Get troops out of Afghanistan, fallen soldier's family says

MONTREAL – The godfather of a young female soldier killed in Afghanistan just two weeks into her first deployment fears the young woman's sacrifice was in vain.

Echoing the sentiment of many Quebecers, who have consistently been among the most vocal opponents of the controversial mission, Mario Blais said it's time for Ottawa to pull Canadian troops out.

"I think she did this for absolutely nothing," Blais said during a telephone interview.

"The Russians were in Afghanistan for many years and they couldn't push them back. I ask myself what Canada is doing. We were blue berets, now we're fighters."

Blais made the comments after learning his 21-year-old goddaughter, Karine Blais, had been killed Monday by a roadside bomb north of Kandahar City.