Portugal has said the death of one of its soldiers in Afghanistan will not affect its involvement in Nato's peace force there. It is the first time Portugal has lost a soldier in Afghanistan, where it has 200 troops serving with the International Assistance Security Force or Isaf.
The victim is believed to have been killed in a landmine explosion. Afghanistan is still littered with landmines - the legacy of a quarter of a century of war.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan in one of the bloodiest years since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.
PHOTO CAPTION
International Security Assistance Force soldiers from Portugal take position during a patrol outside the Darulaman Palace in Kabul in September 2005. (AFP)