The explosion took place at Spin Boldak, which is within Canada's area of military responsibility in Southern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. The Canadians, from a Quebec-based reconnaissance unit, sent 25 of the 35 wounded by air and by road from Spin Boldak to the Kandahar airfield for treatment at the Canadian-led NATO multinational hospital there. Nine of the 25 were deemed to be in critical condition and in urgent need of sophisticated surgical care.

The troops from the 12th Armoured Regiment arrived at the scene of the attack moments after it occurred. The medical scene was so complicated and catastrophic that they requested that two military doctors be flown immediately there from the Kandahar hospital, 80 kilometres to the west, to provide immediate care at the scene.

Kandahar is the headquarters of Canada's Joint Task Force Afghanistan.

Roads were closed on some parts of the airfield as a fleet of military ambulances, with lights flashing, carried the large number of casualties to hospital. Triage teams at the hospital were waiting at the doors to assess patients as they arrived.

The attack occurred at dusk at the start of the Eid Festival to mark the end of Ramadan.

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