 The soldier, Private Frederic Couture of the Royal 22e Régiment (the "Vandoos") suffered severe but not life-threatening injuries from the blast.The landmine had been planted the night before by Taliban troops that were shot and killed by Canadian soldiers who then attempted to clear away all the landmines in the area.On December 19, the Canadian forces in the area began a massive artillery and tank barrage on Taliban positions in the area of operations.