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Six Canadian Nato soldiers and their Afghan translator have been killed by a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, military officials have said.

The seven died when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the southern province of Kandahar.

The blast was the deadliest attack against Nato forces since six Canadian soldiers were killed on 8 April.

A total of 66 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died since the country sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002.

"Clearly, they have managed to kill six great young Canadians today, which is an absolute tragedy," said Canadian Brig Gen Tim Grant.

Volatile region

The bomb struck a vehicle travelling as part of a convoy south-west of the city of Kandahar.

British, Canadian and Dutch troops operate in the volatile southern province which was the birthplace of the Taleban and remains a stronghold for their forces.

The BBC's Charles Haviland, in central Afghanistan, says at least 30 Taleban fighters were killed in clashes with International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) troops earlier this week according to the city's governor, although Isaf has not confirmed the figures.

Correspondents say that fighting in recent months has been among the most violent since US-led troops overthrew the Taleban in 2001.

More than 100 foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan so far this year, mainly in combat.

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I shall, I passed on the number of a peer support bearevment service that is run by the same Vets organisation that I'm a volunteer for. I hope she finds it of use.

A young B.C. reservist who died in Afghanistan two weeks ago was remembered as passionate and dedicated, as comrades, family and friends attended his funeral service in an Aldergrove church on Tuesday.

Master Cpl. Colin Bason, a seven-year Canadian Forces veteran who grew up in Abbotsford, B.C., was meant for the military, said Col. Glen Richmond, commander of the army's 39 Brigade Group.

"The family seems to have a great sense of pride in the fact their son was willing to go off and do this mission. They knew it was in his blood, it was his calling. It's something he felt he really needed to do," Richmond said.

Bason, 28, a reservist with the Royal Westminster Regiment in New Westminster, B.C., died with five other Canadian soldiers when the armoured vehicle they were in ran over a roadside bomb outside Kandahar City on July 4.

"He was very proficient with leadership," Richmond said. "He was a great mentor to fellow soldiers. He was always very positive, [had a] good sense of humour and lots of energy."

Several letters of condolence were read during the morning service, including some from officers Bason served with, one from Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, colonel-in-chief of the regiment, and another from Premier Gordon Campbell.

Bason's fiancée, Katrina Blain, and their five-month-old daughter, Vienna, were at the service and afterward attended a private burial.

Bason's commanding officer in the Westies, as the regiment is known, Lt.-Col. Matthew Haussman, called Bason an outstanding soldier who knew how to lift his comrades with a well-timed joke.

Bason served a tour in Bosnia before taking a demotion to corporal so he could go to Afghanistan, where the plight of the ravaged country's children touched him.

"I'll remember the Master Cpl. Bason who couldn't wait to get to Afghanistan," Haussman said. "He was a soldier passionate about serving."



Fellow soldiers have said the devastating loss has not damaged their resolve, Capt. Dave McAllister said.

"It only made us want to be there even stronger," he said. "What does morale mean on a military level? It means willingness to fight and it just made us want to fight even more."