Three coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

Three coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

2011-04-29 07:23:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Three coalition service members were killed in two separate attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan on Thursday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed on Friday.

ISAF said a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan killed two of its service members, while an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan claimed a third 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 155 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 Wednesday, one of the deadliest days so far this year for coalition troops, eight American service members were killed when an Afghan military officer opened fire at an air force base at North Kabul International Airport. An American civilian with ISAF was also killed.

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