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Romanian Soldier Killed in Taliban Convoy Attack | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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US soldiers part of NATO-led International Security Assistance force (ISAF) and Afghan security forces inspect the wreckage of an armored vehicle at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul on August 10, 2014. Photo: AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai


A Romanian soldier from a NATO-led mission was killed and two others wounded in southern Afghanistan on Friday in a Taliban claimed suicide attack, the Romanian defense ministry said.

The soldiers were traveling in a convoy in the Kandahar region, the ministry said in a statement. The assailant drove a vehicle packed with explosives into the foreign patrol as they drove through Daman district.

Romania, a NATO member since 2004, is contributing more than 620 troops to NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan which faces attacks from Taliban militants.

“The security situation in Afghanistan remains unstable, with the majority of incidents occurring in eastern and southern provinces,” the ministry said in its statement, according to Reuters.

“NATO forces … remain permanent targets of potential insurgent attacks.”

General John Nicholson, who heads up US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, condemned the attack and said it was further evidence the Taliban “are not interested in peace”, AFP reported.

“This loss only continues to strengthen our resolve and support to the Afghan government and its citizens as we work toward a secure and stable Afghanistan,” Nicholson said.

US military commanders in Afghanistan have requested for more additional troops, however, the request is held up in Washington, where US president Donald Trump has expressed scepticism over extending the American commitment.

The Taliban’s latest assault follows the group’s pledge to turn Afghanistan into a “graveyard” for foreign forces.

Earlier this month two Taliban suicide bombers launched separate attacks around Bagram Airfield, America’s largest base in the country, that wounded several US soldiers and civilians, according to AFP.