Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan will pay a $3,500 fine for negligently firing his rifle while at Kandahar Airfield.

At a court martial hearing in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard pleaded guilty to one count of "neglect to the prejudice of good order and discipline" under the National Defence Act, Cmdr. Hubert Genest told QMI Agency.

Menard has been fined $3,500 for the March 25 offence, Genest said.

Military officials have said the charge is a common one and unintentional discharges are rarely investigated.

"But because of his rank, they wanted to see it through," military spokeswoman Maj. Paule Poulin told QMI Agency.

Menard has served as the commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan since November, overseeing Canadian and other Western forces in the war-torn country.