Suicide bomb wounds Canadian troops in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Five Canadian soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a suspected suicide car bomb attack today on their armoured vehicle in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, the Canadian military said.

In other violence in Kandahar, a roadside bomb killed a policeman and wounded two others in Maiwand district, while in neighbouring Helmand province, the local government spokesman said police killed eight Taleban guerrillas and arrested 10.

The attack on the Canadians occurred about 15km outside the city of Kandahar, and about 10km from the airport, where Canadian troops are based. Taleban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said the guerrillas were responsible.

"A car full of explosives blew up near a Canadian armoured vehicle. The bomber was killed," General Rahmatullah Raufi, commander of the Afghan army's southern region, told Reuters.

He said the bomber was an Afghan who had been wearing a vest bearing the name Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the same as that of an outlawed Pakistani militant group.

"He may have had a connection to that group," he said.

A Canadian military spokesman, Lieutenant Mark MacIntyre, said the badly wounded soldier was expected to be evacuated to the US military hospital at Landstuhl in Germany, while the others were expected to return to duty shortly.

Helmand provincial spokesman Ghulam Mahyuddin said police fought a two-hour battle with militants in Sangine district in which eight guerrillas were killed and 10 captured, while four police officers were wounded. Taleban spokesman Yousuf said eight policemen were killed and only two guerrillas wounded.

Afghanistan has been hit by a wave of suicide bombings in recent months that have killed dozens of people, part of a stepped up insurgency has claimed more than 1500 lives since the start of last year.

The period has been the bloodiest period since the Taleban's overthrow by US -led forces in late 2001 and the US military has warned of stepped up militant activity in the coming spring.

Today's attack came two days after a surprise first visit to Afghanistan by US President George W Bush.

Bush is also due to arrive in Pakistan later today.

Ahead of his visit there, Afghanistan has repeatedly complained that suicide bombers trained in Pakistan have been sent to carry out attacks on its territory.

Many of the attacks have been in Kandahar province, a base for about 2300 Canadian troops who have come under attack several times in recent months. In January, a Canadian diplomat was killed in a suicide car bombing in the city.

Today's blast came a day after a Canadian soldier was killed and seven hurt when their vehicle overturned in the province. Police said that was an accident and it brought Canadian fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 to at least 10.

Yesterday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper railed against opposition critics of Canada's military mission to Afghanistan and said all Canadians had a responsibility to support the armed forces.

- REUTERS