Tallinn - The government of Estonia paid tribute Monday to one of the Baltic state's soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Master Sergeant Allain Tikko of the Estcoy-8 infantry company was reported killed in action earlier in the day in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.
Three more soldiers were wounded in the grenade blast that killed Tikko, but none of their injuries are life-threatening.
30-year-old Tikko had previously served in both Kosovo and Iraq after joining the army in 1998.
A joint statement issued by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and his ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs said that they shared the grief of Tikko's family but that Estonia would continue its mission in Afghanistan as part of the NATO forces stationed in the country.
"What happened this morning will not diminish Estonia's firm desire to continue in the Afghanistan mission... We are creating security and stability in Afghanistan, which will allow the citizens of Afghanistan to build up their own nation and revive their economy," the statement said.
A book of condolences for Tikko's famiy was opened at the Estonian Ministry of Defence and online.
Estonia has around 150 troops in Afghanistan and has recorded three fatalities since 2003.
