Bomb blast kills 2 NATO troops in southern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Bomb blast kills 2 NATO troops in southern Afghanistan

2011-09-09 10:45:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Two coalition service members were killed on Thursday when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Friday.

ISAF said two of its service members were killed in Afghanistan's south as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. As usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incident, including the exact location.

The nationalities of the service members was 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 130,000 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 424 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 last month 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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