By KUNA,
Kabul : A soldier of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in a blast in Afghanistan, the multinational force announced on Monday. A spokesperson for the US troops here said the fallen soldier was a US service-member. A statement from ISAF headquarters said the soldier died in blast caused by an improvised-explosive device (IED) in southern Afghanistan. “I express my profound sympathies to the loved ones of this proud service member who died for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said spokesperson Brigadier General Eric Tremblay.
Afghanistan’s southern zone is the stronghold of Taliban and majority of the deaths among ISAF and US troops are occurring in the same area. However, the foreign troops say they would stay in the country to bring peace to Afghans. “Despite the risks and challenges this mission presents to international and Afghan security forces, the protection of Afghan citizens remains our priority,” said the ISAF spokesperson while declaring the fresh casualty. In a recent report, top ISAF commander General McChrystal had said that the Afghan war was difficult but success was achievable. Earlier, a British official had said that his country’s troops might stay in Afghanistan for decades. Meanwhile, three Afghan civilians were killed in an overnight rocket attack on Kabul, the central capital of Afghanistan. Police officials said the rocket was fired from the nearby mountainous. It landed in a house in the western part of the city killing a man, his wife and their daughter. No one so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Police said they were investigating, a statement they issue each time after a bomb blast, suicide or rocket attack.