NATO soldier killed in attack in Afghanistan
Updated Sat. Oct. 7 2006 8:36 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A NATO soldier has been killed in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan, an area where Canadian soldiers have a heavy presence.
The soldier was killed when a roadside bomb and small arms fire targeted a military patrol on Saturday -- the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
NATO has not yet released the name or nationality of the soldier.
In addition to the fatality, one of the patrolling vehicles was damaged, NATO said.
After the attack an explosives disposal team and a military attack helicopter were dispatched to the area.
The Panjwaii region is one of the most volatile sections of Kandahar province in Afghanistan's south. Numerous attacks and increased fighting have taken place in the region in recent months.
The Taliban's use of roadside and suicide bombs has increased, and fighting has been heavy as NATO launched Operation Medusa, a month-long Canadian-led initiative though September to push insurgents out of the south. NATO said 300 fighters were killed during the operation and claimed it as a major success.
Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Khost, a suicide bomber used a car to target a U.S. patrol near the Pakistan border, provincial police chief Mohammed Ayub told The Associated Press.
There were no casualties, but one of the vehicles was damaged.
And in Ghazni province, police said a regional Taliban commander -- Mullah Abdul Rahim Sabauun -- was killed by police on Thursday.
Sabauun was reportedly a high-ranking politician under Taliban rule.
In total, 39 soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. Another 150 or so have been wounded.
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