Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

 2 US Soldiers Killed, 4 German Soldiers Wounded in Afghanistan

July 19, 2010

Two US troops killed in Afghan war

Prss TV, Monday, 19 July 2010, 13:37:23 GMT

US-led forces are experiencing some of their deadliest days in Afghanistan.
Bomb attacks have killed two US soldiers and six policemen in Afghanistan on the eve of an international conference in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The US soldiers were killed in separate bomb attacks in the country's volatile south. The exact locations of the attacks are not known yet.

The deaths bring to 380 the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

The six Afghan policemen were killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the restive Kandahar province. Four other policemen were wounded in the attack.

The attacks come ahead of a key international conference on the future of the war-torn country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN chief Ban Ki-moon are to chair Tuesday's summit which focuses on security, economic development and regional cooperation. Representatives from 70 countries, including about 40 foreign ministers, will attend the gathering.

There has been an upsurge in attacks against US-led foreign troops and government forces in Afghanistan over the past months.

Foreign forces are experiencing some of their bloodiest days in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Some 140,000 US-led troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. A further 10,000 troops are expected to be deployed to the war-ravaged country in the coming weeks.

NATO's mounting death toll has led to a dramatic decline in public support for the Afghan war across Europe and the US.

JR/AKM

4 German troops wounded in Afghanistan

Press TV, Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:07:04 GMT

German troops are increasingly falling victim to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
A powerful roadside bomb blast has wounded at least four German troops in Afghanistan amid rising attacks against US-led forces in the country.

NATO said on Monday the soldiers were injured when an improvised explosive device in northern Konduz province struck their armored military vehicle.

A spokesman with the US-led alliance in Konduz confirmed the incident.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying four German soldiers were killed in the blast.

Germany has about 5,000 soldiers in the relatively peaceful northern Afghanistan, making it the third-largest foreign contingent after the US and the UK.

US President Barack Obama wants Germany to add thousands of more troops and to increase its geographical span to include the volatile south and east.

The rising number of casualties has increased opposition to the Afghan war in the member states of the western military alliance.

The 2001 US-led invasion was launched with the objective of brining peace and stability to Afghanistan. Nine years on, however, Taliban militancy has reached new heights and civilians continue to pay the price.

The mounting death toll has raised fears that 2010 could become the deadliest year for US-led forces in Afghanistan since the invasion of the country in 2001.

The violent incidents and rising fatalities in Afghanistan come despite a massive troop surge in the war-torn country.

Some 140,000 US and NATO troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. A further 10,000 are expected to be deployed there in the coming weeks.

JR/AKM

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