Wire: 5 US Servicemembers Killed in Southern Afghanistan Attacks

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2009 -- Newswire services this morning reported that five American servicemembers were killed in attacks in southern Afghanistan, where the U.S. and NATO have ramped up operations against the Taliban and seen casualties rise quickly in what has been the deadliest year of the war for international forces.

The Associated Press reported that four soldiers died Thursday in the same small district of Zabul province, including three killed when their Stryker vehicle struck a bomb, said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Robert Carr. The fourth was shot to death in an insurgent attack, Carr said. The Stryker brigade in Zabul is part of the influx of U.S. troops sent by President Barack Obama over the summer to try to reverse Taliban gains.

A U.S. Marine was fatally shot while on foot patrol in Nimroz province and died Thursday, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a military spokeswoman.

The deaths come as the Obama administration decides whether to send still more forces to Afghanistan, AP said.

(Report from newswire sources.)