2 NATO service members die in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan Two NATO service members died Friday in Afghanistan, officials said.
One service member was killed in an insurgent attack in the eastern region of the country. Another died as a result of a non-battle related injury in the country's south.
NATO did not release any other information about the deaths pending notification of family members.
- Haqqani "suicide operations" chief Qari Zakir slapped with sanctions, labeled global terrorist
- Roadside bomb kills Afghan district police chief
- Apparent Afghan insider attack kills NATO troops
So far this year, 371 international troops have died in Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), also known as Coalition Forces, are currently in the country to maintain a NATO-led security mission. Service members hail from the United States, United Kingdom, NATO member states and a number of other countries.
With the current level of violence, many are now doubting whether Afghan security forces will be able to manage dissidents when international troops give them control in 2014. Support is now dwindling for the 11-year war in other NATO companies.
On Oct. 30, a man wearing an Afghan police uniform killed two British soldiers working a checkpoint in Helmand Province's Nahri Sarraj district in southern Afghanistan. Evidence has led authorities to believe that it is part of a group of insider attacks.
Fighting is winding down with the advent of cooler weather but the Taliban still continue to target coalition and Afghan forces, especially with roadside bombs. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Oct. 26, killing at least 41 people. The bomber was aiming for top provincial officials, including the governor and the police chief, and many other officers and police were injured in the blast. Some civilians were hurt as well, despite Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar insistence to his fighters "pay full attention to the prevention of civilian casualties."
Land mines and a suicide bomber also killed 20 people in a spate of attacks across Afghanistan on Thursday.