilion. So Ottawa is late again. And you get the distinct impression that
this whole project was designed at the last moment by one of Ottawa's less exciting bureaucrats . . . who
no doubt will be promoted for his efforts.
Certainly, neither the structure nor its contents make a bold, imaginative statement to the world, as the
Olympic Opening Ceremonies in B.C. Place did the previous night. Indeed, the contrast between the two
events, only hours apart, was stunning.
But as Moore noted, that wasn't stopping regular folks Saturday from coming to visit -- people like North
Vancouver engineer Paul Norlander, who was doing the Olympics rounds with his wife, Lisa, and
daughters Meghan, 12, and Stephanie, 14.
Norlander told me it was great to be able to enjoy the various interactive activities and the photo-ops with
the two torches, one for the Olympics,
Are you having Olympic-sized fun? We want to hear about it! Send your stories and photos to
myolympics@theprovince.com and include your full name and hometown.
the other for the Paralympics.
But his overall verdict was less than completely positive.
"I think it's OK," he said. "I don't think it's spectacular."
That, though, is the problem with the Canada Pavilion: It has such unspectacular ambitions it would be
hard for it not to meet them.
Sure, you do get to try out your slap shot in an interactive game. And you do see some neat Canadian
sports memorabilia, including a Wayne-Gretzky-autographed aluminum hockey stick used in the 2002
Salt Lake City Olympics.
The Great One's stick, however, didn't win any points with 24-year-old Richmond dental assistant Tiffany
Gray. After waiting for an hour to get in, she thought the pavilion was "cool," but she probably wouldn't
come again. "There's not much going on inside here," she said.
Fortunately, the pavilion isn't alone in public space. It's located in one of the so-called LiveCity sites,
where you can watch the Olympics on a big screen and grab a beer, coffee or light meal.
The trouble is a beer will cost you $7.50, coffee at least $4 . . . and poutine $8. So the only bargain here
is the free entrance to the building, or to that of the even less impressive Manitoba pavilion opposite.
Now, there are those who will argue that we live in tough economic times, so it makes little sense to
spend more than $10 million on what is after all the most temporary of structures.
I just think a Tory government, which keeps hammering on about the need for us to have pride in our
heritage, could have done so much more with the money it had.
jferry@theprovince.com
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Section: Canada
Byline: Steve Rennie
Outlet: The Sunday Herald
# Illustrations: Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker
Headline: Soldier's body leaves Kandahar
Page: A5
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Source: The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The body of a Canadian soldier killed during a training accident at a range
northeast of Kandahar city is on its way home.
Thousands turned out at Kandahar Airfield on Saturday to bid farewell to Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker. Four
other soldiers were injured in Friday's accident.
The military offered few details about Baker's death other than to say it happened during a routine training
exercise. An investigation is underway to determine what caused the accident.
The four injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the medical facility at Kandahar Airfield and are
reported to be in stable condition.
"This type of training is normal for soldiers in theatre and essential in helping them to maintain high levels
of expertise," Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, the top commander in Kandahar, said in a statement.
An Edmonton native, Baker, 24, was serving with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.
His death brings to 140 the number of Canadian soldiers killed since the Afghan mission began eight
years ago.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to Baker's family, saying he served valiantly in
order to build a better future for Afghanistan.
"The courage demonstrated by Canadians on this mission speaks to their dedication to creating a better
country for the Afghan people. Their commitment to this goal is not diminished by this incident," Harper
added.
Similar messages were issued by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and Defence Minister Peter MacKay.
Jean said Baker served bravely and generously to support Afghans' hopes for security, justice and a
better life.
"He merits our wholehearted admiration."
MacKay called Baker's death "a tragic loss for Canada and for the Canadian Forces."
Menard, the commander, said Baker had a laugh that lightened up any room.
"Joshua had a laugh rumoured to cure cancer," he said.
"No matter where you were or how down you got, his laugh would find your ears and bring a smile to your
face."
Menard described Baker as an "extremely passionate" person who loved his job.
"Joshua was mentally tough, physically robust and had a personality that made him a natural leader," he
said.
"He had a deep love for his family and worried constantly about them. He also had a deep love for his
faith; it was something he took pride in and that gave him strength."
News of the soldier's death came as Canadian troops were taking part in the largest air assault of the
Afghan war in neighbouring Helmand province.
American, British, Afghan and other coalition troops stormed the insurgent-held town of Marjah and the
district of Nad Ali early Saturday morning.
Three Canadian Chinook helicopters were helping ferry some 1,100 coalition troops to Nad Ali, under the
watch of four Canadian Griffon escorts.
The pre-dawn attack is called Operation Moshtarak and it is by far the largest offensive staged since U.S.
President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan to try to quell a
spreading insurgency.
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Section: Column
Outlet: The Globe And Mail
Byline: JANE TABER
Headline: 'Red bus' runaround gives Schwarzenegger an unexpected Vancouver tour
Page: A7
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
jtaber@globeandmail.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger , famous for his phrase ``I'll be back,'' almost didn't make it back to BC Place
Friday night - the bus he and his wife, Maria Shriver , were on to take them to the opening ceremonies got
lost. And the Schwarzeneggers weren't alone - Quebec Premier Jean Charest and his wife, Michele
Dionne ; Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach ; Environment Minister Jim Prentice ; Defence Minister Peter
MacKay ; and International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan were all on the wayward vehicle. It was
certainly not an auspicious start to the Games. Mr. Schwarzenegger, the California Governor, Ms. Shriver
and their son, had attended a reception for heads of state and others in advance of the opening
ceremonies. Governor-General Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were the hosts. Mr.
Schwarzenegger and his wife got on the first bus that was leaving the reception - ``the red bus'' - to take
them to the stadium, which should have been just a few minutes drive. Instead, the bus drove around for
about 25 minutes, forcing them to miss the singing of O Canada and the dramatic opening in which a
snowboarder jumped through the Olympic rings on to the stadium floor. The group attending the
reception, meanwhile, was a who's who of political and international figures, including Princess Anne , a
former Olympian; a handful of Harper ministers; Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter ; and Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili , who just a few hours earlier had learned of the death of the young luger
from his country.
Chrétien's Olympic legacy
Jean Chrétien , on a ski holiday in Whistler in February of 1999, couldn't get out in time to attend the
funeral of Jordan's King Hussein. The reason: the Sea to Sky Highway from Whistler to Vancouver was
blocked by debris or snow, he recalled in an interview Friday. And the cloud ceiling was too low in the
mountain resort for a helicopter to get in to fly him to Vancouver. Mr. Chrétien was heavily criticized by the
opposition at the time for not being able to attend the state funeral. He sent his Foreign Affairs Minister,
Lloyd Axworthy. Muslim tradition dictates burial within 24 hours of death. Mr. Chrétien recalled that
incident as he thought about what the Olympics have meant for Vancouver and the province. He said that
when it came time for the Vancouver Olympic bid, he promised organizers the highway would be
upgraded. ``When you have the Olympics, it is a great occasion to develop the infrastructure,'' Mr.
Chrétien said. About $600-million in upgrades was spent by the province.
``We promised to [Olympic officials] that it was to be fixed and that will be there forever.'' Mr. Chrétien is
currently in Vancouver with his wife, Aline , and his daughter, France Desmarais , chair of the Canadian
Olympic Foundation, to take in some of the events.
No break for Ed Clark
The Harper Conservatives are not letting up on their attacks on TD Bank chief executive Ed Clark . Now
they're calling him a ``Liberal partisan.'' Mr. Clark angered the Tories after suggesting in a recent speech
that raising taxes is the best way to reduce Canada's huge federal deficit. ``I think it's worth noting that Ed
Clark donated $2,000 each to Ignatieff's [Michael Ignatieff] and Rae's [Liberal MP Bob Rae] leadership
campaigns, and almost $11,000 to the Liberal Party since 2005,'' says Conservative communications
director Fred DeLorey . ``He's clearly a Liberal partisan.'' He did not indicate whether Mr. Clark has
donated to the Conservative Party. Increasingly, Mr. Harper's team is trying to link anyone who calls for
higher taxes to Michael Ignatieff's Liberals. Yesterday, Mr. Chrétien chided Mr. Harper's tactics,
suggesting that as Prime Minister he never attacked a private citizen for his economic views.
Referring to the 1996 incident in which he pushed a protester out of the way during a Flag Day
celebration in Quebec, Mr. Chrétien told The Globe: ``You know I took on the politicians and the
protesters, and grabbed them by the throat, but I never attacked individuals for expressing economic
views. ... I did not do that.'' The controversy over the criticism of Mr. Clark surfaced this week after the
Conservatives reacted to the statements by the bank executive. They sent out an internal e-mail titled
``Millionaire Ignatieff Economic Czar Calls for Higher Taxes.''
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Lee Greenberg
Outlet: The Province
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Ottawa Citizen / Larry Jones has lived next door to Col. Russell Williams -who owned the white home at left -- in Tweed for a few years. At one time, he himself had been a suspect
in the case.
Headline: Shadow of suspicion also fell on colonel's next-door neighbour
Page: A19
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: TWEED, ONT.
Source: Canwest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
It was grouse-hunting season, mid-fall, when Larry Jones had a conversation that has suddenly, after all
that has happened in this eastern Ontario town, taken on more significance.
Jones, 65, was in camouflage hunting gear and loading his shotgun into his pickup when his normally
solitary next-door neighbour walked over and started to chat.
Jones considered Col. Russell Williams, "cocky" and aloof. Williams had made it clear he wasn't
interested in idle conversation. But here he was, the 46-year-old commander of Canada's largest air-force
base, suddenly intrigued by Jones's three-hour hunting trip.
Jones humoured him, and told him he was hunting birds. The colonel wanted to know where, and Jones
told him of the road 10 kilometres away, a place where he and a friend have a hunting camp.
Nearly three months later, Williams was arrested and charged with murdering two young women and
sexually assaulting two others, an event that has reverberated across Canada and beyond.
For Jones, a husband, father and grandfather, the arrests first brought a sense of relief. He had been
interrogated in the fall as a suspect in the two sexual assaults for which Williams is now charged. Jones's
name had been cleared.
But the day after his neighbour's arrest, police set off in a grim convoy to retrieve the corpse of 27-yearold Jessica Lloyd, a Belleville woman who had been missing for nearly two weeks. It was headed in the
direction of Jones's hunting camp.
The colour drained from his face. Williams tried to frame me, Jones recalls thinking. He suddenly
remembered that someone had broken into his workshop in late January and took a dirty work coat, a
pair of work gloves and a lighter he used to spark the occasional cigar.
"So is my coat, my gloves and my lighter with her body?" he said recently. "Or is it in his house here?
Where is it?" Williams has not been charged in connection with Jones's suspicions.
Late last fall, police questioned Jones for more than three hours. They told him he was a suspect in the
two separate sexual assaults and burglaries on his street in September. The victims, both women who
lived alone, were attacked in the dead of night. The intruder bound them with duct tape, blindfolded them
with pillow cases, tied them to chairs and photographed them.
Jones was not charged, but, news spread fast that he was a suspect in the sexual assaults and he
promptly became a pariah in town. Friends stopped coming by his converted two-car "garage." He no
longer sought out casual chit chat on main street.
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Section: News
Outlet: The Toronto Star
# Illustrations: RENE JOHNSTON TORONTO STAR A funeral service was held for Jessica Lloyd, above,
at the John R. Bush Funeral Home in Belleville on Saturday as well- wishers, at left, gathered outside.
Hundreds of mourners attended the private ceremony, where Lloyd was remembered as a vibrant woman
with a "profound zest and love of life." The 27-year-old's body was found Monday, morethan a week after
she was reported missing. Col. Russell Williams, 46, who was commander of CFB Trenton, has since
been charged with first-degree murder.
Headline: Photo and Caption Only; Community remembers Belleville woman as 'all- around beautiful
person'
Page: A02
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
RENE JOHNSTON TORONTO STAR A funeral service was held for Jessica Lloyd, above, at the John R.
Bush Funeral Home in Belleville on Saturday as well-wishers, at left, gathered outside. Hundreds of
mourners attended the private ceremony, where Lloyd was remembered as a vibrant woman with a
"profound zest and love of life." The 27-year-old's body was found Monday, more than a week after she
was reported missing. Col. Russell Williams, 46, who was commander of CFB Trenton, has since been
charged with first-degree murder.
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Section: Canada
Outlet: The Sunday Herald
# Illustrations: Lt.-Col. David Murphy wears a black arm band as he arrives for the funeral of Jessica
Lloyd in Belleville, Ont. on Saturday. (Pawel Dwulit / CP)
# Members of Belleville Police and Fire services salute a limousine carrying family members of Jessica
Lloyd following her funeral in Belleville, Ont., on Saturday. Former wing commander of CFB Trenton, Col.
RussellWilliams, has been charged in Lloyd's death. (Pawel Dwulit / CP)
Headline: Slain woman remembered for wit, energy; head deck
Page: A5
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Source: The Canadian Press
BELLEVILLE, Ont. - A vibrant, strong-willed woman, with a "profound zest and love of life" life was
remembered Saturday as hundreds of people from this tight-knit community crowded inside a funeral
home to mourn the death of 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd.
Her death is at the centre of a murder investigation that has resulted in charges against a senior
Canadian Forces officer, which has rocked the military.
Lines of cars snaked around the street, as friends and family filed into the John R. Bush Funeral Home for
a private ceremony.
The eulogy was played through speakers to the dozens of people outside who were holding candles,
wiping away tears, and clutching signs, bearing the title, "RIP Jessica."
The Belleville woman's body was discovered Monday in the community of Tweed - she was reported
missing last month.
Shortly after her body was discovered, the town was stunned as police announced first-degree murder
charges against Col. Russell Williams, considered a rising star in the Canadian military.
Carrie Plews, 29, shuffled into the small chapel inside the funeral home before 1 p.m., quietly weeping, as
she described her friend and the impact the young woman's death has had on the family.
"She was just an all around beautiful person, just great to be around," said Plews, who had spoken with
Lloyd's brother on Friday. "I kind of broke down when I was talking to Andy. He's her big brother. He's like
a big teddy bear. It was really hard," she said, dabbing her eyes with a crumpled tissue.
During the hour-long service, two of Lloyd's cousins described the young woman's wit, love of country
living and strong connection to her brother.
"Those green eyes could catch the attention of anyone from across the room," said her cousin, Sarah
Lloyd, who along with her brother, John, gave the eulogy.
Lloyd was born in Ottawa but moved to Belleville at eight and came to embrace the small city, but
yearned for the country.
"She loved the beauty of an overnight frost in the countryside," the Rev. Cathy Paul said during the
service.
Her cousins' described the close connection she had with her brother, Andy, who would walk a few steps
behind her when she strolled to school as a child.
Lloyd said her cousin had a snappy sense of humour, often teasing her brother.
Sharing an anecdote, Lloyd described how her cousin's Ninja, a motorcycle, was a newer model by two
years from her brother's. It was a fact Jessica Lloyd loved to tease her brother about.
She loved all kinds of music from Jay-Z to George Strait. "You can't cover Jess with one song," her
cousin, John Lloyd said with a soft chuckle. She loved hockey, especially Tie Domi, and joked that she
would name her child after the former hockey star.
"It was a comforting service, a celebration of her life, and affirming" said Rev. Audrey Whitney, as teams
of people poured out of the building, and the sound of bag pipes resonated in the background.
Photos, flowers and collages filled the room, showing the pretty brunette tightly hugging her brother, arms
flung around her friends. Members of the military also attended the service. Lt.-Col. David Murphy, who
has taken over for Williams as acting commander at the base was at the funeral.
Outside the chapel, the community rallied to show support.
"It's such a small community and it has been such a shock. You don't expect it to happen in such a small
place," said Karen Kehler, as she sobbed, visibly disturbed by the event that has rocked the city. "You just
want to be able to do something for the family," she added.
Signs outside local stores in Belleville read "We love you Jessica," and people stood silently along the
street outside the funeral home. Williams is scheduled to next appear in court via video link Feb. 18 to
face the charges that are unproven.
He is also charged with murder in connection with the slaying of a second woman, Cpl. Marie-France
Comeau, and in connection with two sex assaults in the area.
Williams was the commander of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, the country's largest air base.
He has been stationed in various communities across Canada as well as some international postings.
When Williams was posted in Ottawa in the 1990s, he flew one of four Canadian Forces Challenger jets
for VIPs across Canada and around the world, including the Governor General and the prime minister.
Police say they don't expect to release the cause of death of either Lloyd or Comeau, who served as a
steward aboard some of the same military VIP flights that Williams piloted.
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Laura Stone
Outlet: The Ottawa Citizen
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Jessica Lloyd, 27, was described as a woman with a perpetual smile and a
vibrant personality. Photo: Mike Cassese, Reuters / Interim CFB Trenton base commander Lt.-Col. Dave
Murphy, right, and Chief Warrant Officer Kevin West, left, attend the funeral service for Jessica Lloyd in
Belleville on Saturday. Photo: LarsHagberg, Canwest News Service / Terri Cassibo of Tweed holds a
candle outside the funeral for Jessica Elizabeth Lloyd, 27, whose body was found last Monday. Family
and friends gathered to say goodbye at John R. Bush Funeral Home in Belleville on Saturday. Former
CFB Trenton commander Col. Russell Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree murder -- in the
deaths of Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau -- and two counts of sexual assault.
Headline: Lloyd remembered as vibrant, 'amazingperson'; Hundreds attend funeral in Belleville for 27year-old found slain near Tweed
Page: A1 / FRONT
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: BELLEVILLE
Source: Canwest News Service
To those who loved her, Jessica Lloyd was that girl: the one with the vibrant personality, the perpetual
smile, the mind of her own.
She was the green-eyed beauty who told one-liners and sarcastic jokes, and would tease her older
brother, Andy, about going faster on her black Ninja motorcycle than he could on his.
But for a community of mourners from Belleville and beyond, Lloyd, 27, is also known as that girl: the one
who went missing from this city of 50,000 and was killed.
Col. Russell Williams, 46, is charged with first-degree murder in Lloyd's death and in the strangling death
last fall of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37, a soldier under the colonel's command at Canadian Forces
Base Trenton.
He also faces charges in two sexual assaults in which the victims were bound naked to chairs and
photographed by their attacker.
At Lloyd's funeral Saturday, as hundreds of mourners including friends, family, members of the Belleville
police force and the military packed a memorial home perched atop a busy corner in Belleville, it was
apparent the young woman's death has shaken even those whom Lloyd had never met.
"We have a daughter and a granddaughter, and it could have been anyone," said 62-year-old Alice
Veltman, who, despite a bitter-cold wind, sat on a bench outside the funeral home. "We are just here to
show our support in this way."
Veltman said she and her husband, Lambert, felt compelled to pay their respects to the Lloyd family after
a letter passed through her workplace in Trenton asking employees to attend the funeral.
Carrie Plews, 29, who met Lloyd and her brother years ago through an ex-boyfriend, lined up for more
than an hour Friday at Lloyd's wake, which one funeral home worker said was attended by 1,000 people
in the span of four hours.
See LLOYD on PAGE A4
Lloyd: 'We pray
today for some
measure of healing'
Continued from PAGE A1
Plews came out again Saturday for the funeral.
"She was an amazing person, very friendly and very kind," said Plews, her blue eyes filled with tears.
"I'm so sorry it had to be this way."
Inside, the room was filled with flowers and photos of Lloyd.
The service was led by Rev. Cathy Paul from St. Mark's United Church in Belleville.
After an opening prayer, she asked attendees to read from Psalm 121, which begins, "I will lift up my eyes
to the hills -- from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth."
"We pray today for some measure of healing," said Paul, who went on to say that Lloyd's spirit was on its
journey "home."
"Jess had her life in good order. She was living the life she wanted to live," Paul continued, saying Lloyd
had a wonderful "joie de vivre."
Lloyd's cousins, Sarah and John, spoke on behalf of the family.
Sarah remembered her cousin's "random funny comments."
"Those green eyes could catch a glimpse from anyone in the room," said Sarah.
Lloyd was also remembered for her loves, which included her country, her job in nearby Napanee,
children and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
John told the gathering that he wanted to play a song for his cousin, who enjoyed a variety of music from
rapper Jay-Z to country singer George Strait. He said he couldn't pick just one.
"She'd need a greatest-hits album," was his conclusion.
After the funeral, a bagpiper played Amazing Grace, and onlookers -- some of them holding flowers or
signs that said "RIP Jessica" -- watched as several black vehicles drove away to a nearby hall.
Rev. Audrey Whitney said she attended the funeral to support her friend Paul and also the Lloyd family.
She called the service "a celebration of life."
"It was a good celebration after a week of anger and confusion and shock," said Whitney.
"It was comforting."
Williams is being held at the Quinte Detention Centre, near Napanee. His next court appearance is set for
Thursday in Belleville.
Forensic investigators began searching Williams' Ottawa home Thursday.
They were looking for specific items, including bras and panties, and digital storage devices, computer
equipment, camera and video gear, and photographs.
The search continued Friday, with a police van parked in the closed garage, presumably to conceal what,
if anything, is brought out of the house.
On Thursday, police said Williams told them where they could find evidence, including hidden keepsakes,
inside the home where he lived with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman.
Back to Top
Section: National News
Outlet: The Globe And Mail
Byline: COLIN FREEZE
Headline: A mournful hymn for a vibrant woman
Page: A7
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
A bagpiper's rendition of Amazing Grace, the mournful hymn that concludes ``I was lost but now am
found'', pierced through the monotone of a bleak January afternoon as Jessica Lloyd was taken to her
final resting place.
Hundreds of mourners packed into the Bush Funeral Home in Belleville, Ont., on Saturday to remember
the 27-year-old , a missing person until her body was discovered just off a rural road in Eastern Ontario
last week. Colonel Russell Williams, the 46-year-old former commander of the local military base, stands
accused of the slaying and other sex crimes.
Air Force commanders who had once served under Col. Williams attended the funeral, and joined police
in saluting Ms. Lloyd's coffin as a gesture of respect. As the hearse drove away from the funeral home, it
joined the traffic on city streets where the light boards affixed to buses remind townsfolk to ``Support Our
Troops.''
Canadian Forces Base Trenton and the nearby city of Belleville have always had a close relationship, and
the crimes for which Col. Williams is accused have done little to cause any rupture. Soldiers, police and
civilians gathered together at the funeral home.
Those who knew her best described Ms. Lloyd as a vibrant, loving soul with stunning green eyes - and a
small-town woman through and through. Her family moved to the Bay of Quinte region 20 years ago,
when she was eight years old. She never left.
Ms. Lloyd was said to love the look of the landscape, the way an overnight frost whitened the countryside.
She loved her job at the local school-bus company, and the smaller vehicles that zoomed around on the
same roads.
``She loved to remind her big brother her black Ninja [a Kawasaki motorcycle] was a newer model by two
years,'' one of her relatives said, explaining it was a running joke between the siblings.
The funeral home was packed to the point where a monitor and speaker were set up outside to
accommodate a small overflow of mourners who watched outside in subzero weather.
The speakers all agreed that words were inadequate to describe the community's loss. A couple of weeks
earlier, Bay of Quinte residents, local police and CFB Trenton soldiers all banded together to search for
Ms. Lloyd.
On the evening of Jan. 28 - after a spate of mysterious sex crimes had rattled Eastern Ontarians - Ms.
Lloyd texted a friend to say she was safely inside her home, on the outskirts of Bellevillle.
But she wasn't safe at all. She never showed up to work at Tri-Board Student Transportation Service the
next morning, behaviour her colleagues found to be totally out of character.
The 11-day hunt ended one week ago, after Col. Williams was questioned by police as a suspect. When
the interviews finished he stood charged with murdering Ms. Lloyd, and police finally found her body just
metres off the shoulder of a rural road.
Col Williams further stands accused of murdering one of his subordinates, Corporal Marie-France
Comeau, slain in her Eastern Ontario home last November. He faces charges for two sexual assaults
against two women who lived on this Tweed, Ont., street, women who had been blindfolded and attacked
last September.
As months of escalating sex attacks horrified townsfolk, Col. Williams toured politicians and media
through CFB Trenton in his role as base commander and appeared as a community leader at functions
such as Rotary Club dinners in Belleville. Until his arrest, he had always seemed to be above reproach.
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: Jessica Lloyd, whose murder has left Bay of Quinte residents in shock and resulted in a top military
officer's arrest one week ago, was living the life of her dreams, 300 mourners heard Saturday.
Headline: Shattered dreams Mourners told slain woman loved her life
Page: 4
Byline: BY IAN ROBERTSON, TORONTO SUN
Outlet: The Toronto Sun
# Illustrations: 3 photos 1. 2photos by Jack Boland, Sun Media Mourners comfort each other at the
funeral for Jessica Lloyd in Belleville Saturday, as officials and dignitaries look on. 2. Young women hold
a sign of support for murder victim Jessica Lloyd outside a Belleville funeral home Saturday. 3. photo of
JESSICA LLOYD Outgoing
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: BELLEVILLE
Jessica Lloyd, whose murder has left Bay of Quinte residents in shock and resulted in a top military
officer's arrest one week ago, was living the life of her dreams, 300 mourners heard Saturday.
The 27-year-old with rich, dark hair and green eyes, was living alone in a rural house on Hwy. 37 near the
Village of Tweed, which her mom, Roxanne, and late navy dad, Warren "Eb" Lloyd, bought 19 years ago.
Vibrant, outgoing, strong and with a mind of her own, fond of uttering witty one-liners, she enjoyed
entertaining friends there and, "by all accounts, she loved country living," Rev. Cathy Paul, of St. Mark's
United Church in nearby Cannifton, said in the packed John R. Bush Funeral Home.
In particular, she was a fan this time of year, "when the frost turned the countryside into a winter
wonderland," the preacher said during the 40-minute service.
Described as a major fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lloyd told friends if she ever had a son she'd like to
name him Tie, after the team's former on-ice enforcer Tie Domi.
Raised in Ottawa on a military base until moving to Tweed at age 8, she studied business administration
and human resources, then worked in the Sears store in Belleville.
In recent years, Lloyd commuted daily to her job with a transportation company in Napanee, east of the
Hastings County seat, in her black Pontiac Grand Prix, which she called her "Black Ninja".
Her body was found in a rural area near Tweed last Monday, one day after the arrest in Ottawa of Col.
Russell Williams, commander of 8 Wing at CFB Trenton, west of Belleville.
Williams, 46, who used his stepfather's name Sovka while living in Scarborough and attending school and
university in Toronto in the 1970s and 1980s, is charged with the first-degree murder of Lloyd and Cpl.
Marie-France Comeau, 38, a flight steward at his base.
Comeau's body was found last November in her home in Brighton, a village west of Trenton.
The officer, whose wife lives in the west end of Ottawa, is also accused of forcibly confining, sexually
assaulting and taking photos last September of two women during break-ins at their homes in Tweed. He
is to appear via a video feed with the Belleville court from a nearby lockup on Thursday.
Lloyd's murder caused her family, friends and the community "deep sadness," Rev. Paul said during the
service, which was closed to the media. "Words at a time like this seem completely inadequate."
The young woman's disappearance 11 days before her body was located prompted a great deal of
community support, with people offering to help police search, posters quickly put up seeking public help
and outpourings of sympathy for her family, who live in the Belleville area.
After her murder was revealed, the case attracted worldwide media attention due to the high profile of
Williams, who is under investigation by the OPP and Belleville Police as a serial sex stalker.
Sarah Lloyd, her voice sometimes a whisper, spoke of her numerous family get-togethers with her cousin
Jessica.
"She loved one-liners," delivered with "those green eyes that cast a glance," she said, adding "she made
a huge impact on us ... our families went through so much together.
"She will be forever remembered," Sarah promised, as her cousin's widowed mom and brother, Andy,
looked on, surrounded by relatives and friends.
Speaking of his cousin's rich sense of humour, Sarah's brother, John, said, "Jessica had enough love in
her to touch everyone.
"She loved kids," he said, "and was always determined, with a mind of her own."
OPP, Belleville Police and several military officers formed an honour guard at the back of the funeral
home as the family left.
Lloyd's body was cremated.
Two mourners placed lit candles in glass containers on a nearby sidewalk as the funeral procession left,
heralded by a piper playing Amazing Grace.
IAN.ROBERTSON@SUNMEDIA.CA
© 2010 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: How cool is life in the Canadian military reserve?
Headline: Confidence builder Reservists head north for Arctic exercise outside Churchill
Page: 4
Byline: BY ROSS ROMANIUK, WINNIPEG SUN
Outlet: The Winnipeg Sun
# Illustrations: photo by Winnipeg Sun Members of 38 Canadian Brigade Group prepare for their
departure to Churchill for Operation Northern Bison onSaturday at Minto Armouries.
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
How cool is life in the Canadian military reserve?
More than 100 guys -- and some females -- are heading out Sunday morning for a practice mission to do
what they describe as "lots of cool stuff" in a cool environment.
It's very cool, in fact. It's Churchill in February.
Each carrying up to 140 pounds of gear for Exercise Northern Bison, the members of 38 Canadian
Brigade Group will carry out the week-long training while living off the land and sleeping in tents in the
snow near the shore of Hudson Bay.
Most civilians would call that roughing it. Master corporals Jason Papilion and Rick Cumbers say they're
loving it.
"My main goal is to make sure that our guys can do their jobs," Cumbers, a reservist who lives in
Saskatoon with a day job as a college industrial mechanics instructor, said Saturday at Minto Armouries.
"And that they don't freeze and die up there. And we want to bring everybody back happy with all their
appendages. Hopefully they'll gain the confidence and skills to do this again."
The exercise, running until Feb. 21, will involve the Brigade Group's part-time military members from
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
While they gathered at the St. Matthews Avenue armoury to check their gear, Papilion pointed out that
he's been to Churchill before -- once, as part of his civilian career with Service Canada.
"We're going to work on our northern skills, whether it be surviving or basic operations in the Arctic," said
Papilion, of Moose Jaw, Sask. "It's getting some practice in sub-arctic and arctic conditions."
The practice will include getting around on snowshoes and skis, as well as forms of snowmobiles, he
explained, and "learning to manoeuvre as a platoon while on a Ski-doo with all the gear we're going to be
pulling."
Working about 30 km outside Churchill with the military's Northern Rangers, the reservists will gain skills
that might later come in handy for Arctic sovereign missions or emergencies.
"It could be a community in need from being snowed in or stuck, or an airplane that goes down. It has
many, many applications," Papilion said, adding that a possibility of polar bears in their midst is a
concern.
"We're prepared for some of that. We'll carry some weaponry, and live ammunition, just for protective
purposes. We'll be around some of the polar bears and everything else around there."
Both of these men served several-month tours of duty with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan in 2008 -the kind of sometimes mountainous, wintry environment in which Churchill training would be useful.
"When I got there," Papilion said of Afghanistan, "it snowed for two days straight."
ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca
© 2010 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: Editorial
Outlet: The Sunday Herald
Headline: COMMANDER AND MURDERER?; Crimes and astonishment
Page: A12
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
MOST people become notorious only after they are charged with a heinous crime. But rare are those who
are truly noteworthy beforehand.
This is why it came as such a shock when the commander of CFB Trenton was arrested last week in
connection with the murders of two young women, as well as the sexual assaults of two others during a
pair of home invasions.
Col. Russell Williams, a decorated pilot and a rising star in the military stratosphere, is the most prominent
Canadian ever to face such serious criminal accusations. Only remotely comparable was Colin Thatcher's
1984 conviction for the first-degree murder of his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson. Mr. Thatcher was the son of a
Saskatchewan premier, and a former cabinet minister himself.
Mr. Thatcher was a vengeful and controlling man who terrorized his former spouse. But the crimes of
which Col. Williams stands accused are more chilling than that. An entire community in the Trenton area
was terrorized for six months by a predator.
Now investigators are combing through Col. Williams' past - including his posting at CFB Shearwater
during the early '90s - to see if they can link cold cases and unsolved crimes to him. Nothing concrete has
come to light so far.
The fall from grace of the Ontario base's boss, who oversaw 3,500 military and civilian personnel, also
has the Armed Forces poring over his file to see if any warning signs were overlooked as Col. Williams'
career progressed. "We've put additional rigour over the past five years into the selection of our
leadership," said a shell-shocked chief of defence staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk. "We'll do an
administrative review to see, what did we miss?"
Clearly, the military is concerned about the collateral damage to its reputation. During the general's visit to
their base, some soldiers even raised the issue of whether they should wear their uniforms in the
community, amid reports of a couple of their comrades being harassed.
Why there'd be any backlash at all against our men and women in uniform is beyond us. There is no
evidence the military covered anything up; in fact, it is co-operating with police. Besides, allegations
against one high-profile individual are not the sort of thing the rank-and-file should answer for.
Nor should any member of the Armed Forces lose confidence in the top brass because of this. No
"sacred trust," as Gen. Natynczyk described it, has been broken. To our knowledge, no one has failed in
their duty to stop a string of crimes that happened while Col. Williams was off duty.
()
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: DON BUTLER
Outlet: Montreal Gazette
# Illustrations: Photo: CANWEST FILE PHOTO / Colonel Russell Williams, seen at a Battle of Britain
parade last year, grew up in the intellectual oasis of Deep River, Ont., and later attended the tony Upper
Canada College.
Headline: 'A hard guy to get to know'; Colonel Russell williams, now charged with murder and sexual
assault, grew upin an affluent, intellectual environment and rose quickly in military ranks, but did so
without revealing much of himself
Page: A4
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: OTTAWA
Source: Canwest News Service
If the experiences of our formative years mould our character as adults, what are we to make of the life of
Colonel Russell Williams?
For the "bright, shining star" of the Canadian Forces, now facing devastating charges of murder and
sexual assault, that life was a blend of instability and privilege, alternately exotic and mundane.
It was a life of shifting identities and high achievement, one that improbably coupled a very public career
with intense personal privacy.
No wonder Random House has already announced the fall release of a book on his life.
Born in 1963, Williams was not yet 5 when his British parents left England for a new life in one of
Canada's most remarkable communities.
Deep River, carved out of the eastern Ontario wilderness 180 kilometres northwest of Ottawa by the
federal government in 1945, was an offshoot of Canada's entry into the nuclear age.
Built for the families of scientists and technicians who worked at the nearby Chalk River Nuclear
Research Laboratories, the planned town was like no other in the country.
A 1958 story in Maclean's magazine by a young Peter C. Newman described Deep River as a "utopian
attempt to create a happy environment where all is ordered for the best."
An affluent, intellectual oasis plunked down in a rural area where most struggled to make a living, it had
one of the country's highest ratios of PhDs per capita - 130 in a population of 5,000 in 1971. Crime and
unemployment were all but unknown. Local stores stocked caviar and designer-copy clothes. The Strand
Theatre screened the best French, Italian, Swedish and Russian films.
Williams landed in this insular community when his father took a job as a metallurgist in Chalk River. With
his mother and younger brother, Harvey, they lived in a duplex purchased in March 1968.
They settled into their new home, joining the Deep River Yacht and Tennis Club, where David raced
sailboats and his wife played tennis.
The couple split in May 1970, and Christine transferred ownership of the family home to her husband.
David Williams stayed on in Deep River for another 10 months. But his wife and her two sons moved to
Scarborough, Ont., where she married an eminent nuclear scientist, Jerry Sovka.
With divorce and remarriage came new identities. His mother began to be known by her second name,
Nonie, and Williams adopted his stepfather's surname. Henceforth, he would be known as Russ Sovka.
The family settled into a house near the Scarborough Bluffs, overlooking Lake Ontario.
For Russ Sovka, it was a period of relative stability. He delivered the Globe and Mail and learned to play
the piano, and later the trumpet.
Music, especially jazz, was a passion, and he excelled at it. In his first year at Birchmount Park Collegiate
in Scarborough, he played trumpet in the junior, intermediate and senior bands.
By 1980, Russ was in Toronto, enrolled as a boarding student at Upper Canada College, a tony private
boys' school that caters to the city's elite.
The school, founded in 1829, has produced six lieutenant-governors, seven chief justices and three
premiers. Another 24 have been named Rhodes Scholars, 10 are Olympic medallists and 40 have been
inducted into the Order of Canada.
Modelled on the British public school, UCC regularly faced accusations of racial bias and sexism until the
1970s, when it began to recruit students from visible minorities and offer assistance to the less affluent.
Beginning in 1998, allegations of sexual abuse by teachers began surfacing, including some that
occurred while Russ Sovka was at the school. A number led to criminal convictions.
By all accounts, Russ Sovka did well at UCC. He's remembered as a hard-working, diligent student,
though not one with a particularly high profile. In his final year, he was elected a prefect in his boarding
house, Wedd's.
Music remained his greatest passion, and he played trumpet in the school band.
After high school, young Sovka studied politics and economics at the University of Toronto's Scarborough
campus.
He also took flying lessons at Buttonville Airport, north of the city.
After graduating from university in 1987, Sovka reverted to his birth name of Williams and enrolled in the
Canadian Armed Forces.
It was perhaps a surprising choice for a university graduate whose parents were both professionals.
But Williams was a natural flyer; so accomplished, in fact, that after earning his wings in 1990, his first job
was instructing pilots in CT-134 Beech Musketeer aircraft at the Forces' flying school in Portage la Prairie,
Man.
It was there that he met and married his wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman, in 1991. She is now the
respected associate director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
In the Armed Forces, Williams's career trajectory was relentlessly upward.
In the 1990s, there were postings to 434 Combat Squadron in Shearwater, N.S., and 412 Transport
Squadron in Ottawa, where passengers on his CC144 Challenger jet included the prime minister and
governor-general.
He and his wife bought a house in the community of Orleans, near Ottawa, where they lived for about 15
years before moving to a house in the capital city's central Westboro area last December.
Neighbours in Orleans share the general astonishment at Williams's arrest.
He and his wife were "an absolutely fantastic and wonderful couple," said Shirley Fraser, who met them
when they first moved to the area.
"I would suspect the pope before I would suspect Russ," declared George White, another neighbour.
By 1999, Williams had been promoted to major and spent four years in the offices of the Director-General
Military Careers, where he served as the multi-engine pilot career manager.
After spending a year at Royal Military College, Williams was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and
appointed commanding officer of 437 Transport Squadron in Trenton.
In 2005, he served six months as commanding officer, theatre support element, at Camp Mirage, a
secretive Canadian Forces base in the desert south of Dubai.
The logistics base, whose very existence the Canadian Forces won't confirm, supports Canadian Forces
operations in Afghanistan.
Around this time, Williams and his wife bought a second home, a bungalow on the shores of Lake Stuco
near Tweed, Ont., a sleepy community about 40 kilometres north of Belleville.
The two sexual assaults that Williams is charged with occurred last fall in houses on the same lake.
In both cases, the attacker broke into the houses in the dead of night, blindfolded and tied his victims
naked to chairs, then assaulted and photographed them.
Meanwhile, Williams's career continued to advance.
After three years at the directorate of air requirements, last July Williams was appointed commander of 8
Wing at CFB Trenton, Canada's largest airbase with 3,500 military and civilian staff.
He had risen so far and so fast because he was an impressive soldier, dedicated, hard-working and
intelligent.
Yet he did so while revealing little of himself.
"A hard guy to get to know," Quinte West Mayor John Williams told the National Post.
The mayor met weekly with Williams after his appointment at CFB Trenton.
"He was very much reserved. He just wasn't a person you would feel warm about."
Police say that after his arrest last Sunday, Williams told them where they could find incriminating
evidence in his Ottawa home.
The next day, he led police to the body of Jessica Lloyd, one of two women he's accused of killing.
With files from Kristy Neas and Adrian Humphreys
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Ken Meaney And Laura Stone
Outlet: The Province
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Canadian Forces / Col. Russell Williams, commander of Canadian Forces
Base Trenton, pictured in a September 2009 photo, has been charged with two counts of first-degree
murder, along with two other counts of forcible confinement and sexual assault. Colour Photo: Ottawa
Citizen / Police continued their searchSaturday of the Ottawa home where Col. Russell Williams lives with
his wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman, for evidence in the two homicide cases.
Headline: Police scour house for more clues to slayings; Disgraced Trenton CRB commander has already
disclosed where to find evidence, say cops
Page: A18
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: OTTAWA
Source: Canwest News Service
They were very different weekend gatherings, but linked by a young woman's murder.
In Belleville, Ont., friends and family of Jessica Lloyd gathered Friday and Saturday to remember the 27year-old woman who was found strangled last Monday in nearby Tweed, in rural eastern Ontario.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, police officers searched the home of Col. Russell Williams, the 46-year-old former
commander at Ontario's Canadian Forces Base Trenton, the country's most important airbase.
Williams is charged with first-degree murder in Lloyd's death and in the strangling death last fall of
another woman, Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37, Williams' subordinate at the airbase.
"She was a great girl, very friendly. She always said hi to everybody," Ken Corrigan, 30, who is a friend of
Lloyd's older brother, Andy, said at her wake Friday.
Lloyd was last heard from on Jan. 28, when a friend received a text message from her.
The other woman, Comeau, had been with the military for 12 years. Her body was found in her home in
Brighton, a small town about 15 kilo-metres west of Trenton, on Nov. 25.
Forensic investigators began searching Williams' Ottawa home Thursday. They were looking for specific
items, including bras and panties, and digital storage devices, computer equipment, camera and video
gear, and photographs.
The search continued Friday, with a police van parked in the closed garage, presumably to conceal
anything brought out of the house. Earlier, police said Williams told them where they could find evidence,
including hidden keepsakes, inside the Ottawa home he shared with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman.
The statements were given to Ontario Provincial Police detectives a week ago at Ottawa police
headquarters, authorities said.
Williams is also charged with the forcible confinement and sexual assault of two other women in Tweed,
where he has a cottage. The victims in the latter two cases were bound naked to chairs and
photographed by their attacker.
He is being held at the Quinte Detention Centre, near Napanee, Ont., with his next court appearance set
for Feb. 18 in Belleville.
In a statement last week, Williams' family say they are "shocked and appalled" by the charges and that
they have had only minimal contact with him in recent years.
"Our relationship with him was broken off in early 2001 when our mother's divorce from my stepfather
caused a deep rift between him and my mother and myself," said his brother, Harvey Williams, in a
written statement.
Williams attended Upper Canada College, the private Toronto boys' school from 1980 to 1982, where he
was known as Russ Sovka.
Andrew Saxton, a Conservative MP for North Vancouver, attended Upper Canada College at the same
time as Williams. He said he was stunned his former classmate had been implicated in the investigation.
"I went to high school with Col. Williams many years ago when he went by the name 'Russ Sovka.'
However, I have not seen him for nearly three decades and did not realize he was the same person with
whom I went to school until [Thursday] morning," he said in an email.
"I extend my sympathies to the families affected by these tragic events. It would be inappropriate for me
to comment further."
Williams and Harriman have no children.
Meanwhile, a new commander was announced Friday for CFB Trenton. Lt.-Col. Dave Cochrane has been
selected to replace Williams. Cochrane will take command effective next Friday.
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Section: none
Outlet: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Headline: Page: A7
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
MARJAH, Afghanistan -- Bombs and booby-traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. Marines and
Afghan soldiers moving through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah -- NATO's most ambitious effort yet
to break the militants' grip over their southern heartland. NATO said Saturday it hoped to secure the area
in days, set up a local government and rush in development aid in a first test of the new U.S. strategy for
turning the tide of the eight-year war. The offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of
Afghanistan. Three Canadian Chinook helicopters were helping ferry some 1,100 coalition troops to Nad
Ali, under the watch of four Canadian Griffon escorts.
The Taliban appeared to have scattered in the face of overwhelming force, possibly waiting to regroup
and stage attacks later to foil the alliance's plan to stabilize the area and expand Afghan government
control in the volatile south. NATO said two of its soldiers were killed in the first day of the operation -one American and one Briton, according to military officials in their countries. Afghan authorities said at
least 20 insurgents were killed.
More than 30 transport helicopters ferried troops into the heart of Marjah before dawn Saturday, while
British, Afghan and U.S. troops fanned out across the Nad Ali district to the north of the mud-brick town.
U.S. President Barack Obama was keeping a close watch on combat operations, White House
spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
The president will get an update from his national security adviser, Gen. Jim Jones, later Saturday.
Vietor said Defence Secretary Robert Gates will also have the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen.
Stanley McChrystal, brief Obama this morning.
In Marjah, Marines and Afghan troops faced little armed resistance.
But their advance through the town was impeded by countless land mines, homemade bombs and boobytraps littering the area.
Throughout the day, Marine ordnance teams blew up bombs where they were found, setting off huge
explosions that reverberated through the dusty streets.
-- The Associated Press, with file from The CP
Back to Top
Section: News
Outlet: The Ottawa Citizen
Headline: Marines lead major offensive against Taliban; One U.S. death reported; five NATO troops killed
in southern Afghanistan
Page: A9
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: MARJAH, Afghanistan
Source: Reuters
U.S. Marines spearheaded one of NATO's biggest offensives against the Taliban in Afghanistan on
Saturday, in an early test of U.S. President Barack Obama's troop surge policy.
Marines in helicopters landed in Marjah district, the last big Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, in
the first hours of a NATO campaign to impose government control on rebel-held areas before U.S. forces
start a planned 2011 drawdown.
They fired at least four rockets at militants who attacked from compounds near the bazaar in Marjah town.
Hours later, the area was still gripped by the firefight.
There was one Marine casualty in the unit in which a Reuters correspondent was embedded.
"We are currently moving to seize our objective. We have been in contact for five hours from the
southwest, north and east and we are moving to push to finish securing the areas of insurgents still,"
Lieut. Mark Greenlief said.
Canadians also took part in the initial assault, with helicopters from Edmonton's 408 Squadron flying
troops into the area.
The Marines' first objective was to take over the town centre, a large cluster of dwellings, and they called
in two Harrier jets which flew over a Taliban position at the edge of the town centre and fired on the
militants with machineguns.
Like civilians in the district of up to 100,000 people, the U.S., British and Afghan troops risk being blown
up by booby traps the Taliban are believed to have rigged in the hundreds to try to slow the advance.
Also in southern Afghanistan, five NATO troops, including three Americans, died after roadside bomb
strikes, and a shooting in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, NATO said in a statement.
It was not clear whether they were killed during the offensive, but the violence illustrated how vulnerable
they still were after eight years of fighting the Taliban.
Back to Top
Section: News
Outlet: Montreal Gazette
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: GORAN TOMASEVIC, REUTERS / U.S. Marines are seen during battle in
Marjah district yesterday. Marjah has long been a breeding ground for insurgents.
Headline: NATO 'very pleased' with offensive; Day 2. 'The key objective has been secured'
Page: A7
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: MARJAH, Afghanistan
Source: AFP; Bloomberg News
NATO commanders said the start of a major U.S.-led offensive against a key Taliban stronghold in
southern Afghanistan had been a success as the operation entered its second day yesterday.
U.S. Marines led the charge on Marjah, a town of 80,000 in the central Helmand River valley controlled
for years by militants and drug traffickers in the first major test of U.S. President Barack Obama's new
surge policy.
Some 15,000 U.S., British and Afghan soldiers stormed the Islamist stronghold in NATO's biggest
operation since overthrowing the Taliban regime in 2001.
Troops dropped into Marjah from helicopters before dawn Saturday, immediately coming under fire and
claiming their first Taliban victims within hours, Afghan army and Marines officers said.
Operation Mushtarak ("together" in Dari) aims to clear the area of Taliban and re-establish Afghan
sovereignty and civil services, Helmand Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal said.
Senior officials and NATO commanders said they were satisfied with the operation's first day, with Mark
Sedwill, NATO's senior civilian representative, saying it "appears to be positive."
"I can't yet say how long it will take for this military phase to get to the point where we can bring in the
civilian support from the Afghan government, we hope that will happen quickly," Sedwill told reporters in
Kabul.
Sedwill, a former British ambassador in Kabul, is slated to play a key role in the operation, whose
principal aim is to establish civilian administration in one of the Taliban's last strongholds in Afghanistan.
British forces suffered their first casualty of the operation when a soldier was killed in an explosion while
on a vehicle patrol in Helmand province's Nad-e-Ali area.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said five foreign soldiers died on Saturday in the
south of Afghanistan, three of them U.S. troops, but did not say if they had been involved in the Marjah
attack.
At least 20 Taliban fighters were killed in the first hours of the assault, said General Sher Mohammad
Zazai, commander of the operation's Afghan troops.
"So far, we have killed 20 armed opposition fighters. Eleven others have been detained," he said, adding
the dead were killed in separate engagements.
NATO commanders were "very pleased with how it has gone," senior British military spokesman Maj.Gen. Gordon Messenger told a briefing in London.
"The key objective has been secured," he said, explaining that the main aims for British troops were to
secure the population centres and installations such as police stations in the Chah-e Anjir Triangle
northeast of Marjah.
There had been some "sporadic fighting," but the Taliban appeared to be "confused and disjointed" and
unable "to put up a coherent response," he said.
Mushtarak is the first major assault on a Taliban stronghold since Obama announced in December that
he was sending an additional 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in 2010.
The U.S. and NATO already have 113,000 troops in the country battling the insurgents. NATO has
pledged another 10,000, bringing the total to more than 150,000 by August.
Mushtarak puts into practice the new U.S.-led counter-insurgency strategy combining the military
objective of eradicating the Taliban with the need to replace their brand of harsh control with civilian
authority.
The battle for Marjah, an agricultural plain that is the source of most of the world's opium, is the first real
test of the strategy, devised by U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of foreign forces in
Afghanistan.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned the troops to do everything possible to avoid harming civilians, a
sensitive issue among war-weary Afghans.
The U.S. presence in Helmand has improved security and the economy since July, said Abdul Ahad
Helmandwal, a tribal elder near Marjah, in a phone interview. Still, the accompanying aid effort - which
provided millions of dollars worth of seed and fertilizer to encourage farmers to grow wheat instead of
opium - has been undercut by a corruption scandal in which several top provincial officials have been
arrested.
A Taliban commander in Afghanistan, Akhtar Mohammad, said such operations had been attempted
before and failed.
"The Taliban have never been defeated," Mohammad said.
The offensive had been ready for days and it was only after Afghan President Hamid Karzai consulted
with local leaders and his cabinet that he gave the go-ahead, said British Maj.-Gen. Nick Carter in an
interview with BBC News. Karzai agreed only after being told the local residents wanted the help, he said.
"In Afghanistan, it's not the clear phase that's the decisive piece of this, it's the hold phase," Carter said.
"Ultimately the population will remove the insurgents from amongst themselves. The public mood and the
feedback we've had has been positive. If you get the population on your side, the insurgency will
collapse."
Back to Top
Section: News
Outlet: The Province
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Reuters / U.S. Marines protect an Afghan man and his child after Taliban
fighters opened fire on them.
Headline: Coalition forces fight their way into Taliban stronghold; 15,000 troops are involved in the effort
to force insurgents from the contested area
Page: A41
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: NEAR MARJA,AFGHANISTAN
Source: The Province
U.S. Marines seized key positions in the Taliban sanctuary of Marja on Saturday, as thousands of
coalition troops picked their way through a dense tangle of homemade bombs to consolidate their hold on
a swath of desert and farm territory surrounding the southern Afghan city.
U.S. and Afghan commanders reported only scattered resistance from Taliban fighters, who boasted that
they were holding off the massive coalition assault, despite evidence that they were retreating instead.
Western military officials said that some insurgents had fled the town before the offensive, and that others
appeared to have fallen back to parts of the town not yet secured by the Marines. At least 20 insurgents
were killed in the fighting, military commanders said.
Two members of NATO's International Security Assistance Force were killed on the first full day of the
offensive, meant to establish security and governance in what had been a particularly chaotic corner of
Helmand province. Their nationalities were not immediately disclosed.
Three U.S. service members were killed in an explosion elsewhere in the south Saturday, the military
reported.
The Marines, who pushed into the Helmand River Valley seven months ago, had described Marja as the
last main Taliban stronghold in their theatre of operations.
The offensive is the first major operation involving U.S. forces since President Obama decided late last
year to deploy an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in a bid to turn the tide of the war before an
expected American drawdown next year.
About 5,000 Marines are spearheading the Marja offensive, but a total of about 15,000 coalition forces
are involved in combat and support roles, including British troops and U.S. army units that pushed in from
the northeast, linking up with the Marines to encircle the town.
The offensive began with the thunder of helicopters filling the dark sky. More than 60 choppers took part
in what British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, the commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, described
as a "successful insertion" by air of thousands of coalition and Afghan troops into the town, as well as
surrounding farmlands.
The ground advance into the main population centre was slower, delayed by the painstaking task of
clearing away one of the thickest layers of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that Western
commanders had yet encountered.
Homemade bombs, planted by insurgents on roads, in culverts and in open terrain, are the No. 1 killer of
Western troops in Afghanistan. Throughout the day, the boom of detonations echoed through the streets
as bomb disposal teams disabled one device after another.
The network of canals ringing the town -- built decades ago as part of a U.S.-sponsored agricultural
development program -- were used by the insurgents as makeshift fortifications, with the defenders
seeding the banks with bombs and trying to flood a main waterway. The Marines laid down metal bridges
to cross the canals.
Several thousand civilians have fled, with the exodus continuing even amid the fighting. The North
Atlantic Treaty Organization had urged non-combatants to stay in their homes once the battle began,
rather than risk their safety on the roads, but some families braved roadside bombs and Taliban
checkpoints to get clear.
The performance of Afghan forces is being closely watched as an indicator of their eventual ability to
shoulder security responsibilities so foreign troops can leave Afghanistan.
The Marja operation is code-named Moshtarak ( "Together") in the Dari language, apparently meant to
emphasize the partnership between Afghan and coalition troops.
-- L.A. Times
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: Canadian Chinook helicopters touched down in a Taliban stronghold as coalition forces mounted
their largest air assault of the war.
Headline: Major offensive begins Canadian helicopters ferry troops deep into the heart of Talibancontrolled region
Page: 30
Byline: BY STEVE RENNIE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Outlet: The Calgary Sun
# Illustrations: 2 photos 1. photo by GoranTomasevic, Reuters A U.S. marine tries to protect an Afghan
man and his child after taking Taliban fire in a town in Helmand province Saturday. Western troops and
their Afghan partners were helicoptered into Afghanistan's opium country to take on the Taliban. 2. photo
of BARACK OBAMA Troop surge
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: NAD ALI, Afghanistan
Canadian Chinook helicopters touched down in a Taliban stronghold as coalition forces mounted their
largest air assault of the war.
American, British, Afghan and other coalition troops stormed the insurgent-held town of Marjah and the
district of Nad Ali early Saturday, said to be two of the last major bastions of Taliban control in Helmand
province.
The pre-dawn attack is by far the largest offensive staged since U.S. President Barack Obama's decision
to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan to quell a spreading insurgency.
Three Canadian Chinook helicopters helped ferry 1,100 coalition troops to Nad Ali, under the watch of
four Canadian Griffon helicopter escorts, flying without lights through the darkness.
The Canadian helicopters dropped troops in muddy fields without taking any fire from the insurgents.
"The insurgents didn't show up at all," said Col. Christian Drouin, commanding officer of the Canadian air
force in Afghanistan. "We had no resistance whatsoever."
The seven Canadian choppers joined 33 British and American helicopters in the assault on Nad Ali.
Before the attack, military officials said their intelligence showed between 150 to 200 insurgents hunkered
down near there.
The militants were believed to be armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft
weapons and other light weaponry.
Even more helicopters and troops attacked Marjah, southwest of the Helmand provincial capital of
Lashkar Gah. Thirty Canadian military trainers were part of the Marjah assault with their Afghan army
pupils.
Thousands of coalition troops were part of the dual attacks on Marjah and Nad Ali.
About half the soldiers are Afghan.
© 2010 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: Bombs and booby traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. marines and Afghan soldiers
moving through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah -- NATO's most ambitious effort yet to break the
militants' grip over their southern heartland.
Headline: Massive Afghan assault impeded by hidden dangers
Page: 20
Byline: BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Outlet: The Toronto Sun
# Illustrations: photo by Goran Tomasevic, Reuters A U.S. marine tries to protect an Afghan man and his
child after Taliban fighters opened fire Saturday in the town of Marjah. NATO troops recently launched a
crucial offensive against the Taliban's last big stronghold in Afghanistan's most violent province.
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: MARJAH, Afghanistan
Bombs and booby traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. marines and Afghan soldiers moving
through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah -- NATO's most ambitious effort yet to break the militants'
grip over their southern heartland.
NATO said Saturday it hoped to secure the area in days, set up a local government and rush in
development aid in a first test of the new U.S. strategy for turning the tide of the eight-year war. The
offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
The Taliban appeared to have scattered in the face of overwhelming force, possibly waiting to regroup
and stage attacks later to foil the alliance's plan to stabilize the area and expand Afghan government
control in the volatile south.
NATO said two of its soldiers were killed in the first day of the operation -- one American and one Briton,
according to military officials in their countries. Afghan authorities said at least 20 insurgents were killed.
More than 30 transport helicopters ferried troops into the heart of Marjah before dawn Saturday, while
British, Afghan and U.S. troops fanned out across the Nad Ali district to the north of the mud-brick town,
long a stronghold of the Taliban.
In Marjah, marines and Afghan troops faced little armed resistance. But their advance through the town
was impeded by countless landmines, homemade bombs and booby traps littering the area.
Saturday's ground assault followed several hours after the first wave of helicopters flew troops over the
mine fields into the centre of town before dawn. Helicopter gunships fired missiles at Taliban tunnels and
bunkers while flares illuminated the night sky so pilots could see their landing zones.
The offensive, code-named "Moshtarak," or "Together," was described as the biggest joint operation of
the Afghan war, with 15,000 troops involved, including some 7,500 in Marjah itself. The government says
Afghan soldiers make up at least half of the offensive's force.
Once Marjah is secured, NATO hopes to quickly deliver aid and provide public services in a bid to win
support among the estimated 125,000 people who live in the town and surrounding villages. The Afghans'
ability to restore those services is crucial to the success of the operation and in preventing the Taliban
from returning.
© 2010 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Matthew Fisher
Outlet: Edmonton Journal
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Reuters / British soldiers mobilize for Operation Mostarak, a major assaults
on Taliban strongholds in Helmand Province on Saturday. Photo: Goran Tomasevic, Reuters / A U.S.
Marine gestures as he tries to protect an Afghan man and his child after Taliban fighters opened fire in
the town of Marjah, in Nad Ali district,Helmand province, on Saturday.
Headline: Massive Afghan offensive fills the skies; 20,000 troops take Taliban stronghold in complex night
operation
Page: A1
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: NAD-E-ALI, AFGHANISTAN
Source: Edmonton Journal
As their countrymen and women watched the opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Winter Olympics,
Canadian aviators were among the nearly 20,000 NATO and Afghan troops launching NATO's biggest
offensive yet against the Taliban and al-Qaida.
"There are helicopters everywhere. It's awesome," said Capt. Mathieu Bergeron of Edmonton, who
piloted the first Chinook to land during the largest ever helicopter assault involving the Canadian Air
Force.
On a cold night, under a canopy of dazzling stars and black illumination flares fired by high-flying aircraft,
the Canadians flew in to landing zones lit by lasers as part of a carefully choreographed aerial ballet of as
many as 90 transport and attack helicopters. In two operations that also involved British and American
helicopters, they swarmed in as many as five waves on to several dozen landing zones close to
suspected Taliban positions.
The entire air operation went unseen in almost total blackout conditions, except by pilots and door
gunners equipped with night vision goggles.
"This is a huge, complex operation," said Lt.-Col. Jeff Smyth of Edmonton, who piloted a Griffon
helicopter tasked with spotting insurgents and protecting transport helicopters and the ground troops that
they carried. "This is much bigger than anything Canada has done before -- this is what I've been training
for my entire 21-year career ... When there is something this big, there is risk involved."
On the third landing, the Canadians were momentarily concerned by the appearance of several people
outside a compound, but no shots were fired and that part of the mission, like all the rest, went off without
a hitch.
"It's perfect. A great success," Col. Christian Drouin, the Canadian wing commander, said.
Seven Chinook and Griffon helicopters from Edmonton's 408 Squadron inserted a reconnaissance
platoon from the Royal Welsh Regiment, infantry from Estonia and an almost equal number of Afghan
troops into a complicated piece of Talibanheld terrain in Helmand Province. As many as 200 insurgents
were believed to have placed hundreds of homemade landmines around a warren of canals and in
several river beds in that area.
The long-awaited push was not without cost. A British Grenadier Guard was killed when his Jackal patrol
vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand. A U.S. Marine died in a
separate attack.
Operation Mostarak, which means "together" in Dari, was NATO's plan to drive the Taliban from its
"traditional hot spots and safe havens" in Helmand, the senior Canadian in the air on Saturday said. It
involved inserting about 1,200 troops by air in the British area of operations and about 1,400 U.S. Marines
close by.
It was wheels up at 4:03 a.m. on Saturday for the lead Chinook piloted by Bergeron. His craft zigzagged
at low altitude over the desert before hurtling first into Landing Zone Howard and then two other LZ's
before dawn.
Under the eerie green combat lighting inside the Chinook, the Royal Welsh, each weighed down by as
much as 50 kilograms of gear, were ghostlike apparitions as they silently entered the helicopter with their
assault weapons pointed at the floor. During the short flights, the troops held up their hands to confirm
with their fingers the countdown to the moment when they rushed out of the aircraft into sub-zero
temperatures.
As they did so, door gunners scanned the ground intensely for any hint of trouble and the radio was alive
with bursts of cryptic chatter as pilots identifying themselves with handles such as "Blow Torch 61," spoke
to each other in military jargon.
Col. Richard Leakey, the British army aviator who planned and oversaw the battle, came by three times
over the past few days to check on the Canadians and to thank them for what they had done.
"The population is what it is all about," Leakey said, adding that Afghan military support for the operation
was essential. Meetings with local leaders, known as shuras, would take place within a few hours on
Friday, he said, as branches of the Afghan government flooded the area for the first time.
To avoid in-air collisions, which were described as the greatest flight threat, "what we've tried to do is give
each of you your own air space separated by time, geography and height," Leakey said.
Although obviously on a much smaller scale, the mission was reminiscent of the days during the world
wars when Canadian, British and American units often conducted key joint operations, such as on the
beaches of Normandy.
Atypically for armies used to secrecy, Operation Mostarak was highly publicized in advance by NATO
commanders. This was deliberately done to warn locals away from the fighting and to give insurgents a
chance to flee so that civilians could avoid getting caught in any crossfire.
"The enemy knows about it," said Col. Christian Drouin, commander of Canada's aviation wing in
Afghanistan.
"The only thing that they don't know is the H-hour."
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Matthew Fisher and Ben Gelinas
Outlet: The Ottawa Citizen
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: Sgt. Daniel Burt, Royal Air Force / Soldiers load the casket of Canadian Cpl.
Joshua Caleb Baker into a C-130 Hercules transport during a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield on
Saturday. Colour Photo: DND / Cpl. Joshua Baker is the ninth Canadian reservist to die on active duty in
Afghanistan after atraining accident Friday.
Headline: Reservist killed during Afghan training accident; Cpl. Baker had 'a laugh rumoured to cure
cancer'
Page: A5
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD
Source: Canwest News Service
Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker was remembered as "one in a million" and an excellent soldier during memorials
Saturday at Canada's two main bases in southern Afghanistan before his flag-draped casket began its
journey home in a
C-130 Hercules transport.
Thousands of Baker's comrades were on hand at Kandahar Airfield for a sombre ramp ceremony to say
goodbye to the 140th Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.
The ramp ceremony followed an earlier service in Kandahar.
The 24-year-old Edmonton-based soldier died Friday afternoon in an explosion during a "routine" training
exercise at a range four kilometres north of Kandahar.
The military was tight-lipped about the death, which is being probed by senior officials. Four other
Canadian soldiers were injured in the accident.
"This type of training is normal for soldiers in theatre and essential in helping them to maintain high levels
on expertise," said Brig.-Gen. Daniel Ménard, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, as he
announced Baker's death.
"Joshua had a laugh rumoured to cure cancer," Ménard,said of the dead soldier. "No matter where you
were or how down you got, his laugh would find your ears and bring a smile to your face."
Padre Maj. Shaun Yaskiw led the service at the ramp ceremony Saturday, describing Baker as "mentally
tough, physically robust and (having) a personality that made him a natural leader."
Eight pallbearers from the Provincial Reconstruction Team, who had worked closely with Baker, carried
his casket past an honour guard and onto a transport aircraft for repatriation to Canada.
The death of the reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment marks the first time in eight years that a
Canadian has been killed during a training accident in Afghanistan. Most of those who have died have
been killed by improvised explosive devices.
Baker is the ninth reservist to die on active duty in Afghanistan.
Once regarded as weekend soldiers, the reservists now make up between 10 and 20 per cent of every
rotation and perform many key jobs, as the regular forces have been stretched thin by repeated
deployments here and Canada's military obligations elsewhere.
Friends in Canada said Baker was planning to become a police officer after his tour in Afghanistan.
He had recently applied to the Edmonton police and was also considering applying in Toronto, friends
said.
Baker, who was raised in Scarborough, Ont., had recently bought a house in Edmonton.
He had started dating a woman in Ontario and had visited her while he was on leave a few weeks ago,
said friend Chris Gratton.
"He had everything to come back to, a new house, possibly a new job, a new girl, it was all ahead of him,"
Gratton said.
This was Baker's first tour of Afghanistan. He spent three years in the regular service after high school,
but rejoined the reserves because he didn't get a chance to go to Afghanistan, said Gratton.
Thirty-two Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan last year, the same number as in 2008. The worst year
for Canadian fatalities was 2006 when 36 soldiers were killed.
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Ben Gelinas
Outlet: Edmonton Journal
# Illustrations: Photo: Sgt. Daniel Burt, Royal Air Force / Soldiers load the casket of Canadian Cpl. Joshua
Caleb Baker into a waiting aircraft at Kandahar Airfield on Saturday. Baker was killed during a training
exercise on Friday. Photo: Supplied / Cpl. Joshua on patrol in Afghanistan inside a military vehicle. Photo:
Ed Kaiser, The Journal / Donnaand Jim Mansell of Sherwood Park, friends of Edmonton-based Cpl.
Joshua Baker, had just put together a care package for him and were ready to send it out on Friday.
Headline: Corporal had infectious laugh; Edmonton-based soldier 140th to die in Afghanistan, wanted to
become a police officer
Page: A3
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: EDMONTON
Source: Edmonton Journal
An Edmonton-based soldier killed during a training exercise in Afghanistan on Friday hoped to become a
city police officer following his tour of duty.
Friends of the Scarborough, Ont.-raised Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker said the "selfless" reservist had
recently applied to the Edmonton Police Service, and was also looking at Toronto's police force, which
would have put him closer to his new girlfriend, who lives in Ontario.
But the 24-year-old told friends he was happy in Edmonton. He had just purchased a house in Clareview
from his friend Chris Gratton.
"He had everything to come back to -- a new house, possibly a new job, a new girl. It was all ahead of
him," Gratton said.
Baker was killed by an explosion that wounded four other Canadian soldiers. An investigation continues,
but few details about the incident have been released. The Canadian military said it was a "routine"
exercise at a range four kilometres north of Kandahar city.
Baker joined the military straight out of high school, along with his longtime friend Matt Wilson. While
Wilson joined the reserves to see if he liked the work, Baker signed up for three years of service from the
outset.
It was a testament to Baker's full-tilt commitment to everything he wanted in life, Wilson said.
Baker never had a chance to do a tour during his three years, something he regretted.
"After three years he got out and decided to pursue some civilian work, but he was drawn back into the
reserves," Wilson said. "I think it was the allure of wanting to do a tour that really propelled him to do it."
Baker, who went to Afghanistan as a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, was an adventurous type
who seemed to need every moment of life to be interesting, Wilson said. "He took a couple of trades
classes. I know one time he had nothing better to do so he decided to take a forklift course."
Baker met Gratton in Edmonton three years ago, when both were hired to drive armoured vehicles for
Securicor. At the time, Baker was also taking classes at NAIT, learning to weld. Baker's laugh was so
distinctive that everyone who spoke about him Saturday seemed to hear its echoes.
"When he started laughing, everybody would laugh." Wilson said, laughing a little himself. Brig.-Gen.
Daniel Menard, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, told reporters at Kandahar Airfield that
Baker's laugh was rumoured to cure cancer.
Vanessa Mansell of Sherwood Park last spoke to her friend on Tuesday via Facebook. They discussed
what Baker wanted to do after his Afghanistan tour.
"He was planning a trip down to Mexico, and Israel. He was excited to come home," Mansell said. "He
had a lot of plans, fixing up his house when he got back."
On Friday, Mansell had planned to send Baker a care package stuffed with hockey cards, hockey news,
some mixed martial arts magazines and letters.
"My mom wrote him a letter and I wrote him a letter, just saying that we were thinking about him and
praying for him, couldn't wait for him to come so we could celebrate."
Now they have the unsent package to remember him by, along with a photo on their fridge.
"Our fridge is covered in pictures, different people, a mindful thing, to keep them in your thoughts and
prayers," Mansell said. "He sent me a picture about three weeks ago to put up there."
Baker wanted to limit his time in Afghanistan to one tour, said Michelle Smyth, a close friend of Baker's
since high school.
"When he called me and told me he was going to enlist again, I begged him not to. It's just so dangerous,"
Smyth said.
But the soldier had told friends it was something he was meant to do.
"He really, really, really wanted to help people," Smyth said. "He wanted to make sure that we were all
safe."
Baker's family said in a statement that he was frustrated with the slow progress in Afghanistan.
"He valued the experience working with Afghans gave him," the family members said. "We were surprised
to find out he developed a real taste for tea from his short time there."
Wilson has never been to Afghanistan, but he said despite losing his close friend, he is applying to go in
2011. "If he didn't believe in something, he wouldn't have done it," Wilson said. "And my belief that if I let
this change anything I do ... then I'm not honouring Josh's memory properly."
Baker's body is now Canada-bound from Kandahar Airfield for repatriation in Ontario. He is the 140th
Canadian soldier to be killed during the ongoing conflict.
"I hope to be on the tarmac when his body arrives," Wilson said.
bgelinas@thejournal.canwest.com With files from Laura Drake
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Patrick Baz
Outlet: Calgary Herald
Headline: NATO brass pleased with Afghan push; Troops strike Taliban stronghold in Helmand
Page: A6
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN
Source: Agence France-Presse
NATO commanders said the start of a major U.S.-led offensive against a key Taliban stronghold in
southern Afghanistan had been a success, as the operation entered its second day Sunday.
Marines led the charge on Marjah, a town of 80,000 in the central Helmand River valley controlled for
years by militants and drug traffickers in the first major test of U.S. President Barack Obama's new surge
policy.
Some 15,000 U.S., British and Afghan soldiers stormed the Islamist stronghold in NATO's biggest
operation since overthrowing the Taliban regime in 2001.
Troops dropped into Marjah from helicopters before dawn Saturday, immediately coming under fire,
Afghan army and Marines officers said.
Operation Mushtarak ( "together" in Dari) aims to clear the area of Taliban and re-establish Afghan
sovereignty and civil services, Helmand Gov. Mohammad Gulab Mangal said.
Senior officials and NATO commanders said they were satisfied with the operation's first day, with Mark
Sedwill, NATO's senior civilian representative, saying it "appears to be positive."
"I can't yet say how long it will take for this military phase to get to the point where we can bring in the
civilian support from the Afghan government, we hope that will happen quickly," Sedwill said.
Sedwill, a former British ambassador in Kabul, is slated to play a key role in the operation, whose
principal aim is to establish civilian administration in one of the Taliban's last strongholds in Afghanistan.
British forces suffered their first casualty of the operation when a soldier was killed in an explosion while
on a vehicle patrol in Helmand province's Nad-e-Ali area.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said five foreign soldiers died on Saturday, three
of them U.S. troops, but did not say if they had been involved in the Marjah attack.
At least 20 Taliban fighters were killed in the first hours of the assault, said Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazai,
commander of the operation's Afghan troops.
"So far, we have killed 20 armed opposition fighters. Eleven others have been detained," he said, adding
they were killed in separate engagements.
NATO commanders were "very pleased with how it has gone," senior British military spokesman Maj.Gen. Gordon Messenger told a briefing in London.
"The key objective has been secured," he said, explaining that the main aims for British troops were to
secure the population centres and installations such as police stations in the Chah-e Anjir Triangle
northeast of Marjah.
There had been some "sporadic fighting," but the Taliban appeared to be "confused and disjointed" and
unable "to put up a coherent response," he said.
Mushtarak puts into practice the new U.S.-led counter-insurgency strategy combining the military
objective of eradicating the Taliban and replacing their brand of harsh control with civilian authority.
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Steve Rennie
Outlet: The Toronto Star
# Illustrations: Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker
Headline: Canadian killed in Kandahar training mishap
Page: A15
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Source: The Canadian Press
The body of a Canadian soldier killed northeast of Kandahar city was on its way home Saturday, a day
after a routine exercise at a shooting range turned deadly.
Thousands turned out at Kandahar Airfield to bid farewell to Cpl. Joshua Caleb Baker, 24, an Edmonton
man serving with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.
The military offered few details about Baker's death except to say it was being investigated. Four other
soldiers were injured in Friday's accident. They were reported to be in stable condition.
Baker was proud to be in the military, his family said in a statement Saturday.
"While he was frustrated that progress was slow, Josh was hoping to make a difference in Afghanistan.
He valued the experience working with Afghans gave him."
Baker's death brings to 140 the number of Canadian soldiers killed since the Afghan mission began eight
years ago.
Back to Top
Section: Actualités
Headline: Mort pendant l'entraînement
Page: 12
Source: La Presse Canadienne
Outlet: Le Soleil
Illustrations:
Le caporal Joshua Caleb Baker, 24 ans, d'Edmonton, a perdu la vie lors d'un accident survenu
pendant un entraînement.
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: Kandahar
Un soldat canadien a été tué et quatre autres ont été blessés vendredi soir au cours d'un accident
d'entraînement sur un champ de tir situé près de la ville de Kandahar, en Afghanistan.
Le caporal Joshua Caleb Baker, âgé de 24 ans et natif d'Edmonton, a perdu la vie. Il servait au sein de
l'équipe provinciale de reconstruction de Kandahar.
Cet accident n'est pas lié au combat et une enquête des Forces canadiennes a été instituée pour en
déterminer les circonstances.
Sa mort porte à 140 le nombre de soldats canadiens à avoir péri en Afghanistan depuis le début de la
mission, il y a huit ans.
Les quatre soldats blessés ont été évacués par hélicoptère vers l'installation médicale multinationale de
l'aérodrome de Kandahar. Leur état est qualifié de stable.
"Ce type d'entraînement est normal pour les soldats et essentiel pour les aider à maintenir un niveau
d'expertise élevé", a affirmé le brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, le commandant en chef à Kandahar,
dans un communiqué.
Le brigadier-général Ménard a décrit le caporal comme quelqu'un d'extrêmement passionné qui adorait
son travail. "Joshua était endurant, robuste et avait une personnalité qui faisait de lui un leader naturel",
a-t-il affirmé, ajoutant que le jeune homme possédait aussi un rire absolument contagieux.
Des milliers de soldats se sont réunis à l'aéroport de Kandahar hier pour dire un dernier adieu au caporal
Joshua Caleb Baker alors que sa dépouille était sur le point d'être rapatriée.
Le premier ministre Stephen Harper a offert ses condoléances à la famille du disparu, soulignant qu'il
avait vaillamment servi dans l'armée pour assurer un avenir plus brillant à l'Afghanistan.
"Le courage dont font preuve les Canadiens dans cette mission montre qu'ils sont dévoués à la création
d'un meilleur pays pour le peuple afghan. Leur engagement par rapport à cet objectif ne diminuera pas en
raison de cet incident", a indiqué M. Harper.
La gouverneure générale, Michaëlle Jean, et le ministre de la Défense, Peter MacKay, ont également
loué le défunt et témoigné leur sympathie à ses proches.
L'annonce de ce décès survient alors que les troupes canadiennes prennent part à la plus importante
offensive aérienne contre les talibans depuis le début de l'intervention. La coalition a attaqué la ville de
Marjah et le district de Nad Ali tôt hier matin dans l'espoir d'en déloger les insurgés.
Back to Top
Section: Actualités
Headline: Les 15 000 soldats progressent
Page: 13
Source: Associated Press; La Presse Canadienne
Outlet: Le Soleil
Illustrations:
Environ 7500 soldats ont participé à l'attaque menée contre la ville de Marjah. Ces marines américains
viennent de neutraliser un engin explosif aux portes de la ville.
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: Marjah, Afghanistan
Les forces de la coalition ont réalisé une "insertion réussie" à Marjah, hier, dans le cadre de la plus
importante offensive conjointe depuis le début du conflit. "L'opération s'est déroulée sans un seul accroc",
a indiqué le général Nick Carter, commandant des forces de l'OTAN dans le sud de l'Afghanistan.
Pas moins de 15 000 soldats américains, britanniques, canadiens et afghans ont lancé la vaste offensive
dans le but de reprendre le contrôle de la ville de Marjah et du district de Nad Ali, des bastions talibans
situés dans le sud du pays.
Vendredi, des hélicoptères CH-147 Chinook des Forces armées canadiennes s'y étaient posés alors que
les troupes de la coalition préparaient l'attaque. Escortés par quatre appareils de type CH-146 Griffon
appartenant au Canada, trois hélicoptères Chinook ont aidé à transporter à Nad Ali 1100 soldats de la
coalition. Ces sept hélicoptères canadiens se sont joints à 33 autres appartenant aux Américains et aux
Britanniques pour l'assaut du district.
Avant l'offensive, des porte-parole militaires avaient affirmé que des renseignements secrets
démontraient qu'entre 150 et 200 insurgés se tapissent dans les environs de Nad Ali. Les militaires
croient que ces résistants disposent de mitrailleuses, de grenades propulsées par fusée, d'armes
antiaériennes et d'autres armements légers.
Des unités spéciales avaient aussi ciblé dans la région des chefs talibans et leurs usines de fabrication
d'explosifs en vue de ce qui pourrait bien devenir l'un des épisodes les plus importants et sanglants dans
la guerre en Afghanistan.
Encore plus d'hélicoptères et de troupes ont participé hier à l'attaque menée contre Marjah, communauté
agricole comptant quelque 80 000 personnes et située à 610 km au sud-ouest de Kaboul, capitale de la
province de Helmand. Trente instructeurs militaires canadiens ont pris part à l'assaut de Marjah avec
leurs élèves afghans.
Progression difficile
La progression des forces au sol, d'après un responsable du Pentagone à Washington, est rendue
difficile par la configuration du terrain : le secteur de Marjah est quadrillé par de nombreux canaux
creusés dans les années 50 et 60, dans le cadre d'un programme d'aide américaine à l'agriculture. De
nombreuses mines et engins explosifs ont par ailleurs été disséminés par les insurgés.
Cette offensive contre la plus grosse ville sous le contrôle des insurgés dans le sud du pays était
attendue depuis plusieurs jours. Les troupes afghanes et américaines espèrent ainsi rétablir l'autorité du
gouvernement sur Marjah et saper le soutien dont jouissent les fondamentalistes armés dans leur bastion
du sud.
Les commandants des marines estiment que de 400 à 1000 talibans se trouvent à Marjah, dont une
centaine de combattants étrangers, et que plusieurs centaines de personnes ont réussi à quitter depuis
une semaine. La ville est considérée comme la plate-forme logistique du trafic d'opium des talibans.
Plusieurs jours avant l'attaque contre Marjah, des Marines avaient encerclé la ville pour contrer toute
tentative de fuite vers Lashkar Gah. Les insurgés ont répliqué en lançant des roquettes et des obus de
mortier vers les soldats américains et afghans qui se trouvaient dans des trous de tirailleurs autour de la
ville.
Le ministère britannique de la Défense a annoncé qu'un de ses soldats a été tué par une explosion lors
d'une patrouille au nord de Marjah. Un autre militaire de l'OTAN, dont la nationalité n'a pas été précisée,
a été tué par des tirs, selon un porte-parole de l'Alliance atlantique.
Un porte-parole taliban, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a de son côté démenti que les insurgés ont été délogés de
Marjah, mais a fait état de deux morts et deux blessés dans les rangs talibans.
Par contre, d'après le général Sher Mohammad Zazaï, commandant des forces afghanes dans la région,
au moins 20 insurgés ont été tués et 11 autres capturés jusqu'à présent.
L'offensive porte le nom d'opération Moshtarak, ce qui signifie "ensemble" en dari, et elle est de loin la
plus importante opération militaire lancée depuis que le président Barack Obama a décidé d'envoyer 30
000 soldats supplémentaires en Afghanistan afin d'éradiquer une insurrection qui gagne de l'ampleur.
Back to Top
Section: Actualités
Outlet: Le Soleil
Headline: Jessica Lloyd à son dernier repos
Page: 11
Date: Sunday 14 February 2010
Dateline: Belleville, Ontario
Source: La Presse Canadienne
Des centaines de personnes ont assisté aux funérailles de Jessica Lloyd, cette jeune femme
prétendument assassinée par le colonel Russell Williams, qui se sont déroulées hier à Belleville, en
Ontario.
Le corps de la femme de 27 ans, qui avait été portée disparue le mois dernier, a été trouvé lundi dernier à
Tweed.
Après la découverte du cadavre, le commandant de la base militaire de Trenton a été arrêté et accusé du
meurtre prémédité de Jessica Lloyd et d'une autre femme, la caporale Marie-France Comeau.
Russell Williams, qui fait aussi face à des accusations d'agression sexuelle sur deux autres femmes de la
région, doit comparaître le 18 février prochain par vidéo.
La nouvelle de l'arrestation de Williams, considéré comme une étoile montante des Forces canadiennes,
a consterné la communauté militaire et civile.
A la tête d'une des plus importantes bases militaires du pays, le colonel avait une feuille de route
impressionnante. Il a notamment piloté l'un des jets Challenger qui servent à transporter les hauts
dirigeants canadiens, incluant le premier ministre et le gouverneur général, au Canada et à travers le
monde.
La cause des décès de Jessica Lloyd et de la caporale Marie-France Comeau, qui a travaillé comme
agente de bord sur les mêmes vols militaires que Williams, n'a pas été divulguée par la police.
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Media Sources and Abbreviations
Les sources médiatiques et abréviations
AN (L’Acadie Nouvelle)
CG (Charlottetown Guardian)
CH (Calgary Herald)
CSun (Calgary Sun)
Ctz (Ottawa Citizen)
Dr (Le Droit)
Dv (Le Devoir)
EJ (Edmonton Journal)
ESun (Edmonton Sun)
FDG (Fredericton Daily Gleaner)
G&M (Globe and Mail)
Gaz (Montreal Gazette)
HCH (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
HS (Hamilton Spectator)
JM (Le Journal de Montréal)
JQ (Le Journal de Québec)
KWS (Kingston Whig-Standard)
LFP (London Free Press)
LN (Le Nouvelliste - Trois Rivières)
MT&T (Monton Times and Transcript)
NBTJ (New Brunswick Telegraph Journal)
NP (National Post)
OSun (Ottawa Sun)
Pr (La Presse)
RLP (Regina Leader-Post)
SJT (St. John’s Telegram)
Sol (Le Soleil)
SSP (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix)
TM (Télémédia)
TStar (Toronto Star)
TSun (Toronto Sun)
VSun (Vancouver Sun)
VE (Le Voix de L’Est, Granby)
VProv (Vancouver Province)
VSun (Vancouver Sun)
VTC (Victories Times-Colonist)
WFP (Winnipeg Free Press)
WStar (Windsor Star)
WSun (Winnipeg Sun)
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