Three international troops have been killed in separate explosions in southern Afghanistan.
NATO says two U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday in a bomb blast. The
NATO-led force released no other details of the incident. The U.S.
military confirmed the soldiers were American.
In separate violence, the British defense ministry said a British
soldier was killed in an explosion Wednesday while on patrol in the
Nad-e-Ali district of southern Helmand province.
In recent weeks, 4,000 U.S. Marines, along with British and Afghan
troops, have launched a major offensive in Helmand, a longtime Taliban
stronghold.
July has been the deadliest month for international forces in Afghanistan since the Taliban-led government was ousted in 2001.
The operation is aimed at ensuring security ahead of Afghanistan's presidential election next month.