IED killed 3 not 4 US troops: ISAF
A roadside bomb has killed three US soldiers — and not four as earlier reported — in southern Afghanistan, an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) official has announced.
On Tuesday, an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through the soldiers™ vehicle in Kandahar province.
ISAF spokesman Bryan Purtell said the military alliance has revised down an earlier death toll of four.
“We can confirm that three soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan today,” Major Purtell added.
Kandahar provincial government spokesman Javid Faisal also confirmed that the ISAF troops killed by the IED were US soldiers.
“At around 2:30 p.m., a NATO armored vehicle hit a roadside mine in Zhari district,” he said.
According to the website icasualties.org, 49 US soldiers and 13 troops from other ISAF coalition countries have been killed in Afghanistan this year.
Roadside bombs and IEDs are by far the most lethal weapon Taliban militants use against Afghan forces, foreign troops, and civilians.
The homemade explosives accounted for half of the approximately 1,500 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2011, according to the United Nations.
On April 27, the Taliban announced the beginning of their annual spring offensive.
Spring is a difficult time for US-led troops in Afghanistan since casualties usually peak at this time of year.
NT/HGL
This article originally appeared on : Press TV
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/ied-killed-3-not-4-us-troops-isaf/33564/
