Four Italian soldiers killed in western Afghanistan

Four Italian soldiers killed in western Afghanistan

2010-10-10 05:06:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

ROME (BNO NEWS) -- Four Italian soldiers were killed and another was wounded after an ambush in western Afghanistan, Italy's Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.

The soldiers were ambushed at around 9.45 a.m. local time, 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Farah city in Farah province, as they were escorting a civilian convoy of 70 trucks that was transporting construction materials for a new operational base in the Gulistan district.

The Italian Ministry of Defense said four of its soldiers were killed, while a fifth soldier who was injured was evacuated by a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter.

"Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa, after hearing the news of the tragic attack in Afghanistan, expressed his deep sorrow for the four dead soldiers and great solidarity with the wounded soldier and a sense of special closeness with the families of victims," the Italian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Italy has around 3,400 soldiers in Afghanistan and 600 more are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Since 2004, at least 34 Italian service members have died in combat.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply this year, with around 90 service members being killed in July alone. It was the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the war began on October 7, 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

So far this month, more than 20 service members have been killed in incidents throughout Afghanistan, according to a BNO News tally. Most of the casualties were American and died in Afghanistan's southern region.

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