IED blast kills US-led soldier in Afghanistan

At least one foreign soldier serving with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in an area of Afghanistan, the Western military alliance says.

The US-led military coalition said in a statement that the serviceman died following an IED attack in the country’s troubled south on Wednesday.

In line with the ISAF policy, the statement did not disclose the soldiers’ nationality, nor did it provide further details on the exact whereabouts of the incident.

Most of the soldiers stationed in the south are American, British and Australian.

Roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices are by far the most lethal weapons Taliban militants use against Afghan forces, foreign troops, and civilians.

The latest deaths bring the number of US-led soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year to at least 148.

According to the latest figures released by the website icasualties.org, 3,397 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led war began more than eleven years ago.

There has been no letup in the Taliban attacks on US-led foreign troops across Afghanistan with US-led troops and Afghan forces falling prey to Taliban attacks on an almost daily basis.

Earlier in the day, a large explosion targeting a US-led NATO convoy hit the main gate of Kabul’s international airport.

Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that several German soldiers were killed in the blast. But NATO officials have said no foreign troops were killed or injured.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still gripped by insecurity.