The Netherlands Defense Ministry says that a Dutch soldier has been killed in a gunbattle in southern Afghanistan.The ministry identified him as Cpl. Kevin van der Rijdt, a member of a special forces unit. The 26-year-old soldier was killed Sunday morning during a skirmish with fighters near Deh Rawood. He died of gunshot wounds.
Van der Rijdt is the 20th Dutch soldier to be killed in Afghanistan since the Netherlands began its deployment in Uruzgan province in August 2006. Around 1,650 Dutch are serving in Afghanistan as part of NATO forces.
The ministry says Van der Rijdt's unit worked with Australian forces to seek and destroy material used to make improvised explosives.
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