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2 blasts hit US troops in deadly Afghan attack | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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KABUL, (AP) — Eight U.S. troops who died in the latest attack in southern Afghanistan were hit by two different blasts while they were on foot patrol.

NATO says the explosions in Kandahar province happened as the troops began to investigate a suspicious object they found on Thursday. The first explosion happened immediately, wounding some of the troops.

NATO said on Friday that a second explosion came as others rushed in to help the wounded.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, have confirmed that all eight victims were Americans.

It was the deadliest day for NATO in Afghanistan since April 27, when a veteran Afghan military pilot killed eight U.S. troops and an American civilian contractor at Kabul airport.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO says coalition troops have captured a leader of an al-Qaida-affiliated terror group during a raid in east Afghanistan.

A NATO statement on Friday says the militant is a local chief of the powerful Haqqani network, which is based in neighboring Pakistan’s tribal belt. The group is a branch of the Afghan Taliban and a major enemy of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. It’s led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin.

NATO says the man was seized on Thursday in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia.

The coalition says the man led as many as 40 fighters for the Haqqani network,

The capture comes as the coalition increasingly targets midlevel insurgent commanders to disrupt their operations.