Operation Hoover

Operation Hoover was a Canadian-led offensive against the Taliban in the Kandahar Province district of Zhari. The aims of the operation were to root out as many as 300 suspected Afghan insurgents who had moved into the villages of the Zhari District. During the first morning of the operation, Leopard tanks from the Lord Strathcona's Horse Regiment entered Zhari, accompanied with pickup trucks filled with Afghan National Army troops. One of the tanks was hit by an improvised explosive device, but no casualties were reported. Shortly afterwards, Cpl. Matthew McCully, a signals operator with the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, was killed when he stepped on a landmine. Another Canadian, as well as an Afghan translator, were also...