NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan

Another NATO soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says in a statement.

The death brings to 198 the number of foreign troops that have been killed this year during the Afghan war, AFP reported, quoting the statement released on Monday.

The soldier, whose name or nationality has not been announced by ISAF, died after an improvised bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan.

He was the second NATO soldier killed on Sunday. The first soldier was killed in a clash with militants on that day.

Washington plans to deploy 30,000 additional troops by August. This is while attacks against the 130,000 US-led troops in Afghanistan have been on the rise.

According to the independent icasualties.org website, a total of 520 foreign soldiers lost their lives in Afghanistan in 2009, making the year the deadliest for foreign troops there to date.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan was launched with the official objective of curbing militancy. Nine years on, however, the country remains unstable and insecure.