KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A period of relative post-fighting season calm was shattered Wednesday when a Canadian soldier on foot patrol in the volatile Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan was killed.

Lt. Andrew Nuttall, along with an Afghan soldier, died when an improvised explosive device detonated in the town of Nakhoney, the military said early Thursday -- Christmas Eve.

An interpreter was seriously injured.

Nuttall, 30, of Prince Rupert, B.C., belonged to the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Edmonton.

"Andrew came to Afghanistan because he honestly thought he could make a difference to the people of Afghanistan," said Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, commander of coalition forces in Kandahar province.

"He wanted to lead from the front and set the example, attributes he passionately displayed every time he was in front of his platoon."

Menard described Nuttall as generous, someone who always had a smile on his face and "greeted everyone he met with enthusiasm and goodwill."

Nuttall is survived by his mother Jane and father Richard.

In a statement, Nuttall's family said he always put others ahead of himself and they were proud of his decision to join the military. The statement added that he believed his service in Afghanistan was making a difference.

"We have lost a bright light in our lives," the family said.

The death was the first of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan in almost two months, when Sapper Steven Marshall was killed, and the first since Menard took over as top commander in Kandahar province.

Marshall died Oct. 30 in a similar incident in what has been a record year for IED attacks in Afghanistan.

Since April 2007, 66 of the 89 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan have been the result of the homemade bombs.

In all, 134 Canadian soldiers have now been killed on the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

With the relative quiet of the post-summer ebb in violence, Canadian soldiers, reinforced by hundreds of fresh American troops, have been attempting to establish secure areas in and around Kandahar city.

The aim, according to Menard, is to establish a "ring of stability" around the bustling city before the uptick in fighting traditionally begins in the spring -- the phenomenon known as "fighting season."

Nakhoney, about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, one part of what was dubbed the Panjwaii triangle, has been an area in which Canadian forces have frequently encountered problems.

In July, for example, Canadian and Afghan soldiers uncovered four factories used by the Taliban to make improvised explosive devices. They also seized suicide-bomber vests, large quantities of explosive materials as well as weapons.

One soldier, Pte. Sebastien Courcy was killed during the operation when he stepped on an explosive.

Menard recently cited Nakhoney as an example where the reinforced Canadian forces were having an impact in providing security for local Afghans.

At the time of his death, Nuttall was searching for Taliban transit routes, Menard said.

"His patrol was part of our efforts to protect the people of the village from insurgents."

Under Menard's new strategy, soldiers are moving out of their relatively safe operating bases to move into platoon houses in the community.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Nuttall's "sacrifice will not be forgotten."

"The impact of this news is especially profound during the holiday season and will be felt in households across the country," Harper said in a statement early Thursday.

"Canadians are proud of our military men and women. We support their families, and all those who serve and sacrifice to protect the interests and values of Canadians. We will not waver in our goal of helping Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society."

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said she was "deeply saddened."

"This death comes at the end of a particularly difficult year and as we begin the holiday season, an important time for families," Jean said.

"It is a harsh reminder of the enormous sacrifices our soldiers and their loved ones have agreed to make so that stability and security can be re-established in a dangerous region of the world and to help people who have been deprived of their most fundamental rights, distressed by years of violence and oppression."

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff also mourned the loss Nuttall.

"Lt. Nuttall laid down his life in the service of peace, while bringing stability to a troubled region of the world in the proudest tradition of the Canadian Forces," he said in a statement Thursday.

"We honour his commitment and sacrifice, and the courage of all our soldiers working to ensure a safe and secure future for the people of Afghanistan," Ignatieff added.