Afghanistan

Britain reaches grim threshold of 100 dead in Afghanistan

Article published on the 2008-06-09 Latest update 2008-06-11 14:31 TU

ISAF soldiers in Afghanistan.
(Photo : AFP)

Weekend clashes in Afghanistan killed 20 Taliban fighters, five Afghan policemen, one BBC journalist and three British soldiers – bringing Britain’s total casualties to 100 since the 2001 American-led invasion.

The three British soldiers were on a routine foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand when they were killed, the British Defense Ministry reported. Their deaths came on the heels of the discovery of the body of an Afghan reporter who had been reporting for British radio in the province.

The journalist, Abdul Samad Rohani, was kidnapped from Helmand city the previous day, and no demands were made for a ransom. Initial reports indicate that Rohani was shot and may have been stabbed or cut as well. He was buried in his family cemetery in nearby Marja during a ceremony Monday.

Elsewhere, Nato planes were ordered to the eastern province of Paktia Sunday night after Taliban forces were reported to be gathering there. The planes, in coordination with artillery, killed 20 Taliban fighters, the local police reported.

In separate incidents two Afghan policemen were killed in a gun battle in Ghor and three more died after a roadside bomb exploded in Ghazni province.

Violence has increased greatly in Afghanistan over the last year and a half, accounting for thousands of deaths among Afghans and international soldiers stationed in the country.