Afghan attack kills Canada troops

Three Canadian soldiers have been killed and five more injured in an attack in Afghanistan.

A senior military source said the soldiers' vehicle had come under attack by insurgents during a routine patrol in Kandahar province.

There are 2,500 Canadians based in the south of Afghanistan as part of Nato's mission to fight the Taleban.

Two weeks ago, three Canadians died when a roadside bomb went off in the south of the country.

Two of the injured soldiers in the latest attack were reported to be in a serious condition and one had been treated and released.

Brig Gen Denis Thompson, the top Canadian commander in Kandahar, said the men were attacked while conducting a security patrol and had returned fire.

He told a televised news conference in Kandahar that the soldiers were close to the end of their tour of duty in Afghanistan.

"It saddens me to think of their loved ones who were expecting them to return home this month," he said.

The latest deaths bring the total number of Canadians killed in the conflict to 96.