Another NATO soldier killed in Afghan violence

Another NATO soldier killed in Afghan violence

2011-01-02 17:27:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Another coalition service member was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said the service member was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the country's south, but provided no other information about the attack.

The nationality of the service member was also not immediately disclosed. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," an ISAF statement said.

Also on Sunday, the UK Ministry of Defense identified a soldier killed on New Year's Day as a British soldier. "Unfortunately, I must announce the sad loss of a soldier from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland," said Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand.

Eastman said the soldier was killed as a result of an explosion which happened south of the Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand Province during an operation to interdict enemy fighters. "He will remain in our thoughts and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends," he added.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years, with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began 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 of 9/11, which killed nearly 3,000 people from scores of countries, was considered an attack on all NATO nations. The NATO-backed war in Afghanistan aims to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country.

So far this year, a total of three coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan, according to a BNO News count based on official information. Most troops are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-02