KABUL: A Taliban attack killed three Nato soldiers and a military dog in southern Afghanistan yesterday, officials said, in the latest sign of the insurgents’ capability as the coalition winds down operations.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will end combat mission later this year, leaving Afghan police and army to take on full responsibility for battling the Taliban insurgency.
“Three ISAF service members and one ISAF dog died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today,” Nato said in a statement.
Military dogs are often used to sniff for explosives, though they have proved unpopular with Afghan civilians as they are seen as unclean by many.
In line with its policy, ISAF it did not identify the nationality of the troops, though most soldiers in the south are American.
The attack occurred in the volatile Nad Ali district of Helmand province, according to Afghan officials. “The bomb was carried on a motorbike and detonated close to an ISAF patrol,” the provincial governor’s spokesman Omar Zawak said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility via a text message to the media.
The last major incident involving Nato troops was ten days ago when five US soldiers were killed in an accidental “friendly fire” air strike in Zabul province during clashes with insurgents.
AFP
