Polish soldier dies in Afghanistan

A Polish soldier was killed Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, the Polish Defense Ministry said. He is the first from the European nation to die in the Afghan conflict, according to a CNN count of NATO casualty figures.Polish and Afghan soldiers were on patrol in the Gardez area when there was an exchange of fire with insurgents, the ministry said. The area is not far from the border with Pakistan.Poland has had a strong military presence during the post-Saddam Hussein era. Twenty-one Polish soldiers have been killed in Iraq