A suicide bomber's attack in a busy Afghan market has left a Canadian soldier wounded and his interpreter dead.
A local boy was also wounded in the attack, which occurred early Tuesday in the volatile Panjwaii district west of Kandahar city.
Both the wounded were airlifted to the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
The Canadian soldier is in good condition, while doctors describe the boy as being in serious but stable condition.
"The thoughts and prayers of Task Force Kandahar are with the family and friends of our interpreter who was killed in this incident," Lt. Alain Blondin, a Canadian Forces spokesperson, told reporters in Kandahar. "We also hope for a speedy and full recovery for both the injured child and our wounded soldier."
Canadian soldiers were on a foot patrol in Bazaar-E-Panjwaii with their Afghan National Army counterparts at the time.
"Task Force Kandahar condemns this attack that was carried out near a busy marketplace and in the presence of innocent civilian bystanders," Blondin said.
"Contrary to the Taliban's recent claim to act in the best interest of Afghans, this reprehensible act clearly demonstrates the insurgents' contempt for the people of Afghanistan. They continue to strike out at any target, even in areas were Afghan women and children are present, and they do so without thought or remorse."
On Sunday, the Taliban released a letter saying they would launch more attacks against Canadians if this country didn't pull out its 2,500 troops out of Afghanistan.
Last week, the Taliban murdered three aid workers, two of whom were Canadians. They also killed the workers' Afghan driver.
In a commentary published in the Globe and Mail after the attack, development worker and journalist Sarah Chayes -- who has lived in Kandahar since 2001 -- wrote that accepting aid can be a huge risk for Afghans. The Taliban threaten anyone accepting Western help with death.
"The Afghans do not support this so-called insurgency. They are its primary targets," she said.
Other developments
- A major battle near Kabul has left 10 French soldiers dead, the since worst day of casualties for French troops in Afghanistan since 2001.
- A wave of Taliban suicide bombers attacked Camp Salerno, the main U.S. base in Khost province, overnight in an unsuccessful attempt to breach the base's defences.
Khost is in eastern Afghanistan, an area that has seen a 40 per cent rise in Taliban attacks in the last three months compared to the same period last year.
NATO attributes the rise to a decision by Pakistan to strike ceasefire deals with militants in that country, freeing them up to cross the border and conduct attacks in Afghanistan.
