Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan

A female soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan, the first Canadian woman to die during the mission.

Military officials confirmed the death on Wednesday. They're in the process of notifying the family of the captain, who hasn't been publicly identified.

She died in a military operation against Taliban forces, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper during question period.

The prime minister said he wasn't sure whether this was the first female combat death in the history of Canada's Armed Forces.

The military action took place south of Kandahar, where the majority of the country's 2,300 soldiers in Afghanistan are serving.

This raises Canada's death toll in Afghanistan to 16 soldiers and one diplomat since the mission started in 2002.

MPs will vote Wednesday on whether to extend Canada's deployment in the country until 2009 from its currently scheduled end date of February 2007.