KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian Forces major serving in Afghanistan has been found dead in her sleeping quarters at Kandahar Airfield.

Maj. Michelle Mendes, whose unit was not released but who was based in Ottawa, was found dead Thursday afternoon, the Canadian Forces said in a statement early Friday.

Mendes, 30, is the third female soldier to die during the Afghan mission, and the second this month.

The statement said the incident was under investigation, although enemy action had been ruled out as a cause of death.

No further details were available.

Mendes, who hailed from a small town near Colborne, Ont., east of Toronto, worked in the headquarters of the Canadian task force at the airfield, which serves as the principal base for most of the 2,700 Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of our lost comrade," Maj. Mario Couture said in a brief statement. "Our primary focus at this time is to provide the best possible support to the family of our soldier and to her colleagues."

The military said her family has asked for privacy, but was expected to make a statement in the coming days.

The death was the first Canadian loss of life since April 14, when a roadside bomb blast killed 21-year-old Trooper Karine Blais, who served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment -- also known as the Van Doos -- but was a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada.

Both regiments are based at CFB Valcartier, Que. A funeral for Blais was held Friday in her hometown of Les Mechins, Que.

The latest death brings to 118 the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

Mendes was among 11 soldiers who returned to Canada for treatment in September 2006, after being injured in Afghanistan.

The nature of her injuries were not released.

Mendes' mother, Dianne Knight, told the Colborne Chronicle community newspaper in 2006 that her daughter wanted "an entire career in the army," eventually opting for intelligence.

"I was thrilled," Knight said. "It's right up her alley. She spends the majority of her time reading and analyzing things, and she's so good at it."

Knight told the paper that her daughter, who graduated with a history degree in 2001 from Kingston's Royal Military College, had a positive outlook on her deployment to Afghanistan.

"A lot of her friends have been and come back, and a lot of her friends were going when she was going," the article said.

There have been several other non-combat deaths during the mission that resulted from tragic accidents.

Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder from 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was killed after falling into a well during a night-time patrol in a field in Zhari district, west of Kandahar, in June 2008.

In March 2007, Cpl. Kevin Megeney, a 25-year-old reservist with 1st Battalion of the Nova Scotia Highlanders, died after being shot in the chest while in his tent. Cpl. Matthew Wilcox faces multiple charges in connection with the death.

In August 2006, Master Cpl. Jeffery Walsh of Regina was killed in a shooting accident on patrol outside Kandahar. Master Cpl. Robbie Fraser, based in Shilo, Man., with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment, was charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of negligent performance of duty.

The military has only determined that one soldier has committed suicide while on duty in Afghanistan.

Maj. Raymond Ruckpaul was found dead from a gunshot inside the headquarters of the International Security and Assistance Force in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2007.

The number of former soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress has more than tripled since Canada first deployed troops to Afghanistan, say figures released by Veterans Affairs Canada.