NATO soldier killed in blast in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sep 29 (Reuters) A NATO soldier was killed in a blast in Afghanistan today during a patrol in the southern province of Kandahar, the force said.

Afghanistan's NATO-led force did not disclose the soldier's nationality.

Afghanistan is experiencing the most serious violence since the hardline Taliban were ousted in 2001, and NATO knows its credibility as a genuine fighting force is at stake in what is the toughest combat in its 57-year history.

NATO agreed yesterday to take command of peacekeeping across all of Afghanistan next month after the United States pledged to transfer an extra 12,000 troops based in the east to its force.

The transfer of command had been expected before the end of the year. But alliance officials said recent battles against resurgent NATO guerrillas in the south showed the need to pool British, Dutch and Canadian troops under NATO with US forces.

Nearly 140 foreign troops have been killed in fighting or accidents during operations since January, and NATO has acknowledged it underestimated the scale of Taliban resistance.

A two-week NATO offensive in Kandahar this month drove well dug-in Taliban militants out of a farming district 25 km west west of Kandahar city. A NATO commander said about 1,000 Taliban were killed. The Taliban denied suffering such heavy losses.

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