The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is investigating whether proper procedures were followed surrounding the death of a "presumed" insurgent in Afghanistan.
At a news conference in Kandahar, Canadian military officials gave sparse details and took no questions about the investigation.
Master Warrant Officer Bernie Caron, Kandahar detachment commander for the NIS, said a probe has been launched into the death, which occurred on or around Oct. 19, 2008, in Helmand province.
He said the commander of Task Force Kandahar was notified of the allegations on Dec. 27, and quickly notified the NIS, which immediately launched an investigation.
"The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is investigating the allegation to determine the facts, analyze the evidence and if warranted lay the appropriate charges," Caron said.
Acting commander of Task Force Afghanistan, Col. Jamie Cade, confirmed he learned of the incident in late December, and quickly informed the NIS.
"The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service has launched an investigation into these allegations, and to determine whether proper reporting procedures were followed," Cade said.
"The Canadian Forces takes such allegations very seriously. As an investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
The majority of Canadian troops are deployed in Kandahar province, while the British have largely taken the lead in Helmand.
Scott Taylor, publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine told CTV Newsnet said without the military giving any more details, it is difficult to predict what they might be investigating.
"You can look at the worst case scenario, which is that they're directly involved in a wrongful death, or, that there's something simple here that they didn't process the proper paperwork and pass it up the chain of command to notify them of what had transpired," he said.
Taylor said there is "no way" to predict how long the NIS investigation will take, especially when so few details have been made public.
The NIS -- the military's equivalent of a major crimes unit -- was formed was formed after the 1993 beating death of a Somali teenager by members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
With files from The Canadian Press
