Bomb blast kills 3 NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Bomb blast kills 3 NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan

2011-12-28 13:44:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Three coalition service members were killed on late Tuesday evening when a roadside bomb exploded in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The alliance said three of its service members were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Afghanistan's east. But as usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incident, including the exact location.

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 Sept. 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 this year, with another 23,000 U.S. troops to return home next year.

So far this year, at least 561 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan, according to official figures. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

The deadliest incident during the 10-year-long war happened on August 6 when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in Wardak province, killing 30 U.S. troops, 7 Afghan troops and an Afghan interpreter. A report released by U.S. Central Command in mid-October showed the crash was caused by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade which struck the CH-47's aft rotor-blade as the aircraft approached its landing zone.

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