Canadians killed in Afghanistan
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(CNN) -- Two Canadian peacekeepers have died and three others were wounded when one of their vehicles hit a mine in the Afghan capital Kabul, a NATO spokesman said.
The peacekeepers' patrol hit a mine about 1:35 p.m. (5:05 a.m. ET) Thursday, a statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said. Identities of the victims were not immediately released.
ISAF officers are investigating to see if the blast was the result of hostile action, or if the patrol hit a mine left behind after two decades of conflict in Afghanistan, NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said.
In Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said he was "deeply saddened" by the deaths.
"Canada has, resolutely and without hesitation, joined all civilized nations in the international war on terrorism," Chretien said in a written statement.
"The news today is a painful reminder that defending our values and doing our duty can come with a very high price."
The 5,300-member peacekeeping mission, which is limited to the Kabul area, has been the target of periodic rocket attacks blamed on remnants of the Taliban militia that ruled Afghanistan until 2001.
A roadside bomb killed four German peacekeepers in June.
Meanwhile four Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in April 2002 in an accidental bombing by U.S. warplanes.
