Kabul  - A Canadian soldier was killed in a roadside attack and US soldiers killed an Afghan tribal chief and wounded another civilian who approached their convoy in a south-eastern province, officials said Sunday.

The soldier was killed when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Zherai district of southern Kandahar province on Saturday, the Canadian defence ministry said in a statement.

Sapper Sean Greenfield from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment was the second soldier to die in Afghanistan this year, bringing the Canadian military's death toll to 108 since their deployment to the country in 2002.

Elsewhere, US soldiers opened fire on a civilian vehicle when it approached their convoy in Urgun district of Paktika province on Saturday, wounding two occupants, provincial governor Mohammad Akram Khepilwak said.

"We later found out that one of the wounded persons was Amir Painda, a tribal chief for Kharooti tribe in this province," Khepilwak said. He said the elder died from his injuries in the provincial hospital, while the other wounded civilian was in critical condition.

Amir Painda was a Jehadi commander during the Afghan war against Soviet troops in 1980s and an influential figure in the province.

Khepilwak condemned the shooting and said he had already asked the US forces to conduct a thorough investigation.

Wary of suicide bombers, who often attack international military convoys, foreign troops have shot and killed dozens of Afghan civilians. As a precautionary measure, the NATO forces post signs on their military vehicles, urging civilians to keep their distance.

Civilian casualties at the hands of international forces have angered the public and prompted President Hamid Karzai to call for a change in NATO military operations in the country.

Around 2,000 civilians were among more than 5,000 people - mostly insurgents - reportedly killed in the Afghanistan conflict last year. About 800 civilians were killed by Afghan and foreign military forces and the rest died in Taliban-led attacks, according to estimates by international aid organizations.

Separately, US-led forces killed two suspected militants and detained nine others in two separate operations in southern Ghazni and south-eastern Khost provinces, a military statement said Sunday.

Rebel attacks are on the rise despite the presence of nearly 70,000 international troops and more than 160,000 Afghan security forces. (dpa)