Canada's 40th military death in Afghanistan, the victim of a roadside bombing, has been identified.
 
Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson of the Royal Canadian Dragoons of CFB Petawawa was on a pre-dawn patrol Saturday when either a roadside bomb or a landmine detonated.

The explosion penetrated the Nyala RG-31 armoured vehicle and took Wilson's life. The blast didn't injure any other soldiers in the vehicle.

Wilson was the vehicle's gunner. In the Nyala, the gunner is responsible for operating a machine-gun remotely from inside.

Video showed a wheel missing from the vehicle, but otherwise, it appeared to be largely intact.

Wilson's age and home town aren't available yet.

The Nyala is one of the toughest vehicles available to the Canadian military in Afghanistan, said CTV News' Paul Workman.

The deputy commander of Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan wouldn't reveal details about the explosion or how it managed to penetrate the vehicle built specifically to withstand simultaneous blasts from two anti-tank mines.

"You can always build a bigger bomb,'' said Col. Fred Lewis. "In this particular case, I think the enemy got a bit lucky.

"The RG 31 is a superb vehicle, and you know this is the first time something like this has happened," he said. "The troops have superb confidence in this vehicle."

The blast occurred as soldiers travelled in two RG-31s to pick up a foot patrol near where Canadian forces are building a new road. An attack in the same area on Tuesday killed two Canadian soldiers and left five others wounded, Workman said.

After the attack, an explosives disposal team and a military attack helicopter were dispatched to the area.

The Panjwaii region has been the scene of heavy combat and several bomb attacks in the last month. Thirteen soldiers have died in the area since Sept. 1.

Casualties in perspective

Britain has also had 40 soldiers die in Afghanistan. However, by the end of October, they will have 4,700 troops serving in the country. Canada only has about 2,300.

The United States has lost 341 soldiers in combat in Afghanistan.

In a report published last month, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that Canada has accounted for 43 per cent of NATO coalition casualties in Afghanistan since February. Their data period ended on Sept. 8. Since then, eight more Canadian soldiers have died.

The report also found that a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan was six times more likely to die than a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq.

One military analyst tried to add perspective by saying the casualties are actually a sign the coalition forces are squeezing the Taliban and their supporters.

"It's only nine months ago that the Canadians arrived. It's only 6 months ago the British arrived," said Col. (ret'd) Alain Pellerin. "We're in their face. If the Taliban lose it's the end of them."

Other attacks

Also on Saturday in the eastern province of Khost, a suicide bomber used a car to target a U.S. patrol near the Pakistan border, provincial police chief Mohammed Ayub told The Associated Press.

There were no casualties, but one of the vehicles was damaged.

Gunmen killed two German journalists in northern Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman told Reuters they were not responsible for the attack.

And in Ghazni province, police said a regional Taliban commander -- Mullah Abdul Rahim Sabauun -- was killed by police on Thursday.

Sabauun was reportedly a high-ranking politician under Taliban rule.

In total, 40 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. About 150 have been wounded.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of the commencement of U.S. military operations to overthrow the Taliban.

With a report from CTV News' Paul Workman