Roadside bomb kills three NATO troops in southern Afghanistan

2012-01-06 02:27:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

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

ISAF said three of its service members were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Afghanistan's south. But because the multinational force defers the release of specific details to national authorities, no other details about the incident were released, 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.

Thursday's deaths raise the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 5. On Tuesday, the British Ministry of Defense said one of its soldiers had died in England after being injured by a roadside bomb in the summer of 2010.

A total of 566 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, down from 711 in 2010. 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.

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 23,000 U.S. troops later this year, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-06

I wonder if young Afghan men look back on the days of chasing the Soviets as heroic days and attack NATO troops to try and grab some of that for themselves (despite the fact the NATO mission is much diff from the Soviets)? Much like university students today trying to live the crazy 60's of their hippy parents by going out into the street to protest (and when asked don't really know what they are protesting)?

I wonder if young Afghan men look back on the days of chasing the Soviets as heroic days and attack NATO troops to try and grab some of that for themselves (despite the fact the NATO mission is much diff from the Soviets)? Much like university students today trying to live the crazy 60's of their hippy parents by going out into the street to protest (and when asked don't really know what they are protesting)?

I don't think the young Afghan men are attempting to repeat the feats of yore. They do it because that is what they have been taught or in some cases compelled to do. As for students in the west trying to emulate their hippie parents, I offer that such children are most likely embarrassed by their parents past activities. A viewing of some of the nedia recordings of the idiocy that took place will surely make a kid today cringe with embarrassment. Some of today's youthful protestors have legitimate concerns and in a way it is reassuring because it means they care. And then there are the duds. These are the people that will always protest simply because its an activity to do. I think that even if one disagrees with some of the people that protest on issues such as Darfur, world hunger, the environment or human rights, one can recognize that they have have a sincerity and genuine interest. On the other hand some of the more political protestors that carry the nasty slogan placards or that do real damage to others, are just plain nasty and will always be nasty. My gut feeling, perhaps biased.

despite the fact the NATO mission is much diff from the Soviets

Maybe only different when viewed from the outside?

Maybe in their eyes invaders are invaders no matter what excuse is used

despite the fact the NATO mission is much diff from the Soviets

Maybe only different when viewed from the outside?

Maybe in their eyes invaders are invaders no matter what excuse is used

I saw a 10 years after 9/11 special where they showed video of planes crashing into the WTC to Afghans and none of them (at least those shown in the program) knew what it was. So "all invaders are the same" is probably right. Maybe the first things we should have done was hand out TVs (with small generators) and start a cable news network over there.

Generally speaking - whether you are talking about individuals or entire countries - if you're going to get into a fight with someone it's a good idea to let them know why. And no, I'm not talking about the conspiracy theories, but the actual excuse given by governments.