NATO soldier killed by landmine in Afghanistan

KABUL, June 21 (Reuters) One NATO soldier was killed and and four wounded when their vehicle detonated a landmine during an operation in eastern Afghanistan today the alliance said.

The identity of the soldiers was not given -- in line with a policy that lets national governments make the announcement -- but the alliance said the four wounded soldiers were in stable condition.

The incident came a day after three Canadian soldiers serving with NATO were killed by a roadside bomb in a southern region, which, like parts of the east, is a Taliban bastion.

More than 55 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year and over 600 since the overthrow the Taliban government in 2001.

REUTERS SYU RN1501