The bodies of six Italian soldiers who were killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan last week were returned to Rome on Sunday. Senior officials from the government, including President Giorgio Napolitano, and the military and relatives of the soldiers lined the tarmac at the Ciampino airport in Rome as the caskets carrying their remains were unloaded from the plane.
The attack was the single biggest loss of life suffered by Italian forces in Afghanistan, who operate in the west and capital of the war-torn country. The troops were killed when their convoy came under attack in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday. They were part of the Italian contingent of the Nato-led International Assistance Force (ISAF).
The suicide bombing also claimed the lives of 10 Afghan civilians and injured dozen. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The soldiers are to be buried on Monday, which has been declared the a national day of mourning. Their deaths mark one of the deadliest attacks on Nato troops in Afghanistan.
It has sparked renewed debate in Italy over the withdrawal of its 2,800 troops from Afghanistan. The latest deaths bring to 21 the number of Italian soldiers killed since the start of the Afghan conflict in 2001. Britain meanwhile on Sunday saw the return of around 100 soldiers deployed in a major offensive in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.