NATO: Bomb blast in southern Afghanistan kills 7 NATO service members

[News_Editor]

NATO: Bomb blast in southern Afghanistan kills 7 NATO service members

2011-05-26 22:30:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Seven coalition service members were killed on Thursday when a bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said seven of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, but provided no other details. The nationalities of the service members was also 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 195 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.

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