Hundreds of coalition troops gathered Wednesday morning at Kandahar airbase to bid a sad farewell and pay tribute to Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, the 71st Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.
A coffin carrying Hornburg's body was placed on a plane heading home.
A member of the King's Own Calgary Regiment, Hornburg was killed when he was hit by a mortar in southern Afghanistan. The 24-year-old Alberta native was repairing a tank at the time.
Another soldier was injured in the attack. And in an ensuing firefight, three more infantry soldiers were wounded.
Their injuries are not life threatening, according to Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, head of the Canadian military in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a Canadian soldier was injured in a separate insurgent attack Tuesday. The soldier was ambushed while on a foot patrol. CTV's Steve Chao, in Kandahar, said the injured soldier was listed in "serious condition."
The soldier was on patrol with Afghan police officers west of Kandahar City when the group was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
He was part of the Police Operational Mentoring Liaison Team -- a new police mentoring group meant to build up the local police force.
The soldier, whose name was not released, is being treated at a military medical facility at Camp Bastion, a British base west of Kandahar.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper mentioned Canada's latest loss on the battlefield during a speech in New York.
Canada is in Afghanistan "because we believe it is noble and necessary," Harper said, "a cause completely consistent with our country's proud history of supporting international action to fight oppression and brutality, and to assist our fellow human beings.''
"Since 2005 Canadian troops have been in one of the most violent regions in Afghanistan: the southern portion of Kandahar. And there has been a significant price -- as we were reminded yesterday with the death of a Canadian soldier'' and injuries to other soldiers, Harper said.
Later in a statement, Harper said: "Canadians mourn the loss of Corporal Nathan Hornburg. Demonstrating courage and commitment, he gave his life serving his country and working to ensure a brighter future for the Afghan people.''
Harper also expressed sympathies to the wounded soldiers.
Hornburg had been in Afghanistan for less than two months. He asked to be deployed to the country, telling CTV Calgary that he was nervous, but wanted to do his job.
"I'm excited to just see what it's actually like," he said in the days leading up to his deployment in August.
"I've just had various stories told to me, but I'm excited to just get my feet on the ground and start doing my job. What I'm scared of? I guess I'm just cautious of everything."
Hornburg's friends say they warned him not to go to the troubled country. But they say he was determined to do his duty as a soldier.
"I honestly told him, don't go, don't do it," said his friend Dominic Levesque. "A lot of us were in that boat ... but that was his mindset, he wanted to do that and he felt maybe like it was his duty."
In Afghanistan, Laroche said Hornburg went knowing the dangers that he faced.
"Corporal Hornburg was involved in a mission that he believed in," said Laroche.
Seventy-one Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died since Ottawa began its military mission in Afghanistan in 2002. There have been 24 combat deaths so far this year.
With files from The Canadian Press
