THE WORLD - News from Oct. 17, 2009

A roadside bomb killed four U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. said Friday.

Two service members were killed instantly in the blast Thursday and two others later died of their wounds, the U.S. said in a statement. No further details were released.

So far this month, 25 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press count.

“Unfortunately, Afghanistan remains a dangerous place. We do try to take all the precautions that we can and we are regularly readjusting our forces to better protect the civilian population here, and unfortunately that places our forces at risk,” said U.S. military spokesman Army Col. Wayne Shanks.

Elsewhere, four Afghans, including at least two civilians, died Friday during a battle between militants and a U.S.-Afghan force in Ghazni province.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led coalition said two militants fired from a building and troops shot back, killing two gunmen. It said troops later found two civilians who died of their wounds.

Ghazni Police Chief Gen. Khail Buz Sherzai said the dead were all civilians.

Insurgent violence has increased across Afghanistan this year, coinciding with a boost in U.S. military strength -- now at more than 65,000.