Chief defends LAV-III

Canada's Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier defended the armoured vehicle involved in a fatal accident in Afghanistan on Thursday.

Speaking in Halifax on Friday, Hillier called the LAV-III "an exceptional light armoured fighting vehicle ... probably the best in the world."

"In fact, that vehicle, and our soldiers are the envy of almost every other contingent in Afghanistan or around the Western military forces here," Hillier said.

Five soldiers were travelling at night in a LAV-III, when it rolled over at 6 p.m. local time on a highway that connects Kabul with Kandahar, near the village of Laghman.

Private Braun Scott Woodfield, 24, of Eastern Passage, NS was killed.

Among the injured is New Brunswicker Sgt. Tony McIver, 31, of McAdam southeast of Fredericton near the Maine border.

Three of the four are considered to be in serious, but not life-threatening, condition. It is not known whether McIver is one of them.

All are members of the 2nd Batallion Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Hillier said the forces will conduct a detailed investigation into the accident, adding that they will "walk through exactly what occured and see what steps that we could take to reduce the chances of that kind of occurance from happening again."

"When you're dealing with armoured fighting vehicles, the LAV-III, of course, being one of those, in hilly country on roads that are rudimentary to start with, any number of things could've occured," Hillier said.

The defence chief made the after a ceremony honouring the crew of the HMCS Chicoutimi.

On Oct. 5, 2004, a flash fire ripped through the submarine, killing New Brunswick native, Lieutenant Chris Saunders, and injuring eight sailors.

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