4 foreign troops die in Afghanistan – military

KABUL – (UPDATE)  Four foreign troops died in southern Afghanistan of “non-battle related injuries,” the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Sunday.

“Four International Security Assistance Force service members died as a result of non-battle related injuries in southern Afghanistan yesterday (Saturday),” it said in a statement.

It is thought the deaths came as the result of a vehicle accident.

In line with policy, it did not give further details of what happened or the troops’ nationality.

There are 130,000 international forces in Afghanistan, of which 90,000 are from the United States.

A total of 253 international troops have now died in Afghanistan this year, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by the independent iCasualties.org website. The total for the whole of 2010 was 711.

Southern Afghanistan is where much of the fiercest fighting in the near decade-long war takes place and is the focus of coalition military efforts, particularly the restive provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.

Foreign combat forces are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, with limited drawdowns expected to start next month from more peaceful parts of the country.

US President Barack Obama is due to make a closely-watched announcement soon on the number of US troops, which make up the bulk of the ISAF force, who will leave in July.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that the US was holding talks with the Taliban, the first official confirmation of such contacts after nearly 10 years of war. The US State Department declined to comment.

The war followed a US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, over the Taliban’s harbouring of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden was killed by US commandos in Pakistan in May.

Originally posted at 12:33 pm | Sunday, June 19, 2011