It is still unclear if Hillary Clinton was aware of the pending burial of a Prince George soldier when she made controversial comments about Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, but a spokesperson for the U.S. Secretary of State said she would take concerns about the timing of her statement "into consideration."
The U.S.'s top diplomat replied to queries about her views around three weeks after Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick was laid to rest in the Prince George cemetery on March 31. The Kelly Road secondary school alum was the 141st soldier to be killed in Afghanistan and the first soldier born and raised in this community to die in combat since the Second World War.
During a visit to Canada, Clinton told CTV the day before the burial the U.S. "would obviously like to see some form of support continue" when it came to this country's continued involvement in Afghanistan past 2011. Her comments came despite the fact the Canadian government had restated its position the week before that combat troops would be pulled from the troubled country on that date.
Clinton's visit was marked by a series of harsh diplomatic exchanges and her statement on Afghanistan was considered unusual because it bypassed normal channels of communication between the two countries by being addressed directly to the media.
