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Two Canadian soldiers were honoured at a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield on Monday, where more than 1,000 Canadian, U.S., Dutch and British soldiers gathered to mourn their loss.

The bodies of Maj. Yannick Pepin, 36, and Cpl. Jean-Francois Drouin, 31, were loaded aboard a C-130 Hercules, the day after they died in a roadside bomb blast southwest of Kandahar city.

The deadly blast occurred at around noon local time on Sunday, in the Dand district. Five others were injured in the same incident, none seriously. One soldier has been released from hospital.

Both fallen soldiers were members of the 5 Combat Engineer Regiment out of Valcartier, Que.

Following the news of their deaths, Col. Roch Lacroix, the deputy commander for Task Force Kandahar, said the entire task force was mourning their loss.

"Saying goodbye to Yannick and Jean-Francois so prematurely is hard for me, it is hard for their friends, and it's hard for their families," Lacroix said late Sunday night.

"Engineers like Yannick and Jean-Francois....put in a great deal of effort in Afghanistan where they're denying the ability of the insurgents to kill innocent victims on a large scale or simply reconstructing a bridge, roads, schools with their Afghan partners."

Lacroix praised both men for their commitment to the mission and their personal qualities.

"Nothing comes easy here and it takes patience and determination -- two qualities that both men embodied. Today is the time to grieve but tomorrow we will continue our work to better the lives of Afghans."

Highest-ranking officer

Pepin, the highest-ranking member of the Canadian military to die in combat in Afghanistan, leaves behind his partner, Annie, and their two children, Alexandra and Charles.

The 10-year Canadian Forces veteran was a compassionate soldier, Lacroix said.

"Proof of this was when he was on patrol once and stopped his vehicle to take a kite out of the antenna from his vehicle. He handed it to the small Afghan child who thought it had been lost. That day he carried a big grin," said Lacroix.

"Yannick was a man of action who was always involved in things and put his personal interests second. We miss him enormously."

Pepin was also the commander of the last two soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Sapper Matthieu Allard, 21, and Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23.

"The loss of these two is very difficult," Pepin told reporters Aug. 3, two days after Allard and Bobbitt were killed.

"But the work will continue."

Military analyst Mercedes Stephenson said it is possible that Pepin was targeted because of his role with the Canadian Forces, which saw him managing the removal of thousands of IEDs in Afghanistan.

"He was the person who looks after all of the engineers and tells them what to do for the battle group, who were going out there and destroying these IEDs that take the lives of our soldiers and take the lives of Afghan civilians every day. So you can imagine that there would have been a price on his head," she told Â鶹ӰÊÓ Channel during an interview on Monday.

Pepin's colleague Drouin had a bright future ahead of him in the military. He was known among his fellow soldiers as 'Big Drou,' and as a guy who liked to make other people laugh.

"Jean-Francois was a very generous man with a big heart," Lacroix said. "As big a heart as the three pieces of steel he liked to lift in the gymnasium."

Lacroix said Drouin had recently received an accelerated promotion to the rank of corporal.

Drouin is survived by his partner, Audrey.

Condolences from Ottawa

Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement Monday, offering his condolences to the friends and family of the fallen soldiers.

"Be reassured that an entire country stands behind you at this difficult time," he said in a written statement.

Harper said the deaths of Pepin and Drouin will not be forgotten, and he said Canada remains undeterred in its mission to help Afghans rebuild their war-torn country.

"It is only through the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of remarkable Canadians like Corporal Jean-Francois Drouin and Major Yannick Pepin that Afghanistan will once again flourish and stand on its own," Harper said.

"Let us never forget these brave men, whose self-sacrifice served to make life better for others."

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the deaths illustrate "some of the risks that the selfless men and women of the Canadian Forces face every day in carrying out their duties."

"Major Pepin and Corporal Drouin were helping to bring back hope to a population that has seen much hardship and turmoil," MacKay said in a written statement.

Governor General Michaelle Jean said she was "saddened" to hear of the deaths of the two soldiers. In a written statement she extended her condolences to the soldiers' families and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

"Our Canadian Forces soldiers deployed to one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan continue to demonstrate extraordinary selflessness and courage," Jean said.

"Our thoughts are with them at all times, as we know to what point they brave danger daily and make every effort to lend a helping hand to a people deprived of the most basic rights."

Canada has now lost 129 soldiers during its mission in Afghanistan since it began seven years ago.

With files from The Canadian Press