Four U.S. troops killed in Afghan blast
Pastor Dale Morgan
Four U.S. troops killed in Afghan blast*
Roadside bomb targeting police training seriously injures another soldier
KABUL, Afghanistan - Four American soldiers were killed by a roadside
bomb Saturday in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
Lt. Col. David Johnson said the blast targeted a vehicle being used by
U.S. personnel to help train the Afghan police. One U.S. soldier was
also seriously wounded in the attack in western Farah province.
It was the deadliest attack against U.S. troops in the country this
year, officials said.
Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment based in Twentynine Palms,
California, arrived in Afghanistan earlier this year and were sent to
southern and western Afghanistan to train police.
However, Johnson said he could not immediately confirm that the four
personnel killed were Marines.
The bombing comes a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates told his
counterparts in Europe that for the first time, the monthly total of
American and allied combat deaths in Afghanistan had exceeded the toll
in Iraq during May.
The four deaths bring to at least 44 the number of U.S. troops killed in
Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count. No more
than two U.S. personnel had been killed in any one attack in Afghanistan
this year, according to the AP tally.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.