Afghanistan ? An Afghan suicide bomber drove a car laden with explosives Friday into a Canadian military convoy in southern Afghanistan, touching off a blast that wounded five soldiers, officials said.

The attack on the outskirts of Kandahar came days after Canada formally took over command of the main foreign military base in the city from U.S. troops.

The Canadian deployment of 2,200 soldiers is part of an expansion of a NATO-led security mission into southern Afghanistan, which will pave the way for the United States to draw down some troops in a separate foreign military force it leads.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer vowed Friday that the alliance will stand firm in Afghanistan despite increasing violence.

“It is not a short-term commitment,” De Hoop Scheffer said during a visit to Oslo, Norway.