2 NATO service members killed in Afghanistan

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - At least two NATO service members were among the casualties of Thursday's Taliban-claimed suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul, an official statement confirmed.

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement that one of the slain service members was from the U.S., and one from Romania.

Any further information on the Romania casualty will come from Bucharest, said the statement, adding that the name of any U.S. service member killed in action is withheld until 24 hours after family notification is complete.

With today’s bombing, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year reached 18.

In the attack, a total of 10 locals were killed and over 40 wounded, according to the Afghan Health Ministry.

The attack took place three days after a truck bomb targeted a compound of foreign troops and aid agencies, killing 16 people, including Nepalese, British and Romanian nationals, and wounding 119 others.

The violence also came on the heels of the U.S. and Taliban concluding the ninth session of marathon round of peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha last week.