A roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan killed five members of the U.S. Army Saturday, according to military officials. The International Security Assistance Force says an improvised explosive device was used in the attack.
Update at 5:15 p.m. EDT. Another Deadly Attack:
An Afghan National Army soldier "turned his weapon on coalition troops in the west, killing two in the most recent of so-called insider attacks, the AP reports. NPR has confirmed that both victims of that attack are American.
Our original post continues:
The attack comes one week after the Taliban announced it was launching its spring offensive. On Tuesday, three British soldiers died and six more were wounded after a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle — as The Guardian reported, "a Mastiff troop carrier – a 15-ton vehicle which is regarded as one of the safest operated by the British military."
Other deadly attacks in the past week have targeted Afghan police and security personnel.
The exact location and other details of Saturday's attack have not been announced. But the AP reports that "Javeed Faisal, a spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province, said a coalition patrol hit the roadside bomb in Maiwand district of the province, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban."
The United States and its allies are in the process of handing security responsibilities over to Afghanistan's own forces, culminating in the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of 2014.
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