Roadside bomb kills Canadian soldier in Afghanistan

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OTTAWA, Dec 27(AFP): A Canadian soldier was killed and three others wounded in Afghanistan's Kandahar region, bringing to 104 Canada's death toll since its military mission began there in 2002, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device blew up close to their vehicle in the Zhari district, 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan.
"The injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to the Kandahar military hospital and they are reported to be in good condition," army spokesman Major Greg Poehlmann told AFP.
Three other Canadian soldiers were killed in Kandahar's Arghandab district on December 13, also following a roadside bomb.
With most Canadian troop deaths in Afghanistan caused by these homemade explosives set along roads, Canada announced last month it would send a fleet of tactical and transport helicopters and spy drones to Afghanistan by February 2009.
The aircrafts' added capabilities in transport, surveillance and reconnaissance aim to reduce the risk to Canadian troops and government employees from "ambushes, land mines and improvised explosive devices," the military said in a statement.
Canada has indicated that its mission in Afghanistan, which currently comprises a 2,750-strong force in the southern part of the country, would end in 2011.