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9 US troops killed in battle in eastern Afghanistan, Taliban claim

20 May 2012 06:55

Islam Times - Taliban militants claim they have killed nine US soldiers in an attack on a US military base in Afghanistan's mountainous eastern province of Khost near the border with Pakistan.

They added that eight US troops were also wounded in the assault, which allegedly occurred on Saturday.

According to figures released by the website icasualties.org, a total of 110 US troops have lost their lives in war-torn Afghanistan so far this year.

A total of 418 US soldiers died in Afghanistan in 2011. The year 2010, however, remains the deadliest year for US military casualties with a death toll of 499.

The increasing number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.

The US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of about 130,000 of US-led troops.

Story Code: 163609