The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says five militants and a coalition soldier have been killed and another soldier wounded in a clash in southern Afghanistan.
Coalition officials say militants attacked a military convoy in Helmand province Thursday. Officials say troops returned fire, killing the attackers.
Separately, a member of the Afghan parliament said on Friday coalition forces opened fire on a car carrying members of his family, killing one and wounding four others. Coalition officials say they have had no reports of such firing by their forces.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is visiting Japan, says foreign terrorists are responsible for the recent surge in militant attacks in his country.
Mr. Karzai told reporters that the terrorists are trained, equipped and financed abroad and sent to Afghanistan. He urged more regional cooperation, particularly from neighboring Pakistan, to eliminate what he called the source of terrorism in Afghanistan.
In Ottawa on Friday, the Defense Ministry said that a Canadian soldier who shot and killed an Afghan civilian in March at a Kandahar checkpoint acted lawfully and will not face charges.
It said an investigation has determined that the soldier acted lawfully and used appropriate force in view of the risk faced by soldiers in Afghanistan. It said the soldier feared a car bombing when the man did not stop his vehicle despite being told to stop.