Five US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan's volatile southern and eastern regions in the past 24 hours, the military said Saturday.Two US soldiers were killed in a "hostile attack" by suspected Taliban militants in eastern region, while two other service members were killed by a roadside bomb in the eastern region, the US military said in a statement.
The fifth US soldier died of wounds sustained in another roadside explosion also in eastern region, it said. All soldiers died on Friday. US and other Nato military fatalities are on the rise in as Taliban militants have stepped their attacks on Afghan and foreign forces, relying mostly on use of roadside bombs. A total of 384 international soldiers have been killed in conflict in Afghanistan so far this year, according to icasualties.org, an independent website that tracks casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, without counting the latest deaths.
The 2009 fatalities make it the deadliest year since international deployments began in late 2001. More than 100,000 international troops deployed from 42 nations and with around 60,000 of them from the US are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
With Taliban expanding their control to more peaceful regions in the country and mounting security incidents, the top Nato commander, US general Stanley McChrystal, has asked for more foreign troops to help reverse gains made by Taliban over the past recent years. McChrystal has reportedly asked for up to 40,000 extra troops and warned that the alliance would fail in Afghanistan unless extra troops are deployed.
While deployment of new troops from other Nato countries are highly unlikely, US President Barack Obama, who ordered 21,000 additional US soldiers earlier this year, has yet to respond to the demand. US officials say no more soldiers would be deployed until war strategy is fully reviewed.