British soldier among two troops killed in southern Afghanistan

British soldier among two troops killed in southern Afghanistan

2010-11-18 05:21:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A British soldier was among two coalition service members killed in two separate attacks in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said on early Thursday.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said one service member was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the country's south, while the British Ministry of Defense confirmed one of its soldiers was shot and killed in a separate attack.

"Regrettably I must report the loss of a soldier from 1st Battalion Irish Guards this afternoon," said Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, about the British fatality. "The soldier was carrying out vital work mentoring an Afghan National Army patrol, in order to develop their ability to protect the people of Nahr-e Saraj (North), when he was struck by small arms fire."

Eastman said the soldier, whose name will not be publicly released until later Thursday or Friday, gave his life so that others can hope for a better future. "Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this deeply sad time," he added.

ISAF did not release information about the IED attack which killed a coalition service member. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," ISAF said in a brief statement.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply this year, with around 90 fatalities in July alone, making it 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.

The council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eventually declared that the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people from scores of countries, was considered an attack on all NATO nations. The NATO-backed war aims to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country.

So far this year, more than 650 coalition service members have been killed in action. Most of them were American and died in Afghanistan's war-torn southern region. In 2009, the total death toll stood at 521.

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