Three U.S.-led soldiers, 28 rebels killed in Afghanistan

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KABUL (Thomson Financial) - Three U.S.-led soldiers and an Afghanworking with them were killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan onTuesday as government officials said that 28 rebels, some of themforeigners, died in air strikes.
The fresh bloodshed comes as U.S. President George W. Bush was setto announce extra troops for Afghanistan's fight against a risingtide of extremism and the Afghan and Pakistan leaders pledged tostand together against terrorism.
The soldiers were killed in the east of Afghanistan by animprovised explosive device (IED) of the type regularly used byTaliban and other extremist insurgents.
The U.S.-led coalition did not give the nationalities of the troopsbut most international soldiers in the east are U.S. nationals.
'Three coalition service members and one local-national contractorwere killed today during an IED attack in eastern Afghanistan,' itsaid in a statement that gave no further details.
The new deaths take to 201 the number of international soldiers todie in Afghanistan this year, according to an Agence France-Pressetally based on official statements.
An Afghan soldier was killed separately by a remote-controlled bombthat had been fixed to a bicycle in the southern city of Kandahar,the defence ministry said.
'One military policeman in the vehicle was martyred and two otherswere wounded,' spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.
In the southern province of Uruzgan meanwhile, troops were tippedoff about a Taliban gathering on the outskirts of the town of TirinKot and sent in a strike early Tuesday, provincial police chiefJuma Gul Himat said.
'The coalition forces bombed them and killed 16 Taliban and woundedanother nine,' Himat said.
And late Monday aircraft bombed a group of Taliban militants whohad attacked a district centre in eastern Paktia province, aspokesman for the provincial government told AFP.
'Twelve Taliban were killed in the NATO air strike. Nine of themare Chechens and three are Afghans and Pakistanis,' he said.
Clashes are claiming the lives of more and more civilians, withthose killed in action by international troops of concern to thegovernment, which needs public goodwill in its battle against theIslamists.
Two more civilians were killed Tuesday when a malfunction sent aweapon off target, NATO's International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) said.
Militant attacks have increased year-on-year since the U.S.-ledinvasion in 2001.
Deteriorating security has alarmed the country and its allies.
Bush was due to announce Tuesday that he is ramping up U.S. forcesin Afghanistan by an estimated 4,500 troops to arrive fromNovember, according to prepared remarks released by the WhiteHouse.
Pakistan's new President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan leader HamidKarzai said in Islamabad meanwhile that they would work together tofight extremist violence spanning their border.

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