Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan attack

A Canadian soldier was killed in a Taliban car bomb attack on a Nato military convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul that left at least 17 dead on Saturday, the Canadian military said.

"We can confirm that we have lost a Canadian soldier in the Kabul blast," Captain Adam Thomson told AFP.

Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Lemay added: "The Canadian soldier died aboard a bus traveling between Nato camps in Kabul. It wasn't a military mission or training. He was simply returning to his place of work."

Killed was Master Corporal Byron Greff from the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta.

He was among 900 Canadian troops participating in a Nato effort to train the Afghan army and national police to eventually take over security for the war-torn nation.

US officials earlier said 13 American troops operating under Nato were killed and at least one other soldier was wounded in the massive explosion, warning that the death toll may increase.

But the US officials would not confirm the Canadian fatality.

Three civilians and one policeman were also killed in the attack claimed by the Taliban, who have been waging a 10-year insurgency against foreign forces and the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.