An improvised bomb has killed a Canadian soldier on a joint patrol with Afghan troops near the southern city of Kandahar.
The deputy commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan, Mike Cessford, says the soldier was part of a team that is training Afghan troops to establish security in the volatile south. Another Canadian soldier and an Afghan interpreter were wounded.
Friday's fatality brings the total number of Canadian troops lost in Afghanistan to 55. A Canadian diplomat was killed in a suicide bombing last year.
In another development, Taleban militants claim they have abducted two foreign soldiers - a man and a woman - during clashes in southern Helmand province. The claim has not been confirmed.
A Taleban-led insurgency has grown steadily in Afghanistan over the past year, staging more and more suicide bombings and other deadly attacks against NATO, U.S. and Afghan forces.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP.
