Two Canadians killed in Afghanistan

Two Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan when their armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED), the Canadian army has announced.

Master Cpl. Kristal Giesebrecht and Pte. Andrew Miller were killed when the vehicle they were in hit an IED, the Canadian military said Saturday.

The exact location and the time of the incident have not been announced.

The latest deaths bring to 154 the total number of Canadians to die in the Afghanistan since the country’s occupation began in 2001.

A third soldier, as yet unnamed, was injured during the bombing and taken to hospital at Kandahar Airfield base. He is said to be in “stable condition.”

Taliban militants have vowed to continue fighting against foreign troops in Afghanistan. “We don’t care whether it’s McChrystal or Petraeus. Our position is clear. We’ll be fighting the invading forces until they leave,” Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, said on Thursday.

The rising number of casualties has increased opposition to the Afghan war in the member states of NATO.

The 130,000-strong foreign presence in Afghanistan has so far failed to establish security in the country.

Afghanistan’s interior ministry says only less than three percent of Afghan towns are safe.