KABUL - A NATO soldier was killed and another presumed dead after a patrol came under "sustained fire" from mortars and guns in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, the force said.
Eight soldiers were also wounded in the attack in the southern province of Kandahar, the heartland of the Taliban movement that is waging an anti-government insurgency.
Most of the soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kandahar province are Canadians. ISAF does not release the nationalities of its casualties.
"An ISAF soldier was killed, another is presumed dead and a further eight were injured when their patrol came under sustained fire from mortars and small arms...," a statement said.
"Although ISAF troops returned fire, there are no details of insurgent casualties as yet."
The attack was in the Zhari district of Kandahar province. The district was part of Operation Medusa, ISAF's biggest anti-Taliban operation that wrapped up in mid-September.
ISAF said the operation killed about 1,000 Taliban and forced others to flee in the biggest losses by the militants since they were toppled from power in a US-led invasion five years ago
10/03/2006 17:33 GMT