Advertisement

3 coalition troops die in Afghan explosion

Share
From the Associated Press

An explosion hit foreign troops on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, killing three service members, the U.S.-led coalition said.

The coalition did not release any details about Wednesday’s attack, including the troops’ nationalities or the location of the blast.

Americans make up the vast majority of the coalition, which includes special forces units and soldiers who train Afghan army and police.

Advertisement

The 40-nation NATO-led force operates under a separate command.

The last three months have been the deadliest for international troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

A record number of U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops are in the country -- about 65,000 -- and are facing an upsurge in Taliban bombings and ambushes.

The nations with the most troops in the south are Britain, Canada, the United States and the Netherlands. The Taliban has been resurgent in southern Afghanistan and violence there has increased.

More than 3,200 people have died in violence countrywide so far this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures provided by Afghan and Western officials.

At least 93 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan this year, a pace that would make 2008 the deadliest for American forces since the invasion. At least 29 British troops and 15 Canadian troops have died.

Advertisement