A suicide bomber attacked a Canadian military convoy Tuesday west of Kandahar, lightly wounding two soldiers, the military said.

The convoy was returning from the Panjwaii region to the main Kandahar airfield when the bomber struck.

Cpl. Robert Chafe and Master Cpl. Greg Keeping had "extremely minor" injuries and are fine, military spokesperson Lt. Commander Kris Phillips said.

A news release from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force initially said no soldiers had been hurt because their injuries were so minor, Phillips said. 

There are unconfirmed reports two Afghan civilians were killed and as many as eight wounded, the release said.

Two military vehicles were damaged in the blast, which happened on a highway about five kilometres west of Kandahar.

The bomber, who was driving a minivan, detonated his load between a Nyala armoured jeep and a transport truck, a report from the scene said.

More than 2,000 Canadian soldiers are serving in southern Afghanistan. Forty-four soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the mission started in 2002.

With files from the Canadian Press