Troops killed in Afghan blast

Updated 15.49 Sat Jun 21 2008
Keywords: Kandahar, coalition, troops, soldiers, blast, Kabol, Afghanistan

Four US-led coalition soldiers have been killed in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar after a roadside bomb detonated.

A US military statement said a further two soldiers were wounded in the blast, which took place while the men were conducting operations.

A US military statement said a further two soldiers were wounded in the blast which took place while the men were conducting operations

The Taliban have increased their pressure on Kandahar in the past two weeks following a jail break of at least 300 of their comrades, and are occupying areas outside the town.

In a separate incident, an improvised explosive device killed a Polish soldier from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and wounded four more in the southeastern province of Paktika.

The Taliban have promised to step up their campaign to weaken the pro-Western Afghan government and wear down Western support for the continued presence of international troops inside the country.

As well as about 50,000 ISAF troops, there are some 14,000 mainly American soldiers who are part of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, mainly involved in anti-terrorism operations and training Afghan security forces.

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