Three NATO soldiers killed in Afghan violence

Three NATO soldiers killed in Afghan violence

2010-12-06 09:32:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Three NATO soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

A suicide bomb detonated at a bazaar near an ISAF operating base in Paktiya province killed two NATO soldiers and two civilians, the alliance and local sources said. At least 18 people were wounded in the attack, according to Ruhollah Samon, a spokesman for the provincial government.

Separately, another NATO soldier died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan.

The nationalities of the dead were not immediately disclosed. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," an ISAF statement said.

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.

Around 680 troops have died so far in 2010 compared to 521 for all of 2009.

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