Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 | 7:38 AM ET

A suicide car bomber struck a military convoy near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Monday, killing two Canadian soldiers, NATO says. Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group was one of the soldiers killed in this suicide attack.

Maj. Luke Knittig, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, said Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard were helping with reconstruction projects in an area where there has been heavy fighting in recent months. "It is a sad day. Every time we lose soldiers, it is a sad day," he said. Provincial police chief Ismatullah Alizai said the attack occurred near a gate that leads to the city of Kandahar after the bomber drove up to a military convoy. He said the attack killed one Afghan civilian and wounded another.

The deaths mean 44 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since Ottawa first sent troops to the troubled country in early 2002. Canada has more than 2,000 troops in the country, with the majority stationed in the volatile province of Kandahar.