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.

Five NATO Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Attacks

October 6, 2013

 

 

Five NATO Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Attacks

Sunday, 06 October 2013

Four soldiers belonging to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan have been killed by insurgents during an operation, while a fifth was shot dead by a security guard over the weekend in the country's south.

The Taliban have been recovering ground in the south as forward operating bases have shut as part of the plan to withdraw most foreign troops by the end of 2014.

The nationalities of the dead soldiers were not released.

Also in southern Afghanistan, a contracted security guard shot one soldier dead in a separate incident yesterday.

A spokesman for the NATO-led force said the nationality of the security guard was under investigation.

So-called "insider attacks" on foreign soldiers by their Afghan allies escalated last year prompting coalition troops to heighten security measures and reduce interaction between foreign and Afghan forces.

The move has helped stem the number of incidents this year but also further eroded trust between foreign service members and their Afghan allies.

If yesterday's gunman turns out to have been an Afghan security guard for coalition troops, it would be the ninth insider attack this year bring the toll of foreign personnel killed to 14.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/1006/478652-afghanistan-attack/

 

4 NATO soldiers killed in Afghan operation

KABUL, Oct. 6, 2013 (Xinhua) --

Four soldiers of the NATO-led coalition were killed early Sunday morning in a operation in Afghanistan, the coalition forces confirmed in a statement.

"Four International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members were killed by enemy forces during a partnered operation in southern Afghanistan today," the ISAF said in a statement.

The statement gave neither the nationalities of the victims nor the details about the incident under the ISAF policy.

Troops mainly from the United States, Britain and Australia have been stationed in the southern region.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched rebel offensive in April against Afghan government forces and about 78,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country.

On Saturday, one foreign soldier died when an alleged contracted security guard shot him also at the same region.

The latest casualties have brought the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan to 140 this year.