Eight NATO soldiers killed across Afghanistan

07/01/2012| IslamWeb

A statement from NATO yesterday reported that at least eight soldiers from their occupation force were slain in a series of bomb blasts across southern Afghanistan over the past two days. The statement offered no details on the nationalities of the slain.

However, an unnamed Afghan official quoted in several Western media outlets identified at least four of the eight slain as Americans. The report is the first major casualty report of the new year, though two other soldiers were reported slain earlier this week (one American and one British) in two separate incidents.

Three of the slain were killed in an IED blast yesterday, while one was killed today in an attack and four others were killed in a roadside bomb. The deadliest attack took place in the Kandahar Province, reportedly not far from a US military base.

Large casualty incidents are unusual in January, as Afghanistan has little infrastructure and harsh winters, making much of the nation impassable until spring. Though the length of the winters varies, they usually last well into March or April.

PHOTO CAPTION

US soldiers attend a memorial ceremony at the Bagram Airfield, 50 kms north of Kabul, September 2011.

Agencies