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Canada's military death toll in Afghanistan has hit 100 with the deaths of three soldiers who were killed by an improvised explosive device.

The attack happened Friday at about 9 a.m. local time.

Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, said that the three soldiers "were killed instantly" when their armoured vehicle was struck by a large IED.

The soldiers, Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson and Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, were from the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based out of Petawawa, Ont.

They were members of the Task Force Kandahar Operational Mentor and Liaison Team.

"Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson was known to all simply as R.J.," Thompson said. "This was his second tour in Afghanistan."

Wilson's wife is also a soldier and is currently serving in Afghanistan. She will return home with his remains.

"He was a highly dedicated, professional and charismatic leader who excelled at all he did. He loved his work, and dearly loved his wife and children," Thompson said. "He will be sorely missed by all. Our condolences go out to his wife Debra, and their two children, Owen and Emily."

McLaren had served in Afghanistan earlier and was wounded in 2006, but was anxious to return and assist, Thompson said.

"A few weeks ago Mark (McLaren) risked his life crawling towards an Afghan soldier who had been shot in order to provide him first aid under fire," Thompson said.

McLaren's father, Alan McLaren, said his son was engaged, and was a man who died believing strongly in what he was doing.

"Here's my son doing exactly what he wants. He knows why he's doing it. He feels he's making a difference in this world. And that's what he went and did," McLaren told Peterborough, Ont. radio station CKRU.

"Boy, are we ever proud of him."

Diplaros was on his first tour in Afghanistan and was "an exceptional driver and gunner," Thompson said.

His father, Jerry Diplaros, also served in the army and said he wanted his son to follow in the family tradition.

"He saw pictures of me when I was in the army, and he was looking forward to being like his dad," he told CTV Toronto.

Diplaros said that even though he knew the risks of being a soldier, it didn't make the news any easier.

"It was very hard for me even though I was prepared because I served in the army and I know what the army's all about," he said.

According to Demetrios Diplaros's Facebook profile, he turned 24 in late November and had a longtime girlfriend.

"I love my girlfriend," his profile reads.

A recent Facebook entry reads that just yesterday, his girlfriend sent him a video of Neil Young performing "Heart of Gold" with a message attached reading, "I love you."

Wilson's name was withheld at his family's request until early Friday evening.

Focus on sacrifice, commander says

In separate incident, two other Canadian soldiers were injured, one seriously, when an IED exploded near their foot patrol in the Dangerous Zhari district. That incident occurred about an hour before the fatal attack.

The three deaths are the first from the current rotation of Canadian soldiers who were sent to Kandahar in mid-September.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his condolences to the families of the three soldiers, while he was attending a pre-scheduled event in Petawawa Friday, the soldiers' home base.

"As your prime minister, I want to express my condolences to the family and friends of these three brave soldiers," he said. "But I have to tell you I never feel able to put the depths of my feelings at times like this into adequate words.

"These are very special people who have put their lives on the line in the service of their fellow human being and in devotion to their country."

In Afghanistan, Thompson was quick to say that the focus needs to remain on the sacrifice of the three soldiers, not on the 100 death milestone.

"They served Canada in an effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan," he said.

"To the family members of the injured and fallen . . . in times like these, I believe it is important to focus on why we are here and what Canadians are trying to achieve.

Thompson, who comes across as a calm commander in times of tragedy, seemed grim and downbeat Friday - but he was resolved on the mission's cost.

"During my short time in Kandahar province, a female civilian member of our task force was set on fire, a man has had his eyes gouged out in front of his family, children have been used as suicide bombers against the security forces, a busload of young men have been executed in cold blood and young girls have had acid thrown in their face on their way to school," he said. "Canadians serving in Afghanistan are not the kind of people to sit idly by.

"These insurgents that commit these terrible atrocities on the local population have us and the Afghan security forces to answer to. This is not easy and is not without a cost."

Soldiers were mentoring Afghans

Retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie told Â鶹ӰÊÓnet that the soldiers who were killed were part of a group that mentored Afghan security forces.

He said the fact that the soldiers' deaths came so close to the holidays is "tragic," noting that they were protecting the values that allow Canadians to practice their democracy.

MacKenzie said that a lot of money and resources have been spent on the "IED threat," which has claimed 14 Canadian lives just this year.

"There has been tremendous success ... but that doesn't give much solace to the families of the soldiers killed," he said.

He said the key to limiting attacks on Canadians and their allies is to gather information from Afghans.

"In order to do that, you have to have enough troops to guarantee the security of the local population and that's where NATO is not meeting the challenge."

The U.S. is expected to send an additional 20,000 troops to Afghanistan next year.

MacKenzie said other NATO countries should help the U.S. bolster troop levels in the country, an assessment seconded by security analyst Alan Bell.

Bell told Â鶹ӰÊÓnet that additional helicopters that have been sent to Afghanistan (along with more choppers expected in the months ahead) may also help reduce casualties.

"The air assets and the ability to move around much more safely will obviously make a significant difference," he said.

Bell cautioned, however, that although more troops will help, the task for Canadian soldiers remains formidable.

"Due to the physical state of the country ... it's going to be very difficult -- even if we quadruple the amount of troops we have in Afghanistan -- to stop the flow of Taliban from the tribal areas of Pakistan," he said.

Retired Col. Mike Capstick told Newsnet he's concerned the recent upheaval in Ottawa may be shifting focus away from Canada's soldiers.

"I do have that worry," the military analyst said.

"Earlier this week I was a little concerned about the leadership in Ottawa and the political shenanigans going on. (There's concern) that the mission had slipped to the back pages," he said.