Five coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

[News_Editor]

Five coalition service members die in Afghan attacks

2011-06-27 10:18:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Five coalition service members were killed on Sunday as a result of four separate insurgent attacks in eastern, western, and southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday.

In western Afghanistan, ISAF said an improvised explosive device (IED) attack claimed the lives of two of its service members. In the country's east, an insurgent attack killed another service member. Two more were killed in southern Afghanistan as a result of an IED and an insurgent attack.

As usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incidents, including the exact location and the nationalities of those killed. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," a brief statement said.

But a statement from Spain's Ministry of Defense identified the service members killed in western Afghanistan as Sgt. Manuel Argudin Perrino and soldier Niyireth Pineda Marín. It said the attack happened about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Qala i Naw, a small town in Badghis Province.

In addition to the Spanish fatalities, the statement also said that three Spanish soldiers were injured in the IED attack. They were airlifted to a military hospital with injuries such as bruises, broken legs and broken arms.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack in western Afghanistan, claiming that five soldiers were killed. But the militant group frequently exaggerates casualty numbers and also often claims credit for attacks which were not carried out by the group.

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, at least 273 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. Most of the casualties are American.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-27