Bomb blasts kill two coalition troops in Afghanistan's south

Bomb blasts kill two coalition troops in Afghanistan's south

2011-08-13 01:30:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Two separate bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan on Friday left two coalition service members dead, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said one of its service members was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in southern Afghanistan while a second service member died in a second IED 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. "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.

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 391 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.

On Thursday, seven ISAF service members were killed as a result of three separate attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Among the casualties were five U.S. troops and one French soldier.

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