The Hague  - A Dutch soldier was killed in a battle with Taliban insurgents on Sunday in Afghanistan, becoming the 20th Dutch soldier so far to lose his life in the conflict, the Dutch Defence Ministry in The Hague announced.

Since 2006, the Netherlands has deployed around 1400 soldiers to the restive Afghan province of Uruzgan.

The government in The Hague recently declared that it would not renew beyond 2010 its military leadership in Uruzgan within the framework of the NATO-lead International Security Assistance Force.

The United States has requested the Netherlands to reconsider its position. (dpa)