7 American troops killed in Afghan incidents

[Orwellian_Ghost]

The largest one-day toll in months is a sign of intensifying conflict in the south, where a major U.S. offensive is underway, as well as increased insurgent activity in other parts of the nation.

By Laura King
July 7, 2009

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- Seven American service members were killed Monday in Afghanistan, the largest one-day death toll here in months for U.S. troops.

The deaths -- two in the south, four in the north and one in the east -- reflected in part the intensifying conflict in a large swath of the south, where a major U.S. offensive is underway. But they also signaled Taliban insurgents' determination to push into areas that have been relatively quiet, such as Afghanistan's northern tier, and to keep up pressure on American forces in the east, which borders Pakistan's volatile tribal areas.


At least six of the deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs -- the insurgents' weapon of choice -- said a statement by NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Afghan civilians again proved vulnerable to the violence. Two were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the outer gate of the sprawling North Atlantic Treaty Organization base at Kandahar, the alliance's main hub in the south. The area where the attacker struck was a gate widely used by Afghan workers entering the base, far from the main part of the military installation. Western troops are usually traveling in armored convoys when they pass through the base's outer ring of defenses.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-us-deaths7-2009jul07,0,1275259.story

[Buzz Clik]

1. Did these soldiers have names? Or are they merely morbid statistics?

[spanone]

2. GET. OUT. N O W.