Wednesday, September 1, 2010
An Estonian soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan. Sgt. Herdis Sikka was on patrol with his unit in Helmand province when he was killed in an explosion. His death was announced by the Estonian Defence Ministry.
20 year-old Sikka had been the driver of the armoured personnel carrier when his unit came under attack. No one else was injured in the attack. Fellow soldiers tried to administer first aid and Sikka was transported by helicopter to Camp Bastion.
A joint statement from Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, Minister of Defense Jaak Aaviksoo and Foreign Minister Urmas Paetissued praised his “invaluable contribution to the construction of a secure future.” President Toomas Hendrick Ilves wrote a letter of condolence to Sikka’s family.
With Sikka’s death, the death-toll of Estonian soldiers in Afghanistan has risen to eight.