Canadian soldier killed in gun battle with insurgents

A Canadian soldier from Brantford, Ont., was killed Tuesdaywhen insurgents fired on a security foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, a military spokesman said.

Capt. Richard Leary, a platoon commander of the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment, based in Shilo, Man., wasstruck when Afghan and Canadian soldiers came under small-arms fire in the Panjwaii district, said Col. Jamie Cade, deputy commander of the Canadian mission.

He was flown by helicoptertothe multinational trauma unit at Kandahar Airfield, butdied of his wounds, Cade told reporters.

"Our medical personnel fought very hard to change this outcome, but sadly, they were unsuccessful," he said.

"Capt. Leary was what we in uniform are expected to be. Capt. Leary was a soldier and Capt. Leary was a leader He will be greatly missed by his military family," Col. Cade said.

Maj. Jay Janzen said the firefight beganaround 9:30 a.m. local time andcontinued"for some time." Coalition air strikes were called in, but he declined to say whether any insurgents were killed.

"We honour Capt. Learys sacrifice. His efforts will not be forgotten," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.

Leary, 32,was the second Canadian soldier to be killed while on foot patrol in Afghanistan inrecent weeks.One soldier was killed May 6 when his patrol was ambushed along a roadway outside Kandahar.

Nine other soldiers killed in Afghanistan were from the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo. Three others were with the 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, also based in Shilo.

Janzen acknowlegedthat soldiers on foot patrol are atrisk of coming under attack.

"It's dangerous business, there's no question about it, but if we're not out there doing our jobs, we'll never be successful," he said.

Eighty-four Canadian soldiers have died inAfghanistan since 2002. Thirty-nine of those soldiers were killed in roadside bomb explosions.

NATO soldiers haveincreasingly engaged Taliban fighters in recent weeks.

On Monday, four Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were injured in two separate Taliban attacks west of Kandahar city. One soldier was wounded in a firefight while three other soldiers and theirinterpreter were hurt when a booby trap exploded as they were on foot patrol.