Military: 8 U.S. troops die in Afghan blasts

Posted: Oct 27, 2009 9:00 AM by MSNBC

The U.S. military said on Tuesday that eight American troops have been killed in bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan, making October the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the eight-year Afghan war.

NATO said in a statement that an Afghan civilian working with its forces was killed in the incidents, which it described as "multiple complex (improvised explosive device) attacks in southern Afghanistan."

Several service members were also wounded in the attacks, the NATO statement added.

"A loss like this is extremely difficult for the families as well as for those who served alongside these brave service members," said spokesperson Navy Capt. Jane Campbell in the statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends who mourn their loss," she added.

The latest deaths bring to 55 the total number of American troops killed in Afghanistan, The Associated Press reported. Fighting previously spiked around the presidential vote in August, when 51 U.S. soldiers died.

Tuesday's news came a day after the military announced that helicopter crashes killed 14 Americans in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years.

President Barack Obama is preparing to meet his national security team for a sixth full-scale conference on the future of the troubled war.