A Taliban bomb attack on a convoy of Canadian troops has killed a Canadian soldier and at least two Afghans in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin, speaking at the start of an election campaign trip to Laval, Quebec, said one Canadian soldier had been killed and three wounded.
Afghan police and doctors earlier said that at least two Afghans were killed in the attack.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jerry O'Hara, a spokesman based in Kabul with the US-led coalition force, said the explosion was caused by a roadside bomb, but police said it was a suicide attack and witnesses described how a Toyota saloon rammed into a Canadian vehicle at a crossroads.
Doctor Abdul Qaoum, at Kandahar's main hospital, said at least two civilians were killed and nine others wounded.
Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yusuf claimed responsibility. "This attack is part of our jihad and we plan to carry out more such attacks," Yusuf told Reuters by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location.
Taliban fighters have launched several suicide attacks, mainly targetting US-led troops and Nato peacekeepers during the past few months, but they have not caused major casualties.
Canada has about 650 troops in Afghanistan, nearly all in Kandahar. Mr Martin said Canadian participation in the Kandahar mission was essential to help bring peace to Afghanistan. "Our participation in the mission in Kandahar is essential to establishing peace and security," he said. "It's in a nation that is struggling to find its way."
Violence across southern and eastern Afghanistan spiked last year, leaving about 1,600 people dead, the most since US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.
The fighting normally eases during the winter months, when snow blankets the region, but the past few weeks have seen a string of suicide attacks and other assaults.