Bomb Kills Canadian Soldier In Afghanistan

An improvised bomb killed a Canadian soldier on a joint patrol with Afghan troops near the southern city of Kandahar on Friday.

An improvised bomb killed a Canadian soldier on a joint patrol with Afghan troops near the southern city of Kandahar on Friday, Canadian Col. Mike Cessford announced.

"We lost a good kid today," Cessford, deputy commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan, told reporters in Kandahar as he fought back tears. His remarks were televised in Canada.

The soldier was part of a team that is training Afghans to help bring security to the southern part of Afghanistan.

"This incident will not deter us from continuing our work with the government and the people of Afghanistan. Incidents like this will absolutely reinforce the imperative of Canadians and Afghans to continue working closely together to reestablish peace and security in this country," Cessford said.

The explosion took place within miles of where Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited two days earlier.

It was the 55th soldier Canada has lost since sending troops to Afghanistan in 2002.