3 US-led troops killed in Afghanistan

Three US-led troops have been killed in shooting and bomb attacks in Afghanistan amid a new surge of violence against foreign forces in the war-torn country.

An American soldier was slain by small arms fire in the southern Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday.

In a separate incident, a bomb explosion killed two soldiers in the same volatile region, ISAF said.

The exact location of the incidents and the nationality of the two deceased soldiers were not announced although most of the troops deployed in Afghanistan are American.

The latest deaths bring the number of NATO troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 238.

NATO currently has about 130,000 soldiers in the troubled country. The US has plans to deploy 30,000 additional troops there by August.

Last year was the deadliest year for US-led troops in Afghanistan. A total of 520 foreign soldiers died in the country in 2009.

After nine years, the US-led forces have yet to bring security to Afghanistan.