Two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

"I have to announce that two Canadian soldiers were killed just outside Kandahar City," said the Commander of Canadian Forces in Southern Afghanistan Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant on Monday.

"At about 8:30 this morning a suicide bomber attacked a Canadian convoy, detonating his vehicle and killing two Canadian soldiers."

Grant said the attack took place about one kilometre outside Kandahar City.

"The two soldiers that were killed were the only ones that were injured and there were no civilian casualties," said Grant, disputing reports that an Afghan civilian had died.

The two Canadians killed are reported to be the crew commander and driver of a Bison armoured personnel carrier.

CTV's Steve Chao in Kandahar has learned that both soldiers were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. Their names are being held at the request of the families.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families back home and with the members of the battlegroup who have lost some very close friends," said Grant.

The soldiers had been helping with reconstruction projects outside Kandahar where heavy clashes had taken place over the past several months.

Chao said the suicide bomber pulled alongside the Canadian convoy in a vehicle and detonated his explosives. The bomber was reported to have been driving a small minivan.

Haji Abdullah, a mechanic in Kandahar City, told The Canadian Press he heard a "powerful bomb explosion."

"The atmosphere was very tense. Everybody was running here and there and screaming," he said.

Kandahar province has been relatively calm recently aside from some sporadic fighting.

"There has been talk for a while of a relative peace, and a hope that peace would last through the winter," Chao said. "This obviously has not happened."

"It's also becoming more clear the Taliban is using suicide bombers as a main key tactic to attack NATO forces down here and instill a sense of fear in Kandahar City."

Brig.-Gen. Grant said the most common type of attack by insurgents is either small arms, or rocket-propelled grenades.

So the fact they're resorting to suicide bombings "shows they are desperate right now and they are trying to send a message."

"The professionalism, though, of NATO forces and the Canadians in particular will make sure they carry on with their mission here. We are not deterred by this attack," he added.

Elsewhere in the country, a suicide bomber attacked a crowded restaurant in Paktika province of southeast Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 15 Afghans and wounding 24 more.

Clashes with insurgents in the Tirin Kot district of Uruzgan province, just north of Kandahar, left one NATO soldier and estimated 57 insurgents dead on Saturday.

For Canada, there have been no fatalities since Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson died in an ambush west of Kandahar City on Oct. 14.

There are about 2,500 Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. Including Monday's deaths, 44 have died since 2002, plus one diplomat.

NATO summit

On Tuesday, NATO will hold a summit meeting in Latvia. It will bring together the leaders of 26 countries, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan this year and the leaders are expected to talk about strategies to quell it. More than 3,700 have died in Afghanistan so far this year.

One point of division is combat responsibilities.

Canada and the Netherlands are expected to issue a joint call asking member countries to remove some of the restrictions they have placed on their troops.

Canadian, U.S., British and Dutch soldiers are currently bearing a disproportionate share of the combat burden.

German, French and Italian forces are operating in relatively quiet areas. Their governments have restricted them from combat roles.

For example, some nations' troops aren't allowed to go on night patrols.

However, the language in the resolution is expected to not "point fingers" at any country in particular.

The Dutch and Canadians are also expected to ask for more resources in other areas, like helicopters and medical teams.

With files from The Associated Press