US-led soldier dies in Afghanistan

A foreign soldier serving with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has died in eastern Afghanistan as a result of a non-battle injury.

The ISAF said in a statement that the unidentified soldier died on Friday, with the incident currently under investigation.

According to media estimates, the fatality takes the total number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan so far in 2013 to 95, with the United States topping the list with at least 64 deaths.

Attacks on foreign troops are expected to rise in the next months, as Taliban militants have announced the beginning of their ‘offensive’ across Afghanistan.

According to the icasualties website, at least 3,330 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001, which was conducted as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of foreign troops.

The increasing number of foreign military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the United States and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.