More Troops Killed in Afghanistan

5 U.S. Troops Killed as Afghan Violence Swells | Los Angeles Times

The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province, the American military said Thursday.

The deaths bring to 11 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan so far in August, on the heels of what was the worst month for Western and U.S. troop fatalities since the conflict began in 2001. Forty-three American military personnel died in July.

... The American deaths occurred in Farah province, bordering Iran, where a force consisting mainly of U.S. Marines staffs a string of small forward operating bases set deep in the desert. They are connected by a route that American forces have been struggling for months to keep free of roadside bombs, which have made travel extremely dangerous for villagers and military convoys alike.

One of the fatalities occurred Wednesday, and the other four, in a single incident, came Thursday, the U.S. military said. Such "clusters" of fatalities are becoming less uncommon; three American soldiers were killed over the weekend in a roadside bombing in the south.