KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Two NATO soldiers were killed Saturday in southern Afghanistan after militants ambushed them with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, the alliance said. Canada's defense department identified the dead NATO solders as Canadian but did not release their names. NATO said three soldiers were wounded in the battle in Kandahar province, while Canada said two were wounded. The cause of the discrepancy was not immediately clear.The soldiers were working on a road that would offer safer passage from the volatile Panjwaii district to Kandahar, Canada's defense department said in a statement. Other Canadian units responded to the attack and became involved in a three-hour battle with insurgents, and NATO helicopters also were called in, the statement said.
Counting the latest fatalities, 42 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.