Attacks in Afghanistan kill two more NATO troops

Attacks in Afghanistan kill two more NATO troops

2011-08-12 11:23:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Two separate insurgent attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan on Thursday killed two more coalition service members, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Friday, raising Thursday's coalition death toll to seven.

ISAF said one of its service members was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in eastern Afghanistan while another died in southern Afghanistan as a result of an unspecified insurgent attack. As usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incidents, including the exact locations.

The nationalities of the service members were also not immediately disclosed by ISAF, but a statement from the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy identified the casualty in eastern Afghanistan as French.

The statement said the French soldier died in Kapisa province when his armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, killing him and injuring three other French soldiers. "The President presents to the families and their loved ones his most sincere condolences and shares their pain," the statement on behalf of Sarkozy said. "He wishes the injured four a speedy recovery."

Earlier on Thursday, a roadside bomb in the southern region of Afghanistan killed five U.S. soldiers. A Taliban spokesman later claimed responsibility for the attack.

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.

There are currently more than 132,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers. U.S. President Barack Obama previously ordered a drawdown of 10,000 American troops later this year, with another 23,000 U.S. troops to return home next year.

So far this year, at least 389 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are American and are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians. The deadliest incident happened on Saturday when a U.S. helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan troops and an Afghan interpreter.

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