NATO soldier killed in combat in south Afghanistan

Kabul, Apr 8: A NATO soldier was today killed in fighting in southern Afghanistan where foreign forces have launched a major offensive against the Taliban.

NATO said in a statement the soldier had been killed by a roadside bomb, but gave no further details. A NATO spokeswoman refused to say where the incident occurred, saying that naming the province could reveal the nationality of the soldier.

About 5,000 NATO and Afghan troops are engaged in a major offensive, Operation Achilles, in Helmand province, the opium heartland of the world's biggest producer.

Last year saw the bloodiest fighting since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, mainly in the rebels' southern heartland of Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar province.

British and Canadian troops make up the bulk of forces in the south. The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency reported that at least eight Taliban had been killed in fighting in Helmand.

Reuters