TALIBAN FIGHTERS KILL THREE US TROOPS IN PAKTIYA, AFGHANISTAN

     Kabul, 5 Syawal 1434/12 August 2013 (MINA) – Three NATO service members were killed in Taliban fighters attack in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday. NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) following a statement announced,

    “Three International Security Assistance Force service members died following an enemies of Afghanistan attack in eastern Afghanistan today.” according to Khaama Press report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

      The statement did not disclose further information regarding the exact location of the incident and nationalities of the deceased soldiers.

       International Security Assistance Force generally do not disclose identities of the NATO soldiers killed in Afghanitan saying, “It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.”

      However, reports suggest that the NATO service members who were killed in today’s incident were American troops, and the incident took place in eastern Paktiya province of Afghanistan.

       The deaths bring the number of fatalities among foreign troops this year to 114, according to the independent icasualties.org website, which recorded 402 such deaths in 2012.

       US-led troops and Afghan forces are falling prey to Taliban attacks on an almost daily basis and there has been no letup in the Taliban attacks on the US-led foreign troops across the war-ravaged country.

        Since the start of 2013, more than 110 foreign soldiers led by the US military have been killed in Afghanistan. From among them some 90 were American.

        However, 2010 remains the deadliest year for foreign military casualties with a death toll of 711.

       At least 3,363 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001, which was conducted as part of the so-called war on terror.

       Over a decade of the costly US-led war in Afghanistan has failed to end militancy in the country and the US, which has thousands of troops on the ground in Afghanistan, is now trying to sit down for talks with the Taliban militants.

       The US officials say a large number of US-led foreign troops are expected to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. (T/P012/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)