Four U.S. Troops Killed by Bombs in Afghanistan

June 1, 2009

KABUL — Two roadside bombs that struck back-to-back only miles apart hit two U.S. military vehicles Monday, killing four American troops, U.S. and Afghan officials said.

U.S. military officials have predicted a 50 percent spike in improvised explosive device attacks in Afghanistan this year as militants step up attacks and thousands more troops pour into the country.

The deaths bring to 64 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count based on military figures. That far surpasses the 36 troops killed through the first five months of 2008, the deadliest year for American forces since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban. …

Though the U.S. military declined to say where the strikes occurred, an Afghan official said the two attacks happened in Wardak, one province west of Kabul that saw an influx of 10th Mountain Division troops earlier this year.

Mohammad Hanif Hanifi, the top government official in Nirkh district, said a U.S. vehicle hit an IED around 6 p.m. in a village that troops routinely patrol through around 6 p.m. He said a second vehicle hit a mine only 15 or 20 minutes later and that a helicopter flew in to evacuate casualties.

Violence in Afghanistan has risen steadily the last three years as Taliban and other militants step up attacks against international and Afghan troops. President Barack Obama is sending 21,000 additional troops to the country in hopes of improving the deteriorating security situation.

———

Late update

U.S. Deaths Rise in Afghanistan

An Air Force transfer team carries a transfer case containing the remains of Senior Airman Ashton Lynn Marie Goodman early Thursday, May 28, 2009 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Goodman, of Indianapolis, Ind., was killed by a bomb near the Bagram airfield in Afghanistan. (Photo credit: Steve Ruark / AP)

June 2, 2009

KABUL — U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have risen to 65 so far this year, up from 36 over the first five months of 2008 — though U.S. and coalition troops have also killed hundreds more militants, an Associated Press tally shows.

As newly arriving Marines enter the violent Afghan south — the spiritual home of the Taliban and the country’s major drug-producing region — the military said Tuesday that U.S. deaths will likely increase even further this summer. …

The latest U.S. death came Tuesday during an insurgent attack in the east that killed one soldier. On Monday, two roadside bombs ripped through two military vehicles in the same convoy, killing four Americans in Wardak, one province west of Kabul.

U.S. counter-IED experts say they expect IED attacks — roadside bombs and suicide attacks — to rise 50 percent this year, contributing to the increase in casualties.

The death Tuesday brought to 65 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AP count based on military figures. Not counting the five deaths in June, U.S. deaths are up 66 percent the first five months of the year over the same period last year. …

Full story

———

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq

As of Monday, June 1, 2009, at least 4,307 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Latest identifications:

Army Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio, 19, Galloway, N.J., died May 29, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered from a noncombat-related incident May 27 in Tallil, Iraq. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Army Pvt. Thomas E. Lee III, 20, Dalton, Ga., died May 29, 2009 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an explosive device struck his vehicle. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Army Pfc. Samuel D. Stone, 20, Port Orchard, Wash., died May 30, 2009 in Tallil, Iraq, of injuries suffered during a noncombat-related vehicle rollover. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment, Bremerton, Wash.

Army Spc. Marko M. Samson, 30, Columbus, Ohio, died May 31, 2009 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a noncombat-related incident. He was assigned to the 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

———

Remember Their Sacrifice

Related links

Iraq Casualties

Afghanistan Casualties

Honor the Fallen

Click to visit the Military Times Hall of Valor

Visit Military Times — The top source for military news

———

Security Developments in Iraq

Following are security developments in Iraq on Monday, June 1, 2009 as reported by Reuters.

MOSUL – A mortar round landed on a police station, wounding two policemen in eastern Mosul, 240 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – Gunmen threw a hand grenade at a U.S military patrol, killing a child and wounding 15 other bystanders in a market in central Mosul, police said. The soldiers in the patrol were unharmed.

BAGHDAD – A bomb planted in a popular vegetable market killed four people and wounded 13 others in Doura district, southern Baghdad, police said.

JALAWLA – Police shot dead a suicide car bomber before he managed to strike a police checkpoint, but his car still detonated, killing one civilian and wounding six, in Jalawla, 70 miles northeast of Baghdad, police said. Two policemen were among the wounded.

Following are security developments in Iraq on Sunday, May 31, 2009 as reported by Reuters.

BAGHDAD – A bomb attached to the car of a TV crew from Iraq’s state-run Iraqiya TV channel wounded two of the crew’s technicians and one bystander in northern Baghdad’s Adhamiya district, police said.

MOSUL – A bomb attached to a car killed a sports journalist working for al-Baghdadiya TV channel, and wounded another sports reporter, in northern Mosul, 240 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

KIRKUK – The Iraqi army arrested a suspected local leader in the cities of Kirkuk and Tikrit, of the al-Qaeda linked group Ansar al-Sunna, during a military operation near Kirkuk, 150 miles north of Baghdad, the defense ministry said in a statement. Several members of the group were also arrested.

MOSUL – A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol wounded a soldier and a civilian in eastern Mosul, police said. An off-duty traffic policeman was killed when soldiers started firing randomly at perceived threats after the explosion.

HASWA – A roadside bomb struck a car and killed the driver and wounded three others on Saturday near a police station in Haswa, 30 miles south of Baghdad, police said.

SAMARRA – A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed two policemen and wounded four on Saturday in the city of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – A roadside bomb wounded three civilians on Saturday in eastern Mosul, police said.

ISKANDARIYA – A sticky bomb attached to a truck killed its driver on Saturday in the town of Iskandariya, 25 miles south of Baghdad, police said.