OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian soldier was shot dead in a clash with militants while on foot patrol outside Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. quoted military officials as saying.

It said another soldier had been injured in the incident. The defense ministry was not available for comment.

If the death is confirmed it will bring to 83 the number of Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since Ottawa dispatched troops in late 2002. Canada has 2,500 soldiers in Kandahar on a mission that is due to finish by end-2011.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Renato Andrade)

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