Estonia mourns fallen soldier

TALLINN -- An Estonian soldier serving in Afghanistan, Herdis Sikka, has been killed in the line of duty during an insurgent bomb attack.

Sikka, 20, fell victim to a homeade improvised explove device on Monday afternoon. Fellow soldiers immediately administered first aid and a team of doctors transported him by helicopter to a hospital at Camp Bastion, but the soldier died two hours after receiving his wounds.

Sikka was a sergeant in the infantry unit Estcoy-10. He had been serving in the Defense Forces since 2008 and was stationed in the Helmand province when the attack took place. 

Several of the country's top politicians have offered their condolances over the soldier's death -- the eighth since Estonia became involved in the war.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, Minister of Defense Jaak Aaviksoo and Foreign Minister Urmas Paetissued a joint statement that Sikka and other troops in Afghanistan had made an "invaluable contribution to the construction of a secure future."

President Toomas Hendrick Ilves, meanwhile, penned a letter of condolence to Sikka's family commending the country's military for its efforts to create a "peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan."