Dutch Chief of Staff Peter van Uhm on Friday confirmed the death of a Dutch soldier in Afghanistan earlier on Friday, according to dpa. Van Uhm said 24-year-old Sergeant Mark Weijdt probably stepped on a roadside bomb during a confrontation with Taliban fighters. Another soldier sustained mild injuries. The soldier was the 18th Dutch soldier to die in Afghanistan since the start of the Dutch mission. A total of 1,200 Dutch troops have been stationed in Afghanistan as part of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF). The Dutch military are mainly located in the southern province of Uruzgan, with some troops being deployed in Kandahar and Kabul.