Soldier killed, four injured in Afghanistan

By Daniel Cooney
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — Militants used remote-control bombs to attack U.S. forces in two assaults in Afghanistan, killing one U.S. service member and an Afghan employed by the military as well as wounding four American troops, officials said Thursday.

A second U.S. soldier was killed and four others hurt when their armored vehicle rolled over in an accident during a combat operation, the military said.

This year has been the deadliest for the U.S. military in Afghanistan with 91 fatalities in fighting and accidents. The latest deaths brought to 208 the number killed since American forces ousted the Taliban in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Along with the high number of American casualties, more than 1,500 Afghan rebels, soldiers, police and civilians have been killed in fighting, raising fears for this country’s future.

The first attack occurred Wednesday in Kunar, a rugged mountainous province on the border with Pakistan where scores of militants are believed to hide out.

The troops and the Afghan employee were driving in an armored vehicle when they were hit by a roadside bomb near the regional capital Asadabad, a military statement said.

The two wounded were evacuated to a base in Asadabad, where one was treated and released, it said.

Provincial Gov. Assadullah Wafa blamed “enemies of Afghanistan” for the attack, a term commonly used to refer to Taliban rebels.

Some of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces this year have occurred in Kunar. In June, suspected Taliban rebels shot down a Special Forces helicopter, resulting in the deaths of 16 troops, after killing four American commandos on the ground.

The second attack occurred Thursday in a desert in southern Helmand province. The troops were patrolling in a military vehicle when they were hit by a bomb, a separate military statement said.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammed Yousaf, claimed responsibility.

The accident that killed a soldier and wounded four others occurred Wednesday near Kandahar city, a former Taliban stronghold in the country’s south, a military statement said.

“Enemy activity was not a factor,” it said.

The injured soldiers were rushed to the hospital at the Kandahar Airfield, the U.S.-led coalition’s local headquarters. Three of the injured were treated and released while the fourth was flown to an unspecified location for further treatment. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

The names of the victims were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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