Roadside Bomb Kills Foreign Soldier In Southern Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Roadside bomb kills foreign soldier in southern Afghanistan < br />

2012-07-12 07:02:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A coalition service member was killed on Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a brief statement. It raises the number of foreign troops killed so far this year to 237.

ISAF said one of its service members was killed on Wednesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Afghanistan's volatile 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 and whether any other troops were injured.

The nationality of the service member involved in the incident was also not immediately disclosed by ISAF, again per its policy. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," ISAF said in a brief statement, giving no specific details.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense released the identities of six American soldiers who were killed on Sunday when an IED struck their armored vehicle in Wardak province, located in Afghanistan's east. It was one of the deadliest days for the multinational force so far this year.

The department identified the casualties as 31-year-old Staff Sgt. Ricardo Seija, of Tampa, Florida, 21-year-old Spc. Erica P. Alecksen, of Eatonton, Georgia, 23-year-old Spc. Clarence Williams III, of Brooksville, Florida, 21-year-old Pfc. Trevor B. Adkins, of Spring Lake, North Carolina, 21-year-old Pfc. Alejandro J. Pardo, of Porterville, California, and 20-year-old Pfc. Cameron J. Stambaugh, of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

The six American soldiers were all assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion at Fort Bliss in Texas.

The death on Wednesday raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 237, according to official figures. 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 by the end of this summer, and foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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