Insurgents kill NATO soldier in eastern Afghanistan

USPA News - A coalition service member was killed Sunday when insurgents opened fire foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday. It raises the number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 67. ISAF said one of its service members was killed as a result of a direct-fire insurgent attack in Afghanistan`s eastern region, which is home to the country`s capital.

But because the multinational force defers the release of specific details to national authorities, no other details about the incident were available, including the exact location. The nationality of the service member involved was also not immediately disclosed by ISAF, again per its policy. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," ISAF said in a brief statement, giving no specific details. The alliance does also not disclose whether other service members were injured. The latest death raises the number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 67, according to official figures. A total of 402 ISAF troops were killed in Afghanistan in 2012, down from 566 fatalities in 2011 and 711 in 2010. A majority of the fallen troops were American and were killed in the country`s south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians. Late last month, the Taliban insurgent group announced the beginning of its so-called spring offensive against coalition forces, but it is unclear whether the group was responsible for Sunday`s attack. The Taliban said this year`s spring offensive is called "Khalid bin Waleed," a reference to a famous Arab general of the Muslim army during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century. Less than a week after the beginning of the spring offensive on April 28, eight coalition service members were killed in three separate attacks across Afghanistan, making it the bloodiest day so far this year for foreign troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, but those claims cannot be independently confirmed as the group frequently makes false claims of responsibility. There are currently more than 100,.000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including some 68,.000 U.S. troops and 9,.000 British soldiers. Approximately 3,800 British soldiers are expected to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2013, with all foreign combat troops due to leave by the end of 2014.