Another US-led trooper falls in Afghanistan

International Security Assistance Force confirms (ISAF) another US-led soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, rising foreign troops’ casualty to 101 this year.

“An ISAF service member died today as a result of small-arms fire in western Afghanistan,” ISAF said in a brief statement on Sunday.

The statement added that the Saturday death was not associated with new the US-led operation. The soldier’s nationality would not be revealed according to policy.

In February, some 15,000 US-led troops launched a major offensive, dubbed “Operation Mushtarak,” against the Taliban militants in the southern province of Helmand and Kandahar.

Thousands of residents, who do not receive aid in a consistent and sufficient manner, are forced to flee the region despite the high risk of being caught in cross-fire and the mine fields planted in the war-ridden country.

Food and medicine are scarce and food prices have inflated, since the beginning of the operation.

So far 27 Marjah civilians have been killed in the US-led operation, which has entered its twelfth day. Six were killed by the Taliban and 21 by foreign forces.

The military commanders claim victory in clearing up the last major pocket of resistance in the former Taliban-ruled town of Marjah on Saturday.

Civilian casualties – inflicted by the coalition forces – have raised anti-occupation sentiment among Afghans and have been a source of tension between the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Washington.

Karzai has repeatedly cautioned the international troops against killing civilians.

Meanwhile, the tribal elders of Helmand want an end to the US-led offensive in the country, citing Western troops’ disregard for civilian lives as the main reason.

They have also expressed concerns about the way the operations have been handled so far.

Recent civilian casualties in US air strike have also undermined the efforts to win public support for the operations.