Five NATO soldiers die in Afghan attacks

2011-01-13 01:29:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Six coalition service members were killed in eastern and southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, five of them in attacks, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The grim death toll represented the deadliest day so far this year for international troops, but few details about the deaths were immediately released. In eastern Afghanistan, three ISAF service members were killed following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

A second IED attack in eastern Afghanistan killed a fourth ISAF service member, while a fifth died in an IED attack in the country's south. A sixth service member died as a result of a non-battle injury in eastern Afghanistan.

The nationalities of the service members 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 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 18 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 2011-01-13

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