ABOVE: (Jan. 18, 2014) New information released about Canadians killed in Afghanistan
GATINEAU, Que. – Two accountants who were auditing Canada’s foreign aid work in Afghanistan were identified on Saturday as the two Canadians killed in a brutal suicide attack at a popular restaurant in the capital Kabul.
The victims were identified as Martin Glazer of Gatineau and Peter McSheffrey of Ottawa. Both worked at the Gatineau, Que.-based consulting firm Samson and Associates.
The McSheffrey family said it’s grieving the loss of “a beloved husband, father, brother and son.”
“What makes this particularly difficult for the family is that Peter was a victim of senseless violence against innocent people,” the family said in a statement posted on the firm’s website.
“Peter loved to travel and was doing meaningful work.”
Glazer’s family said that Glazer also felt he was making an important contribution.
“He took pride in the work that he did, contributing to Canada’s efforts to bring about peace and security in Afghanistan by helping to ensure that development assistance money went to those it was intended to assist,” the family said.
At least 21 people were killed in Friday’s attack, one of the deadliest against foreign civilians since the war began nearly 13 years ago.
A suicide bomber blew himself up outside La Taverna du Liban, a restaurant popular with foreigners and affluent Afghans, while two gunmen snuck in through the back door and opened fire.
VIDEO: Deadly attack in Kabul claims 21 lives including 2 Canadians. Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry addresses the bombing
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Pierre Samson, the president of Samson and Associates, said his two employees were having dinner at the restaurant when the bomb went off.
They had been in Kabul less than a week doing an audit for the Canadian International Development Agency, Samson said.
LISTEN: Samson and Associates president talks about employees killed in Afghan attack
“This is the first time that we’ve ever had such a thing,” he said in a phone interview, explaining that his firm has done work in Afghanistan for some time.
“As auditors we’re not on the front (lines) so we don’t usually go where it is very dangerous, but in a case like this the attack was directly in town, so it was not in a danger area. But unfortunately we were there at a bad time.”
Samson said he was given the news Friday evening by the Canadian embassy in Kabul.
Three United Nations personnel and the International Monetary Fund’s representative in Afghanistan were among those killed, officials said.
Canada is winding down a military training mission in Afghanistan, but sources in the Department of National Defence told The Canadian Press that no uniformed personnel were among the casualties.
READ MORE: Taliban attack at Afghan restaurant kills 16, including foreigners
The restaurant is located close to Canada’s embassy in Kabul and is a popular spot for Canadians living and visiting the capital. A spokesman for Baird says all embassy staff were safe and accounted for.
“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the targeted, cowardly terrorist attack today on a restaurant in Kabul,” Baird said in an emailed statement.
“On behalf of all Canadians, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured in this horrible and senseless act of terror.”
Kabul police chief Gen. Mohammad Zahir Zahir said Saturday that the victims included 13 foreigners and eight Afghans, and that the majority were civilians.
Three United Nations personnel were among those killed, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The three were not identified. Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed late Friday that a British national was among the dead.
GALLERY: Aftermath of suicide attack in Kabul
The International Monetary Fund’s representative in Afghanistan, Wabel Abdallah, also was among those killed.
Zahir said the three attackers were also killed during Friday’s assault on the Lebanese restaurant.
READ MORE: Taliban suicide bicycle bomber attacks Afghan police bus in eastern Kabul
The Taliban claimed responsibility within an hour of the attack. It’s part of a stepped-up campaign of violence against foreign and government interests to send a message that the militants are not going anywhere as the U.S.-led coalition winds down its combat mission at the end of the year.
The bombing served as a reminder that although militant violence in the capital has dropped off in recent months, insurgents remain capable of carrying out attacks inside the most heavily guarded areas.
With files from The Associated Press
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