Wire: 19 US Servicemembers Killed in 72 Hours in Afghanistan

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2010 -- Newswire services this morning reported that five U.S. troops were killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday in fighting that has left 19 servicemembers dead since Saturday.

The Associated Press reported that in Tuesday's attacks, NATO said four troops were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, while a fifth died in a battle with insurgents in the country's south. No other details were given.

The deaths bring this month's total to 55, including a Marine killed in fighting in the volatile southern province of Helmand on Friday whose death was not announced until Monday night. That is still fewer than the 66 killed in July, the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source.