A Canadian police officer with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti has been killed by unknown assailants on the outskirts of the capital.
Officials in Port-au-Prince Tuesday said Marc Bourque was shot near a checkpoint close to Cite Soleil, the capital's largest slum and a focal point of violence following the February 2004 ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Mr. Bourque was one of 25 police officers sent by Canada to reinforce the nearly 9,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force providing security ahead of general elections slated for January.
The incident happened as U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns visited Haiti on a one-day trip to meet with top Haitian and U.N. officials. A State Department spokesman said the trip was aimed at underscoring Washington's support for timely democratic elections and solidarity with Haiti's continuing process of political transition.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.