RENTON, Ont. -- Pte. Sebastien Courcy returned to Canada yesterday as the 125th Canadian soldier killed in the Afghanistan war.

Courcy, of St-Hyacinthe, Que., east of Montreal, died Thursday morning when he fell from a high position during a counter-insurgency operation 17 km southwest of Kandahar City in the volatile Panjwaii district. The military has not released details of the operation.

The 26-year-old was based with Quebec's 22e "Van Doos" Regiment's second battalion. He is survived by his parents, Ginette Fecteau and Marc Courcy, and his sister, Julie Courcy.

All were present among the small group of mourners.

Maj. Christian Bergeron, leader of the Van Doos battle group based in Valcartier, Que., said Friday Courcy's family should be proud of him.

'TERRIBLE LOSS'

"He was a very, very good soldier."

The CC-177 Globemaster III plane from Trenton's 429 "Bison" Transport Squadron landed at 1:55 p.m. under dark, heavy rainclouds.

As a bugler played Amazing Grace, eight pallbearers in dark green army dress uniforms marched Courcy's metal casket between rows of dignitaries and the soldier's family.

Relatives and friends appeared subdued as they approached the hearse to place the traditional roses atop the casket. Some wept quietly, embracing behind the hearse.

Eight minutes after the casket emerged the formalities were over, and a few minutes later, the hearse departed the base along Highway 2. It passed through hundreds of civilians as a piper played the lament Going Home.

"It's a terrible loss for us," the Van Doos' Bergeron said Friday. "He was a very, very devoted soldier; the type of guy who was always ready to go," Bergeron said. "When he came back from operations, instead of relaxing he was preparing his kit again and getting ready to go again.

"Everybody who is in theatre, soldiers like us, know that one day you might have something happen to you," Bergeron said. "It's part of the business and we all accept that."

Courcy is the fifth Canadian killed in Afghanistan this month.

Canadian soldiers shot and killed an Afghan civilian and wounded three others Friday. The military said the locals' vehicle had been speeding toward Canadians defusing a roadside bomb.

Maj. Mario Couture said the vehicle breached an obvious cordon and ignored multiple signals to stop. He said the Canadians "followed all the proper procedures" before firing. "Although we didn't find any explosives in the vehicle, we're still not convinced these guys were not testing our procedures on how to breach our perimeter," Couture said.

Both the United States and Britain, meanwhile, are continuing major offensives in Afghanistan and suffering their own losses.