Two NATO troops killed in Afghanistan
Source: Agencies |
October 4, 2010, Monday
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TWO more NATO service members were killed in weekend attacks in Afghanistan, the military coalition said yesterday.
These losses came as Australia's new prime minister pledged to Afghanistan's president that her country would continue to support the war.
This has been the deadliest year for international troops in the nine-year conflict. The toll has shaken the commitment of many NATO countries, where there are rising calls to start withdrawing troops quickly. Monthly deaths peaked in June, when 103 NATO personnel were killed.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had a private dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday and pledged continued backing, her office said in a statement yesterday.
"Gillard underscored Australia's intention to continue working with the Afghan government to help meet its objectives to improve security, governance and development across the country," her office said.
Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan, mostly in southern Uruzgan province. Twenty-one Australian soldiers have died since the war began and Australia's parliament is expected to hold a debate soon on the country's role in the war.
Gillard visited Australian troops before flying to Kabul to meet with Karzai and General David Petraeus, the commander of NATO's troops in Afghanistan. Gillard and Petraeus discussed plans for transferring the responsibility for security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces.
NATO did not provide the nationalities of the latest troop deaths. One of the service members died on Sunday in a gun battle in the north, while another was killed by a bomb attack on Saturday in the south.
The deaths bring to seven the number of NATO service members killed in the first three days of October. At least 57 NATO service members were killed in September.
NATO also said it captured a key Taliban leader in southern Kandahar province and killed two senior Taliban figures in northern Badghis province on Saturday.
But on Saturday, NATO forces inadvertently killed a child and wounded an adult civilian when they fired on a suspected insurgent.
These losses came as Australia's new prime minister pledged to Afghanistan's president that her country would continue to support the war.
This has been the deadliest year for international troops in the nine-year conflict. The toll has shaken the commitment of many NATO countries, where there are rising calls to start withdrawing troops quickly. Monthly deaths peaked in June, when 103 NATO personnel were killed.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had a private dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday and pledged continued backing, her office said in a statement yesterday.
"Gillard underscored Australia's intention to continue working with the Afghan government to help meet its objectives to improve security, governance and development across the country," her office said.
Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan, mostly in southern Uruzgan province. Twenty-one Australian soldiers have died since the war began and Australia's parliament is expected to hold a debate soon on the country's role in the war.
Gillard visited Australian troops before flying to Kabul to meet with Karzai and General David Petraeus, the commander of NATO's troops in Afghanistan. Gillard and Petraeus discussed plans for transferring the responsibility for security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces.
NATO did not provide the nationalities of the latest troop deaths. One of the service members died on Sunday in a gun battle in the north, while another was killed by a bomb attack on Saturday in the south.
The deaths bring to seven the number of NATO service members killed in the first three days of October. At least 57 NATO service members were killed in September.
NATO also said it captured a key Taliban leader in southern Kandahar province and killed two senior Taliban figures in northern Badghis province on Saturday.
But on Saturday, NATO forces inadvertently killed a child and wounded an adult civilian when they fired on a suspected insurgent.
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