Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan

A Canadian soldier in Afghanistan's Kandahar province was killed Friday when his armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb seconds after the senior commander of coalition forces in the province narrowly missed the same explosive device.

Canadian Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said his vehicle passed over the bomb. But the light armored vehicle in which Cpl. Nicholas Bulger was traveling set it off, killing the 30-year-old soldier.

Five other soldiers were hurt in the incident; Vance escaped unscathed. The injured soldiers were reported to be in good condition.

A second Canadian vehicle responding to the explosion also struck a similar device. There was no immediate indication that anyone was hurt in the second blast, Vance said.

Several people were detained following Friday's explosive device strikes, but Vance said he didn't know if they had anything to do with the blast.

"IEDs are the tools of cowards," said Vance, referring to the military's term for improvised explosive devices. "They're indiscriminate and all too deadly."

Bulger became the 121st Canadian soldier to die since 2002 as part of the international mission to stabilize Afghanistan.