By Finbarr O'Reilly HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The explosion of the shell against a mud wall in a field of grapevines sent the Canadian soldier crouched behind it flying backwards. Blood spilling from his nose and mouth, the stunned man crawled for shelter through swirling smoke and dust as comrades laid down covering fire and moved towards him. Under fire from Taliban insurgents, Canadian Master Corporal Frank Flibotte and Major Jean-Sebastien Fortin attended to the wounded soldier, helping him to his feet and supporting him as he staggered into an armoured RG-31 vehicle that had raced to the scene. Canadian forces from the NATO-led coalition and Afghan National Army troops clashed with Taliban insurgents at Howz-e-Madad in the Zhari district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Tuesday in a battle typical of the conflict gripping the country's southern region bordering Pakistan. The Canadian soldier, who did not want his name published, was only lightly wounded. An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier was shot in the shoulder during heavy fighting that lasted several hours and was airlifted by helicopter to Kandahar Air Field for emergency treatment. There was no confirmation of any Taliban killed or wounded, though three suspected fighters were detained for questioning. The joint operation between ANA and Canadian forces was meant to be a raid on a mud compound near the main highway. "The Taliban attack from this place every two days or so, hitting civilian trucks and our supply convoys," said Fortin. FAILED TRAP "What we wanted to do was disrupt them by setting a trap, but we were compromised and took heavy fire and had to pull back." The Canadians called in armoured support from its Quick reaction Force, consisting of more than a dozen armoured vehicles, while U.S. Humvees and U.S. Rangers also provided back-up. Artillery sent in smoke cover and U.S. Apache helicopters clattered overhead. Fortin estimated there were between 10 to 15 Taliban fighters. "They used mounted machineguns, RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and 82-millimeter recoilless rifles," said Fortin. It was the twenty-third such "contact" of the past month, he added. "It's not finished," he said. "I'm just glad our guy was ok." (Finbarr O'Reilly is a Reuters photographer embedded with Canadian troops)
