A Canadian soldier was killed and three others wounded early Wednesday in a long and vicious firefight as Taliban insurgents attempted to overrun a remote base in southern Afghanistan.
A U.S. soldier and at least eight Afghan National Army soldiers also died in the battle.
The dead Canadian soldier was identified as Private Robert Costall, born in Thunder Bay, Ont. He was stationed with the 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
The Canadian general commanding coalition forces said the young soldier, believed to be 22, died defending his comrades.
"We will not forget his sacrifice," said Brigadier-General David Fraser, in a brief statement early Wednesday to reporters at Kandahar Airfield, the main coalition base.
"Our thoughts are with his family today and with the families of the injured."
A release from the Department of Defence said the identities of the injured soldiers will not be released because they are expected to return to duty.
Their conditions were given as ranging from fair to good, and it was not expected they would need treatment outside of Afghanistan.
"They're doing well and receiving good treatment," Gen. Fraser said.
Up to a dozen of the insurgents reportedly died in the firefight, but there was no confirmation of that number. Gen. Fraser would only say a "significant number" of Taliban were killed.
The clash began when the Taliban attacked an Afghan Army resupply convoy Tuesday afternoon with assault rifles and roadside bombs.
A quick reaction force of Canadian troops were sent to a forward base in the area by helicopter. They were lent backup by British fighter jets, U.S. helicopters and B-52 bombers.
Pvt. Costall was killed as Taliban fighters tried to overrun the outpost using mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. But coalition troops hung on.
The violent, pitched battle took place at a forward coalition base in the Sangin district of Helmand province, 110 kilometres north of Kandahar. The area is a hotbed of insurgent and illegal drug activity.
An American soldier was killed in a firefight Saturday in the same province, although not in the same area. Roughly 3,500 British troops are slated to take over patrolling the volatile region.
There are about 2,200 Canadian soldiers currently serving with the coalition in Afghanistan.
Twelve Canadians have now been killed in the turbulent country since 2002 -- 11 of them soldiers and one a Canadian diplomat.
The battle followed a series of attacks on Tuesday in the Kandahar region, including a rocket attack on the base where Canadian troops are based.
The troops are committed in the region until early next year, although Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier has warned the international community may ask for continued support until a NATO-run mission ends in 2011.
