Three coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

[News_Editor]

Three coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

2011-04-24 22:17:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Three coalition service members were killed on Sunday when two bombs exploded in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said the two separate attacks involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one killing two service members and the other killing one service member. The nationalities of the service members were not immediately disclosed. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," a brief 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.

So far this year, more than 140 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

On Saturday, one ISAF service member was killed and another was injured when their helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan. The cause was not immediately known.

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