Share this story!            

2 US soldiers killed in Afghan blast

* US forces kill four Afghans in southern Kandahar

KABUL: Two US soldiers have been killed by a homemade bomb in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said on Saturday.

The troops were killed on Friday, the same day a Danish soldier lost his life in a firefight with the Taliban in the same region, the force added without giving further details.

“Two US service members died as a result of an improvised explosive device attack... in southern Afghanistan” on October 23, the force said in a statement.

The latest casualties mean more than 420 international soldiers have died in Afghanistan this year, the deadliest since the Americans leading an international military coalition invaded in late 2001 and ousted the Taliban.

More than half this year’s casualties have been American nationals, according to an AFP tally based on the independent website www.icasualties.org, which tracks military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Improvised bombs, or IEDs, are the weapon of choice for the Taliban and other insurgents and are responsible for nearly 60 percent of the deaths amongst the international forces in Afghanistan, according to the website.

Killed: Separately, four Afghans, including a child and two women, were killed on Saturday when US forces opened fire on a car in southern Kandahar city.

A man in the car also was killed when a US military convoy opened fire on the civilian vehicle, Kandahar police official Shah Agha told Reuters. He said a US Special Forces convoy appeared to be involved.

A spokeswoman for NATO in Afghanistan was not able to confirm the nationality of troops involved. A statement from the provincial governor of Kandahar confirmed the casualties. agencies

Home | National

Share this story!