Kabul, March 01: Separate militant attacks and bomb explosions have killed several US-led soldiers across war-ravaged Afghanistan, NATO and Afghan officials say.
The causalities come after an improvised explosive device (IED) struck a military patrol in an area of western Herat Province, a Media correspondent reported.
Officials say at least one Italian soldier was killed and four others were wounded in the powerful explosion.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack and said five Italian soldiers lost their lives in the assault.
Earlier, the US military alliance announced that three foreign troops had died in separate bomb attacks in the west, south and east of Afghanistan. A fourth soldier was killed during an exchange of fires with a group described by NATO as Taliban militants in the east.
The deaths bring to 66 the number of US-led troops killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
NATO’s total fatalities stood at 711last year, making 2010 the deadliest for the military alliance since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
There are about 150,000 mainly American, troops stationed in Afghanistan.
The developments come as the security situation continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan with US-led forces killed by Taliban militants on a near-daily basis.
According to official figures, more than 2,348 US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war and mounting casualties.
——–Agencies