In its latest report, the Department of National Defence concludes that the deaths of Canadian soldiers patrolling Afghanistan in aging Iltis vehicles couldn't have been prevented.

Concluding its internal reviews of two deadly attacks on Canadian patrols in Afghanistan, National Defence released its final reports on Tuesday.

In both cases, the reports conclude the choice of vehicle was appropriate, and commanders correctly assigned them to the task.

No one other than the attackers should be blamed, the reports say.

Since Corporal Jamie Brendan Murphy, Sergeant Robert Short and Corporal Robbie Beerenfenger were all killed while on patrol in jeep-like Iltis vehicles, the nimble rover has been criticized as too lightly armoured for the conditions in Afghanistan.

In its report, the DND says the mine attack that killed Short and Beerenfenger in October was well-planned -- and designed to blow up a heavily armoured tank. The January suicide bomb attack that struck Murphy's vehicle was equally unpreventable, the report says.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, the commander of Canadian forces in Kabul at the time the deaths occurred told reporters he stood behind his choices for patrol fleets.

"That was my call and if I had to do it again based on the vehicles we had I'd do it again I'd take the Iltis and a suitable mix of armoured vehicles," Major-General Andrew Leslie said.

According to Leslie, the Iltis was the most suitable vehicle in his fleet at the time, though it was not necessarily the best available.

With this latest report, however, critics are still not satisfied.

Military issues analyst Scott Taylor told CTV News that National Defence is sending mixed messages.

In the case of the landmine explosion, for example, two DND probes seemed to come up with two very different interpretations.

While a board of inquiry found the Iltis to be ill-suited, a review panel said soldiers themselves felt the Iltis was up to the job.

"One appears to be written by soldiers and one appears to be written by lawyers looking out for the legal interests of the department," the Esprit de Corps Magazine publisher told CTV.

Whatever the contradictions, the military has since mothballed the 20-year-old Iltis fleet. It is being replaced by the Mercedes-built G-Wagon -- another patrol vehicle unable to withstand an anti-tank mine blast.