By Xinhua,
Ottawa : A Canadian soldier was killed Tuesday during a gun battle with Afghan militants in the south of the country, Canada’s Defense Ministry said.
Capt. Richard Leary, 32, platoon commander, was struck when Afghan and Canadian soldiers came under small-arms fire in the Panjwaii district in Kandahar province.
He was flown by helicopter to the multinational trauma unit at Kandahar Airfield, but died of his wounds, the ministry said in a press release.
The two sides engaged in a half-hour-long gun battle and the militants were pushed back, the press release said.
Canada’s military losses in Afghanistan now total 84. There are currently 2,500 Canadian soldiers stationed in southern Afghanistan.