KABUL — Three NATO peacekeepers were injured Tuesday in a suicide attack in Herat, officials said Tuesday.

The three Italians were on their way to the airport when their vehicle was damaged by the explosion of the suicide bombers' car, which pulled up next to them before it exploded.

The three suffered minor injuries, and three civilians were also injured, said Gen. Mohammad Ayub Salangi, chief of police in Herat, west of Kabul.

Salangi said the three civilians were treated in a local hospital. One of them, a woman, was in critical condition.

Maj. Andrew Elmes, a spokesman for the NATO forces, confirmed the attack occurred and that the three Italians suffered only minor injuries.

Canada currently has about 650 troops in Afghanistan as its contribution to ISAF. In February, nearly 2,000 more troops will join them in Kandahar.

There have been three incidents in as many weeks in which Canadian troops have been killed or injured in Afghanistan.

Last week Capt. Manuel Panchana-Moya, 26, of Montreal and Pte. Ryan Crawford, 21, of Kelowna were injured in a roadside bomb attack west of Kandahar. Panchana-Moya's leg was broken, while Crawford suffered a broken ankle and foot.

On Dec. 7, three members of the JTF-2 special operations force were wounded in Afghanistan. One soldier was sent to hospital, while the other two were treated and returned to their unit.

On Nov. 24, an LAV III armoured personnel carrier rolled over while trying to avoid a collision. Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in Gagetown, N.B., was killed.