Kabul: Seven US troops have died in weekend
attacks in Afghanistan`s embattled southern and eastern
regions, while officials today found the bodies of five
kidnapped campaign aides working for a female candidate in the
western province of Herat.
Two servicemen died in bombings today in southern
Afghanistan, while two others were killed in a bomb attack in
the south yesterday, and three in fighting in the east the
same day, NATO said. Their identities and other details were
being withheld until relatives could be notified.
The latest deaths bring to 42 the number of American
forces who have died this month in Afghanistan after July`s
high of 66. A total of 62 international forces have died in
the country this month, including seven British troops.
Fighting is intensifying with the addition of 30,000 US
troops to bring the total number of international forces in
Afghanistan to 140,000 -- 100,000 of them American. Most of
those new troops have been assigned to the southern insurgent
strongholds of Helmand and Kandahar provinces where major
battles are fought almost daily as part of a gathering drive
to push out the Taliban.
The five campaign workers were snatched Wednesday by
armed men who stopped their two-vehicle convoy as it drove
through remote countryside. Five others travelling in the
vehicles had earlier been set free, according to a man who
answered the phone at the home of candidate Fawzya Galani and
declined to give his name.
Residents of Herat`s Adraskan district reported finding
the bodies early today. They were later transported to the
local morgue for identification by family members, district
chief Nasar Ahmad Popul said.
PTI
