Germany's Steinbrueck says 11 German soldiers killed in Afghan attack |
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Sat, 19 May 2007 13:35
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POTSDAM, Germany (Thomson Financial) - Eleven German soldiers have been killed in a suicide blast in Afghanistan, a leading German Cabinet minister said today.At the G8 meeting of finance ministers here, Germany's Peer Steinbrueck said eleven soldiers had died in the northern town of Kunduz.Earlier, military forces in Afghanistan reported that they had killed scores of Taliban fighters in separate operations overnight, with the bodies of nearly 70 left on one battlefield.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said his organisation was responsible for the blast that killed the German soldiers.The movement vowed last month to step up attacks in the north, which has seen relatively little of the violence gripping the south and east.Today's attack was the most deadly strike against the German deployment to Afghanistan since 2003, when four were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul.Germany has around 3,000 troops there, operating largely in the north of the country. Twenty-one German soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan since 2002, including the ones killed on Saturday.Around 60 foreign soldiers involved in the international mission to Afghanistan have died this year, most of them in attacks or combat.pan.pylas@thomson.comafp/pp/vlbCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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