By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, July 5, 2007

TORONTO, July 4 -- Six Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday as criticism increased here of the growing military and civilian toll.

The six soldiers were returning from a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers near Kandahar city when the blast ripped through their vehicle. The deaths bring to 66 the number of Canadian soldiers killed since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

In addition, 408 American troops have been killed there, as well as 63 British soldiers and 86 from other countries, according to iCasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks military deaths.

Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party, said the growing casualties show that "it's the wrong mission" and "it's not working."

"It's not going to accomplish the goals," he said Wednesday in Ottawa. "What's happening is working for the Taliban, not against them."

Layton urged the government to begin withdrawing Canadian troops and to urge the United States to stop high-altitude bombings, which have resulted in civilian deaths.

In Afghanistan, Canadian Brig. Gen. Tim Grant said he was "greatly saddened by the loss of these great young Canadians." But he added: "The attack on us will not diminish our resolve and determination to bring to Afghanistan a peaceful land for the children of this country."

Canadian troops are stationed in southern Afghanistan, a stronghold of the Taliban, which was forced from power in the 2001 invasion. NATO-led troops are facing a fierce fight in the area, and violence has been spiking in recent months.

The Canadian government has not said whether it will extend the troops' stay past February 2009. But the Canadian public has soured on the mission, and polls indicate that half to two-thirds of the public want the Canadian troops out.