US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan

A serviceman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has lost his life in a clash with Taliban militants in volatile southern Afghanistan.

“An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan today,” ISAF said in a Friday press release. The alliance however did not announce the name or nationality of the victims.

Roadside bombs are by far the most lethal weapon Taliban militants use against foreign troops, Afghan forces as well as civilians.

The latest deaths bring to 18 the number of fatalities among foreign troopers in war-ravaged Afghanistan this month. June, nonetheless, remains the worst month for foreign military casualties with a death toll of 103. A total of 508 foreign soldiers have been killed in the Afghan war so far this year.

The American army has lost 1,279 soldiers since October 2001 when Washington unleashed the US-led invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow Taliban militants. Thousands of civilians have died and many others sustained injuries in US-led operations in Afghanistan.