US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan

A US-led soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the number of the foreign troops killed in the war-ravaged country in 2010 to 617.

A statement by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said Thursday that the soldier lost his life in an attack by Taliban militants in eastern part of the country.

The nationality of the soldier and the exact location of the incident have yet to be released.

The year is already the deadliest for the military alliance since the beginning of the war in 2001. NATO’s total deaths for 2009 stood at 521.

The figure is the highest annual toll since the start of the US-led invasion of the country nearly nine years ago.

As casualties have risen in Afghanistan over the past few months, Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war and mounting casualties.

The security situation also remains fragile in Afghanistan despite the presence of 150,000 US-led foreign forces in the Asian country.

Thousands of civilians have died and many others sustained injuries in US-led operations in Afghanistan.