Four NATO soldiers, three Taliban killed in Afghanistan (Roundup)

Sep 4, 2008, 13:53 GMT

Kabul - Four NATO soldiers, including three Canadians, were killed in attacks in southern Afghanistan, while three Taliban militants were killed in a fight with Afghan and foreign forces in the western region, officials said Thursday.

A soldier with International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in a explosion in southern region on Thursday during a military patrol, the ISAF said in a statement.

The statement did not disclose the nationality of the soldier, nor did it say where exactly in the southern region the incident took place.

The three Canadian soldiers under NATO command were killed and five wounded in a fight with Taliban insurgents in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Wednesday, the military said.

The soldiers' armored vehicle was attacked while they were conducting a security patrol in Zherai district, the Canadian Defence Ministry said.

The latest deaths bring to 96 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the ouster of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime and the forces' deployment to the insurgency-plagued country in 2002.

A Canadian diplomat and two aid workers also have been killed during this period.

The soldiers were part of the 2,500-strong Canadian troop contingent that has served under the NATO-led ISAF forces, which has some 53,000 troops in Afghanistan from 40 nations.

The Canadian Defence Ministry identified the dead soldiers as Corporal Andrew Paul Grenon, Corporal Michael James Alexander Seggie and Private Chadwick James Horn.

Of the wounded, one soldier was in critical condition, one was in serious but stable condition, two were in good condition, and one was treated and returned to duty, the ministry said in a statement.

'We will continue with our mission as we remember the lives of our fallen soldiers,' the ministry statement said, adding, 'We remain committed to working together with the people of Afghanistan to improve security and stability in Kandahar province.'

Despite repeated calls at home to withdraw the troops, Canada has committed to keep its soldiers in Afghanistan until 2011.

In another incident, three Taliban fighters were killed and two others wounded after the militants attacked a joint Afghan and NATO patrol in Bala Murghab district of western Badghis province, Mohammad Ashraf Naseri, the provincial governor, said.

He said one civilian was killed and two army soldiers were wounded during the firefight.

There ware no casualties among the NATO soldiers, he added.

More than 3,800 people - mostly insurgents, but also including about 190 international soldiers - have been killed in insurgency related incidents in Afghanistan so far this year.