Five Foreign Troops(3 Americans) Killed In Afghanistan (Sunday)

[tekisui]

Source: NY Times

KABUL (Reuters) - Three Americans were among five foreign troops killed in Afghanistan on Sunday, continuing a deadly trend ahead of a presidential election this month.

The deaths were the latest in an escalation of violence which threatens to overshadow the August 20 ballot, a poll seen as a test for both Washington and Kabul after eight years of war.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the election and have called on Afghans to boycott the ballot, the second direct vote for president since the Islamists were toppled in 2001.

A statement by NATO-led foreign forces said a patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in the east on Sunday and was then attacked with small-arms fire. The three troops were killed during the engagement with unidentified insurgents, NATO said.

(snip)

August has so far followed the bloody trend of July, with nine foreign troops killed in the first two days. Three more Americans and a French soldier were killed on Saturday.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/02/world/international-us-afghanistan.html